Good Tinder Openers: 45 First Messages That Get Replies

What are good Tinder openers? Short, specific messages that are easy to answer, usually a question or playful comment about something in the other person's photos, bio or prompts. "Okay, I need the story behind the photo with the alpaca" works better than "hey" because it proves you looked and gives them something fun to reply to.

Below are 45 original Tinder openers, grouped by what you can see on their profile, plus a simple formula for writing your own and the openers that tend to get ignored.

The formula behind good Tinder openers

Tinder only lets you message people you've matched with, so your opener is going to someone who already swiped right on you. You don't need to impress them from scratch. You need to make replying easy.

A good opener has three parts:

1. Something specific from their profile: a photo, a bio line, a prompt, an interest tag.
2. A reaction or guess: a compliment on the choice (not their body), a playful assumption, a small confession.
3. A question that takes no effort to answer.

Example: "That ramen in your second photo looks unreal (specific). I'm guessing you have strong opinions about broth (guess). Where is it? (question)"

Tinder openers based on their photos

Photos are the easiest source of openers. Look past the first one.

1. "Okay, I need the story behind the photo with the alpaca."
2. "Is that the Amalfi Coast in your third photo? I've been trying to decide if it's worth the trip."
3. "Your dog looks like they have opinions. What's their name?"
4. "That's a serious-looking climbing wall. How long have you been bouldering?"
5. "Every photo of you is outdoors. What's your favorite trail around here?"
6. "Is that a homemade pizza? Because if so, we need to talk about your dough recipe."
7. "You look way too calm on that rollercoaster. Is that real or a brave face?"
8. "That concert photo: who were you seeing? I'm judging your music taste (kindly)."
9. "The sunset in your last photo is ridiculous. Where was that?"
10. "Is that a pottery wheel? I tried once and made something that looked like a sad ashtray."

Tinder openers based on their bio

If they wrote a bio, use it. It's the clearest hint about what they want to talk about.

1. "You said you make the best tacos in town. Bold claim. What's in them?"
2. "Your bio says you're learning Italian. How's it going? I only know how to order coffee."
3. "A nurse who does stand-up on weekends? I have so many questions. Starting with: how?"
4. "You said 'ask me about my worst haircut'. I'm asking."
5. "Fellow early riser. What's the first thing you do when you wake up?"
6. "Your bio says you've been to 20 countries. Which one would you go back to tomorrow?"
7. "You listed board games as a hobby. Are you a gracious winner or a sore loser?"
8. "Book recommendation request, since your bio says you read a lot. Go."

Fun Tinder conversation starters (questions)

When their profile doesn't give you much, a playful question works.

1. "Important question before we go any further: what's your most-ordered takeout dish?"
2. "What's the best thing you've eaten this week?"
3. "You get a free plane ticket tonight, but you have to leave in two hours. Where to?"
4. "Two truths and a lie, go. I'll guess."
5. "What's something you're weirdly good at?"
6. "Settle a debate for me: is it ever okay to recline your seat on a plane?"
7. "What would your friends say is your most annoying habit?"
8. "Beach vacation or city break?"
9. "Rank these, no ties allowed: breakfast, brunch, lunch."

Funny Tinder openers

Humor works when it's light and easy to play along with.

1. "I was going to wait for you to message first, but I'm too curious about your answer to this: what's your go-to karaoke song?"
2. "On a scale of one to ten, how much do you regret swiping right already?"
3. "I've prepared a short presentation on why we should get tacos. It's three slides. Want to see it?"
4. "Our match is a sign. I don't know of what yet, but it's a sign."
5. "Quick, before we get to the small talk: cats or dogs? This decides everything."
6. "I promise I'm more interesting than this opening line."
7. "You seem like someone who has a strong opinion on the best fast food fries. Am I right?"

Great opening lines for Tinder that are a little bolder

Confident, not crude. These suggest a date without pushing.

1. "You seem like you'd know the best coffee spot in town. Want to show me this weekend?"
2. "I feel like we'd have a great time at a trivia night. Are you competitive?"
3. "Your photos say adventure. Mine say I'd follow you on one. What's next on your list?"
4. "I'm going to skip the 'hey' and just say: you have a great laugh in that last photo."
5. "Fair warning, I'm going to try to make you laugh in the next three messages."

Tinder openers when their profile is almost empty

Not much to go on? Use what you can see, or make the empty profile the joke.

1. "Your profile is a mystery. I'm going to guess three things about you and you tell me how close I got."
2. "One photo and no bio. Either you're very mysterious or very busy. Which one?"
3. "Let's fill in your bio together. Favorite food first."
4. "I'll go first: I'm a terrible cook but a great dishwasher. Your turn."

Openers for when the chat went quiet

1. "Okay, I'm reviving this. Did you ever decide on the plane seat question?"
2. "I realize we never finished our conversation about [topic]. I've been thinking about it way too much."

Tinder openers to avoid

• "Hey" or "Hi" on its own. It's not wrong, just easy to ignore.
• Copy-paste pick up lines that could go to anyone. If it doesn't mention them, it reads like a mass message.
• Compliments on their body. Compliment choices (their trip, their dog, their outfit) instead.
• Anything sexual. Tinder's guidelines keep sexual content out of public profiles and ban harassment, and its Are You Sure? feature asks senders to reconsider messages its system flags as possibly offensive. Even when a message isn't flagged, crude openers get people unmatched.
• Long paragraphs. Save the essay for the second date.
• Interview mode. "How's your day? What do you do? Where are you from?" in a row feels like a form.

How to keep the conversation going after your opener

A great opener gets one reply. To keep it going:

• Answer your own question too. If you ask about their favorite trip, share yours.
• Pick up on details in their reply and ask about those, instead of moving to a new topic.
• Suggest meeting within a few days of good back-and-forth. Long text-only chats tend to fizzle.

Our guides on how to start a conversation on Tinder and Tinder messages go further. For animal lovers, our dog pick up lines have a whole list just for dog photos.

Openers work better with a good profile

Your match will look at your profile before replying. If your photos are blurry or your bio is empty, even a great opener has to work harder. Make it easy for people to message you back, and to message you first, with Tinder pictures that show your face clearly and a best Tinder bio that gives them something to ask about.