Coffee Meets Bagel Your Move: The Best CMB Icebreakers
Many people have trouble conforming to online dating protocols because they may not be a reflection of who they are. You may be shy in real life, but online dating demands confidence and charm to succeed. This is especially true for Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB), where a strong opener can mean the difference between getting a date and finding someone else to match with.
To this end, we have devised several strategies to help you navigate the intricacies of Coffee Meets Bagel, including crafting effective CMB icebreakers and examples so that you can make your move to get more dates.
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Unlocking Success on Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB) is a dating app akin to the likes of Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble, with a much greater focus on empowering its female users. The site functions similarly to others of its kind, with a swipe-and-match system that has proven an effective means of connecting users quickly and seamlessly.
As mentioned, the CMB app gives a lot more authority and control to its female users. Every day, all users are presented with a fresh batch of “bagels” (the site’s term for other users) which they may browse and with whom they have a chance of matching.
Male users receive exactly 21 Bagels every day, while female users are only shown to other users who have already expressed interest in them (by swiping right).
As a male user, understanding this system is paramount to understanding how you need to play your cards to get a date. While the likes of Tinder facilitate a system of blindly swiping right or left on every profile you come across, CMB heavily discourages this school of thought and forces you to think about who you want to match with – and how you should approach them. To this end, you need to know how to play your cards right, so read on to find out how best to kick off a conversation.
CMB’s algorithm prioritizes quality matches over quantity, emphasizing meaningful connections rather than simply accumulating matches. Moreover, CMB’s discover features enhance user experience by providing curated matches based on shared interests and preferences, fostering genuine connections.
CMB’s in-app currency, known as “beans,” adds another dimension to the platform, allowing users to unlock additional features and perks to enhance their dating experience. CMB also offers opportunities to earn free beans through various activities on the app, providing users with additional means to access premium features without spending money. CMB beans can be used to access premium features like sending special messages or viewing additional matches.
A few ways to earn free beans are by logging in daily, updating and completing your profile details, referring friends to join CMB, and participating in special promotions.
Is Coffee Meets Bagel dead? Read on to find out.
How To Make Your Move on Coffee Meets Bagel

The upside to the system Coffee Meets Bagel employs for male users is that the proverbial ball is always in their court, to begin with. Simply put, male users must first express interest if they ever hope to get someone’s attention.
Part of making the first move means swiping right on a CMB profile that captures your interest, but that alone is only half the battle. Liking a woman’s profile only guarantees that your profile will be visible to her, but it does not secure a match.
Luckily, CMB allows you to send a message, along with swyping right, which can improve your chances of being noticed and matched. By clicking on the chat bubble on someone’s Coffee Meets Bagel profile, you have one chance to make the perfect first move.
This is easily done through the use of Coffee Meets Bagel icebreakers that can quickly spark a conversation, along with several opening message tactics that will almost guarantee potential matches will respond. An effective opener breaks the ice and paves the way for a meaningful interaction.
You can view whether your message has been read by a match by upgrading to a premium subscription. This includes features like read receipts, activity reports, seeing who likes you, monthly profile boosts, and sending flowers to users you admire, to name a few.
Therefore, to maximize the chances of receiving likes and replies, you have to ensure that your Coffee Meets Bagel profile is unique, eye-catching, and stands out from the crowd. This means you should be filling out all of the profile prompts thoroughly.
Are there fake profiles on Coffee Meets Bagel? Find out!
Be Confident

While it may not be representative of your “true” self, displaying a level of confidence is key to attracting other Coffee Meets Bagel users. Take note that being confident does not mean being cocky, arrogant, or pushy – it means being comfortable with who you are as a person, as well as being sure of what you want.
To display confidence in your CMB icebreaker, try to link your best qualities with that of the other user, and do not waste any time in making your intentions clear (in the most charming way possible, of course). For example, you could mention how great your hair is, then immediately state how great theirs is as well, and ask them out for a chance to see it in person.

Take note that this approach requires conviction to come off as charming rather than creepy. Choose your words carefully, and try to keep them lighthearted.
Here’s what to say, if someone stops replying.
Tell a Joke

Beauty is temporary, a sense of humor is forever. Everybody can appreciate a good joke when they hear one, so it helps to show off your comedic chops right from the word go.

This one works well because it also exudes confidence as well as a good sense of humor.
Of course, there are risks involved in opening with a joke. It is tough to gauge another’s sense of humor from their profile alone, and saying the wrong thing – funny or not – can quickly earn you a left swipe.
Fortunately, several cute and clever jokes have been widely used to great effect, which you can alter to suit your personality and that of the person you hope to match with.
Try a cheesy pickup line to break the ice, for example. While many CMB users have likely heard a few of them before, they will crack a smile nonetheless if you open with one of these.
Other cheesy pickup line examples include:
- Hey, my name’s Microsoft. Can I crash at your place tonight?
- Are you French? Because Eiffel for you.
- Do you like raisins? How do you feel about a date?
- There is something wrong with my cell phone. It doesn’t have your number in it.
- If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put ‘U’ and ‘I’ together.
- Aside from being sexy, what do you do for a living?
Check out some of the best conversation starters to elicit replies.
Give Them a Compliment
Stroking someone’s ego is one of the easiest ways of breaking the ice and putting your match in a good mood. Compliments are easy to dish out, so you should make thorough use of them.

Dishing out compliments also invites others to compliment you in turn.
Again, there is a fine line between charming and creepy, so choose your words carefully. Do not compliment a user’s body. Rather, mention some of the most exceptional qualities of their face: eyes, cheekbones, and smiles are all safe bets.
Additionally, keep it simple in your first message. Flowery, excessive compliments can be cringe-worthy for many users, earning you nothing but eye-rolls and a hard swipe left. Aim to be short and sweet in your compliment, and you should be fine.
Examples of Coffee Meets Bagel Icebreakers

An icebreaker is a message that alleviates some of the tension and inherent awkwardness of chatting with potential matches. They are different from openers which are meant to initiate a conversation – icebreakers help keep the conversation going.
Being equipped with a full set of icebreakers can help you immensely if you find yourself struggling to maintain someone’s interest or keep them engaged in the conversation. Therefore, we have collected a handful of solid CMB icebreakers to help you make the first move and for you to fall back on if you ever find yourself in a conversational rut. If you find yourself wondering what to say after breaking the ice, then check out this blog post where we detail some conversational guidelines to follow.
Ask Interesting Questions

Asking questions is one of the easiest ways to keep a conversation going. However, it’s best to ask open-ended questions instead of closed-ended questions. Open-ended questions are questions that can be answered in different ways, incorporating words like how, what, where, and why, which invite deeper exploration and discussion. In contrast, closed-ended questions typically elicit short or one-word responses and can typically be only answered one way, such as a yes or no, which does not encourage further discussion or exploration.
There are plenty of simple questions to get your match involved, including:
- What would be the last thing that you wish to do on a trip to any place?
- What is your favorite thing to eat?
- Who is your favorite musician, and why?
- What do you like to do for fun?
- If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be and why?
- What’s something you’re passionate about?
- What’s a skill or talent you’ve always wanted to develop, and what’s stopping you from pursuing it?
- Where do you see yourself in five years, and what steps are you taking to get there?
- What’s a book or movie that had a profound impact on you?
- What’s something interesting you’ve learned recently that you’d like to share?
These open-ended questions can spark interesting and meaningful conversations, allowing for a deeper connection with your match.
You can pretty much ask anything you can think of, so long as you keep it simple and lighthearted. Do not go around asking people about their deepest, darkest secrets or their trauma and grief.
Questions with multiple possible answers are also a great way of incorporating a lot of interactivity into the conversation; it also allows you to find out more about your match, and possibly determine how compatible the two of you are.
For example, if your favorite thing to eat is hamburgers, present this in the form of a multiple-choice question. Ask: “Out of these three, which would you rather eat: pizza, hamburgers, or tacos?” Their answer will give you some valuable insight into how compatible you are with one another.
Learn how to respond if you’ve been ghosted on Coffee Meets Bagel.
Employ Witty Puns
A well-placed pun can be one of the quickest ways into someone’s heart. Of course, they require a quick, sharp wit to come up with, and can easily fall flat if they are not well-thought-out.
Try to make a pun using your match’s name. For example, if their name is Brie, you can easily relate that to cheese and come up with some clever jokes.
Of course, not all names will lend themselves well to puns, but if yours are well-thought-out, you should have no trouble winning someone’s heart.
Here’s what to do if your conversations are going nowhere
Taking the Next Step: Getting Their Number and Planning Dates

What happens next in your relationship with your match is up to you, but making a strong first move will set you up nicely. Try to get their number as quickly as possible – within the first 3 days – and then organize a date. Your first move is important but equally as important is continuing to make moves and not letting the relationship stagnate.
When suggesting dates, come up with two options and ask your bagel which sounds better. Two options are a good number since it gives them a couple of choices without overwhelming them. Chances are your bagel is busy, so the last thing you want to do is bombard them with too many decisions. Ideally, you should have a rough idea of their availability so that you know when they will be free. Suggest a couple of places that are low-key and pressure-free, allowing you two to get to know each other better in person. Cafes, galleries, and exhibits are all good first-date options. Avoid dinner and movies as first dates because they can be too formal and limit interaction, making it harder to establish a connection.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this post has provided you with some helpful conversation starters to break the ice on Coffee Meets Bagel. Mastering online dating, especially on platforms like Coffee Meets Bagel, can be challenging, but a confident approach and effective CMB icebreakers can lead to meaningful connections. Taking the initiative and making the first move to exchange numbers and plan dates is crucial for advancing the relationship. With the right strategies and a proactive mindset, navigating online dating can lead to fulfilling experiences.
If you’re seeking real results and aiming for better dates, I’ve got you covered. Whether you need assistance with writing an online dating profile or seeking dating app texting feedback, we’re here to help. Our services do not only extend to male users – we offer dating profile writing to female readers as well.