Now that you mention it, I should really hire a professional style consultant and get some professional images done.
I've been wasting time swiping endlessly instead.
Anyway, as I said, if you're in the top 10-20% of desirability, you get way more matches.
This is a culmination of a lot of factors, but on dating apps in particular, boils down to demographics and photos.
Most of this becomes obvious to any guy who uses dating apps a decent amount that isn't in the top 10-20%.
Some guys get stuck on the demographics, i.e. age/height/race, also culture/language, but that's not a problem til you match.
You have no control over your age, height, and/or race.
If you're under 5'10", a lot of girls will filter automatically. 6'0"+ is ideal.
Same with age - obviously hard to match with girls that are over 10 years younger than you. Probably 27-28 is ideal for guys, if you're dating girls in their 20s.
The effect of race depends on where and what type of girls you want to date.
Most guys get stuck on the photos, simply because they are just "average".
Not everyone (both guys and girls), cleans up to a 9 or a 10.
Good photos are a necessity. They need to...
- Showcase physical attractiveness, fashion, and grooming
Outside of plastic surgery, you can't really improve physical attractiveness directly. Better diet/skin care will help a bit.
- Showcase you at interesting places doing interesting things
Both are important, but an excess of one or the other might get you matches on that alone.