View the VIBE Toronto
  • Cool Vibes
    • Cool Vibes
    • Gift Guides
    • Eats+Drinks
    • Travel+Hotels
    • Health+Fitness
    • Style+Beauty
    • Life+Culture
    • Dating+Relationships
    • Events+Nightlife
    • Cannabis
  • Best in The 6ix
    • Best in The 6ix
    • Restaurants
    • Hotels
    • Things to do
    • Coffee Shops
    • Spas + Beauty
    • Barbershops
    • Retail
  • City Life
    • City Life
    • Pride
    • #TTCLife
    • #BossLife
    • #DatingLife
    • Seen+Heard
    • COVID-19
    • Quarantine Chronicles
    • Submit a Q.C. Post
  • Going Down
    • Today
    • This Week
    • This Month
    • Submit an Event
SPACES Yorkville
Join In
6K Likes
12K Followers
22K Followers
150 Followers
  • Masthead
  • Send Us A Tip
  • Advertise
Subscribe
View the VIBE Toronto
View the VIBE Toronto
  • Cool Vibes
    • Cool Vibes
    • Gift Guides
    • Eats+Drinks
    • Travel+Hotels
    • Health+Fitness
    • Style+Beauty
    • Life+Culture
    • Dating+Relationships
    • Events+Nightlife
    • Cannabis
  • Best in The 6ix
    • Best in The 6ix
    • Restaurants
    • Hotels
    • Things to do
    • Coffee Shops
    • Spas + Beauty
    • Barbershops
    • Retail
  • City Life
    • City Life
    • Pride
    • #TTCLife
    • #BossLife
    • #DatingLife
    • Seen+Heard
    • COVID-19
    • Quarantine Chronicles
    • Submit a Q.C. Post
  • Going Down
    • Today
    • This Week
    • This Month
    • Submit an Event
  • Life+Culture

Tinder Conversation Starters

  • Vicki Hogarth
  • May 9, 2014
  • 4 minute read
Total
43
Shares
43
0
0
0
0
0

I’ve only been on Tinder for about five weeks in total, and it has already revolutionized my life. I’m not being facetious, I swear. In fact, I was incredibly skeptical about joining. Given that once upon a time a few years ago I tried online dating. I was totally turned off by how frequently guys (and I’m sure the flip-side is true, gentlemen, so I’m not saying women aren’t guilty of the same thing) didn’t live up to the mini autobiography they wrote about themselves. “Musician” and “hobbyist” are not the same thing… and unemployment isn’t pronounced “actor.”

I thought Tinder might be just like Grindr for straight people… and I was right – it is, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Hear me out: I have plenty of gay friends who met their current boyfriends on Grindr. As much as it has a reputation for being a hookup site, it’s actually a healthy mix of the two and finally we straights have something comparable.

I used to be envious of my roommate as he sat in bed at night talking to guys on Grindr… And I grew even more envious when he eventually met his current beau on there. They’ve been happily in love for almost a year now. Why couldn’t I have the same chance for love and lust at my fingertips? Enter Tinder…

The matching part of Tinder is easy. Once you like someone and he or she likes you, it’s always exciting to see the “It’s A Match!” bubble pop open. An exciting reminder that you are superficially lovable. Hey, who doesn’t like to feel like complete strangers want to jump his or her bones. Especially when the feeling is mutual? But a blank talk bubble does not a Tinder hookup or relationship make. You’ve got to get the conversation started if the mutual attraction is going to go anywhere. How do you stand out on Tinder when all you’re working with is a mutual lusting for each other’s best Facebook profile photos? Here’s how to get conversations started on Tinder…

1-Fullscreen capture 08052014 105933 PM

Start With A Photo-Inspired Question

Trust me, you don’t want to come across as the kind of person who has a stock Tinder conversation starter question in their back pocket. I’m guilty of starting off this way when I was but a Tinder newbie five weeks ago. My stock question, which I thought was so clever at the time, was, “What’s your most useless hidden talent?” Don’t get me wrong, a lot of guys played along. But when one dude called me out for using a stock question, I realized he was right. Even though we’re all using the same app to meet strangers, that doesn’t mean Tinder users aren’t all worthy of their own special question to kick off a one-on-one text talk.

The best way to start a Tinder conversation is by looking through your new match’s photos to find a visual that inspires a cool question. For instance, the guy I’m about to see tonight (right after I write this article) got the conversation going with me by inquiring about an eccentric black and purple hat I’m wearing in the last of my six Tinder photos. “That’s quite a hat,” he wrote. “Is that strictly worn at horse racing and British weddings or is it more diverse than that?” It was cute, witty, and made me want to reply immediately. When I told him it was my horse race hat, we had stuff to talk about. That’s all you need: a starting point.

Use Shared Interests & Shared Friends In A Creative Way

It’s easy to forget that there’s information on Tinder outside of approximately six photos and the giant “X” or “Like/Heart” buttons. It’s like taking your heart to the casino and playing the slots. That said, shared interests and shared friends definitely come in handy when you notice you and a Tinder match share something in common. Don’t ask a lame question like, “What’s your favourite Radiohead album?” or “How do you know [insert shared friend’s name]?” Get creative. When you get advanced at this, try to pick your strangest shared interest and role with that. I once chatted up a guy based on our mutual interest in GQ. Don’t believe me? Check out this talk bubble below:

1-Fullscreen capture 09052014 81458 AM

Pretend To Be Reaching Out For Tinder Dating Advice/Help

Okay, this is probably slightly terrifying to some people. But every once in a while after a fresh match comes up (so I know the Tinder match is online) and I assume the guy has a good sense of humour based on his photos, I like to pretend that I’m currently on a Tinder date that’s going terribly wrong. I ask the new Tinder match for advice on how to get out of the situation. I try to keep it as fun and playful as possible so he can at least get the sense that I’m joking and will thus be willing to roll with it. This gives both parties involved the opportunity to showcase their quick wit. I once told a guy I was hiding in my own kitchen cupboard from a Tinder date who was still in my apartment. His advice on how to scare him out of my place was side-splitting.

Just Cut To The Chase

It’s Tinder, not Downton Abbey. If you think your Tinder match is cute, why not ask him or her out right away? That’s when you can make like Lady Mary and suggest a walk. If I’m meeting someone right off the bat, I’ll usually say something like, “We’re 3km away. Want to meet at wherever 1.5km is and see what happens?” It’s basic, kinda cheesy, and not all that creative. But sometimes that’s all you need to get the conversation going in the real world. You don’t have to take my word for it, but I’m late for a Tinder date now precisely because I talk to strangers.

Total
43
Shares
Like 43
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Like 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • conversation starters
  • Dating
  • How To Start Conversations on Tinder
  • Sex
  • Tinder
  • Tinder conversation starters
  • Tinder Guide
  • Tinder How To
  • Tinder Tips
Avatar
Vicki Hogarth

Vicki Hogarth is an award-winning writer and the Managing Editor at Vv Magazine. The former Senior Editor of Strut Magazine and Passport Editor of enRoute, she has interviewed Justin Timberlake in the penthouse of the Chateau Marmont, talked film over tea with Keira Knightley and gone head-to-head with Kanye West in an unedited battle of the egos. She has a Master's degree in English literature from McGill and is currently working on her first book. Follow her on Twitter @vicki_hogarth.

Stay in the Know

Subscribe now to our new Weekly VIBE newsletter

RELATED
NBA All-Star Game 2021
View Post
  • Life+Culture

NBA All-Star Game Coming to a TV Near You–but not Everyone is Happy About It

  • Arbi Seyranian
  • February 25, 2021
YouTube
View Post
  • Life+Culture

Finding Inspiration for Your YouTube Channel

  • VIBE Team
  • February 25, 2021
View Post
  • Style+Beauty

New Winter Beauty Product Launches To Have On Your Radar

  • Blair Stutz
  • February 24, 2021
Trending Posts
  • 1
    • Style+Beauty
    New Winter Beauty Product Launches To Have On Your Radar
    • Blair Stutz
    • 5 min
  • 2
    • City Life
    Why the Toronto Condo Market WILL Bounce Back
    • Heather Hadden
    • 2 min
  • BLM_merch 3
    • Entertainment
    • Style+Beauty
    Toronto Raptors Drop Black Lives Matter Capsule Collection
    • Merrill Flynn
    • 1 min
  • 4
    • City Life
    Quarantine Chronicles: Salon Owners Speak out About Finding the Positivity through the Frustration
    • Guest Submission
    • 3 min
SPACES Yorkville
ADVERTISE WITH US
Learn about our
partnership opportunities.

Inquire Now

 

LATEST NEWS
SPACES Yorkville
GOING DOWN:
« February 2021 » loading...
M T W T F S S
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Fri 26

Story Planet: Constellation Adult Writing Workshop Series

February 13 @ 1:00 pm - March 27 @ 4:00 pm

Stay in the Know

Subscribe to our new Weekly VIBE newsletter now.

View the VIBE
View the VIBE, partially owned, and operated by STAMINA Group Inc., launched in 2010 as a video restaurant and spa guide, later evolving into a recognized digital Toronto-lifestyle authority, producing fun, edgy and informational editorial content. Establishing itself as a voice for restaurant reviews, trending stories, and excellent vibe videos.
Learn More
Partner Network

SWAGGER Magazine, North America’s
Online Men‘s Luxury Lifestyle Magazine.

Divine.ca, Canada’s Bilingual Online
Women’s Lifestyle Magazine.

WanderEater.com, leading those wandering aimlessly for food.

GTA Lifestyle Magazines, for all things GTA for the most affluent.

Part of the STAMINA Group
of brands.

Learn More

Navigation
  • Cool Vibes
    • Cool Vibes
    • Gift Guides
    • Eats+Drinks
    • Travel+Hotels
    • Health+Fitness
    • Style+Beauty
    • Life+Culture
    • Dating+Relationships
    • Events+Nightlife
    • Cannabis
  • Best in The 6ix
    • Best in The 6ix
    • Restaurants
    • Hotels
    • Things to do
    • Coffee Shops
    • Spas + Beauty
    • Barbershops
    • Retail
  • City Life
    • City Life
    • Pride
    • #TTCLife
    • #BossLife
    • #DatingLife
    • Seen+Heard
    • COVID-19
    • Quarantine Chronicles
    • Submit a Q.C. Post
  • Going Down
    • Today
    • This Week
    • This Month
    • Submit an Event
View the VIBE Toronto
  • Contact
  • Masthead
  • Subscribe
  • Send us a Tip
  • Legal
  • © 2020, STAMINA Group
The leading VIBE authority of The 6ix - Online Lifestyle Magazine

Input your search keywords and press Enter.