Got first date jitters? This TikToker has you covered.
Eli Rallo regularly shares her “rules” for new seasons or a fresh week to her 550,000 followers on the app — but this time, the New Yorker is revealing her first date tips.
In one clip with 1.8 million views, the 24-year-old writer shared hot takes about first date etiquette, including what night of the week is best and what kind of beverage to drink.
“The most elite first date day is a Thursday,” she began the video. “On a Thursday, you can say to somebody, ‘What’re your plans for Saturday?’ and then you can go out with them on Saturday, or you can get Sunday brunch.”
She chocks it all up to Thursday being “the perfect closeness to the weekend where you can make plans for a second date before Monday and then you know how you feel about them before the new week starts.”
In just two days, the viral video drew in nearly 1,000 comments with many dissecting, supporting or disagreeing with her 16 rules.
Rallo told The Post, like her rules or not, first dates should just be simple — especially in the Big Apple.
“Ultimately, a first date, especially with a stranger, isn’t supposed to be like some crazy, romantic, butterflies, sparks flying moment,” she said. “It’s allowed to just be two people having a beer or a coffee and asking questions like, ‘Where are you from?’ “
Rallo shared her crucial first date tips and tricks. TikTok/thejarrOther tips in Rallo’s TikTok advised daters to drink “1.5 glasses” of any drink — whether it’s red wine or a Diet Coke — to “get yourself pumped up.” Meanwhile, she suggested listening to Ariana Grande and be sure to plan the event on the same night as your friends’ date nights.
“All of you are gonna get together, all of you are gonna pregame together, all of you are gonna get ready together and then you’re all gonna go on a first date and then you’re gonna come home and re-group,” she said.
The New Yorker is known for her dating advice and online humor. Instagram/eli.ralloRallo also warned against becoming pen pals — or texting too much — prior to meeting the first time. But she gave the green light to a classic Canadian tuxedo or “eff me sweater,” which she describes as a sweater that makes the wearer feel comfortable, confident and sexy.
“You’re not adding their contact in your phone until the third date,” she explained. “They do not need to take up real estate in your phone contacts until the third date.”
While it might be counterintuitive, Rallo also said to not text or overstay on the first date since distance makes the heart grow fonder. After all, men love the chase.
Earlier this year, the writer declared being a “chill girl” out — and owning your “crazy” as in. Instagram/eli.rallo“If you’re going on a date with a straight man, straight men fall in love in the time spent away from you when they can think about you subconsciously,” she said. “So have an incredible first date and then leave. Give him the time to think about you and fall in love with you.”
While her sisterly advice online makes dating seem like a game — but isn’t it? — ultimately Rallo wants her followers to be comfortable in the driver’s seat.
“I was taught, and I think society teaches us, that the way dating looks is very heteronormative and traditional,” she told The Post. “Boy meets girl, boy asks out girl … but truthfully, a first date between two people, or any relationship, shouldn’t be about one person being on a pedestal or being superior.”
The New Yorker built a following online through her TikToks. Instagram/eli.ralloInstead, it’s just two people getting to know each other equally and casually — emphasis on the latter, she said. In fact, her biggest red flag is when someone comes on too strong and starts blabbing about the future.
Rallo, who declared being a “chill girl” as out earlier this year, is known for her wealth of dating advice online, and horror stories prior to meeting her current beau. Her “rule” videos are often arranged into list format in snappy videos on the platform, and her upcoming book “I Didn’t Know I Need This” is a direct result of her oft-viral lists.
“I’ve always been huge into lists, and as a writer, keeping organized by way of words is a necessity for me, so it felt really natural,” Rallo told The Post, crediting fellow content creators Louis Levanti and Davis Burleson as inspiration.
Rallo has a book in the works. Instagram/eli.rallo
Rallo says she loves lists. Instagram/eli.ralloBut even her exhaustive dating list on TikTok left out one key piece of advice. Although she was tempted to make fans wait for her book, set to be released in fall 2023, she revealed one secret to a successful dating life: patience.
“For a while, I was really dating to try to find the right partner, and it got exhausting and frustrating when nothing worked out. But then I decided to just date and exist like my soulmate was coming in one year,” she said. “You take the pressure off yourself when you do that — it becomes about having fun.”
While waiting for your soulmate to “show up at your front door,” dating should have adventure and excitement, not stress — even if dozens of first dates turn out lackluster.
“A first date is one of two things,” she said, “either a great story to tell your friends, or a second date.”



