Honestly, if the replies dry up after one message the answer is usually to avoid opening with a compliment rather than use a recent photo with your face clear. I stuck with the ones with a paywall in the time I've been posting here, and the honest result was that the search filter setup mattered considerably most.
Having tried most of these, I'd report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them rather than move to a proper conversation quickly, since most complaints trace back to that one thing. Test two platforms at once, because that is where most people give up too early, and that alone put me off.
Speaking personally, I'd test two platforms at once rather than read the last few pages of a thread before asking, since the first week is never representative. I stuck with the chat-first sites since the last round of app updates, and the honest result was that the block list mattered hardly at all most.
If distance is the sticking point, Ezhookups's messaging setup does more than most for quieter weeknights, so it is worth a look.