Is Coffee Meets Bagel Dead? (Read This First!)
Online dating sites come and go, and only a few can stand the test of time. Tinder will always be the popular choice for online dating newcomers, but it is essential to remember that your options do not stop there.
Case in point: Coffee Meets Bagel. Although it is well past its peak popularity, the site is still an excellent choice for those looking for something with a little more depth than the likes of Tinder. If you’re wondering, “Is Coffee Meets Bagel dead?” rest assured, it’s still very much alive and can offer a refreshing alternative to the more mainstream dating apps.
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Is Coffee Meets Bagel Truly Dead?
Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB) was established way back in 2012, with the express intent of giving female users more agency than other online dating apps. Naturally, this made it instantly popular with women all over the world. Since then, however, the novelty seems to have worn off.
More and more dating sites have taken a proactive stance regarding empowering female users. Bumble is another excellent example of such a dating app. This has led to Coffee Meets Bagel’s user base declining over time as users test out other dating platforms.
But, is Coffee Meets Bagel dead? The short answer is no. While it is no longer as dominant as it once was and currently has over 10 million active users, which is a far cry from Tinder’s 75 million, it’s important to note that it’s still a viable platform. It remains an excellent place for women to feel like they are in control and for people who want a truly meaningful relationship, not just a one-night stand. So, while it may have lost some of its initial luster, it’s certainly not dead.
Is Coffee Meets Bagel Good? Is It Worth Joining?
If you have been on the fence about joining Coffee Meets Bagel, there is no better time to sign up than right now. New profiles on CMB receive a massive boost, which displays them to more users, and thus increases their chances of finding a match. Signing up is also completely free, and does not require a paid subscription like eHarmony and Match. Be sure to capitalize on this process as soon as you can.
Why Should You Join Coffee Meets Bagel
The CMB dating app has seen plenty of highs and lows in its time, but things seem to have settled down considerably, meaning this is the perfect time to sign up and get a feel for how the app works.
More than 50% of Coffee Meets Bagel’s user base is female, which is fantastic news if you are a guy looking for a woman. Additionally, the Coffee Meets Bagel app has strongly advised users to get vaccinated and has added a new prompt card for profiles to display their vaccination status. This means that you can go on dates knowing that your date has taken all the necessary measures to ensure their safety – and yours.
Indeed, Coffee Meets Bagel boasts a commendable 10 million active users. While this figure might be less compared to some other free dating apps, it’s still substantial enough to ensure you have new profiles to peruse nearly every day. My suggestion is to consider signing up for a minimum of two dating apps to explore the one that aligns best with your preferences. Apart from Coffee Meets Bagel, Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble stand out as promising alternatives.
Are There Bots on Coffee Meets Bagel?
Like all social networking sites, CMB is unfortunately not immune to the presence of fake profiles, bots, and scammers, which can quickly ruin your time on the app.
Fortunately, while these pests will never completely disappear, they can be dealt with. The best way to handle a bot or a scammer is to report their profile and block them, which will prevent them from contacting you.
How to be Successful on Coffee Meets Bagel
Although they share similar interfaces and mechanics, CMB is a wholly different beast compared to Tinder. This is mainly because CMB daters are far more limited in their options – (they can only view 21 new profiles per day) – and have to make the absolute best of what they are given if they have any hope of finding a date.
Luckily, new Coffee Meets Bagel users can quickly improve their chances of finding a match as long as they start on the right foot.
Optimize your CMB Dating App Profile
Like Tinder, your chances of being liked are based solely on first impressions. This means that your profile will need to be of high quality if you want to have any hope of attracting people.
Fortunately, this process is not as complicated as it might seem. You just need to be comprehensive to ensure the best results.
Start with your Coffee Meets Bagel bio. CMB provides several different fields for you to input your personal information, so be sure to use all of them. You can also include prompts on your profile and questions for you to answer that give other CMB daters a more complete impression of who you are and what you are like. Each prompt permits around 280 characters worth of text, which should be plenty enough.
Be sure to fill out each prompt in a way that is uniquely “you,” and include such things as your guilty pleasures, pet peeves, hobbies, and goals, among others. However, the most important thing that you need to include in your bio is the type of person that you are looking for. This will attract people who will be more to your taste, and increase your chances of finding compatible high-quality matches.
You will also need to pay attention to the photos you choose to display. Avoid selfies and group pictures at all costs. Use photos that feature natural lighting, and be sure to smile as much as possible.
Try to get your friends to take photos of you doing things that you love, whatever they may be. If you enjoy hiking, get some hiking pictures, for example.
Here are a few great examples of photos for profiles:
As you can see, all of these photos clearly feature the person front and center with excellent lighting.
Mastering the First Message: Starting Conversations Right
Coffee Meets Bagel demands a different approach when it comes to conversations. Small talk will not get you anywhere – every CMB user is looking for something more profound.
To this end, you need to know how you start conversations. There are several well-established “rules” for you to follow. It also helps to come equipped with a handful of openers and icebreakers to ease some of the initial tension of talking to someone new.
In general, when sending the first message, you should endeavor to get to know your matches as well as possible, without overstepping any boundaries. For example, it is okay to discuss your passions with one another, but you should not divulge any of your deepest, darkest secrets.
Here are some tips and examples to get you started when sending your first message:
- Ask them about a specific aspect of their bio or profile, e.g.: “Wow, you like (X band)? I love them!”
- Compliment something about them, but not their body, e.g.: “Your hair is lovely.”
- Tell an inoffensive, corny joke, e.g.: “Hey, my name’s Microsoft, can I crash at your place tonight?”
As you can tell, all of these conversation starters are clear and to the point, which avoids confusion and maximizes engagement.
Here are a couple of good examples of people engaging their matches:
The conversation starter above works since the compliment is specific.
The person does a great job engaging his match with his first message by using some humor.
Don’t Delay Asking CMB Matches Out
Far too often, people make the mistake of never letting conversations continue off of the phone, which can lead to frustration. The point of Coffee Meets Bagel – and all dating sites – is to get a date. To this end, you should not spend more than three days speaking to someone over the phone before asking them out.
Things move quickly online, and it is all too easy for someone else to swoop in and steal your match. This may lead to them ghosting you, or worse, outright blocking you.
Fortunately, there is a method to ask people out that you can internalize and use. You first need to make sure that you have properly established a rapport with your match. Once conversations can move along at an easy pace without any tension, suggest a few places that might be fun to visit together. Coffee shops are – naturally – one of the best places to have a first date. Avoid dinners and movies, however, as these activities will put a dent in your wallet, and do not present enough time to get to know your match.
You want to be clear and to the point when asking out potential matches. For example: ‘I’d love to get to know you better. Are you available for a coffee sometime this week? I know this great place downtown.’ This shows potential matches that you’re interested in them and avoids any confusion or frustration.
Can Guys Be Successful on Coffee Meets Bagel?
Coffee Meets Bagel’s main selling point is its emphasis on empowering female users. This means that women ultimately have the final say in whether or not it is a match. This may put off plenty of male users, but the system works out quite well and guarantees that you will always go out with like-minded people looking for the same things as you.
Still, being a guy on Coffee Meets Bagel comes with a few challenges. You will have to pay more attention to your profile and the manner in which you conduct yourself to be successful. To make things easier, have someone you trust review your profile to ensure its quality. Some things will work and other things will not – always be willing to experiment in order to find the things that do.
Finally, the best piece of advice for guys on Coffee Meets Bagel (and pretty much every other online dating app) is to not take things too personally. Some people may not like you, and it is important that you are able to pick yourself up and move on quickly.
What to do if Your CMB Profile isn’t Getting Likes
Likes on CMB indicate the interest other users have in your profile. If you find that you’re not receiving many likes, it’s likely because your CMB profile needs some optimization. Consider going back to the drawing board and ensuring that every field is filled out. Additionally, make sure you have a diverse selection of high-quality photos that provide potential matches with a comprehensive view of your life.
Alternatively, it’s possible that there may not be many users in your area, which can limit your prospects. In such cases, try extending the search radius. Start by extending it by 10 miles at a time and refresh to see if new profiles appear. If, after extending it by 50 miles, you still haven’t found any new profiles, it might be that everyone else is currently too far away to be viable matches.
Final Thoughts on Coffee Meets Bagel
As you can see, Coffee Meets Bagel is far from dead. While your experience may be better or worse than other dating sites depending on where you live, the app’s infrastructure is as solid as ever. It is still a fantastic way of getting to know like-minded CMB daters who want a serious long-term relationship.
If you need any help setting up your profile, feel free to use our profile writing services, whether you are male or female. We also provide text messaging and conversation coaching vet text messages to ensure that your conversation game is up to scratch.