When it comes to the world of online gay dating, the app choices are bountiful. A crowd-pleaser that's broken through the clutter for those guys that are looking for a success story (whether that's a hook-up or a long-term relationship) is Chappy.
Related | Chappy Founder Ollie Locke Talks Dating Apps, Tricoastal Living & First Date Spots
With its Facebook verification process, it takes digital gay dating to the next level by requiring an actual photo of yourself as the lead image in your profile (not just a thirsty, headless, torso situation), and relies on your words and honesty to find either "Mr.Right" or "Mr.Right Now."
While you can check out an in-depth look inside the world of Chappy and its background here, we recently caught up with Sam Dumas, the Head of Brand at Chappy, to dish on some of the key tips on making your profile stand out (aka "swipe-rightable")
OUT: Are there any insights on the types of initial profile pics that have the best chance of being swiped right?
Sam Dumas: Never wear sunglasses and avoid a mirror selfie. Linking your Instagram increases your popularity marginally as you can show yourself in the best possible light. People want to see the real you. Pictures that show off personality and good eye contact always perform well. Good lighting doesn't hurt either!
While you can't show a headless, torso photo up front, how important is it to have those "thirsty" photos in the mix in your profile?
SD: This depends on your mood. We see a trend that guys looking for their Mr. Right Now are more likely to have those shirtless photos. While they're still popular among our users looking for Mr. Right, it suggests that the average Mr. Right user is looking for something more than just skin deep.
What traits are most appealing to include in your profile? Profession, interests, etc.?
SD: Showing your creative side through your Chappy job description is popular, with careers such as Photographer, Dancer, Stylist, Actor, and Designer appearing high in the popularity stakes. On the flip side, some guys use it as a chance to showcase a bit of status with Owner, Director, Manager, and Managing Director also filling the top slots. We only have one "International Jewel Thief" however! [Alternative single job instances: "Pokemon Champion", "Disco Brunch Host"]
Your About Me section is a chance to humanize yourself, and show off what makes you tick. Lots of the most popular words in Chappy profiles show off what our guys love to do outside of work with Music, Travel, Food, Games, and Outdoors, featuring regularly. We find that Chappy users over 35 use this chance to show more of their values, with Fun, Love, Conversation, and Family appearing much more prominently.
Does age ever matter? Is there a general age group that gets swiped right more than another?
SD: While age does matter, thankfully we find for most of our guy's their expectations line up nicely with those of everyone else. So although guys in their 20s receive the most right swipes on Chappy, most Chappy users shift the age range of who they're looking for upwards as they get older. So while guys in their 40s may get fewer right swipes in total, they're more likely to be from the 30-60 years old men that they're swiping right on too.
Any Chappy success stories?
SD: We have many different success stories but this is one of our favorites... We had a user that hated using dating apps before because of hurtful and negative comments about his body that he had received online. He went to a Chappy Hour at his local bar and got chatting to one of our ambassadors. He loved our mission and everything we stood for and decided that it might be time to give dating apps a go. A few weeks later he met his boyfriend on Chappy, and they're still together!
Don't have Chappy yet? Download it right here.
