For instance, you might say, “Hey, this is Leah from the gym earlier!” Or, you could say, “Hi Jim, this is Chris from work!

If their profile has a picture of them with their dog, you could say something like, “What’s your dog’s name? I have a lab named Max!” You might also say something along the lines of, “I remember you said you were into skiing. I’m going with some friends this weekend. Do you have any tips?”

“Okay you’re going to laugh at me but I have to tell you what I did. . . " “The craziest thing just happened to me!” “Well, my morning just took an interesting turn. " “Please tell me you heard about. . . "

Keep it simple and sweet by saying something like, “I really enjoyed meeting you!” You could also say something like, “You seem really cool. We should hang out again soon!” Or, you could make it more specific by saying something like, “You have an awesome sense of humor. I’m still laughing at your joke about the turtle!”

For instance, if you noticed that the person you’re talking to is a really sharp dresser, you might send them a picture of two shirts and say, “Which one do you think I should wear to my interview?” If their profile says they love to cook, you could say, “I’m having friends over to grill tomorrow, do you have any awesome tips for cooking steak?”

For instance, if you’re tired after a long day, you might send a GIF of someone collapsing on the floor. If you just want to say hi, you might send a clip of someone waving.

If you like the same type of music, for instance, you might share a blog post where your favorite band announced a new tour.

If the person is talking about their day at work, you could ask a follow-up question, or you might share something about what you did that day.

Instead of saying, “Do you like pizza?” you might say, “What’s your favorite pizza topping?” Or, instead of saying, “Did you have a good day at work?” you could say, “What’s your favorite thing about your job?” Similarly, try to answer questions with a full sentence instead of just a one-word answer. [11] X Research source

Try to avoid sarcasm—it doesn’t usually translate well through text. In addition, avoid sensitive subjects like politics, religion, illness, sex, or finances. It’s better to wait until you know someone better to talk about that stuff, and it’s better to discuss them in person, anyway.

If they always respond to your texts with short answers, they might not be interested in texting you. That doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t like you, though—some people just don’t like to text, and that’s okay!