5 Tips to Stand Out During Dating’s Peak Season

Hang on to your digital hats, grab your calendars, and make your mobile phone your new BFF, as the peak season for dating is here.

What is peak dating season? Let me decode the dating season trends for you.

Peak season starts the day after Christmas, December 26th, and runs through Valentine’s Day. 

The busy season for dating begins in the middle of an earlier calendar trend of Cuffing Season, which runs from Autumn through February 14th.

Add in the fact that breakup season, yes, that’s very real, peaked from December 11th – 24th, the two weeks leading up to Christmas, and we now have the perfect trifecta for finding love.

Sound confusing? Not really.

Every year, when the weather cools down, the desire to couple up begins in the Fall. It’s also a time when couples evaluate their relationship health, and if they don’t see the relationship going the distance, they often decide to part ways.

Meanwhile, singles go on a quest to change their relationship statuses to find a New Year’s or a Valentine’s date, after a melancholy holiday, making it the perfect time to get back into the dating game.

Here are my favorite tips to help you join the digital party. 

1. Update Your Dating Profile and Photos

If you want to put your best digital foot forward, it’s time for a digital facelift of last season’s profile, and photos matter. Remember, you’re only as attractive as your least attractive photo, so ditch the bathroom selfie and picture wearing sunglasses and upload six to eight photos to have a greater chance of someone reaching out or responding to you.

Did you get a new puppy? Women love photos of men with their puppies. Post a few shots and let your potential date know the name of your four-legged friend in the captions. If you’ve just returned from a great vacation, post some scenic shots, add captions, and search using the travel keyword.

The good news is you’ll start receiving notifications and comments about your photos, so you can see which ones are the most popular when swapping or rotating pictures. It’s also the perfect opportunity to respond to those who have complimented you.

Still having trouble staying within the character count of your mobile dating profile? Enlist the service of a friend or a dating coach to help you shine and look your best.

2. Look at Your Best Matches.

Dating apps and the use of AI do help create better matches for you, so pay attention to the Best Bees feature in the diamond icon on Bumble or the Highlights on Match. Both apps curate matches based on your profile’s likes, which will help with feeling overwhelmed. Bumble also shows your Best Bees in your Match queue. 

3. Boost Your Profile to Appear at the Top of a Search. 

The good news is that hundreds of millions of singles use dating apps worldwide. The frustrating news is there are too many matches to consider, and I don’t want to see you get overwhelmed during this busy time, so let the algorithms do their magic.

Most apps have a Boost feature, where you will be more visible at the top of a search for 30 to 60 minutes, and many provide a free boost or a spotlight bump monthly. You’ll need to pay for a premium feature or service plan for more Boost opportunities.

My recommendation is to use the Boost or Spotlight features on Sunday or Monday nights between 7 pm and 10 pm. Why? Because a weekend without a date, or one where you’ve had a disappointing date without chemistry, means you should press the restart button for the new week.

4. Don’t Wait. Initiate. 

At the end of your Boost, take a peek at who’s viewed your profile and reach out to start a conversation. Being proactive will help you stand out. So don’t let your matches expire or your profile become hidden due to inactivity.

Dating apps reward users who log on more frequently, so a daily log-on is essential to being found. 

5. Cast a Wider Net and Search in Other Cities. 

Dating apps are location-based and often match you based on geography over compatibility. I say, don’t let distance become a barrier to finding love.

Check out Tinder’s Passport feature, available in Tinder Plus and above, which allows you to search in other cities and helps when you’re planning to travel or have another city you’re interested in relocating to.

On Bumble, you can pay for Travel Mode, and over on OkCupid and Match in the desktop version, you can search in other cities besides the one listed in your profile. 

At the end of the digital day, peak season is here, and it’s time to join the digital party and fill your date cards.

Happy swiping and matching. 

Find out more about our Irresistible Profiles to help speed up your search.

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert. She’s an award-winning dating coach who’s been helping singles find love online for 25+ years. Follow @JulieSpira on IG.