Hinge profile tips for guys

The short version: lead with a clear, recent photo of your face, show one full-length photo, and write prompts with specific details instead of a list of hobbies. Most men's profiles fail in the same few ways, so avoiding them already puts you ahead. None of this needs you to be someone else.

Photos

The first photo does most of the work. Recent, daylight, eye level, just you, no sunglasses. After that, aim for range:

1. 1Clear face, natural lightLets people see you before anything else. Eye level, no sunglasses, no group.
2. 2Full length, standingAnswers the question everyone has and nobody asks. Taken from a few metres away, not a mirror.
3. 3Doing the thing you mentionedTurns a prompt claim into proof: the climbing wall, the pottery wheel, the pizza oven.
4. 4With friends, you obviousShows you have people. One photo is enough, and you should be easy to find in it.
5. 5A place that matters to youYour local café, your allotment, your Sunday route. Gives someone a first-date idea.
6. 6Dressed for somethingA wedding, a dinner, a night out. Shows range without saying anything.

Common habits that make men's profiles blur together:

• A group photo first. If she has to work out which one you are, she often won't.
• All selfies, or all from far away. Ask a friend for ten minutes of photos in good light.
• Trophy photos. The fish, the car, the summit with your face the size of a pea. Keep one if it really matters to you, not three.
• Old photos. If you've had a haircut, a beard or a decade since, update them.

Prompts

The question behind every prompt is “what would it be like to spend time with you?” Answer that with detail. Compare these for “I'm in my element when”:

Good picks for showing who you are:

• “I go crazy for” for one real enthusiasm, told specifically.
• “Two truths and a lie” if you have a couple of good stories; the guess is the reply.
• “A shower thought I recently had” if your humor is observational.
• “The way to win me over is” for something small and doable, not a checklist.

Before you publish, run each answer through the prompt checker. If it says “generic”, it probably reads that way to her too.

Tone

Confident is good; demanding isn't. Funny is good; trying hard isn't. If you wouldn't say a line out loud to someone at a party, don't put it on your profile. And skip anything negative (“No drama”, “Don't waste my time”): it tells people about your last relationship, not about you.

When you like someone

Comment on something specific she wrote or did. One line, easy to answer. “Hey” gives her nothing to work with. More in why you're not getting matches.

For prompt picks with examples written for men, see the best Hinge prompts for guys.