How to text someone when you don't know what they like yet

Early on, her profile is literally all you have. If she mentioned moving cities, a hobby, a job, or even a strong opinion in her bio, that's your starting point. Not because you're trying to impress her by remembering it, but because it's a real thread to pull. A text like "I saw you're into rock climbing, how long have you been doing that" gives her something specific to answer. It doesn't feel like you're reading from a script. The opposite mistake is ignoring her profile entirely and sending the same opener to ten different people. She can tell. Pick something that's actually there and ask one clear question about it.

When you don't know someone yet, asking one narrow question works better than asking broad ones. "What do you like to do" is too open. She might overthink it, give a boring answer, or not reply at all. "What made you pick that job" or "how do you usually spend weekends" are tighter. They're specific enough that she can actually answer them without feeling interrogated.

After she replies, you can react to what she said and ask the next small thing. This builds a real conversation instead of you doing an interview. Don't skip to deep stuff about dreams or relationships. You're still learning if you even like the same things.

Text during waking hours on a weekday morning or early evening. She's probably checking her phone then. Don't send it at midnight or when you're bored. After you send it, wait 24 hours minimum before you assume she's not interested. Some people are slower to text back. Some are busy. A single unanswered message doesn't mean anything yet.

If she doesn't reply after a full day and you're reasonably sure she saw it, that's your answer. Don't send a follow-up message trying to be funny or asking if she's okay. Move on. If she does reply, reply back promptly. Waiting three days to answer her just makes her lose interest.