Dating sites - how to get the first few thousand members
 

I am considering starting a (local/niche) dating site, and I'm wondering how to get over the problem of finding initial members.

The site will be free and I will invest in advertising, but it seems to me that when I start the thing, with 0 members, the first people to sign up will leave rather quickly when they realize there are no other members.

What I'm considering doing right now is spending a good chunk of the money allocated to advertising in the first week, with two small bursts of ads during the week and a bigger one in the following weekend. The first two bursts will probably not be extremely productive, but hopefully they'll deliver enough members to make the weekend advertising more productive.

Also, I'm considering starting up a related magazine-type site a few months in advance, and using that to gather a mailing list to get a bunch of initial joins.

Any thoughts?

Hmm. Good point.

To be honest, though, I only want to use real profiles (keeping out fake profiles is going to be one of the selling points).

Good one. :thumbsup

Just an idea and might not work, how about posting on the chat sites.

Personally I think dating sites are a bit sad. When I was single the local pub, disco, wine bar or even shopping was all I need. And let's face it I'm no oil painting. LOL

Good one. :thumbsup

Just an idea and might not work, how about posting on the chat sites.

Personally I think dating sites are a bit sad. When I was single the local pub, disco, wine bar or even shopping was all I need. And let's face it I'm no oil painting. LOL

you mean I can pick up a chick in a supermarket ? I don't need a dating site ? :winkwink:

thanks, i will try your advice :)

What about advertising on other dating sites? A lot of people still have a hard time finding what they want, so they're always looking for other places.

probably that might work.

You could simply use the fresh feel to the site to your advantage. Simply write an introduction making the new members feel as though they are starting something IMPORTANT, and let them know there will be plenty of profiles to come. People love to feel like a veteran in the various sites they subscribe to- such as this forum, for example. People here LOVE to be able to say they were here "back in the day" and many enjoy helping the noobs. In any online community, these members are important to have and keep.

You could also phib initially about the number of members, although that depends on how the site is set up.

You could also do a beta period, a soft opening, or any of the methods mentioned/not mentioned above.

Either way, good luck! :thumbsup

About 2 years ago, I read that nearly 30% of all new relationships in my country came from dating sites. I don't think it's all that sad, to be honest... when using a dating site, you can be much more selective than in normal daily life, simply because you get to see way more people.

Dating sites allow you to look through thousands of profiles in a relatively short time, and it's pretty hard to do that in real life. You'd have to spend several hours a day approaching random strangers for that, and even then, you wouldn't know if they were single and looking for a date/relationship/whatever.

libertine, admit it , you found your asian daughter on a dating site as well

err i mean your girlfriend ;)