{"id":16475,"date":"2018-04-08T01:00:05","date_gmt":"2018-04-08T08:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datemixstaging.wpengine.com\/?p=16475"},"modified":"2022-07-04T06:53:57","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T13:53:57","slug":"first-date-tips-for-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best First Date Tips for Men"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Getting a first date on the calendar is a great accomplishment. Whether you met on a dating app, in class, or at Starbucks, you\u2019ve successfully charmed the person you\u2019re interested in into agreeing to go out with you, and that\u2019s a victory in itself. You should be proud of that. You\u2019ve successfully gotten over the first hurtle\u2014now you have to look ahead to what comes next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can you do to make sure that your first dates turn into second dates? A lot of things, actually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 7 of the best first date tips for men:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Dress to impress.
\n<\/strong>They may be comfortable, but wrinkled shirts and ratty jeans are just not an attractive look. No one wants a date who looks like he just rolled out of bed. I know we\u2019re all told growing up that you can\u2019t judge a book by its cover and it\u2019s what\u2019s inside that truly counts, but appearances do<\/em> count for something. Especially on a first date. You\u2019re meeting each other for the first time, and the expectation is that you want to impress each other\u2014so put on a clean shirt and run a comb through your hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you show up to a first date looking your best, you\u2019re indicating that you care about that person\u2019s opinion and want them to like you. Plus, if you can get your date to notice your best physical features, that\u2019s always going to be a win for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Be on time (or 15 minutes early).
\n<\/strong>The whole point of a first date is to make a good impression. So show up on time. Not only is it good manners, it\u2019s good dating strategy. You don\u2019t want your dates waiting around for you and wishing they hadn\u2019t agreed to go out with you in the first place. Arriving 15 minutes early can help you avoid any hard feelings and ensure the first date starts on a good note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going to a date early can also make you appear well-prepared and thoughtful. If you\u2019re meeting at a movie theater, you can get in line and get tickets. If you\u2019re meeting for a coffee date<\/a>, you can scout out the area and pick a quiet place to sit. Wherever you go, you should get there early enough to make the necessary arrangements to help everything run smoothly once your date arrives (hopefully on time).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Ask good questions and listen to your date\u2019s answers.
\n<\/strong>You definitely don\u2019t want to usurp the conversation on a first date, so it\u2019s important to ask good questions to get the ball rolling. You can get some excellent ideas from this list of 75 creative first-date questions<\/a>. From \u201cAre you close with your family?\u201d to \u201cEver get a tattoo?\u201d these questions can help you start a conversation and establish common interests or values. Listen closely to what your date says because that\u2019s going to tell you a lot about that person. By asking follow-up questions and showing you\u2019re paying attention, you can quickly get in your love interest\u2019s good graces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Don\u2019t be shy about giving a compliment<\/strong>.
\n<\/strong>Compliments aren\u2019t cheesy, and they do work. Sometimes a person has put a lot of thought and effort into what he or she wears on a first date, and it\u2019s nice to have a date recognize that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The compliment will go over even better if you make it specific. As in, \u201cI really like that necklace you have on\u201d or \u201cYour nail polish is a pretty color.\u201d Noticing those details is more flattering than giving out a generic line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Decide who\u2019s paying before the check arrives.
\n<\/strong>No one likes to be put on the spot, so don\u2019t wait until the last minute to discuss how to split the bill. It\u2019s better to get that conversation out of the way early. That way, you both know what to expect and don\u2019t have to dance around the issue (or feel guilty for ordering a steak).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I like it when a guy states upfront what he prefers to do about paying for a date. Let\u2019s get rid of the guessing games! We\u2019re all adults, right? If you\u2019re planning to pay for your date, you can include that in your invitation: \u201cHey, do you want to get dinner sometime? My treat!\u201d Or you can wait until you\u2019re there in person and say, \u201cDrinks are on me\u201d or \u201cBy the way, would you mind splitting the check?\u201d You can skip a lot of unnecessary uncertainty and anxiety by being straightforward about your paying preferences and asking for your date\u2019s input at the outset of your date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Read the signals to decide if you should kiss or hug at the end of the night.
\n<\/strong>You can often tell by a person\u2019s body language if the date is going well. If your date is leaning toward you and making eye contact, that\u2019s a good sign. If they\u2019re looking at the clock and don\u2019t seem to be listening to what you\u2019re saying, that\u2019s a bad sign. Picking up on these cues can help you determine if you should go for a kiss, a hug, or just a polite goodbye when the night is over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, even if the date goes well, not everyone feels comfortable kissing on a first date, so you\u2019ll probably have to play it by ear. The 2005 movie \u201cHitch\u201d offered a good rule of thumb for guys wondering whether to go for a kiss\u2014look for fiddling keys<\/a>. A date who lingers outside in a parking lot or on a driveway is most likely waiting to be kissed. Not sure you\u2019re reading it right? Then just ask! There\u2019s nothing wrong with getting your date\u2019s consent before you swoop in for a kiss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Follow up after the date. (You don\u2019t have to wait three days.)
\n<\/strong>Last of all, if you had a good time on your first date, then you should be proactive about getting in touch and setting up a second date. And, no, you don\u2019t have to wait that standard three days. In fact, because of the prevalence of dating apps<\/a>, you may lose your shot with someone if you take three days to send a follow-up message. Who knows how many other guys your date has swiped on while you played hard to get?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go ahead and send a quick text saying you had a good time and ask when you can meet up for date number two. Otherwise you may not see that person again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to impress a date, be responsive, be enthusiastic, and\u2014I know it\u2019s incredibly corny\u2014be yourself. Genuine people make excellent dates because, especially in the age of swiping and ghosting, it\u2019s a relief to take a break from all the game playing and just have a good conversation with someone special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amber Brooks is a Contributing Editor at DatingAdvice.com. When she was growing up, her family teased her for being \u201cboy crazy,\u201d but she preferred to think of herself as a budding dating expert. As an English major in college, Amber honed her communication skills to write clearly, knowledgeably, and passionately about topics that interest her. Now with a background in writing, Amber brings her tireless wit and relatable experiences to DatingAdvice.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you know how the read the signals? If not, then read on. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138,"featured_media":16476,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[885,892],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dating-advice-men","category-first-date-tips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Best First Date Tips for Men<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What can you do to make sure that first date leads to a second date? A lot of things, actually. Here are 7 of the very best first date tips for men.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best First Date Tips for Men\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What can you do to make sure that first date leads to a second date? A lot of things, actually. Here are 7 of the very best first date tips for men.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Date Mix\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-08T08:00:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-07-04T13:53:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2018\/04\/04174448\/best-first-date-tips-for-men.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amber Brooks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Zoosk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Zoosk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amber Brooks\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Best First Date Tips for Men","description":"What can you do to make sure that first date leads to a second date? A lot of things, actually. Here are 7 of the very best first date tips for men.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Best First Date Tips for Men","og_description":"What can you do to make sure that first date leads to a second date? A lot of things, actually. Here are 7 of the very best first date tips for men.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/","og_site_name":"The Date Mix","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/","article_published_time":"2018-04-08T08:00:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-07-04T13:53:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2018\/04\/04174448\/best-first-date-tips-for-men.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Amber Brooks","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Zoosk","twitter_site":"@Zoosk","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amber Brooks","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/"},"author":{"name":"Amber Brooks","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/36b0ac1d9fd3784fbbafef14c9e98696"},"headline":"The Best First Date Tips for Men","datePublished":"2018-04-08T08:00:05+00:00","dateModified":"2022-07-04T13:53:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/"},"wordCount":1259,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2018\/04\/04174448\/best-first-date-tips-for-men.jpg","articleSection":["Dating Advice For Men","First Date Tips"],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/","name":"The Best First Date Tips for Men","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2018\/04\/04174448\/best-first-date-tips-for-men.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-08T08:00:05+00:00","dateModified":"2022-07-04T13:53:57+00:00","description":"What can you do to make sure that first date leads to a second date? A lot of things, actually. Here are 7 of the very best first date tips for men.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2018\/04\/04174448\/best-first-date-tips-for-men.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2018\/04\/04174448\/best-first-date-tips-for-men.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"caption":"A guy who took these best first date tips for men kissing his date in the grass."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/first-date-tips-for-men\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dating Tips","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Dating Tips for Men","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-men\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The Best First Date Tips for Men"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/","name":"The Date Mix","description":"Dating and Relationship Advice for Today's Daters","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization","name":"The Date Mix","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/TDM-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/TDM-logo.jpg","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"The Date Mix"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Zoosk"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/36b0ac1d9fd3784fbbafef14c9e98696","name":"Amber Brooks","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/avatar_user_138_1523034610-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/avatar_user_138_1523034610-96x96.jpg","caption":"Amber Brooks"},"description":"Amber Brooks is a writer and renowned dating expert. When she was growing up, her family teased her for being \u201cboy crazy,\u201d but she preferred to think of herself as a budding dating expert. Amber honed her communication skills to write clearly, knowledgeably, and passionately about topics that interest her. Now with a background in writing, she brings her tireless wit and relatable experiences to her position as the Editor-in-Chief at DatingAdvice.com. Amber has been collaborating with Zoosk to share her knowledge and create engaging, insightful content for real online daters seeking meaningful relationships.","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/author\/amber-brooks\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/138"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}