Founded in 2012, Hinge is a dating app that has grown to become one of the most popular services with over 1.2 million users. The Hinge Dating app advertises that it differs from other dating apps by prioritizing in person connections so that users can eventually delete the app. While Hinge has similar features to other major dating apps, like Tinder and Bumble, it does have unique liking and messaging features that are more similar to sites such as Match and eHarmony. We've broken down what those features are, how to take advantage of them, and how to start conversations on Hinge that will receive responses every time!
Hinge Messaging Features and How to Use Them Successfully
Hinge Pictures and Prompts
Hinge allows you to view potential matches profiles, and each profile contains a combination of pictures and prompts. Hinge users have the ability to use prompts to write something interesting about themselves on their profile. Users can also leave comments on photos to help spark conversations when liking photos.
Hinge provides the unique opportunity for guys to not only like a potential match's profile, but also supply a message or a Hinge icebreaker to start a conversation.
How To Start a Conversation on Hinge by Commenting on Photos and Prompts
There are multiple ways that you can initiate a conversation with potential matches. When viewing a potential match's profile, you have the ability to like either their prompts or their photos. Although liking photos on Hinge is similar to swipe-based dating apps, Hinge is unique in the way you can send your match a comment on their photo.
Send Comments With Your Likes
After testing thousands of messages with potential matches, we've determined that sending comments when you like profiles on Hinge dramatically increases the chances that your match will respond with a like of their own and will carry on the conversation. While sending messages that directly comment on the prompt or the photo itself does help improve the odds of a response, sending traditional ice breaker questions that aren't relevant to the photo or prompts also works well. Most guys will simply like the photo or prompt and move on, giving you the opportunity to stand out from the competition by immediately sparking up a conversation.
If you are using the free version of the Hinge dating app, you will be able to like and comment on three profiles each day. This means that you should be utilizing every opportunity to spark up conversations with potential matches. If you are a Hinge Preferred Member, then you will have the ability to send unlimited likes and comments to potential matches. You will have the ability to send messages with every potential match you see within the app. This can become extremely time consuming, especially if you are
managing other dating apps in parallel. Consider hiring the professionals!
Commenting on Hinge Prompts
Hinge's Prompts feature makes it very easy to start conversations within the app. Each photo can have a prompt applied to it, and profiles can contain three prompts aside from photos; this gives you a large amount of topics to talk about when sending your first message on Hinge. While each prompt can differ from profile to profile, there are consistent methods that can dramatically increase the chances that you receive a response when starting a conversation on Hinge.
Keep it Positive, Light, and Ask a Question:
When sending your first message on Hinge, you want to avoid the heavy topics up front and send a simple ice breaker with a question included. Your comment can directly address their prompt and you can continue to ask an open ended question about what they've written. Avoid questions that can be answered with a yes/no and be sure to keep your questions light in nature; save the heavy hitting questions for your first date. Remember, when your potential match reads your message, they should enjoy answering it quickly, rather than having to write a novel explaining their relationship goals. To guarantee more responses, avoid questions that warrant a longer period of time to answer. Review your potential match's profile for information that you can insert into your comments. If you have trouble coming up with something to say to their prompt, consider commenting on their photo with a more generic ice breaker.
Commenting on Hinge Photos
When sending a comment on a potential match's photo, you have a variety of approaches you can take when sending your message. Avoid simply complimenting the photo on how attractive the potential match is, as this would only result in a 'thank you' without progressing the conversation further, and is also redundant considering that you are already sending a like to their photo. When commenting on photos in Hinge, you have the opportunity to make a light comment on their photo accompanied with an open ended question, or you could supply a more generic opener, and don't necessarily have to speak directly to their picture or the prompt associated with that picture. If the picture is of your potential match traveling, you can simply comment on how adventurous they seem and ask where they plan to travel next. If the photo is generic and doesn't contain anything to comment on, such as a plain selfie, then you can use one of the below ice breakers to start the conversation:
On a scale from Bobby Flay to Door Dash, how talented are you in the Kitchen?
Whats your secret talent? Dancing, singing, aggressive yoga marathons?
What makes your Sunday mornings great? Brunch with friends, or guilt free sleeping in?
Keeping Conversations on Hinge Engaging
As you start and continue to gather responses on Hinge, you will start to accumulate more conversations within the app. The goal is to transition from the Hinge App to a date, whether it's a virtual date via the app itself, or to meet your potential matches in person. To successfully increase the amount of dates you are going on with high quality women on Hinge, you will have to keep your conversations engaging with your matches. To successfully progress your conversations from starting the conversation on Hinge, to asking for a number or arranging a date on Hinge, you can use the following rules to help improve your responses as well as increase the amount of matches that agree to meet on a date.
Rule #1- Use Sandwich Messages: When messaging your matches on Hinge, always ask your match an open ended question that allows your match to teach you something new about them. These questions can be regarding their occupation, their hobbies/interests, what they enjoy doing on the weekend, etc. On Hinge, use their profile prompts, photos, and information to gather insights into what questions to ask. After your match responds to your question, respond by commenting on their answer, answering the question yourself, and then ask another open ended question.
Rule#2- Reduce Ghosting on Hinge by Avoiding Heavy Topics: While there is no 100% guaranteed way to prevent women from not responding to your messages, as in most cases, the reason why they don't respond has nothing to do with you. They may have already met somebody else, they might not be frequently checking their dating apps, or they could be extremely busy with work. You can reduce the amount of non-responses from matches due to lack of interest by simply avoiding a few landmines when having conversations on the Hinge dating app. By avoiding negative conversational topics, and instead focusing on using your sense of humor, asking fun questions about your match, and keeping the conversation light, you can avoid women leaving the conversation or un-matching you.
Avoid talking about your own negative traits or life obstacles. Nobody wants to consider the downside of a relationship up front, and it's probably safe to say that if you're reading this article, you're the type of person that is working on improving yourself and creating a better future. Proudly focus on your positive qualities and what you enjoy doing to have fun!
Avoid talking about your ex on Hinge. Period.
Avoid asking complicated or very deep questions. While asking thought provoking questions about your potential matches can help you better determine if they are a suitable match for you, that is better done in person on a date. Consider Hinge a launching pad where you get to have light fun conversations with potential matches as a stepping stone to what would be an in-person or virtual date. Women are messaging hundreds of guys and aren't going to want to spend their time writing a novel to you.
Rule#3- Suggest A Date After 5 - 10 Messages: After following the advice mentioned above, you should have received a handful of messages from your potential match and have built a level of comfort required to suggest meeting in person. After 5 to 10 messages with your match, it is time to suggest a date. Your goal should be to suggest a date and ask to swap numbers. While Hinge has messaging and video capabilities now built into the app, you are still better off receiving their number and not relying on your match to constantly be checking Hinge for your messages, especially when discussing the logistics of the date. Suggest to swap numbers and meet either over a virtual date or in person. Need a push?Follow the template below:
"How about swapping numbers and continuing this over drinks? Call me old fashion, but getting to know somebody in person is always better in my opinion. Let me know what you think!"
Hire a Team of Professionals To Manage Your Hinge Dating Profile
Sending comments to every potential match and tailoring each message to their profile's can be extremely time consuming. Managing this process while having multiple conversations with other matches on Hinge and other dating apps can quickly start feeling like a part time job.
ParagonDating deploys a team of professional writers and dating experts to your Hinge profile as well as all of your other favorite dating apps. Imagine having thousands of hours of proven results in your corner, avoiding the Hinge learning curve as well as the countless hours of liking and messaging matches. We manage the entire process for you, from profile creation to messaging and arranging dates with your matches. Want to instantly improve your results on Hinge and other dating platforms? Click on the link below to get started with ParagonDating today.