Flirting is tough in any capacity, but because it’s aimed at both conveying and eliciting an emotional response, it can be especially hard to flirt via text. The basic rules—keep it fun, ask questions, show your personality—are all well and good, but everyone has suffered through those moments when your text has been taken out of context, or when it’s completely unclear what you were going for. What’s an easy way to keep your flirtatious texts from falling flat? Think outside the [text] box.
1. Emojis
Okay, emojis aren’t exactly ground-breaking, but you should make a conscious effort to venture away from your “frequently used” list. The heart eyes, the smoocher, the laugh with tears in its eyes… they’re safe. The best emojers are the ones who get elastic and explore all their options. Excited to see him? Throw him the SOON emoji. Did you know there’s a pager emoji? If a guy ever texted me to page him later, I would laugh. Hard.
2. Gifs
Where texts and even emojis fall flat, the gif is king. You get to convey a whole range of emotions, show off your sense of humor, and reference pop culture all at the same time. It’s flirting gold. Apps like Gboard and PopKey make it easy to gif search right inside your text window. Why send a rosy-cheeked smiley emoji when you could send a moving picture of two puppies licking each other’s noses? If he doesn’t respond to that, he’s a cold-hearted monster, and you should dump him immediately.
3. Bitmoji
Bitmoji is great because you have a cartoon of yourself doing all kinds of asinine things right at your fingertips. There is a reaction for any situation, and some great ice-breakers too. If you’re looking for a cute way to ask a guy what he’s up to, send him a bitmoji of you swinging from a vine and say, “hey, just thought I’d swoop in and see what’s up…” (Okay, if you’re sweetie is not into cheesy, but perfect humor, maybe this one isn’t for you…)
4. Snapchat
If you’re feeling flirty, but you don’t really have anything to talk about, Snapchat is a lifesaver. It’s made for life’s most inane moments, plus you get to spice it up—geotags, filters, video effects, you name it. The fact that it disappears after 10 seconds gives you a little more confidence to be silly, daring, or even sexy, and here’s a bonus: if you’re one of those control freaks who thinks everyone should be forced to turn on their read receipts except for you, Snapchat tells you exactly if and when your snap has been seen.
5. Apple’s New Doodle Feature
iOs 10’s new text features, while yes, are confusing if you haven’t mastered them, can actually be really fun. You can react to someone’s message, send a heart pulse or virtual kiss, and, my favorite: you can animate your own text responses. If you get asked out, sure, you could respond with a boring “yeah, sounds fun!” or you could build his anticipation with a live animated “~maybe…” You know, followed by three JKs and a lip-print right on his screen.
Any way you choose to keep your text-flirt game fun and engaging is great, but mixing it up is never a bad idea. A simple “Hey ;)” works, but throw a bitmoji of you passed out with a pizza box on your stomach in there every once in a while. It will keep your sweetheart on their toes.
