How to Start a Conversation on Hinge: 17 Tips
How to Start a Conversation on Hinge: 17 Tips
1. Show Genuine Interest
By far, the most important tip for starting a conversation on Hinge is showing genuine interest in the other person.
After all, that’s the whole point of messaging on Hinge: to get to know each other, so you can feel out compatibility and interest in meeting in person for a date.
The best way to do this is by asking your match an engaging question.
Or just comment on something you see in your match’s profile.
No matter what, say something that shows your match that you want to learn more about them.
Show them that you’re not just sending a copy-and-pasted message to them that you’d send to all your matches.
People are more likely to respond to your message on Hinge if they know that you took the time to read their profile and genuinely want to get to know them.
Read: 16 Tips for Sending the Best Hinge Openers
2. Strike the Right Tone
When starting a conversation on Hinge, it’s important to strike the right tone.
That means being confident, friendly, positive, and playfully flirty.
Show that you’re comfortable in your own skin and are confident, yet approachable, and you’ll increase your chances of getting a response from your messages.
Keep your messages short and sweet, but still show that you’re putting effort in and are giving enough for the other person to work with and create a substantive conversation.
Read: Study Reveals What Women Really Want on Bumble vs Tinder vs Hinge
3. Use Good Conversation Starters
Conversation starters can go a long way on Hinge.
Here are some tips for writing great Hinge conversation starters that open the door to meaningful conversation with a match:
- Ask open-ended questions that invite a thoughtful response. Avoid questions with a simple “yes” or “no” response.
- Reference something specific from the other person’s profile pictures or prompts. Ideally, find something in common or ask them a question for more information.
- Make a light-hearted, tasteful joke or witty observation about their profile.
By starting the conversation in one of these ways, you show that you’re genuinely interested in getting to know the person and took the time to write a personalized opening message.
Read: 34 Hinge Conversation Starters and Icebreakers That Actually Work
4. Avoid Overused Pickup Lines
Don’t use generic cheesy pickup lines on Hinge.
First of all, your match has probably heard them all before.
Second, it can come across as trashy or like you don’t care that much.
Instead, come up with something genuine and unique that reflects you authentically, showcases your personality, and lets you get to know your match.
5. Get Conversation Ideas from Their Profile
When trying to start a conversation on Hinge, focusing on the details in someone’s profile is one of your best bets and should always be your first approach.
Hinge gives you a lot to work with when it comes to sending a good opener and coming up with things to talk about.
In each person’s Hinge profile, there are six photos and three prompts, which are intended to tell you a lot about your match’s lifestyle, interests, and personality, giving you plenty of ideas for conversation starters.
6. Connect Through Interests and Hobbies
Carefully examine the person’s profile, paying close attention to their interests and hobbies you gather from their photos and prompt responses.
You can use these topics as inspiration for your conversation starters.
For example, if they mention travel, then ask them about their favorite places they’ve been, upcoming trips they have, or any places on their bucket list.
Read: How to Answer the ‘Best Travel Story’ Hinge Prompt
If they mention sports, you can ask which teams they like or if they play any sports themselves.
If they mention music, talk about favorite bands, controversial or unconventional music tastes, any concerts they’ve attended or hope to attend.
If they’re outdoorsy, ask them about their favorite hiking trails or any backpacking/camping trips they’ve done or hope to do.
Starting a conversation with someone based on their interests helps to establish common ground, make the person feel heard, teaches you a lot about them, and makes the conversation flow more naturally on Hinge.
7. Compliment Photos and Style
Another way to get the conversation started on Hinge is to offer genuine compliments on the person’s photos or style.
While looking at their profile pictures, take note of any unique or interesting features like any travel photos, fashionable outfits, or pets.
If they have a travel photo with a standout background or sight, compliment the beautiful scenery, ask them where it’s from, ask about what their trip was like, and/or ask for travel tips.
If they have a photo with a pet, ask what their pet’s name is, what their pet’s personality is like, and let them light up telling you all about their furry friend.
Read: 12 Best Hinge Profile Pictures: Tips for Photos to Use on Hinge
8. Discuss Common Goals
Reading a person’s profile can provide valuable insight into their goals, which can be a great starting point for a Hinge conversation.
Psychological research shows that many people feel like their sense of identity is defined by what goals they’re working after.
So if you want to connect with someone on Hinge on a deeper level, talking about goals is a great conversation strategy.
To establish a connection with a Hinge match through discussing common goals, one thing can do is ask them about their career goals long-term. Talking about personal growth or career ambitions you may have in common, or just may have independently, can spark connection and show support.
Read: Creating Chemistry on a First Date: 7 Tips for Feeling a Spark
You can also discuss dating goals. Mentioning a shared desire for a particular relationship type, and highlighting the importance of compatibility, communication, and intention, can be a great way to feel connected off the bat through Hinge chat.
If you’re into mindfulness, spirituality, or meditation, those are also excellent topics of conversation for Hinge.
By engaging in meaningful discussions about common goals and values, you can build a rapport with a Hinge match and create a foundation for a more connected and deeper first date to come.
9. Ask Open-Ended Questions
To start off, always use open-ended questions when starting conversations on Hinge.
Open-ended questions allow your match to provide more than just a yes or no answer, helping you learn more about them and creating a deeper conversation.
With open-ended questions, the conversation will become just that: Open. Unrestricted. Flexible. With unlimited avenues to go down.
The key is to ask questions showing that you’re genuinely interested in their life and experiences. For instance, if your match has a travel photo, ask them about their favorite memories from the trip.
Read: 15 Best Questions to Ask on Hinge (And Why They Work)
10. Using Icebreakers and Humor
Using icebreakers and being playful or funny in your Hinge conversations is a great way of creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere that lets people open up more.
You can use jokes, puns, or even quirky questions to catch their interest and show them a good time. For example, if your match’s profile mentions they’re into sports, you could ask them which new type of sport they’d invent if given the chance to invent their own sport.
Humor can help establish rapport in a Hinge chat, making you and your match feel more comfortable with one another.
11. Sharing Personal Stories and Anecdotes
Research shows that people are wired to bond through storytelling.
As you continue the conversation on Hinge, try to share your own personal stories and anecdotes from life experiences as you respond to your match’s answers.
Sharing stories when chatting with a Hinge match not only makes the conversation more engaging, unique, and gives an opportunity for your match to get to know you better on a personal level.
Share stories that show your personality and interests, experiences that shaped who you are today, or just funny eccentric experiences.
Remember to keep the conversation balanced; you don’t want to dominate it by focusing only on your own experiences. Aim for a a back-and-forth conversation to create a more meaningful conversation.
Read: How to Have Better Hinge Conversations: 12 Tips
12. Follow Up Your Opener with Engaging Messages
After you’ve successfully started a conversation on Hinge, now it’s time to keep the conversation going.
A good opener isn’t good enough to get you a date!
To keep the conversation going, the first and foremost rules to keep in mind are to be attentive and genuinely interested in what your match has to say.
Strike a good balance between asking questions and sharing information about yourself. These two components are the heart of good conversation, and balancing them well creates a sense of connection and helps keep your Hinge match’s interest in you.
When chatting with someone on Hinge, don’t be afraid to dive a little deeper into topics you both find interesting and be vulnerable. It could take your bonding to a next level.
13. Stick to These Best Hinge Conversation Topics
There are many great conversation starters on Hinge that can lead to interesting chats.
Some of the best conversation topics to explore are:
- Hobbies and interests: Learn more about each other’s passions and activities to discover common ground and shared passions.
- Travel experiences: Share stories and experiences from your travels. Discuss favorite places you’ve visited and dream vacations for the future. Show your sense of adventure.
- Career and goals: Talk about your work and future plans, focusing on what you find exciting and meaningful. This can be a great way to understand each other’s ambitions and passions.
- Fun hypotheticals: Light-hearted questions like “If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be?” can help break the ice and lead to funny, lighthearted conversations.
14. Explore Shared Passions and Activities
Good Hinge conversation rests upon making a genuine effort to understand your match’s interests and passions and how they see the world. This not only allows you to better feel out your compatibility but also creates opportunities for potential date ideas.
For example, if you discover that you both love outdoor activities like hiking or rock climbing, you can suggest planning a first date where you go to your favorite nature spot or climbing gym.
Read: 12 Tips for Having a Perfect Hiking Date
Showing a genuine interest in your match’s world and taking the time to learn more about their hobbies goes a long way in building a meaningful connection through conversation on Hinge.
15. Avoid Filler and Interview-Like Questions
When starting a conversation on Hinge, avoid using filler questions like “how’s your day?” or “what do you do for work?”
Instead, focus on asking more open-ended questions that will allow your match to write a more detailed response, such as asking about their hobbies and interests.
Keep things lighthearted and fun and see your match for more than their job. Asking too many interview-like questions about their job, goals, and ambitions might make the conversation feel more like a job interview than a dating app chat.
16. Show Positivity, Courtesy, and Confidence
When having conversations on Hinge, maintain a positive, respectful, confident, and playful tone.
It can be a great conversation tactic to make self-deprecating jokes or make a lighthearted teasing comment about your match. But don’t overdo it. In general, focus on building rapport and trust by being respectful, enthusiastic, and honest.
Read: 4 Reasons Why Confidence is So Attractive
17. Maintain an Engaging and Authentic Hinge Profile
Your Hinge profile is your first impression and what will first and foremost affect what kind of conversations you’re having with matches.
Your profile should accurately reflect your personality, interests, and values.
Use high-quality pictures that showcase your hobbies, travels, interests, and life experiences.
To have a professional Hinge expert select your best six profile pictures for you, upload your photos to our dating photo analyzer and we’ll do the work for you.
Once you’ve selected your photos, write prompt answers that are unique, genuine, clever, vivid, and make you stand out from the crowd.
To have a professional Hinge profile writer select three ideal prompts for you and write your prompt responses in an engaging and authentic way, check out our dating profile writing service and select the Hinge app icon to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions About Starting Hinge Conversations
What “start the chat” means on Hinge?
On Hinge, “Start the Chat” means it’s time to start a conversation with a new match.
Messaging on Hinge requires that you and another user mutually liked one another, forming a match, and once that match is made, it’s time to break the ice and get the conversation going.
Read: How to Match on Hinge & What a New Match Means
How to message on Hinge?
To message someone on Hinge, you can send them a brief note along with a like.
In other words, you can send them an opening message at the same time you like their profile.
If they like you back, then a match is made, and you can start sending messages back and forth.
Remember that an engaging, thoughtfully written first message is crucial to standing out from the crowd and forming a match, so think carefully when making this first conversation step.
Good Hinge opener?
A good Hinge opener creates genuine interest and shows that you took the time to read the other person’s profile. It’s short and sweet and confident. Try finding common ground by referencing something you both like from their profile, such as a shared hobby or interest. Ideally, ask them an open-ended question.
Read: The 39 Best Hinge Openers to Start Conversation
Confident first message on Hinge?
To show confidence in a first message on Hinge, keep your opener concise, personalized, and grammatically correct. Say something bold that most other people might not say, but keep it respectful and appropriate.
Funny conversation starters for Hinge?
Humor can be a great way to break the ice on Hinge and start the chat. Look into your match’s profile for something amusing or interesting that can be used as a conversation starter. You can make fun of them playfully, without taking it too far. This will create flirt and spark connection.
See this list of 34 Hinge conversation starters.
Best topics to discuss on Hinge?
Some of the best topics to discuss in a conversation on Hinge include shared interests, hobbies, travel experiences, favorite movies or books, life goals, pet peeves, random hypotheticals, and non-political current events.
Want Help Creating a Great Hinge Profile?
We at The Match Lab have spent years studying the science of how to write good Hinge prompts and how to select the right photos to use in a Hinge profile.
After years of research, we have developed a dating photo analyzer that uses an algorithm to select any person’s best photos for Hinge, or any other dating app. Just upload some photos of yourself, and our algorithm will reveal which photos you should be using in your Hinge profile and the ideal order they should go in.
We also offer professional dating profile writing services. Our professional Hinge profile writer can write your Hinge prompts for you and help your profile stand out from the crowd.
Get started now, or learn more about us on our website, so you can start getting more likes and better matches on Hinge.
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