Whoever said what you learn in the classroom can’t be applied to the real world obviously never took a marketing class. Curious to see if you could apply the marketing knowledge to increase your matches? Go for a handful of basic techniques to improve your Tinder profile and form some epic connection as you go along the way. Consider class is in session.

Lesson 1: Use the K.I.S.S. framework in your bio.

This stands for Keep It Simple, Silly. Basically, if you over-complicate your message, you run the risk of confusing and disengaging your audience. Think of your bio as a small segment to talk about your most relatable and unique qualities. You want to capture the attention of your fellow swipers while leaving some room for curiosity. It’s simple enough for people to quickly understand while subconsciously demonstrating that you are funny and humble.

Lesson 2: The pictures you post matter.

This one seems obvious, but your potential matches are subconsciously processing your pictures while flipping through their stack. Certain types of photos, like those of you smiling, have been linked to the perception of being more attractive. In turn, people assign positive traits, like friendliness, to you.

From there, it’s about highlighting yourself. No matter how cute you look with your friends, 100 percent of your photos should be of you and only you (except for the occasional puppy). This goes back to the old marketing rule that if you don’t want your audience to think of something (like other people), don’t remind them by showing it.

Lesson 3: Timing is everything.

Properly time your interactions. Send a first message or response to someone around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. Usually, people have just finished or are finishing work or class, and they are subconsciously experiencing a sense of relief and happiness. Since most are unaware of this subtle mood change, it’s the perfect opportunity to initiate a conversation. The person you’re talking to may just think their improved mood is solely because they received a message from you.

Lesson 4: Personalize your messages.

Starting and keeping conversations going can be hard, but letting people talk about themselves is easy. Talking about yourself stimulates the areas of the brain associated with reward. So when chatting with your new matches, skip the what’s-new-on-Netflix banter and ask pointed questions about them. Engaging in this way motivates your matches to respond in an authentic way. For example, if your match has a nice quote in their bio, you could begin the conversation by referencing and asking about it. This demonstrates a clear interest in their passions and allows them to express themselves with authenticity.  

Lesson 5: Make yourself memorable.

Conversations require the participation of more than one person, which means you can only get so far by asking questions. For example, when someone asks you about a memorable vacation, instead of dropping the name of a destination, tell a story about your time there. Start with the situation (you were studying abroad in London and wanted to get away for the weekend) and describe the events leading up to booking your trip (you went back and forth on places with affordable flights and cool sights to see). Use this to demonstrate parts of you that are not easily understood through text, such as spontaneity or loyalty (you ended up in Amsterdam because one friend was dying to go the tulip festival). Touch on the tasks — or events — that made this trip so awesome. Lastly, share the result of the story, or what you learned about yourself (even though you had no idea where you were, you ended up seeing places and meeting people you never thought you would). It sounds like a lot, but in one structured story and conversation, you’ve told someone a lot about who you are.