The Secret Behind How the Top Dating Apps Grow the Hard Side of their Network

As with any two-sided platform, dating apps have a “hard side” of the network and an “easy side.”

In the two-sided app world, the “hard side” of any network constitutes the cohort of users that you’re most challenged to enroll. Usually you need to motivate this group with some special perk. With dating apps, it’s top-tier women.

At face value, you might think these apps are targeting just anyone who’s single.

But their real target customer, the one who the entire business is built around, is basically the lonely single guy. That’s who the “easy side” of the network is.

The broad business model for most dating apps revolves around in-app purchases and monthly subscriptions for a premium version. 

But, without modelesque women on the app, guys won’t stay and swipe. That’s a problem.

And, most beautiful women don’t want to get on apps and match with weird guys. From a business model perspective, this presents another problem. What do you do?

Well, if I’m Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, or Luxy, I’m picking and paying women to make profiles on my platform, or just paying them to use their likeness, or inviting them to join as VIPs with a quota to hit if they match and converse with “X number” of men. That’s the hack; all you need is (a) hot women on the app, and (b) for guys to believe the profiles are real.

The women don’t even have to meet up with anyone. All you need is their presence, and for your “easy side” of the network to engage with them every so often in order to keep coming back. 

As a result, and done in the right way, these apps make most of their money from men who buy SuperSwipes and monthly memberships; that solves for retaining your “easy side.”

With this model, you can further incentivize your handpicked “hard side” by offering commission for transactions used on their profile, for instance.

Dating apps present a fascinating business model, one in which the marketers and behavioral scientists behind the scenes must figure out how to create the right balance of men and women, of supply and demand.