Opening Lines That Work

Hitting on someone, whether in person or online, can feel nerve-wracking. What should you say? What can you talk about that would spark their interest? Will they even respond? Don’t worry – we have you covered. We asked our community to give us their best opening lines that actually worked so you can land your next date.

1. “Hi my name is ___, what’s yours?”

Contrary to most popular films, sometimes it’s better to start with the basics. You don’t need to be cheesy or over the top. You can just simply start talking.

2. Give attention to their dog/pet

Every pet parent thinks their pet is the best one on the planet. So if you see someone cute with a furry companion, asking to pet them will get you one foot in the door to start a conversation. (Bonus points for telling them how cute their pet is.)

3. “You wanna get food?”

You might not want to start out with this one right away, but introducing food early on might be a good idea especially if you’ve been out dancing. After all, who doesn’t like food?

4. “Hey didn’t I see you at (this location) earlier?”

Given that the queer community in most cities is pretty small, there’s a chance they’ll say yes. If they say yes, you can talk about the area and if they say no, there’s still an opening to talk.

5. Call them out from across the room, and then when you get up close you’re like, “Oh sorry, you look like one of my friends – so while I’m here, hi my name is ___”

Once you’re already next to them, why not take the opportunity to talk? You could even make a joke and ask if they have a twin who happens to look like them.

6. “Where did you get that shirt from?”

This requires a specific answer but also opens the door to talk about their fashion choices and tastes.

7. Wanna play a game?

Yes, it sounds like a line right out of Saw, but it’s intriguing enough to get an answer. From there you could play 20 Questions, Truth or Dare, or some other game that’s easy and gets them to answer.

8. Order shots for you and your friends and include them

Who doesn’t love a free shot? This is also a level up from offering to simply buy someone a drink because now you’re also including them in your group of friends.

9. Ask for local recommendations for restaurants, coffee shops, etc.

Bonus points for asking them out to a place they recommend.

10. Get them involved with a challenge you are doing with your friends

Friendly competitions always bring people closer together. Making bets? Playing beer pong? Ask them to play along. Plus, you’ll be able to see if you have chemistry. If it comes down to it, just bring a wingman to do the hard intro for you, but it’s up to you to take it from there.