7 Devastating Tinder Bio Mistakes To Avoid (& Easy Fixes!)

You’ll notice the above example goes into unnecessary detail about personal challenges.

One of the worst Tinder bio mistakes would be to turn it into a novel.

...Or make it too personal.

Two or three well-constructed lines will stand out WAY MORE than a meandering rant about:

Your pet goldfish
Your camping trip with your friend Andy
And your newfound interest in collecting vintage p*rn

There’s a great quote…

“If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”

- Blaise Pascal.

Short and punchy, FTW!

Fixing a Tinder Bio That’s Too Detailed.

It’s straightforward… Start cutting.

You want to put your bio in a text doc.

Then ruthlessly cut it down to two or three lines that best highlight your passions, interests, and strengths.

Two or three lines:

Get her attention
Mention what you’re looking for
And leave her wanting more!

Then refine it by going through the other six mistakes (and copy and paste examples) below…

Next in line with the worst Tinder bio mistakes…

You’re presenting as a boring dude.

Let me guess...

You like:

Food?
Cooking?
Are you really into traveling?

Am I a mind reader?

Nope.

These are just passions that 90% of people on earth share.

It’s best to avoid listing any cliche interests like these.

In fact, that’s probably one of the most common Tinder bio mistakes around, guys don’t take risks.

And if you genuinely are into mundane things, you should mention them creatively or excitingly.

And get specific. What kind of food? Where have you traveled?

Your goal is to show her what makes you stand out.

Not what makes you like every other guy on Tinder!

She might not share your passion for drone racing or 80’s music…

But at least it will get her attention and show some originality.

Fixing a Tinder Bio That Lists Boring Interests.

Make a list of all of your interests.

Not the small ones, but the things you care about.

And DO NOT edit yourself.

Get a list of at least 30.

Once you’re done, cut it down to the top three.

Again, it can be weird stuff. That’s fine.

Be it succulent plants, or nailing the PERFECT Doufu Gong Pao recipe…

You’ll notice the above example:

Stands out more
Gives her something to comment on
And makes you seem way more interesting

Now we’ve got something to work with!

Avoid awkward Tinder bio mistakes, and turn something boring into something maybe a bit less usual but more exciting.

Maybe one of the most dangerous Tinder bio mistakes because this will crush your results if you don’t address it.

You’ll notice in the above example:

He is telling her (logically) about himself
He isn’t demonstrating the traits he claims to possess

Once you understand showing not telling you’ll have:

Girls messaging you first
And saying they instantly knew they liked you

Let’s say you want her to know that you’re adventurous...

Showing not telling, essentially means:

You don’t tell her you’re adventurous
Instead, you use adventurous words
And/or mention a time you did something adventurous

When writing (anything), you want to avoid telling the reader how to feel.

Because on the dating app you’ll just make awkward Tinder bio mistakes.

Instead, you want them to feel the emotion themselves.

Remember, your dating profile should make her FEEL the fun and excitement of being with you.

Fixing a Tinder Bio That’s Telling Not Showing

Remember those three passions we had you write out in the last section?

We want to come up with a way to get her to FEEL your passion or interest, rather than just telling her about it...

If you’re into comedy, don’t say that you have a good sense of humor in your bio. Instead, make sure your profile has a pun or joke.

Storytelling is huge, that’s a great way to show instead of telling.

Fixing a Tinder Bio That’s Too Safe

The reason most guys write “safe” bios is that they fear turning off certain girls.

And that’s one of the worst possible Tinder bio mistakes.

They figure if they push the envelope, some girls won’t like it.

Yep, that is true.

And you need to accept it.

You need to become 100% comfortable with some girls not liking you.

You need to be 100% comfortable being somewhat polarizing.

Instead of being Starbucks, you want to be the small edgy coffee shop with gothic artwork and a CULT following.

For example, take a look at this bio:

You’ll notice he isn’t afraid to say things that might turn some girls off. This shows a lot of confidence.

You might think that’s what Tinder bio mistakes are, things that turn off some girls.

But again, you need to filter women a bit.

By saying, “If you’re X then let’s chat” he’s showing that he has discerning taste.

This is extremely attractive.

And the girls that aren’t turned off will be super keen to chat.

Instead of having loads of girls thinking you seem “OK”, you want to have a few (high-quality) girls thinking, “Damn I want to meet him!”.

A straightforward way to do this is by adding a “disqualifier” similar to the above example.

This simply means you state what you DON’T want.

Or state very clearly what you DO want.

(Just make sure not to sound butthurt…)

Here are a couple of examples.

“If your favorite topic is your IG following and your hella good spray tan, we probably won’t get along”.

Or like above...

“If you’re spontaneous and love dark humor, then let’s chat”

Simple, right? But it works.

By taking a stance for something in your bio, you’ll find girls messaging you first, and messaging you with much more enthusiasm.

Here’s a copy-and-paste example you can use right now:

“If your best trait is ‘um... shopping’ then there’s a lot of mirror-selfie shirtless bros on Tinder that’ll be perfect for you”

Honesty is attractive, right?

100%. But so is confidence.

And you need both.

One of the biggest Tinder bio mistakes so many guys make is being overly self-deprecating in their bio.

The definition of self-deprecating is:

“Being modest about or critical of oneself, especially humorously so.”

The fact is, self-deprecation CAN be a great communication tool (when used sparingly)...

But much like hot sauce or X - if you overdo it, you’re screwed!

And the problem is, it’s often used as a defense mechanism.

Meaning guys are trying to:

Protect themselves from future rejection
By disqualifying themselves from high-quality women

It's an unconscious risk mitigation strategy that will destroy your results.

Guys will often say they’re self-deprecating to be:

Direct
Honest
And not seem like a jerk
See Also
Conquer love with these crucial dating app statistics

The truth is…

It's coming from a place of insecurity
It’s coming from a place of feeling inferior
And there's nothing sexy about an inferiority complex

While you never want to lie or be misleading.

You DO need to learn how to put your best foot forward.

How To Fix a Tinder Bio That’s Too Self-Deprecating.

As we’ve discussed, if your bio is too self-deprecating, you’re likely struggling with confidence (even if you don’t realize it).

That’s ok.

Confidence is essential:

The reputation you’ve acquired with yourself
And… it’s fluid and ever-changing

Here are a few quick tips to give yourself a boost:

Write a list of 20 reasons why you’re an awesome guy
Pick up the list and give it a read every single morning
Realize that you’re awesome purely because you’re reading this right now

...Seriously most guys aren’t willing to work on themselves.

So you’re clearly in the top tier of guys and on an upward path in life.

You just need to learn how to present that to the world (in your bio).

How?

Regardless of what you think about advertising and the media…

To succeed on Tinder, you need to accept that you’re now the Chief Marketing Officer...

Of Your Enterprises. Your job is marketing YOU.

You’re the product now.

And you see, most Tinder bio mistakes come down to guys not being able to market themselves properly.

Avoid Tinder bio mistakes, market yourself properly, and enjoy dating apps.

That means you want to avoid...

Focusing on your weaknesses
Focusing on your insecurities
Focusing on unattractive traits
Implying that other girls have a low opinion of you
Apologizing for your personality or looks
Painting yourself as undesirable and lonely
Demonstrating shame for who you are
Painting yourself as low status

With all that said, there IS a way to be self-deprecating and make it work.

The key is turning it into a Humblebrag.

The definition of a humblebrag is:

“An ostensibly modest or self-deprecating statement whose actual purpose is to draw attention to something of which one is proud.”

Simply put, you want to…

State something high-value (impressive) about yourself
Then inject some playful self-depreciation.

Let’s look at some examples…

“I run my own company similar to Airbnb... but I’m an idiot, and my father reminds me often”.

This example works because running a company similar to Airbnb is such an extreme brag. So the self-depreciation needs to be more extreme (but playful).

Or…

“Spend my time traveling to exotic corners of the world with people I love... but I’m yet to master cooking a decent homemade dinner”.

In this example, the brag is a little less extreme, so the self-deprecation is a little less extreme.

For example, take a look at this bio…

You’ll notice there’s a brag “Ferocious reader of both fiction and nonfiction”.

Then it's followed by a little bit of self-deprecation.

By selecting a positive trait, you want to highlight yourself.

Then combining it with some playful self-deprecation, you’ll be much more likely to come across as:

Humble
But also confident

Here’s a copy-and-paste example you can use right now:

“Driven to better myself daily and always live life on my terms...but have been known to sing corny songs to myself in the shower”

Being overly sexual in your bio rarely works.

If you're on Tinder purely for short-term hookups…

Sure it might make sense to inject a sexual vibe.

But doing it in the wrong way will destroy your results.

When done badly it’s probably one of the most harmful Tinder bio mistakes because it will literally repel girls no matter how good your profile.

The problem with being overly sexual in your profile is that:

She (understandably) may feel unsafe or intimidated
It shows a lack of creativity and personality
It shows a lack of social awareness
It often shows a lack of confidence (more on that below)
...And it's telling not showing

Even if a girl is looking for a short-term hookup, she needs to know:

You’re emotionally stable
You have standards for who you sleep with
You chose her for a reason

When you’ve telegraphed to the world that you’re horny and looking for sex, it cheapens the experience and removes any element of the chase.

And here’s the thing… similar to guys who are overly self-deprecating,

Guys who are overly sexual in their bio are generally doing it from a place of low confidence.

How To Fix a Bio That’s Overly Sexual.

You need to be more challenging in your bio.

You want to give her the gift of chasing you and winning you over.

Even if a girl is purely looking for a hookup…

She wants to know you’re a high-value guy with discerning standards.

How?

Instead of saying something overtly crude in your profile, it's a better idea to:

Be playful and sexually suggestive
Challenge her in a creative way

It’s one of the very dangerous Tinder bio mistakes to just bluntly state you want sex.

In fact, it’s extremely low-value because it shows you have no standards.

There’s no need to remove ALL the sexual language from your bio.

Especially if you’re purely looking for a hookup.

BUT you do want to balance it out with some:

Humor
Confidence
Self-awareness
Charm or intelligence

So instead of saying:

“I choke, I spank, I’m bigger than the average…”

Which is too logical and not fun or playful.

You could say something like:

You see how the second version is so much more:

Creative
Confident
And emotive

It’s showing her that you’re interested in a hookup.

Instead of just coming out and telling her.

We all know that humor is attractive.

It’s a beautiful thing when used correctly.

But when it’s not, it’s the recipe for huge Tinder bio mistakes.

And there's a point where it goes too far...

Treating your Tinder bio like a stand-up comedy routine is a horrible idea.

The above bios tell girls nothing about these guys.

All they demonstrate is that he might be:

Needy
Insincere
Insecure
And/or socially uncalibrated

She might also think he’s the kind of guy who tells cringy jokes at parties

Not exactly a good first impression!

Always, always, always think about how you come off to women.

And you will avoid a lot of Tinder bio mistakes.

Think about what the way you do things say about you.

When it comes to humor:

A little bit goes a long way
And originality is crucial

But if you're cracking jokes that don't specifically relate to

Your life
Your interests
And what you’re looking for

It’s basically pointless.

But there is a way to demonstrate your sense of humor in a cool and attractive way and still avoid Tinder bio mistakes.

How To Fix a Tinder Bio That’s Overly Goofy.

The purpose of using humor in your bio is to demonstrate:

Your personality
Your intelligence
Your confidence
...And the things you value

It's also a great way to give her a snapshot of the kind of fun banter you might have on a first date.

So if you wouldn’t say the joke to her in person…

It probably has no place in your bio!

The key to making humor work in your bio is to make it:

Subtle
Original
...And/or unexpected

You’ll see in this example:

He genuinely states what he wants in a girl
...then ends it with an unexpected twist

Is it comedy gold? Nope.

But it works because it’s relevant and not over the top.

And we stay away from awkward Tinder bio mistakes.

If you’re looking for some extra tips…

Here’s a great guide for writing things that make people laugh.

And here’s a copy-and-paste example you can use right now:

“Family orientated with a heart of gold. I’m the kinda guy you can take home. I’ll then get closer to your family than you are and we’ll slowly phase you out.”

Alright, now you should have a killer bio, ready to rock!

And after you've got your Tinder Bio fixed up, come join our 100% Private Facebook group to share it for feedback.

Get Those Photos Sharpened

Final note, when it comes to my Tinder profile I pay attention to not make any Tinder bio mistakes.

But photos are the most important aspect.

Bar none.

It turns out though that you don’t even need to take new photos to get better results.

You just gotta upgrade them with editing techniques.

That’s why I put together a free to watch video that shows my actual strategies to get better results.

You can click the “watch now” button below to get access to it.

More Tinder Profile Advice:

7 Devastating Tinder Bio Mistakes To Avoid (& Easy Fixes!) — Zirby (2024)