Courtesy of Ilana Dunn
Ilana Dunn knows dating — and she agrees that it's tough out there.
Dunn, 30, used to be the lead content creator for Hinge, a dating app with about 20 million users. Now, she hosts the podcast "Seeing Other People," which is about dating in the digital age. It recently hit 5 million downloads and has over 400 episodes.
Its popularity comes as singles complain of "swipe fatigue," a disillusionment with online dating apps that has caused headaches for Bumble and Match Group, which owns Tinder and Hinge, and created a rush of new dating-app startups.
Dunn told Business Insider that she sympathizes with modern daters, who have the daunting task of crafting digital personas.
"Dating apps appeared one day, and they never came with an instruction manual," Dunn said.
There's hope, she added: Some simple tweaks to online dating profiles can help boost the chances of better matches.
In recent years, fans of her podcast have reached out for help with their profiles. Dunn began charging $95 to revamp them, helping clients select the best photos and prompts and curate how they share the story of who they are.
Dunn shared her top three tips to improve any dating profile.
Alicia Windzio/Getty Images
Dunn said some daters fall prey to an obvious impulse — they only select photos in which they think they look the best.
"They're just posting the most attractive pictures of themselves, or what they think somebody would be attracted to," she said.
It can end up looking like a random, bland collection of images, Dunn warned.
Instead, Dunn recommended finding photos that more effectively reflect one's interests and personality. For example, Dunn once suggested that a dater delete a gym selfie from their profile and upload a picture of a marathon they ran instead.
Dunn suggested a simple thought exercise: Think about how your friends might describe you to a stranger, then pick photos that showcase the most important things a potential partner should know about you.
Uwe Krejci/Getty Images
A common complaint from dating-app users is that conversations rarely translate into real-life meetups. This year, Hinge added a feature that blocks users from matching with new people if they have eight unanswered matches.
To encourage real-life plans, Dunn suggests planting an idea for a date somewhere in your profile, ideally related to food or drink you like.
Sometimes it's as easy as tweaking a statement you're already making. For example, Dunn would change a response to the prompt "The one thing you should know about me is…" from "I just moved to New York City" to "I'm looking for the best dollar slice in town."
"It sends the signal, 'We don't have to beat around the bush. We can just get to the date,'" Dunn said.
She added that another strategy is to name your favorite cocktail or café order and then ask where to find it in your profile.
Francesco Prandoni/Getty Images
Dunn said more is better when it comes to listing your interests on your dating-app profile.
You never know what word or phrase might pique the interest of a potential match, so put it all out there, she added.
Dunn recalled filling out Hinge's "I won't shut up about…" prompt when she was dating. She initially listed just her dog, Zoe, but then went back and added the Jonas Brothers and Sugarfish, a buzzy chain of sushi restaurants in New York and LA.
Her future husband ended up messaging her about the Jonas Brothers. The first dance at their wedding? "When You Look Me In The Eyes," by the Jonas Brothers.
"We've now been to 10 Jonas Brothers concerts together," Dunn said. "We may not have met if that wasn't on my profile."
