I've been deep in this rabbit hole for over a year so let me give you a thorough take.
Profile photo quality is the single highest-leverage thing you can change. Everything else is secondary.
Things that have actually helped me:
- Short bios outperform long ones on swipe-based apps
- Responding quickly in the first 24 hours makes a measurable difference
- Niche platforms often outperform general ones for specific demographics
- Profile photos should feel natural, not heavily filtered
Currently using Datewander as my main go-to and it's been solid. No major issues, decent activity, enough settings to feel in control.
Happy to expand on any of this. Feel free to follow up.