How to Get a Boy to Text Back

Written by John Keegan | Edited by Eric McClure

Last Updated: May 28, 2022 References

Whether a guy left you on read or a normally-chatty guy has suddenly gone a little quiet, you may be wondering what you can send to get his attention. Luckily, there are plenty of options out there when it comes to getting a boy’s interest! However, if things are going well and it’s only been an hour or two, you may not want to send anything at all depending on the vibe you two have. We’ve got you, though—we’ll walk you through what you could send to capture his attention.

This article is based on an interview with our professional dating coach, John Keegan, founder of The Awakened Lifestyle. Check out the full interview here.

1

Give him an hour or two to reply.

He might be busy with something, so consider holding off for now. If he hasn’t replied to you and your last text was something substantial (i.e. you didn’t text “k” or something like that), he probably just put his phone down. He could have a phone call, or some kind of urgent task to deal with. Give him some time and he’ll get back to you.^{[1]
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Expert Source

John Keegan
Dating Coach
Expert Interview. 19 August 2021.}
- If the two of you have been hitting it off and texting back and forth, rest assured that he’ll reply whenever he checks his texts.
- If your main goal is to play it cool and get him to like you, over-texting isn’t necessarily the best option. You can always pick your convo up tomorrow if he happens to be busy tonight.
- If you did text something really short (like, “k” or “lol”), he may think the conversation is over. Feel free to send another text to signal that you want to keep talking.

2

Ask an interesting question.

Throw out a fun question to give him something to respond to. He may not be replying because he doesn’t know what to say. Give him something to dig into by throwing out a unique question. If some time has passed, it can be a random personal question about his interests. If the two of you were just talking about something, you can build a question off of that.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Mark Rosenfeld
Dating & Relationship Coach
Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.}
- If you were just talking about school, you might ask, “How did you get so good at math btw? I’ve been trying to get through this homework and it’s taking forever.”
- If you were discussing a TV show, you could say, “Did you ever see the episode where they go to an alternate dimension?”
- To get to know him better, you may ask, “What’s your biggest pet peeve?” or, “If you could live anywhere in the world for free, where would you live?”
- If you want a funnier question, try something like, “Would you rather fight 1 horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?” or, “If animals could talk, which animal would be the rudest?”

3

Give him a compliment or make him feel special.

A genuine compliment or kind comment can get his attention fast. Some guys don’t respond because they don’t think they’re making progress. If you want to signal that you like him, this is a great way to go. People are attracted to people who make them feel good, so say something that will put a smile on his face!^{[3]
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Expert Source

John Keegan
Dating Coach
Expert Interview. 29 June 2021.} You might try:
- “Just so you know, I really enjoy talking to you!”
- “I really liked the outfit you wore to school today.”
- “You’re the grilled cheese to my tomato soup, you know that?”

4

Be bold with a flirtatious text.

Flirty texts can draw him out to respond to you. Just go for it! If you like him and you think he might like you, he’ll 100% respond to a text that implies you’re into him. If you’re super nervous about his response, be a little silly and goofy about it. That way, you can always play it off like you’re just messing around. If he leans into it, you can keep flirting! If he doesn’t, you can back off a bit.^{[4]
X
Expert Source

John Keegan
Dating Coach
Expert Interview. 29 June 2021.} You might say:
- “I thought I saw you at the park today, but it was just some good-looking brunette guy.”
- “My dog wants you know that they miss you. You should come over tomorrow.”
- “How are you still single? All my other good-looking guy friends are dating someone.”

5

Go for a sassy, playful option.

A little play fighting can draw him into responding. You might sarcastically joke about not getting a response or poke fun at him in a sweet way to probe him into replying. A little competitive spirit or sass can get a guy to pay attention real fast. Just make sure that it’s super clear that you’re joking around (emojis are your friend here), since it can be hard to interpret sarcasm over text.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Mark Rosenfeld
Dating & Relationship Coach
Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.}
- “Oh, so you’re just going to leave me on read, huh? I see how it is 😏”
- “Hey, remember that time I beat you at pinball? I wanna do that again 😈”
- “Look pal, if you’ve got time to like my Instagram posts, you definitely have time to text. 😉”

6

Be forward with what you want to talk about.

If you want to discuss something, just start talking about it! A lot of guys are very bad at picking up on hints or subtle signs that people want to chat with them. He may not even know he’s supposed to text you back! Be upfront, positive, and friendly as you tell him that you’d like to chat about something.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Mark Rosenfeld
Dating & Relationship Coach
Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.} You could say something like:
- “I’m so bored right now. I’m just sitting here watching bad TV. What do you like to do when you’re bored?”
- “I keep scrolling through random college websites dreaming of where I might apply next year. Do you know where you’re going to go?”
- “I absolutely love a good, fresh apple. Apples are hands-down the best fruit, and nobody is going to convince me otherwise.”

7

Ask him for a recommendation.

Looking for a suggestion is the perfect excuse to start texting. If you don’t feel comfortable starting a convo without a good reason, solicit some help. This is an innocent way to start a conversation, and you can easily guide the convo towards his interests or hobbies. If you want to get to know him better, this is a great way to go!
- “My Spotify playlists are so repetitive. Got any good recommendations?”
- “Hey, where did you get those Jordans you just bought? My brother is looking for a pair.”
- “What’s the best movie you’ve seen on Netflix recently? I want to watch something but I can’t choose.”

8

Raise his eyebrows with a confusing text.

Play it off like you meant to text someone else and draw him in. Send something potentially interesting, but unrelated to your previous conversation. Then, text “Oops wrong person, sorry,” or something along those lines. This should get him to respond, even if it’s just something like, “Oh, no problem!” you can respond with something else and try to reinvigorate the convo.^{[7]
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Research source}
- “Maybe it was just a ghost or something? I wouldn’t read into it too much.”
- “Chicken fettuccine. What other options are there?”
- “I can come tomorrow, but I’m too busy tonight.”

9

Send a meme, gif, or video for something to talk about.

If it looks like he’s struggling to find the right words, send something visual. Some guys are just awful at conversation when they like someone. But for the fellas who can’t find the right words, there’s always images! A funny meme is a good choice if the two of you share a similar sense of humor. A funny reaction gif could work if you want to let them know you’re excited, bored, or just want to talk. Viral videos are also a solid option if you want something to talk about!^{[8]
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Research source}
- With videos, you might send it with a note like, “Have you seen this one yet?” or, “I just saw this. Totally hilarious.”
- With a meme, you could send a friendly message with it, like, “This made me think of you!”

10

Get his attention with a vague opener.

Send him something that requires a follow-up question to get a response. An intriguing statement like, “You won’t believe what just happened to me” is going to provoke him to reply. It’s hard for anyone to look at a provocative text like that and not ask, “What?!” If you’ve got something interesting to share, this is sure to get his attention.
- “You won’t believe what happened today!”
- “You’ll never guess who I just ran into.”
- “I had the weirdest dream last night.”
- “Guess what I got on yesterday’s chemistry test.”

11

Fire off a blank text to get him to pick the phone up.

When they respond, play it off like your phone was acting up. This kind of trick probably only works once, but it might be a good way to get a guy to respond if they’ve gone MIA randomly and you think they may have forgotten to reply. Just hit the spacebar once and hit send.^{[9]
X
Research source} When they reply with a “?” or, “Huh?” reply with:
- “Ugh, I think I just sat on my phone funny.”
- “Sorry, my phone’s been doing this lately. I think there’s something wrong with the touchpad.”
- After they say “It’s okay!” or whatever, you can keep the conversation going with, “How are you?” or, “You ever have your phone just turn on you? This is so annoying.”

12

Don’t send multiple texts.

If he doesn’t reply, resist the urge to continue sending more messages. If you keep texting when he’s unresponsive, it can feel like you’re desperate. Even if you’re just trying to keep the conversation going, it may not come off that way. It’s okay to send a text (or two) if you want to reinvigorate the conversation, but don’t keep it going beyond that. He’ll text you back eventually!^{[10]
X
Expert Source

John Keegan
Dating Coach
Expert Interview. 19 August 2021.}