Cosmopolitan_Australia_October_2017

‘That’s me

putting the

ball in your

court.’ – DANI

‘[Insert dating

app] told me

to say hello

or you’d

disappear

forever, so I’m

doing this for

your safety.’

• NIKKI

‘What’s for

breakfast/

lunch?’

• JULIE

‘Hey, what’s

up? Hello. –

Fetty Wap.’

• LAURIEL

‘FMK.

Barbecue,

sriracha or

ranch?’

• CARLY

‘Seen any

good concerts

lately?’ – KATE

‘What are you

feeling most

passionate

about

these days?’

• MADDIE

Opening

lines

BECAUSE YOU

CAN DO BETTER

THAN ‘HEY’.

T h e t o p

emojis

guys

respond

to

at least one full­body shot of you

alone, and photos of you doing

something active, like playing

a sport or enjoying a night out.

But seriously: no selfies. ‘Having

too many selfies suggests you

are a touch on the self­absorbed

end of the spectrum,’ explains

Pambakian. ‘Photos of you and

your mates shows that you enjoy

an active social life, which to

other social beings is attractive.’

STEP 3

VET YOUR MATCHES

‘The number one mistake that

women make on dating apps is

overvaluing a profile photo,’ says

Jasmine Diaz, a celebrity match­

maker and dating strategist.

‘You should consider the entire

package, not just the hot pic.’

Read what he wrote in his bio

and ponder what that says about

his personality: Does he seem

douchey? Funny? Shy? Then ask

yourself if any of his interests or

hobbies align with yours, and do

some Googling or social­media

stalking (especially if he included

his Instagram or Twitter handle

in his bio) to see if he’s who he

says he is (safety first!).

STEP 4

SEND THE FIRST MESSAGE

In a recent survey*, 35 per cent

of women who married some­

one they met on an app said they

sent the first message. Avoid the

solo ‘Hey’ – you’ll most likely

get ignored. ‘Your messaging

game is key on Tinder – it’s how

you can gauge how compatible

you two are before deciding to

meet for that first date,’ says

Pambakian. ‘Take time to ask

him questions about himself

using details from his profile

to show that you studied up’.

(In Netflix’s Master of None, Aziz

Ansari’s character slays it with:

‘Going to Whole Foods, want

me to pick you up anything?’)

Better yet, send a GIF or emoji

with your question: Tinder users

who send GIFs are 30 per cent

more likely to get a response.

STEP 5

ARRANGE THE DATE

‘The last thing you need is a pen

pal,’ says Sonya Kreizman, CEO

of the dating app development

company Crush Mobile. ‘Get off

the app, and get to know each

other in person to see if sparks

fly.’ First, exchange about 15 to

30 messages or chat for one to

three days, to make sure you feel

comfortable. Then trade numbers

and make a first­date game plan

(‘Let’s meet at 8pm on Tuesday

at ____’). If you’re hesitant to

share your digits, get a Google

Voice account and use that, says

Diaz. And obviously, make sure

that the location you agree to is

in a public, well­lit place and you

text a friend where you’ll be...

oh, and that you may have just

met your dream guy. #

OK, NIGHT OWL,

TIME TO PUT

DOWN THE PHONE.

*SURVEY BY PLENTY OF FISH. WORDS BY FAYE BRENNAN. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SH ARI NEMENTZIK. THELICENSINGPROJECT.COM/SNAPPER MED

IA

sex & relationships