Hello, community! Today, we’re diving into a valuable article about the dating vertical. Previously, we talked about adult content and mentioned dating, given their overlap. By the way, you can read that article here. However, we must acknowledge that dating is a fully-fledged and highly promising niche, definitely worth your attention.

Online dating will undoubtedly remain in demand for as long as humanity exists. All possible formats (chats, dating apps, platforms with subscriptions for erotic content) find their target audience and have been popular for many years. This niche addresses the needs of lonely users, those who love communication, and those who want to relax/unwind in the virtual company of another person.

To dive into dating and more, you can choose an excellent affiliate network with comfortable conditions for you. For this, head to our section with reviews, where we thoroughly analyze top affiliate networks. 

So, if you want to start working specifically with dating or are just interested in the topic of affiliate marketing, we recommend you continue reading and note down the most important points. Let’s get started 🙂

WHAT IS THE DATING VERTICAL?

If you’ve studied English even at a basic level, you know that the word dating literally means “acquaintances”. The translation is quite clear, so there’s no need to complicate it with multiple meanings. 

Specifically looking at Ukraine, the instability in our lives encourages more online interaction than offline. Initially COVID, and now a full-scale war, has changed the life of every Ukrainian. A significant number of women have moved abroad, and the need for new acquaintances, including those with a romantic undertone, has significantly increased.

As for other countries, the situation in the dating sector is also robust. The mass digitalization and development of internet technologies have gradually begun to replace real life with virtual life for many. Hence, the demand for online acquaintances never decreases.

Not everyone can simply approach a girl on the street to make an acquaintance. Not everyone can express their feelings aloud. Applications and websites come to the rescue, where you can communicate on various topics with absolutely different people. You have the opportunity to select a comfortable partner for yourself, whose interests align with yours. And you won’t need to spend a lot of time getting to know each other since all the information you need can be found in that user’s profile.

Thus, it’s not only romantic partners who find each other but also those lacking friends and simple communication. Thus, we cover a maximally wide audience to whom we can offer various formats of acquaintance.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF DATING?

Typically, dating is divided into two categories: mainstream and adult-dating. However, there’s another type of dating that doesn’t strictly fall into the first two categories, so it’s considered a separate category that is also very popular — gay dating. Now, let’s examine all these categories in more detail.

Mainstream dating includes various platforms that specialize in acquaintances without an explicit sexual context. Such platforms allow users to specify their search and divide it into certain categories. Users can filter results by nationality, skin color, religion, age, interests, etc. (Asian dating, Christian dating, Brazilian dating).

Adult-dating — online acquaintances that imply virtual or real sex. These are specialized dating sites, webcam sites, 18+ chats.

Now, moving to the contentious category gay dating. It includes platforms that offer opportunities for people who are part of the LGBT community to meet.

FEATURES OF WORKING WITH DATING

  • Relevance. The dating niche is always relevant, regardless of the season, geopolitical situation, or other events.
  • GEO. Primarily, affiliates pour into top countries from Tier-1. The logic is simple: since dating is not a basic necessity, the best results are achieved in countries where users have enough disposable income after meeting all their basic needs. They are willing and able to spend more on finding partners and other entertainments, so they do it more readily. However, it’s a mistake to think that good earnings are possible only in top countries. This vertical is widespread worldwide, and even newcomers can easily pour into various GEOs, earning a decent income.
  • Monetization. The payout amount depends on the dating category. 
  • Restrictions. Speaking of adult-dating, certain products from this category are considered grey, so depending on the GEO, you may have to use anonymization services — cloaking, antidetect, etc.

WHAT ARE THE COMMON PAYMENT MODELS IN DATING?

When choosing offers in affiliate networks, all conditions are always stated in the description. This includes payment conditions. Among the most common payment models, we can highlight CPL, CPA/CPS, RevShare. Let’s decode these:

  • CPL (SOI/DOI) — payment per lead. A lead is considered the contact information left by a user during registration on a platform/site. In this model, there are two main types of leads: when a user indicates their email on the landing page — SOI (single-opt-in) and when, in addition to this, they also confirm their email address — DOI (double-opt-in). 
  • CPA/CPS (cost per action/sale) — payment for an action or sale of a service. In CPA, the affiliate receives payments for users’ target actions (completing a profile, adding a photo, activity on the site, etc.). CPS is a bit more complicated, as the webmaster must ensure that the user spends their money (purchasing a VIP status, paid subscription, or access to certain paid services, etc.).
  • Revenue Share — payment of a certain percentage of the profit from the promoted product. With this payment model, you won’t get quick and easy money. The main condition here is quality traffic (and not that in other cases it isn’t important), as users must be maximally interested in dating and subsequent purchases within the platform/site.

Simple math: if a subscription costs $30, and the webmaster’s revshare is 50% of the profit, they receive $15 from one subscription. 

By the way, you can find comprehensive reviews of affiliate networks specializing in dating on our site.

Time moves on, and trends change. Every vertical is influenced by social, political, and economic factors. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. It’s important to consider these changes and continuously analyze their impact, as they will dictate approaches in work.

  • Women’s initiative. The days of shy ladies are passing, and it surprises no one that women have become bolder in expressing their feelings and intentions. Online, it’s even easier, and dating apps help them be initiative. Thus, the female audience is growing. Interestingly, according to experts, all online conversations initiated by women have a longer duration and more often lead to offline meetings.
  • Popularity of long-distance relationships. As mentioned earlier, the development of technology and the pandemic have significantly influenced the popularity of the dating vertical. More and more people are ready to have long-distance relationships, and this format doesn’t bother them at all. Another reason for the increase in popularity of dating is the desire to get to know each other better and establish contact before meeting in life. 
  • Emotional component becomes more important than appearance. Indeed, appearance has long been one of the key parameters. Now, we observe a trend where this parameter no longer takes first place. People need soulmates, partners, not just a beautiful cover. It’s important to be an interesting person, able to listen and support. 
  • Talking about sex is no longer taboo. No one wants to waste time on someone who won’t match them in the sexual aspect. People communicate more freely on such topics and consider it absolutely normal practice. The absence of taboo regarding such conversations between people allows for adding more intimacy to creatives without fearing that users won’t like it.

SUMMARY

Dating is relevant worldwide, as people always need new acquaintances, communication, friendly, and sexual relationships. This affiliate marketing niche is not dependent on seasons, political, and economic changes, etc. 

Dating is divided into 3 categories: mainstream, adult, and gay dating. Each has its own features. The most common payment models in this vertical are CPL, CPA/CPS, RevShare. 

The relaxation of taboo on the topic of sex, the popularity of long-distance relationships, and the prioritization of the emotional component over appearance are the main trends in dating. But, don’t forget that there are countries where adult dating is prohibited, and you will have to use various anonymization tools.

To choose a category for yourself, it’s best to start with tests, and in the process, you will definitely understand what works best for pouring and where you can unlock your potential.

Have you had experience with dating pours? Share your results and thoughts on this topic in our Telegram community. There, you’ll find useful, current, and educational content.

With love for always relevant verticals, your Geek!

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