If you suck at texting, your crush will lose interest. Knowing how to not be a boring texter will come in handy for making them yours.

One of the most popular ways to communicate nowadays is via texting. This is also the form of communication you’ll use the most when you meet someone new and want to date them. You’ll text all the time and based on those conversations, they’ll decide if they like you. And that means you’ll want to know how to not be a boring texter.

Because nobody likes trying to get through a flat, dull conversation. Not only does it make them want to avoid talking to you, but they’ll think you’re also boring. When they don’t get excited to talk to you, how do you think they’ll be able to get excited to see you and potentially date you?

Excitement is an important base of any new relationship

Do you remember all of those butterflies you use to get when your crush talked to you in school? Well, you still need to feel those. Better yet, you need to make someone else feel those.

Those feelings of excitement and giddiness are what make someone come back to you time and time again. If you connect with them and get them really excited about you, they won’t be able to stay away. [Read: New relationship advice to have a perfect start]

How to not be a boring texter and keep your crush interested

Your crush won’t be interested if you’re boring. You might not even be a boring person, either. If you’re texting them and you just can’t seem to hold a conversation, you’ll seem boring to them and who wants to pursue a boring person? Nobody.

That’s why you’ll need to learn how to not be a boring texter. With these tips, you’ll be able to keep your crush and anyone else you want interested in you.

#1 Avoid one-word responses. There’s really nothing good about quick, one-word responses. They don’t add anything to the conversation and you’re sending the message that you’re not interested in talking.

If you really do like your crush, then you should know they deserve much better than a simple response. Dig a little deeper and add some value to the conversation with more than one word. [Read: How to decode cryptic texts from the guy you like]

#2 Don’t ask typical questions. The typical, “how are you?” and “What are you doing?” texts are way overused. They’re boring and truthfully, you don’t really care. They’re a formality and it’s boring. Ask more interesting questions instead, something that’ll get their attention and make them think.

#3 Actually start an interesting conversation. You need to know how to have a real conversation if you want to know how to not be a boring texter. Talking about things they’re passionate about and have a lot to say about will help you seem less boring. [Read: 12 meaningful conversation topics to keep it interesting]

#4 Don’t take forever to text back. Sometimes you’re busy and can’t help it but usually, you just don’t pay attention or want to play hard to get. Well, it’ll actually hurt you if you do this. Sending a text once in an hour is really, really boring. How can you have a real conversation this way? Text back as soon as you can and you’ll seem much less boring.

#5 Show your personality. Your true self needs to shine. Adding personality to your texts by telling jokes and whatnot will make you seem far less boring. This also shows someone who you really are so they can determine if they really like you or not. [Read: How to be funny and make people love your company]

#6 Use emojis. Emojis add so much more to texts. You can easily flirt or make a simple question a little devious with a little emoji. It’ll make you appear far more invested and interested in the other person, which is less boring to them.

#7 Be the first to text sometimes. Don’t always make them text you first. Again, this is classic “playing hard to get” behavior that really doesn’t work. If they’re always having to text you first, it’ll seem like you’re just boring and don’t want to text them.

#8 Text with a purpose. If you’re bored and looking for entertainment, don’t do it through texting. If you’re bored, the person you’re texting will be bored because you’re not texting them for any reason.

You need to text with a purpose in order to avoid being a boring texter. Ask a question right away and be active in the conversation. [Read: 18 casual things to text a girl and leave her addicted]

#9 Send some GIFs. GIFs are just an amazing gift sent to spice up boring conversations. They can give you perfect reactions and make your entire conversation all the more interesting. Utilize those GIF keyboards and you won’t be a boring texter anymore.

#10 Invest in the conversation. The person you’re texting is worth your time. When you don’t invest the time and energy into the conversation, you seem boring. They can pick up on the fact that you’re not completely present. If you’re going to text, then invest in it.

#11 Get flirty. Flirting is not boring. If you do it right, it’s very, very exciting. Learn how to flirt over texting and send your crush a few things once you’re in the midst of a conversation. Throwing casual flirty comments really goes a long way and you’ll have learned how to not be a boring texter. [Read: 50 flirty text messages that are sure to work in your favor]

#12 Figure out what you like about a fun texter’s style. The best way to learn is to figure out what other people are doing right. If you’ve noticed your crush is a really fun texter, ask yourself why? What do they do that you could be doing? This will help you see what you’re lacking so you can figure out how to not be a boring texter.

Nobody likes having lackluster conversations. Knowing how to not be a boring texter will help you with more than just getting your crush interested. These tips for spicing up your text convos will definitely help.