Dating app taglines: a strictly professional review

No rose-tinted glasses here. Just the cold hard truth. And that is: before anyone found love on a dating app, they found the tagline that got them through the virtual door. 

Like a pick up line, a dating app tagline should be bold, not pushy. Cheeky, not crass. Slick, never slimy. Because if you’re in the business of love or lust, first impressions count. 

So from a Copywriter with absolutely zero authority to judge; here is an unbiased, uncynical, strictly professional tagline review that is totally, most definitely, not tainted by personal experience of these specific dating apps. 

Let the scrolling (or swiping) begin.

Bumble.
Tagline: Make The First Move.

A call to action if we’ve ever seen one - because if Santa’s not real, neither is cupid.
Here’s your bow and arrow ladies. Aim. And shoot your shot.

With no promises of success, this tagline doesn’t sell you the dream. It sells you the journey. Specifically, your journey. The modern day version of ‘the ball is in your court’, Make The First Move lets you take matters into your own hands - in dating - in life - in love. 

It empowers action. And autonomy. And we’re here for it.

Plenty Of Fish
Tagline: Dating For Grownups.

As opposed to dating for children? It’s a no from us.

One of the original dating applications, Plenty Of Fish has been trying to keep its head above water since 2003. After multiple attempts to rebrand and refresh, it has unfortunately drowned in the age of technology, hook up culture, and competition. Too many fish now, maybe? 

For a dating app, the tagline feels slightly outdated. Grownups don’t call themselves grownups.

You’ve set people up for the ick - before they’ve even jumped in the ocean.  

Hinge.
Tagline: Designed To Be Deleted.

An absolute beauty. And not just because we’re suckers for alliteration. 

Hinge speaks directly to the overwhelming insight that, in fact, no one wants to be on the apps.

A nod to the deflated and the reluctant; by acknowledging the universal experience of online dating, this tagline eloquently says ‘hey, this place sucks, wanna get out of here?’

Yes. Yes we do. 

Tinder.
Tagline: Swipe Right

We’ll be honest. We’re not quite sure if this is their tagline or not - but this is written in big, flaming letters on their website - so for arguments sake, let’s say it is.

Do we like it? No.
But do we buy it? Also no.

Look, we’ll give credit where credit is due. Tinder pioneered the swipe. Like a first love, it said all the right things - and we fell for it.  Now we look back with maturer (see: weathered) eyes, and shudder at our naivety. 

Ultimately, being first is not enough to keep you in first place. 

For any relationship to be successful, it needs consistent work. 

And while ‘Swipe Right’ is a simple tagline with a slick double-entendre, it’s a sign that Tinder is yet to truly innovate beyond their initial offering. This has created space for competitors such as Hinge and Bumble to swoop in with a more engaging, modern, successful product. 

They must be feeling the burn, it’s true. But for Tinder to have a flaming hot comeback, they've got to revisit their purpose and take a good look at where the dating culture sits, and how it shifts. Because with no signs of innovation or unique point of difference, this tagline is essentially a dry manual on how to use the app.

In which case, Tinder can’t be mad if they’re the ones now getting ghosted. 

Need words? We’ve got plenty. Need a tagline for your brand? You’ve just met your match.