I met my now-fianc on Tinder in 2013, back when dating apps were a new phenomenon. In his bio, he mentioned something about a frozen yogurt chain that I happened to frequent. After we matched, I dashed off a quick message asking what his go-to order was.

Strawberry yogurt with Capn Crunch, he told me. Deeming this a trash order (Im a cookies and cream with Reeses person myself) I wrote back: Thats offensive.

It was, perhaps, an overly sassy reply to diverging fro-yo preferences, but he found it charming and the conversation unfolded from there.

Truthfully, I didnt put much thought into my opener, but it turned out to be a good one. We went on our first date soon after and have now been together for almost a decade.

Even though my approach was successful, Ive been out of the game a long time now, and Im no expert. So, I turned to actual experts for their best tips for striking up a conversation with a match.

Open with a question

Keeping a list of fun and interesting questions in mind can make initiating a conversation less intimidating. You want them to be open-ended questions, rather than yes or no ones, said dating expert and matchmaker Jasmine Diaz of the Diaz Dating Group.

Consider topics that correlate with your interests: Where is your favorite place to travel? Who is at the top of your Spotify playlist? What is the most adventurous thing youve ever done? Diaz said, advising against bringing up touchy subjects like politics or religion right off the bat.

Pull inspiration from their profile

A quick scroll through their profile offers insight into interests you may share and creates a gateway to quality conversation.

Dont be afraid to reference that cool hiking photo or silly prompt that made you swipe right to begin with, Diaz said.

If they posted a picture from Mexico City, you could say, Ive always wanted to go! What was the best thing you ate there? If they mentioned that Curb Your Enthusiasm is their top show, you could ask about their favorite character or episode. And if something in their profile cracked you up, say so, Diaz suggested.

Play this or that

Another good opener that often gets a response is a simple this or that question, said OkCupid dating coach Damona Hoffman , host of the Dates and Mates podcast.

Chocolate chip or Oreo? Beer or wine? Dogs or cats? East Coast or West Coast rap? Pick something that you have a strong opinion about and whether or not you agree, youll almost always start an interesting conversation, Hoffman told HuffPost.

Avoid boring, dead-end questions

Stale openers like, How was your week? or What are you up to this weekend? often lead to conversations that fizzle quicky, said dating coach Lily Womble, founder of Date Brazen if they get a response at all.

Opt for something a little deeper to cultivate a more intentional connection from the start, Brazen said. You want your opening question to qualify the right people and disqualify the wrong ones.