Most guys suck at dating apps, but the good news is that there’s a few basic things that you can do to really improve your OLD game. Take it from a short, ethnic guy who did all the learning the hard way, so you don’t have to.

1) First pic: Choose a good face shot for your first pic. Get your haircut, style, and background in order for this one. Consider getting a photographer for this one. It should be flattering, but still look like you and not like it’s heavily filtered. You want to walk that fine line between looking your best and not disappointing her on your first date. OLD is a shallow concept, so look good and use a visually appealing pic (eg contrast, colors, etc) so that it stands out enough from the rest for her to actually click on your profile.

2) Other pics: 4 photos total is a good balance to show off diverse sides of you without fucking up. Every photo should have a purpose, and that purpose is to show off what you can offer. Show her your adventurous side, humorous side, talented side, etc. Make sure at least one is a social pic so she knows that you’re not some kind of maladjusted weirdo. Your photos should demonstrate your value and provoke an emotional reaction: this is why dog pics are so damn effective.

3) Bio: DO NOT TELL HER YOUR LIFE STORY. If she wants to find out about how much you like long walks on the beach, she’ll ask you about it during conversation. Keep your bio short, funny, and original (no copypasted jokes). This is an opportunity for you to show her your sense of humour or provoke some other kind of emotional reaction that makes her want more (eg a silly, but flippant, challenge could work). Always show, never tell. Walking the walk is much more powerful.

4) Stop including unflattering info. If you’re not over 6’, don’t include your height. This also applies to including whether you’re looking for a relationship or something casual. Don’t give her reasons to disqualify you before you even started playing. That said, don’t lie about things or even exaggerate: slightly underselling is better than overselling. Her being disappointed when you go out bode well for you and is a waste of everyone’s time and money.

The one exception to this rule is that you should include any major dealbreaker type thing (like only dating in your religion).

5) In fact, don’t include too much info at all. That’s why I don’t advise putting up too many photos or getting on about your interests too much. Put up enough to entice her, but leave a little for her to figure out as you get to know each other.

BOTTOM LINE: This is a sales brochure, not your memoir. You are a guy trying to sell your timeshare to women, but are stuck in a stadium filled with other guys trying to sell their timeshares. Fortunately, your “customers” wouldn’t be on the app if they weren’t actually interested in buying a timeshare and most of the other sales guys are totally clueless about how to go about selling. You don’t have to have the best product in the room, you just need to present it in an appealing enough way so that it sticks out.