One of the most frustrating situations with online dating is when you agonised over the exact words to put in that first message, only to find that you don’t get a response. Maybe it didn’t send? Perhaps she hasn’t seen it? Something awful could be happening at her end? Or maybe she’s just a bitch.
It’s easy to get worked up about it when someone doesn’t respond to your first message in online dating. And knowing what to do next is a tricky decision. Do you leave it and continue to wait, send them a second message, or forget and move on? Let’s tackle the problem with a few online dating tips, shall we?
- Leave it and Wait
Time is a big factor when deciding what to do in this scenario. So if you’re reading this after waiting 24 hours for a response, calm down. We’ve all had those manic weeks where we haven’t got time to cook dinner, never mind think about how to respond to an online dating message. Give them a week or two before you send them a prompt to avoid looking overly keen, and to allow for the fact that they might be too busy to respond. After all, you want their undivided attention…
- Send The A Second Message
If they seem like the perfect match and you can’t wait any longer, don’t be afraid to send them a second message. Sometimes people mean to send a reply later, then totally forget. Besides, you’ve got nothing to lose if they still don’t reply! But don’t sound like the nagging girlfriend or boyfriend that they didn’t sign up to. Instead, play it cool. Think of it as a light-hearted reminder – maybe make a joke of the situation – to say how you’d still really like to get to know them if they are interested.
- Forget and Move On
Don’t hold out forever on him or her, however amazing they may seem from their internet dating profile. There’s plenty more fish in the sea as they say, and as hard as it might be to swallow they may have ignored your message because they don’t agree that you’re the perfect match. DO NOT under any circumstances send a third message. You’re better than that, right? And who knows, you could get a surprise response when you least expect it explaining the whole reason why they didn’t reply in the first place. Or not. But until then, move on and forget.
It’s extremely common to get no response to your opening message, so don’t beat yourself up about it if it does happen. Follow this three-step guide to getting their attention, and know when enough is enough. After all, there are thousands of other members to meet when you join an online dating site, so don’t let that guy who doesn’t know what he’s missing out on get you down!
Photo Credit: Nathan O’Nions