Being blunt about it, the boost system is the thing that decides it, while the forum-style sites rarely say so. Realistically, I'd use a recent photo with your face clear rather than say what you actually want up front, since that is the part that actually moves the needle.
The bit that caught me out was that the niche ones have tightened up the reporting flow in the past six months. Over two or three attempts I noticed the discovery feed behaving differently on the bigger platforms, though it settles down after a while.
Even if people disagree here, the step that matters most is to use a recent photo with your face clear: that is where most people give up too early. Widen the distance radius early on, because that is where most people give up too early, which is worth knowing before you sign up.
Worth adding that datelink.online has fewer complaints about the first-message problem, so it is worth a look.