Style's Solid Online Profile Game

An online-dating method adapted from Neil Strauss ("Style", author of The Game): a mysterious, playful profile, then first messages that put her in the position of qualifying for you.

The profile

Say little, imply a lot. Long, earnest profiles listing everything about you didn't work. A short, intriguing one did.
Spell and punctuate properly. The women you most want to meet often care, and you lose nothing by getting it right.
A challenging headline. Style's tongue-in-cheek "Run away, little girl" was the example. Make your own.
A striking photo. The author used a high-contrast black-and-white portrait: stylish and a little mysterious.
Absurd details as jokes: silly stats, a thesaurus-full of synonyms for "fun" under interests, "volcano bungee jumping" as a first-date idea. It makes people curious.
A playful mystery in the text. His profile joked that the reader may have been fooled and he might actually be a typing hippo from a science experiment, and dared her to "discover the truth". It got lots of women messaging first.

The first message

Two things to avoid: short replies (once she's giving one-word answers, it's hard to recover) and frame flips (where you end up chasing her).

Subject line: something random and unique, a silly word or phrase, so it stands out among dozens of "hey".
Tease her on something specific in her profile that other men wouldn't pick up on. Skip the obvious.
Then ask her to qualify: "Give me a few reasons getting to know you would be worth it." It invites longer, more invested answers.
Use curiosity: hint that you'll share another photo if you like her answer.
Playful nicknames (fun, never insulting) build familiarity fast.

After she replies

Don't reply instantly. Check in at set times so you seem busy, not glued to the site.
The points game: award playful points ("2 points for the sense of humour, 2 for effort") and occasionally dock one. Tell her she'll get your number at 10 points, and make sure she earns them.
If she pushes back ("that's a lot to ask in a first message!"), a short, confident reply ("That's because it is 😉") keeps the frame. Use emoticons only to soften something that could read as harsh.
Share photos that show social proof: out with friends, dressed up.

Results

The author reported about 8 in 10 replying to first messages and around 6 in 10 meeting up. He moved to the phone using a low-pressure, "un-needy" texting style.

The profile

The first message

After she replies

Results

See also