15 Ways on How to Keep a Conversation Going Over Text

Online dating platforms like Bumble or Tinder make meeting people so much easier than old-fashioned “pounding the pavement”, and texting may give you the space to be confident in ways that you might not be able to express in real life. However, over time, conversations start to slow down and may even end in radio silence, as there is less friction to walking away online.

This is a very common occurrence, but, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to bring the conversation back to life when it burns down to an ember. You’ll be surprised to know that there are quite a lot of ways you can keep a conversation going over text.

Your search for good methods ends here, as we’ll provide you with the best tips to ensure that you keep the conversation going.

How to Keep a Text Conversation Going

So, how does one keep a text chain going? Well, the first step is to actively look for ways you can maintain the conversation. Luckily, you’re already on the right path just by reading this article, so check out the tips below to chart your path forward!

1. Keep It Chill

The most important thing when trying to return a conversation’s spark is to keep it chill. The texts you send next should feel natural rather than forced.

You’re not looking for a template that will for sure maintain the conversation, instead, bounce ideas or topics off of your text partner and gauge which ones most spark their interest.

2. Just Be Yourself

This ties in with the previous tip. Everyone has their own style of writing, and if it worked for you until now, there is no reason to change it. Just be yourself when you send your text message.

If you find that people aren’t responding well to your style, find different parts of your personality to channel, and have fun while doing it. As long as you are authentic, you can trust that the people who connect with you will appreciate that honesty down the line.

3. Ask Open-Ended Questions

This might be the single most important tip when you want to keep a conversation going.

Use open-ended questions like “Anything interesting happened this week at work?” This opens up a lot of room for the receiving end to share a story from their past week. A question like this also shows if they focus on frustrations or celebrate successes.

If you just ask them “How was work today?”, you’ll probably just get a basic answer like “Fine.” With this kind of answer, you don’t really have anything else to follow up with.

As long as you stay interested and ask them questions that reflect how engaged you are, the conversation will most likely stay active.

4. Be A Good Listener

Leading off from asking open-ended questions, remember that it’s not just about asking the “right” question, it’s about responding to what they care about. If you don’t really care what they have to say, they’ll be able to tell, and the conversation won’t expand into anything more.

You need to be attentive while texting. Acknowledge details of their situation or story to indicate you were both attentive and empathize with the situation, then use that as a springboard to build a shared understanding and connection.

5. Always Follow Up

The entire purpose of asking open-ended questions and being a good listener is so that you can then do a proper follow-up. If you manage to find another open-ended question off of their original response, even better! Chaining these responses together leads to a deeper feeling of knowing the person you’ve just met.

6. Answer Their Questions

Asking questions is important to receiving answers. But remember that you’ll have to reciprocate. Don’t do one-word answers, try to expand as much as you can when they ask you something so that they feel like they’re getting to know you.

Remember, show that you’re interested in more than just texting, and that you want this to lead to an in-person meet-up or authentic connection.

7. Hit Them Up With A Funny Line

As you get to know them over text, use humor to keep the conversation fun and low-stakes in the introductory phase. Plus, who doesn’t appreciate a good laugh!

Why not spark up the conversation again by hitting them with some hilarious lines? You can use practically any witty one-liner/opener you can find.

Once you get a laugh out of it, use the moment to utilize the tips we provided above.

8. Flirting Can Take You Far

If the conversation has started to die down, then you’ve probably been texting long enough for you to be comfortable with flirting.

You can use flirty lines like:

• “When are you taking me out for drinks?”
• “My friend was wondering whether you think I’m cute.”

With these kinds of teasing lines, you’ll surely get her interested again in texting.

9. Send Memes

Another easy way to bring the conversation back to life is with some hilarious Insta reels, TikToks, or memes. Find one that riffs off of something you’ve talked about in the past, optimally something that she said she was interested in. When you see it online, send it over quickly with an emoji, enough said!

You’ll most likely get a response, and then you can build from there!

10. Share A Story

Asking open-ended questions is effective to keep the texts interesting, but adding in your own funny or interesting stories is sure to work as well.

If you’ve recently been in some crazy or unique situation, don’t shy away from sharing it. It will surely get them hooked!

11. Use Compliments To Keep Them Interested

Another effective way to maintain the text conversation is with compliments. People love hearing positive things about themselves, so if you slide into their DMs with a “You’re looking hot today”, you’re definitely going to get a quick reply.

12. Be Considerate

The reason why your conversation might be dying down might be because your texting partner might be going through a busy/tough period, so it’s important to be considerate and respectful.

Don’t assume that them pulling away is just disinterest, provide the space for them to confide or vent to you about what’s happening in their life. It can often be easier to share these details with somebody you don’t actually know that well, since it feels like the stakes are lower or that information can’t be shared within their older network. If you do re-kindle the conversation when they have more time, this consideration from your end can also be a foundation to trust in the future.

13. Suggest Moving Away From Texting

Do you remember the reason why you originally started texting? You probably wanted to meet this person offline, so maybe you should start aiming towards that. Turn this talking stage into a real date.

Ask them if they’re interested in meeting up in-person, and give them a couple date ideas around things you know they like.

However, if they aren’t up for meeting up even after texting for so long, you might need to consider if it’s time to walk away, unless you are okay being in this limbo with them indefinitely.

14. Follow Up After The Date

If you took that giant leap and went on a date together, there’s still a lot more to the texting stage. You’ve just initiated a “situationship”, and now is the moment to revitalize your chat game as well.

Follow up with inside jokes or questions related to the date. Tell them you had a great time and that you would like to do it again. If they feel the same way, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t plan the next date as well.

15. Spice Things Up

If you’ve already been on a date and continued to talk afterward, there’s probably some chemistry or physical attraction between you two. In that case, you might want to spice up the chat.

You can use a couple of dirty lines to show them just how much you’re into them. Get them excited!

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Things to Keep in Mind When Trying to Keep a Text Conversation Going

Now that you’re familiar with various ways to keep a conversation going, here are a couple of things to keep in mind before you send your text.

Be Patient

We already mentioned that being considerate is vital when trying to liven up the chat. There can be a lot of reasons why you’re not getting a response to your messages, so try to be patient. You will most likely get a reply, it just might not be as fast as you’d like. Likewise, they also may not want to seem overeager, or recognize that boundaries around phone/app use or giving energy to new people are healthy and could shape their response rate.

Try To Be Responsive

When you first send your text with the goal to liven up the conversation, try to respond in a reasonable amount of time. Don’t wait hours between messages because you didn’t look at your phone on time!

So, try to remain responsive to ensure they don’t lose interest after replying to your message.

Find The Right Response

Make sure to work on your responses to ensure you rizz them up the right way!

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What Should I Do If I Don't Receive a Reply to My Text?

In case you don’t get a reply after putting all of that effort into your text, here are a couple of things you can do:

Wait For A Reply

The reality is that there isn’t a lot you can do when you don’t get a reply other than wait. If you start pestering them for a response, they will probably be turned off (see below).

Don’t Multi-Text

If you’ve been patient enough and you still didn’t get a reply to your text, don’t send another message. Multi-texting won’t solve the problem, instead, it might push them away further.

Go Your Separate Ways

If they don’t reply at all then it might be time to just go your separate ways. Their lack of response shows their lack of interest in the conversation or format, and you shouldn’t waste any more time with people who can’t bother to reply to a simple message.

Instead, you can invest your time in rizzing up other people.

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FAQs

How often should I text them without seeming too eager or too distant?

If you get an immediate reply to your text, there’s nothing wrong if you respond quickly as well. If there’s a delay in the reply for a couple of hours or even days, you can also wait out a couple of hours before responding.

With this said, be you, and don’t think that YOU have to play games because you think THEY are playing games. People are busy and have different communication styles, let them come to you as well. Text at the rate that lets you best connect with them.

If you don’t get a reply for several days, then it’s probably best that you don’t send another text at all.

What are signs that my text conversation is going well with a potential date?

If you notice they’re often quickly responding to your message, that’s a telltale sign that they’re very interested in talking with you. Other signs include: they initiate the conversation, send memes, laugh at all your jokes, or they’re attentive.

What are some texting “no-no”s when chatting with someone you like?

The main no-nos when chatting with someone you like are being too eager, too demanding, and multi-texting. Of course, you still need to show them you’re interested in them, but spamming them with messages or demanding a response will get you nowhere.

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Conclusion

With all of these things to keep in mind when trying to maintain a text conversation, your success rate for jumping from texting to real date will surely increase.

If you want to up your texting game, consider checking out our Chat Assistant services to help you find the right reply for every message. Or, better yet, check out our AI Dating Assistant that can help you in all aspects of online dating.

Or, if you prefer to do things your way, you can also take a quick look at our blog.