Member Avatar for MktgRob

On a lot of the forums on Linkedin there are discussions about setting up dating web sites. One story I saw said that the biggest growth niche in social media are dating sites. Out of curiosity, how many of you would put up ads (like google adword-type ads) on dating sites in the short term to see if there were any benefits. This question is for everyone, not just the people who have products or work with companies whose products would lend themselves to a dating site.

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This thread raises two practical questions: is buying adword-style placements on dating sites worth a short-term test, and can a niche dating site be used to promote a non-dating product (the example of an Asian food supplier). Both the traffic/time point that made and the creative-risk point that raised matter. The decision should be driven by fit, measurement, and brand safety rather than click curiosity alone.

  1. Map audience to offer. Define the exact dating-site niche user (age, location, interests). If the food supplier’s customers overlap tightly with that profile, proceed.
  2. Create a conversion-focused offer and landing page. Use a simple value exchange (recipe PDF, date-night discount code, or a “cook-for-two” bundle) so visits can be measured as leads or orders.
  3. Test creatives conservatively. Run 3 ad variations: relevance/utility (recipe or discount), lifestyle (date-night idea), and community/cultural (authentic ingredients). Avoid sexualized or suggestive copy—it may raise clicks but will trigger brand-safety and ad-network policy issues.
  4. Track and measure. Use UTM tags and conversion pixels, and track CTR, CVR (landing->purchase or lead), CPA, and early LTV if available. Run tests long enough to reach statistical and commercial significance (see budget note).

Consider lower-risk alternatives before building a site: sponsor themed content on an existing niche dating community, co-create a “date-night” article or recipe series, or rent email/display inventory. Also confirm age filters, privacy requirements (GDPR/COPPA where applicable), and the ad network’s adult-content rules before buying placements.

Practical thresholds for a pilot: 4–6 weeks, $500–$2,000 across a few sites/placements, and a target CPA that makes sense against product margin and projected LTV. If CPA is acceptable and conversion quality is high, scale; if traffic is cheap but conversions are poor, abandon and try sponsorships or content partnerships instead.

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Member Avatar for bobchrist

Depends on how much the site will generate traffic and how much time it take to gain popularity.

Member Avatar for InsightsDigital

I actually created two very small scale dating sites - non existent now - and though I had no ads on them, from my experience, the ads that will get most clicks on dating sites are ones that have a strong sexual innuendo.

Member Avatar for MktgRob

I actually created two very small scale dating sites - non existent now - and though I had no ads on them, from my experience, the ads that will get most clicks on dating sites are ones that have a strong sexual innuendo.

It figures. I wonder if you set up niche dating sites (over 40, over 50, certain religious and ethnic group-focused) and had non-sexual products that appealed to these groups how that would work out. For example, would a web-based specialty food supplier with a focus on asian foods be well served by setting up an asian-focused dating site that they could advertise the food products on. He could offer the dating services at a minimal charge of free if it guaranteed a stream of business for the food distribution site.

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