On this episode of Straight Up With Stassi, Stassi gets online dating advice from Kyle Cooke of Bravo’s Summer House. From choosing the right dating app photos to crafting a successful bio, Kyle (who has been on practically every dating app out there) has plenty of advice to give modern daters.
Tip #1: Don’t take your bio too seriously
“The apps that make you write a lot of stuff — would you only write a little thing, or would you write more?” Stassi asks.
“Now I just put my Instagram account, because they see that I don’t take myself too seriously and they understand my sense of humor,” Kyle says. “I think that’s the easiest thing to do.”
Noted.
Tip #2: Get a second opinion on the photos you choose
“I actually want to start an app where girls submit me the photos they think they should put on their profile and then I just basically rip ’em apart and show them the ones that they should use,” Kyle says. “9/10 girls think they’re picking their best photos, and they’re not at all their best photos.”
“Wait, Kyle… Basically, you’re saying that you are the authority on what is hot and what is not?” Stassi says.
“…Yeah. Yeah,” Kyle laughs.
“I feel like maybe there should be some sort of algorithm where you’re not the only who can decide that,” Stassi says.
“If all your photos have your head and face at the same angle, which maybe half the chicks do, guess what?” Kyle says. “I’m thinking, ‘Well, you clearly have a bad side.”
“Oh, that’s so true,” Stassi says.
“I want to see that a girl has two sides to her face,” Kyle says. “And can maybe even look at the camera head-on.”
“Okay, women, you can’t only have one side of your face,” Stassi says.
“You can smell that a mile away,” Kyle continues. “It’s the whole Instagram-model face. And then, if you make it so, so hard for me to figure out which one you are in the photos because you’re posting pictures of your hot friends, it’s just too much work.”
“So, only show photos if you’re with ugly friends,” Stassi jokes.
“No, just make it obvious that you can figure out by picture number two who the hell you are,” Kyle says. “I don’t have time.”
“I get it, I don’t like when dudes do that either,” Stassi agrees.
Tip #3: Be cool
“Don’t be like, ‘I don’t know why I’m on here, this is embarrassing.’ Everyone is in the same place,” Kyle says. “Also, don’t take the time to literally write out a well thought out bio because now it’s like, ‘Not only are you on here, you’re clearly spending a lot of time on here.'”
“Supes serious,” Stassi agrees.
“Just maybe leave your Instagram handle,” Kyle suggests. “Also, I like girls that are smart, so if I happen to see what they do or what school they went to…”
“Oh, interesting… What school they went to,” Stassi says. “Okay.”
Tip #4: Don’t be afraid to reach out first
“Do you like when a girl writes you first?” Stassi asks.
“Hell yeah,” Kyle says. “That’s actually how Bumble works.”
“That’s why I got off it. It’s boring,” Stassi says. “I think it sets the tone for a relationship or a dating relationship that the women is going to have to pursue. I don’t have the energy.”
“Let me hopefully change your mind,” Kyle says. “A lot of these apps, particularly Tinder, you wind up with all these matches and no one starting the conversation.”
“Yeah, that’s basically what [insert exclusive dating app name here <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.2.1/72x72/1f609.png" alt="