From first email to first date: Strategies for initiating relationships in online dating

The present study explores the relationship initiation process in online dating using participants’ (N = 105) naturally occurring email messages to a prospective romantic partner. Data were collected online at time one, and participants were recontacted at time two (after meeting their partner offline) to assess the likelihood of continued interaction. A qualitative content analysis uncovered 7 broad categories and 18 subcategories of strategies for initiating relationships in online dating. The analysis indicated that participants’ relationships followed a trajectory that often began with the use of pickup lines to initiate contact and culminated with the transition offline. Along the way, they alternated between strategies for attracting and selecting a partner, constructing an authentic self-presentation, creating a shared context for interaction, revealing and seeking information, and adapting to the online dating environment. Additional quantitative analyses revealed differences in strategy use relat...