In addition to your primary photo, your About Me summary or bio is what makes or breaks your ability to get matches. A basic bio with useless information ("I like coffee!") is going to attract basic matches. If your bio lacks substance, so will your matches. That's why you have to use the allotted bio space as well as the prompts to convey what, exactly, makes you, you.
Your bio should address 3 very specific areas.
Core Values - Your value system is the moral code by which you live. Your moral code can be broken down into three areas:
Integrity - You know the difference between right and wrong.
Respect - How you treat people and regard individual/societal ideas and opinions.
Responsibility - Your ability to follow-through on expressed expectations; an interest in serving your community
Passions/Interests - Activities or hobbies in which you regularly participate. This can include both social and civil pursuits ie Black Lives Matter, volunteering, etc.
Traits - The characteristics or attributes that comprise your personality ie patient, non-judgemental, finds the silver lining in everything.
Pro Tip #1 - Open Strong
Your opening sentence should be a fact about yourself that is unique and grabs the reader's attention.
I once found a live scorpion in my bathtub. (This is true. I did.)
I'm named after a character from a romance novel.
I make a mean bolognese sauce.
Pro Tip #2 - Don't compare yourself to historical or fictional characters
Never say things like, "I'm a combination of This Person, This Person and This Person." I recently saw this in a Tik Tok on Instagram. "I'm a combination of Olivia Pope, Pam Beesling & Samantha Jones." For one, this is just a lazy way of describing yourself. Secondly, while your ideal match might be familiar with one or two of the people, they likely won't understand the reference without context. Also make sure the characters aren't associated with any overtly "negative" traits. The only reference most straight men will have to Samantha Jones was that she was "the slutty one."
Pro Tip #3 - Avoid over-used adjectives.
Forget buzzwords. You need to give explicit examples of your core values, passions & traits. Don't say you live a healthy lifestyle. Say you start your day with green tea and yoga or a run around a local lake or in a nearby park. You're not chill. You're the person that makes stir fry and watches Schitt's Creek on a Friday night after a long work week. Use examples that will resonate with people who share similar interests, beliefs or characteristics.
Pro Tip #4 - Take advantage of prompts
Most dating apps not only provide space for users to write a detailed personal summary, but they also provide ice-breaker style questions aka prompts. Since most dating apps have a character limit of less than 500, use the prompts to further discuss things you didn't have space to mention in your bio. Choose prompts that are meaningful and substantive.
Pro Tip #5 - Don't skimp
A lot of people skip the About Me summary/bio space and skip right to the prompts. Don't do that. It's a dead giveaway you did not put much thought into your profile. The prompts are meant to complement and flesh out the bio, not take the place of it.
Pro Tip #6 - Sentence fragments are acceptable
You don't have room for drawn out stories or sentences. Sentence fragments allow you to cover a variety of topics. Example:
STEM Superhero. Dad to a Puggle. Merlot lover.
Pro Tip #7 - Include Your Basic Stats
If the platform you're using doesn't provide you with a section to fill out your basic stats, they must be included in your bio/summary. Important stats include:
Height
Career field
Where you live
Relationship status (Single, Divorced, Separated.)
Whether you drink or smoke
Whether you have kids, their ages, and whether they live with you
Whether or not you have pets
Political affiliation