A good Coffee Meets Bagel profile for a guy has a first photo that shows his face clearly, a few more photos from different days, and a short bio that says one thing only he could say. Below are three complete examples, with the reason behind every choice. The men are invented. They are not real people or clients, and no result is claimed for them.

Why this profile has to do more work

Coffee Meets Bagel does not show her an endless stack of faces. She gets a batch of people once a day, picked for her. When you appear in that batch, you are one of a small number of faces she looks at properly.

That is good news and bad news. She is more likely to read what you wrote, and she is less likely to forgive a dark photo or a bio that could belong to anyone. Make each part count.

The app also needs at least one photo that clearly shows your face, and it only allows photos you own the rights to. So start with a clear, well-lit shot of you.

Example one: the nurse who climbs

Photo set: a clear daylight shot of his face and shoulders. Then climbing at an indoor wall. Then in scrubs at the end of a shift with a coworker. Then a barbecue with friends, where it is obvious which one is him. Then a full-length shot in a jacket that fits.

Bio: "Night-shift nurse. I climb on my days off and I am bad at it in a very committed way. Looking for someone who will meet for breakfast at the odd hour I am awake, and who is okay with me ordering for the table."

Why it works. The job and the hobby are real, specific and a bit unusual. The second sentence admits a flaw with humor. The last line gives her something to answer, since she will want to argue about the ordering.

Example two: the engineer who cooks

Photo set: a face shot in good light, smiling and relaxed. Then at a stove, cooking for friends. Then hiking in a place that looks like a trail he walks often. Then on a bike. Then a dressed-up photo that matches how he dresses at work.

Bio: "Civil engineer, mostly bridges, so I have strong opinions about how people cross things. I cook a good dinner and a poor breakfast. If you have a place you think I should try, tell me and I will judge it fairly."

Why it works. "Mostly bridges" is more interesting than "engineer" because it is exact. The cooking line is a small, believable claim the photos back up. The final sentence asks for a recommendation, which is easy to answer.

Example three: the teacher who runs

Photo set: a clear shot of his face outdoors. Then running a race with a number on his chest. Then in a classroom, relaxed, with students not in the frame. Then dinner with family. Then a trip with a friend.

Bio: "High school history teacher. I run early and talk too much about the Roman Empire after that. Let me know your strongest opinion about a historical figure and I will do my best to argue with it politely."

Why it works. The whole bio is an invitation, and the hook is playful and slightly challenging, so she has something to say before she knows him. The photos prove the running and the teaching exist.

What the three share

Each bio is short and specific. a dating coach's example of the opposite is the bio that says the man is a gentleman who knows how to treat a lady. Many men write that line, he says, so a woman who has read it all day skips it out of boredom.

Each one gives her something to answer. A fact cannot be answered, while an opinion, a joke or a request for a recommendation can.

Each matches its photos. My point is that a bio and a photo set have to agree. A bio that claims a love of the outdoors beside five restaurant photos reads like a man describing someone else.

Do not copy the lines

a dating coach is clear that he does not want men to become a clone of him. What works is a profile that fits you, because what you project has to be congruent with the man who turns up to the date. Copy the shape of the examples, not the sentences.

A fast way to start is to answer three questions in plain words. What do you do all week? What do you do on a day off? What would you want a woman to ask you about? Join the answers into two or three sentences and cut anything that could describe any man.

A last check before you save it

Read the bio aloud. If it sounds like you talking, keep it. If it sounds like an advertisement, rewrite it.

Then look at the first photo alone. Is your face clear and your expression relaxed? If the answer is no, take more photos and choose the best of a hundred. A strong bio on top of a weak first photo is wasted, because she never gets to the words.