Post Pandemic Playbook: Top Dating Tips For 2022 Revealed

Online dating has become the go-to option for those looking to find a potential love interest.

After nearly two years living in a state of romantic flux, many Brits are back on the prowl and looking for love — but how can people portray themselves in the most favourable light online?

New research from online dating site eHarmony shows first impressions count when it comes to meeting someone new.

‘Suggestive’ and raunchy profiles should be avoided at all costs by men wanting to build trust with a would-be suitor, as it only serves as a romantic deterrent for three quarters of women. By contrast, just a third of men feel the same about suggestive female profiles.

You can't hurry love

The research reveals that one in five singletons who message a would-be suitor expect to receive a message back within 24-hours – compared to one in six who want to know if love is in the air within the hour.  

Striking while the iron is hot is a favourable approach, as close to a third of singles are keen to meet up in real life within a week of finding an online connection.

Timing really is everything, as an analysis of over 13,000 dating profiles shows that reaching out on a Sunday evening between 9pm and 10pm is the optimum time to spark a conversation with someone online.

Friday nights should be avoided — possibly because people are out socialising. Not surprisingly, 4am messages receive the lowest response rate overall.

I don't want no scrubs

While men and women agree that humour is the most attractive trait on dating apps, closely followed by creating a witty and upbeat profile, Brits are also in unanimous agreement of the biggest turn off — arrogance.

What’s more, previous evaluations of over 10,000 UK dating profiles also reveals that for each additional photo uploaded to their profiles, men increase their chances of a response by 10% and women increase theirs by 8%.

Don’t overthink initiating a conversation, a simple ‘Hi or Hello’ is in fact the preferred icebreaker, followed by small talk, hobbies and discussing personal information from their profiles.  

"Date 2Nyt?!"

The research also found that more than half of daters were turned off by incorrect spelling and grammar.

Keeping political views to ourselves is a safe bet — particularly amongst women, with over a third happy to pull the plug on any budding romance with mismatched political views.

When it comes to making your interest known, over half of singles also prefer to be contacted first by a match, admiring the confidence it takes to make the first move, with men believing more so than women. As a result, they're also more likely to reply.