Honestly, I'd use a recent photo with your face clear rather than keep your expectations low for the first fortnight, since the first week is never representative. The bit that caught me out was that the older established sites have leaned much heavier on paid boosts across a couple of different accounts.
- The free tier changed slightly these past few weeks, though it settles down after a while
- Honestly, the discovery feed is the thing that decides it, while the swipe-based apps rarely say so
- On reflection, I'd use a recent photo with your face clear rather than move to a proper conversation quickly, since you learn more from one real chat than fifty swipes
The profile prompt and the reporting system pull in opposite directions, though it settles down after a while. Worth saying that the decision to keep the first message short and specific did slightly more for me than switching platform, which explains a lot of the complaints here.
Move to a proper conversation quickly, because the alternative is a dead inbox, and nobody warns you about it.
If you want another option, the Datelink app moves faster on wider search radiuses, going by the last few threads.