If you’re someone who loves to call or text throughout the day, it may be a bit of a shock if you’re messaging someone who doesn’t communicate as much. While every couple has different preferences for how they stay in touch, there’s some basic texting etiquette you can follow as a baseline. We spoke to professional dating coaches John Keegan and Imad Jbara to put together a ton of helpful tips so you can figure out what works best in your relationship!
Things You Should Know
- Text serious partners at least once a day. Many people in established relationships like to send a few texts back and forth as they go about their day.
- Text people you’re casually dating a few times a week. If you’re not in a serious relationship, it’s common to mainly use texting as a way to schedule in-person meet-ups.
- Try to match your partner’s texting speed, and have a conversation with them about how you like to communicate if you feel like your needs aren’t being met.
Steps
Texting Tips for Dating
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Check in with serious partners at least once a day. Many people expect their serious partners to message them daily, so choose a time during the day when you know they’re available to ask them how they’re doing, update them about something that happened to you, or let them know you’re thinking about them. [2] X Trustworthy Source Pew Research Center Nonpartisan thinktank conducting research and providing information on public opinion, demographic trends, and social trends Go to source
- For example, you could send something like, “Hi hi! You’ve been on my mind a ton today 😘 How’s your day going?”
- As another example, you could say, “Hey 😄 my day has been SO crazy so far. I hope your day is doing better than mine!”
- If you’re in a brand new relationship with someone, texting every day might seem a little overbearing. It’s okay to leave a few lulls in the conversation. However, a daily text is expected in a lot of exclusive relationships.
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Send pictures, videos, and interesting media you’ve found. Whether you’re in a long-term relationship or just started dating, dating expert John Keegan recommends “keep[ing] the energy going throughout the day [by]...send[ing] little things that create a feeling of cuteness, love, playfulness, or silliness.” [3] X Expert Source John Keegan
Dating Coach Expert Interview. 19 August 2021.- To bring a long-distance partner more into your life, Keegan says you can send pictures of the view you’re seeing, weird things that you saw, or songs that you like: “nothing that’s too much of a time waste or commitment, but something simple that can cause an immediate emotional reaction.” [4]
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Expert Source
John Keegan
Dating Coach Expert Interview. 19 August 2021.
- To bring a long-distance partner more into your life, Keegan says you can send pictures of the view you’re seeing, weird things that you saw, or songs that you like: “nothing that’s too much of a time waste or commitment, but something simple that can cause an immediate emotional reaction.” [4]
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Expert Source
John Keegan
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Wait about 4 hours before double texting. There’s a chance your partner missed your last message if they were busy with something else. After a few hours, it’s okay to send another message even if they didn’t reply to your first text. That way, you let your partner know you’re still thinking of them without acting too pushy. [5] X Research source
- Try to restart the conversation rather than saying a sarcastic and insensitive comment like, “Wow good convo.” [6]
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Christina Jay, NLP
Matchmaker & Certified Life Coach Expert Interview. 3 March 2021. - Keegan warns to not put pressure on your partner by interrogating them about not responding. “[A]void anything needy,” he says, including texts like “Where were you last night? I texted you. Why didn’t you respond?” [7]
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Expert Source
John Keegan
Dating Coach Expert Interview. 19 August 2021.
- Try to restart the conversation rather than saying a sarcastic and insensitive comment like, “Wow good convo.” [6]
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Expert Source
Christina Jay, NLP
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Give your partner time to respond. While a double text is fine after the first few hours, wait until your partner replies before sending any other messages. It may be a few hours or days for a casual relationship, but it’s probably going to be within the day if you’ve been together for a while. [8] X Expert Source John Keegan
Dating Coach Expert Interview. 29 June 2021.- Give your partner the benefit of the doubt if they don’t reply right away. There’s a chance that they're busy and weren’t able to check their phone.
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Match your partner’s texting speed. If they take a few hours to reply, you can wait the same amount of time. At the start of a relationship, you might both eagerly text back and forth without a break, but as it progresses it’s normal for texting to slow down. As long as it’s not time-sensitive, it’s okay to reply later.
- Try to write your texts so they’re about the same length as your partner’s. That way, you can keep the conversation going rather than using one-word replies. [9]
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Imad Jbara
Dating Coach Expert Interview. 22 September 2021. - Your texting speed might vary depending on how far you are in the relationship. If you’re in something pretty casual, you may have a few days between messages. If you’re long-distance or have been together for a while, you might communicate more frequently to stay in touch.
- Try to write your texts so they’re about the same length as your partner’s. That way, you can keep the conversation going rather than using one-word replies. [9]
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Imad Jbara
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Ask if they’re available to talk before calling. If you’d rather hear your partner’s voice, send them a text asking what they’re up to and that you’d like to call them. That way, your partner has a chance to let you know that they’re busy without causing too much distraction.
- For example, you could say, “Hey, do you have time for a quick call? I just want to go over our plans this weekend.”
- You could also say something like, “I have a question but it’s a little confusing to type out. Can I call you?”
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Save serious topics for phone calls. Dating coach Imad Jbara warns that “[since] a lot of things can get misconstrued over text, miscommunication is huge.” [10] X Expert Source Imad Jbara
Dating Coach Expert Interview. 22 September 2021. To make sure there’s no confusion, call them to talk about serious things. It also means you can address the issue right away without having to wait for a response. -
Tell your partner how you want to communicate. Some people like to text every day, but other people may, for example, work a time-consuming job and not be able to keep up with that. Talk to your partner about how often you’d like to text or call so you can work on coming to a compromise that works well for both of you. [11] X Research source
- For example, if you like to text a lot throughout the day but your partner doesn’t, your compromise may be sending 1 message every 4 hours or so.
- Talk about your schedules so you can plan texting and calling around when you’re busy.
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Let your partner initiate the conversation sometimes. This helps keep the conversation balanced. Give your partner some time without messaging them so they feel you two have full lives without each other and they can be excited to reach out to you first. [12] X Expert Source Mark Rosenfeld
Dating & Relationship Coach Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.- You can also mention that you want your partner to start conversations more when you talk about how you want to communicate.
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Move on if they’re ghosting you. Jbara says “If [someone] doesn’t respond to you, move on.” [13] X Expert Source Imad Jbara
Dating Coach Expert Interview. 22 September 2021. The best relationships are reciprocal, so give your energy to people who are excited to receive messages from you and value your time enough to respond.- Waiting for days or weeks for a reply could be a sign this person is playing mind games or not interested.
Best Times to Text Your Partner
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Send them a sweet text in the morning. This works really well if you’re normally awake before your partner so they can wake up to your message. Even if they’re awake before you, your partner will love that they’re the first thing on your mind.
- For example, you could say something like, “Morning sweetie 😊 I hope you slept well,” or, “Rise and shine! I hope you have an amazing day!”
- This can leave a really good impression on your partner if you’re in a new relationship.
- Don’t get discouraged if you don’t wake up to a text from your partner. They might still be sleeping, or they may check in later in the day.
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Chime in to say goodnight so they know you’re thinking of them. Send your partner one last message before bed to let them know you’re thinking about them. Just make sure you don’t text your partner too late since you could accidentally wake them up.
- For example, you could send something like, “Nighty night hon ❤️ can’t wait to talk to you tomorrow!”
- As another example, you could try, “I’m just about to hop in bed, so goodnight 😘 I hope you have a good rest of your night!”
- Jbara suggests asking your partner what the highlight of their day was, saying it "makes the [texts] more exciting and allows the person to catch up with the good things about their day, which you can devote more conversation [to].” [14]
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Imad Jbara
Dating Coach Expert Interview. 22 September 2021. - If you don’t hear back from your partner at night, they may have just fallen asleep or they’re busy. Look for a text in the morning, or try reaching out to them first.
How Often to See Your Partner
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See your partner 1 to 3 times a week. Before things get too serious (like, move in together serious), seeing your partner 1 to 3 times a week helps spread out getting to know each other and prevents you from losing the life you have outside of your partner. [15] X Research source
- If you’re in the early stages of dating, catching up with each other once a week is a nice way to keep from rushing things.
EXPERT TIPMarriage & Family TherapistMoshe Ratson is the Executive Director of spiral2grow Marriage & Family Therapy, a coaching and therapy clinic in New York City. Moshe is an International Coach Federation accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC). He received his MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from Iona College. Moshe is a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF).Be honest with yourself about what's taking up your time. Then, consider how you can adjust your schedule to make time for and see your partner. For instance, think of ways to adjust certain hobbies and activities to do these things together.
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Schedule date nights once a week for long-distance relationships. Keegan says to “make sure you carve out quality time together. That [can] mean [saying]...‘We have an appointment. We’re having a date, 7 o’clock, Friday night…and we’re doing this [or that].” You could have dinner, read poetry, or even watch the same movie together. [16] X Expert Source John Keegan
Dating Coach Expert Interview. 29 June 2021.
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
- The quality of your conversations is more important than how often you text or call each other, so if you both feel happy about the relationship, then you don’t have to change anything. [17] X Expert Source Imad Jbara
Dating Coach Expert Interview. 22 September 2021.Thanks
Warnings
- Purposefully leaving someone on read without replying could be a turn-off since it makes it seem like you’re playing mind games. [18] X Research sourceThanks
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about relationships, check out our in-depth interview with John Keegan .
References
- ↑ John Keegan. Dating Coach. Expert Interview. 29 June 2021.
- ↑ https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/10/01/teens-technology-and-romantic-relationships/
- ↑ John Keegan. Dating Coach. Expert Interview. 19 August 2021.
- ↑ John Keegan. Dating Coach. Expert Interview. 19 August 2021.
- ↑ https://qz.com/995174/how-long-should-you-wait-before-sending-a-second-text/
- ↑ Christina Jay, NLP. Matchmaker & Certified Life Coach. Expert Interview. 3 March 2021.
- ↑ John Keegan. Dating Coach. Expert Interview. 19 August 2021.
- ↑ John Keegan. Dating Coach. Expert Interview. 29 June 2021.
- ↑ Imad Jbara. Dating Coach. Expert Interview. 22 September 2021.
- ↑ Imad Jbara. Dating Coach. Expert Interview. 22 September 2021.
- ↑ https://www.regain.us/advice/chat/is-it-important-to-always-send-a-goodnight-text/
- ↑ Mark Rosenfeld. Dating & Relationship Coach. Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.
- ↑ Imad Jbara. Dating Coach. Expert Interview. 22 September 2021.
- ↑ Imad Jbara. Dating Coach. Expert Interview. 22 September 2021.
- ↑ https://womenshealth.com.au/how-often-should-you-see-your-partner/
- ↑ John Keegan. Dating Coach. Expert Interview. 29 June 2021.
- ↑ Imad Jbara. Dating Coach. Expert Interview. 22 September 2021.
- ↑ https://www.businessinsider.com/how-long-should-i-wait-to-text-my-date-crush-2016-5
About This Article
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- "This really helped with the relationship I'm in right now. We text each other every night, and it's good to know that, you know, that's a really good thing to do, and I was doing it subconsiously. :3." ..." more