The Burned Haystack Dating Method is a dating method to help women find more success with their online dating lives. It was created by writer and professor Jennie Young.1 The method has clear "rules" for using dating apps to "burn the haystack," i.e., find the proper dating match.1
The Method
The method is called the 10-rule Burned Haystack Method.23
Block to burn
One of the method's perhaps most controversial rules is known as, "Block to burn." Meaning, if you do not wish to meet a person for a potential date you block them on the app to avoid seeing their profile again.2
Creator Jennie Young has stated that followers of the Burned Haystack Method use it to, "narrow the field."2
Book
 Book cover | |
| Author | Jennie Young |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Online dating, relationships |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Published | April 2026 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication place | United States |
A non-fiction book version of the method written by Young is set to be published by HarperCollins in April 2026, entitled Burn the Haystack: Decode Dating, Torch the Duds, and Make Room for Men Who Matter.4
Origins
The New York Times Magazine reported on the Burned Haystack Dating Method in their 2024 issue about online dating after the age of fifty.5
References
References
- Young, Jennie (August 29, 2023). "Online Dating Was Hell. Then I Tried 1 Thing That Turned Out To Be A Total Game Changer". HuffPost.
- "Block to burn: Green Bay professor sets fire to dating app expectations with popular strategy". WGBA-TV. August 7, 2024. Archived from the original on July 9, 2025. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- Young, Jennie (27 February 2023). "I tried an alternative way to date – and it worked". The Independent.
- "Burn the Haystack". HarperCollins. 2026. Archived from the original on 2026-01-18. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
- Jones, Maggie (April 15, 2024). "Online Dating After 50 Can Be Miserable. But It's Also Liberating". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on October 31, 2025. Retrieved January 14, 2026.