5 Expert League Live Video Dating Tips (That Work!)

Curious about The League’s speed dating feature? This elite dating app now offers League Live, giving users the chance to go on 3 video dates in 9 minutes.

This League Live review has everything you need to know about how it works. You’ve only got 120 seconds to make a great first impression on each match, so don't miss the 5 expert League Live video dating tips!

How The League's Speed Dating Feature Works

The League Live launched in December of 2019. Users at all membership levels can access the feature, but paying subscribers get priority in the matching process.

You’ll also need a high League Score to access the feature.

Factors that affect your League score include:

• Expiring too many matches
• Having an incomplete profile
• Being inactive or infrequently active
• Getting reported by other users. Users who have ever been blocked or flagged by a match can't use League Live.

If there are League Live dating “events” in your city and your League Score is sufficiently high, you can opt-in weekly:

League Live Speed Dating Times

The speed dating rounds take place on Sunday and Wednesday evenings at 9pm. If you’re selected from the weekly list, you’ll have the opportunity to go on three 2-minute video dates. Potential matches generally meet your criteria (and vice versa).

Video chats with your matches take place within The League dating app. At the start of each “date,” you’ll see an icebreaker that kicks off the video chat. At any point during the 2-minute video call, either one of you can “heart” the other person. 

When a mutual opt-in occurs, the match becomes official and you can exchange messages or video chat as you would with any other League match. The app claims League Live users have a 3x higher match rate, and are 3.5x more likely to either swap phone numbers or go on a date.

According to League founder Amanda Bradford, League Live is especially helpful to people living in smaller towns who may have to drive to another city to date, or areas where heavy traffic affects your “dating distance.” 

The video dates help you gauge whether you feel enough chemistry to invest the travel time and expense of an in-person date. Want to ensure you make the best impression possible? Check out these expert speed dating tips!

League Live Video Dating Tips

You’re visually interacting with each other in real-time, so chemistry is going to be a factor. 

Your League Live video chat may not be a traditional first date, but it is a pre-date - and the last thing you want to do is make your potential match think you’re unconcerned with how you present yourself in a social situation.  

A little prep work will go a long way towards ensuring sparks start to fly.

Here are 5 ways to look good on a video call!

#1: Curate Your Background

League Live speed dating is a scheduled event, which means you’ve got plenty of time to choose your backdrop for maximum impact. You’ve only got 2 minutes to convince someone you’re worth matching with, and that’s not much time. 

Proper lighting is essential. You don’t want to be cast in shadows, or positioned directly in front of a bright light source such as a sunny window.

But it’s not just about how you look - it’s also about what’s visible in the frame behind you. Your surroundings provide a lot of information about your lifestyle and personality, and savvy video daters control that message in a way that’s still authentic.

Choose a spot in your house that’s clean and uncluttered. While you don’t want any big visual distractions that take the focus off of you, you can choose your backdrop strategically to offer a glimpse into your daily life.

For instance, if you’re into cooking and your kitchen reflects that, it may be a good spot for your video date. Into writing or reading? Have a well-stocked bookcase in the background. Big music or art fan? Position yourself where your date will get an intriguing glimpse of your collection.

#2: Know How To Hold The Phone

If you’ve ever taken a selfie, you know how important it is to get the angle just right. How you hold your phone can dramatically impact how you look to the other person. 

Keeping your phone’s camera at or near eye level is generally the most flattering. Holding it to high or too low can distort your image:

If you’re new to video calling, you may want to log some practice time until you’re confident you’ve got the right angle. You can also consider propping your phone up on a shelf, or using one of the many accessories made to do just that.

#3: Control Your Environment

The League speed dating is fast, so you don’t want anything to derail your 120 seconds to shine - especially when things are going well.

You’ve likely experienced the annoyance of talking to someone on your cell phone and not being able to hear them because of background noise - and that’s even more frustrating on a video date with a built-in expiration.

If your dog is prone to frantic barking whenever you say the words “Hi there,” it’s best to choose a room with a door you can close.

Turn off your TV, mute your landline, tell your kids you’re on an important call - whatever you can do to minimize the chance of wasting precious seconds saying, “Sorry about that…”

#4: Switch Into “Date” Mode

First dates are all about forming first impressions, and nothing about that changes simply because the first time you’re seeing each other is via video chat. 

Every detail contributes to whether or not your potential match will become an actual match - and how interested they’ll be in a second date, whether it’s another video call or an actual face-to-face date.

While you don’t have to dress to the nines, putting some obvious effort into your appearance signals to your potential match that you’re taking the process seriously and you genuinely care how other people perceive you. 

You (hopefully) wouldn’t wear sweat pants and your go-to Saturday morning t-shirt on a date, so don’t wear them on a video date either - especially given the type of elite singles The League tends to attract.

Choose an outfit you’re confident in, that fits well and looks sharp. Consider your backdrop when selecting what you’re going to wear, as you don’t want to disappear on the screen.

If spritzing on your favorite cologne or perfume gets you in “date mode,” go for it. You *want* a date vibe, as slipping into job interview or business mode could kill the chemistry.

#5: Be Prepared

It’s smart to have a beverage close at hand in case you get a dry throat. And in keeping with the “details matter” theme, choose a glass or mug that also looks good on camera. A stained or chipped mug, or smudged, dirty glass may not seem like a big deal, but you never know what might turn someone off.

It’s also a good idea to have a pen and paper handy, just in case you and your match decide to swap numbers.

You definitely want to seize the moment and write it down while you can, rather than relying on the other person to “message it later”. Better to seize the moment than lose an opportunity if your League match suddenly goes radio silent.

The more video dates you do, the more confident at “small talk” you’ll become. But until then, you may want to think about some of your answers to commonly asked questions, like what you enjoy about your job or what you do for fun. 

You can even jot down a few notes as a visual reminder if you get nervous or feel stuck. But don’t try to memorize anything - that can backfire because you may come off as stiff and rehearsed.

More and more dating apps and sites are integrating video chat platforms, and an ever-increasing number of singles are opting for pre-dates on apps like FaceTime, Zoom and Skype as a way to screen for compatibility before meeting in person. 

That means there’s never been a better time to make sure your video dating skills are up to par. You’ll find more video chatting tips straight from the experts here!