Tips on Using Bumble While Waiting for Your Match to Make the First Move

Bumble is dedicated to building a community where our members feel safe to make meaningful connections and build fulfilling relationships, whether you’re in the position to make the first move or not. 

Of course, we know the feelings of anticipation that come with waiting for someone to send you the first message when you’re excited by their profile. That’s why we’re sharing our best tips to help you stand out on Bumble, and encourage your matches to go ahead and make that first move. Read on!

Give them a SuperSwipe

If you can’t make the first move, but want to get a potential match’s attention, there’s a way to let them know you’re confidently interested in them: SuperSwipe. When they come across your profile in their queue, they’ll see a yellow badge that says “SuperSwiped You!” across the bottom of your photo. This is a paid Bumble feature that’s included with Bumble Boost and Bumble Premium, or it can be purchased independently by tapping on the option on the main menu screen under your profile photo. When you SuperSwipe on someone’s profile, they’ll see that you’re especially interested in getting to know them. 

Use the Extend feature

When you’re really interested in someone, waiting for them to make the first move can give you butterflies—especially knowing you only have 24 hours before the match expires. Enter: Bumble’s Extend feature. Using it at any point before a match expires is practical because it adds an extra 24 hours to the clock. It also lets the other person know you’re eager to get the conversation going, since they’ll receive a notification that you used your daily Extend on them. When a match uses Extend on you, their profile photo will show up with a green ring rather than a yellow one and will reflect the updated amount of time you have to start a conversation. Think of it as a (far sexier!) “circle back” email.

Verify your profile

No one wants to risk getting catfished, and getting your profile Verified helps to reassure potential matches that your photos are of you. To get started, tap “Edit Profile,” then hit “Verify Your Account.” From there, you’ll be prompted to take a selfie mimicking the random pose that appears on your screen. Within a few minutes, Bumble will review your submission and confirm or deny your verification. If for some reason you make a mistake or your verification doesn’t go through on the first try, don’t worry, you’ll be able to try the process again. 

Send them a Compliment

Openly admiring a person you’re interested in dating is a classic way to express your interest and gauge their own, which is where Bumble’s Compliment feature comes in. Using it can help you stand out on the app in two ways: it allows you to compliment another dater even before you’ve officially matched, and it encourages you to start a conversation about a specific part of their profile, giving your potential match an easy way to start a chat. 

If you see something on another user’s profile that sparks your interest—a bio that made you laugh, a photo taken in an exotic locale you’ve always wanted to visit—send a Compliment by tapping the yellow icon with a heart inside a speech bubble located in the bottom left-hand corner of that section. Then, a text box will open for you to write something charming (and snappy, since there’s a 150 character limit!) to send their way. This will count as a right swipe on them, and the recipient will see your Compliment when your profile pops up in their potential match feed, giving them the option to swipe right on you, too.

Smile for the camera

The photos you choose to share on your profile tell a story, and filling out all six photo slots will give other Bumble daters a better sense of who you are. For the first photo especially, showing off your whole face (without a filter) and your eyes (without sunglasses) is your best bet. And make sure it’s just you in this first photo so your potential matches know whose profile it is. You can save the group photos and action shots for later. 

Don’t skip the Profile Badges or Prompts

Your Bumble profile provides lots of opportunities to connect with new people. All you have to do is take advantage of them! We know it’s not always easy to talk about yourself, which is why we created Profile Badges and Profile Prompts. Both are great tools for relaying important information without taking up a lot of space. You can select Badges that clarify things like what you’re looking for on the app, and share basic information like whether you drink or your political views. There are also over 30 Profile Prompts to choose from; add your responses to up to three on your profile as a way to show more of your personality. 

Get personal in your bio

The bio space in your profile provides an opportunity to speak directly to potential matches and, when done well, can help elevate your profile from a maybe to a match. Skip generic phrases like, “work hard, play hard” or “love to laugh,” and instead use this area of your profile to share details that will give potential matches a taste of what you’re really about. If you love to travel, share something unexpected you learned on your last trip, pique their interest by listing a few of your most unusual hobbies, or make them laugh by joking about the pros and cons of dating you. You can always change your bio later if new inspiration strikes. Check out our other tips for writing a great bio here.

Try these tips to get the conversation going!