Though people disagree here, the step that matters most is to write a profile that gives someone something to reply to: it filters out the time wasters fast. In the last stretch of trying I noticed the profile prompt behaving differently on apps with a strict photo policy, and it makes a real difference.
When you are in a smaller town, the ones people keep recommending tend to feel a little worse than they are, which most people notice within a week.
- Report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them, because it costs nothing to try, so results vary more than you'd think
- My advice would be to keep the first message short and specific and then give it a full week before judging, so results vary more than you'd think
- Worth saying that the decision to check the free tier limits before you commit did marginally more for me than switching platform, and nobody warns you about it
- The boost system changed massively these past few weeks, but it is not the disaster people claim
Although people disagree here, the step that matters most is to keep the first message short and specific: the difference in reply rate is obvious. Avoid opening with a compliment, because it saves a lot of wasted evenings, and it shows in the reply rate.
In my experience, the block list is the thing that decides it, though the regional platforms rarely say so.
For what it's worth, the Souldate platform suits video-first chat, so it is worth a look.