The first thing you need to know about niche dating is that it is vastly different from the mainstream dating niche.
Mainstream dating allows affiliate marketers to reach a broad audience. As a result, there are no issues with driving traffic, but the CR, ROI, and EPC are not necessarily high. When it comes to niche dating, the opposite is true — affiliates focus on reaching a specific, very narrow target audience, and users are targeted by their interests. That is why the engagement level and conversion rate tend to be higher.
Dating market fragmentation is something marketers have been expecting for quite a while now. By the end of 2021, the online dating market revenue is estimated to reach $674 million in the United States. But despite the significant numbers, user growth is not what mainstream dating platforms are about to see. Market fragmentation made it possible to cater to user’s needs and interests. That is why niche dating is likely to become even more profitable in the future.
Working with niche dating offers implies benefiting from the demand for preference-specific sites and apps. For affiliate marketers, the ability to look for unique angles and approaches to individual communities is what it takes to run profitable campaigns.
Let’s unpack this a little and examine niche dating more carefully.
How Niche Dating Works
Niche dating offers typically work well with almost any type of traffic (except for spam or motivated traffic), different GEOs, and require simple user actions like registration.
Naturally, most digital marketers focus on high CR, which requires a deep understanding of user interests and preferences. Interests tend to differ in Canada and France, for instance. If you work only with specific GEOs, you need to carefully study your target audience before launching ad campaigns in these countries.
Here are the basic rules digital marketers need to follow when working with any niche offers:
#1. It is crucial to use only niche ad creatives.
#2. Consider working with direct offers and niche smartlinks.
#3. The success of your ad campaigns depends on meticulous niche targeting.
It is no secret that there are millions of dating niches that can meet the needs of any and every small community out there. In this article, we will review the top 6 niches and examine their features.
Top Dating Niches Explained
#1. Ebony or Black
It is one of the most popular trends and search queries in the USA, Great Britain, and France. It used to be one of the top 5 most-searched categories back in 2018. And while it remains one of the most popular ethnicity searches, it is now in the top 10.
Frequently used keywords: Black, Ebony, Black Woman, Black Milf, BlackMoms, Tinder for Black, Ebony Girls.
Helpful targeting tips: Affiliates should consider searching for the percentage of the black population in different states and cities. It can help them increase the CR and successfully test their campaigns on specific locations. Besides, digital marketers can target this category on all major dating sites and ad networks.
Tips for engaging ad creatives: Images of curvy black women 25+ can work pretty well on ad creatives. As for the text, it can come in handy to use specific slang.
#2. BBW, a.k.a. Big Beautiful Woman
Today, this trend is largely reflected in the modeling industry. So no wonder that it remains a popular niche dating category.
Frequently used keywords: BBW, Fatty, Big Tits, BBW Mature.
Tips for engaging ad creatives: Affiliates can use pictures of plump models in sizes varying from L to XXXXL. Pictures of black models can also work for this category. Naturally, it depends on the offer and the audience preferences. Testing will help you find the best ad creative+text+location combo.
#3. MILF
MILF was consistently in the top 3 most-searched categories among the U.S. and global users. In 2019, however, it moved two positions down and was replaced by Hentai. This category is mainly searched and viewed by men at age 38 and older.
Frequently used keywords: Hot MILF, Hot Mom, Hot Stepmom, Local MILF.
Tips for engaging ad creatives: Affiliates can use pictures of women at the age of 35 or older with large breasts and non-model looks.
#4. Mature or Cougar
It is no secret that gender-specific searches differ, especially when it comes to niche dating. In 2019, Mature ranked third for men and eight for women search-wise on internet. This category defined the 2019 searches with GILF queries on the rise.
Tips for engaging ad creatives: We recommend using an approach similar to the one described for MILF offers.
#5. Gay
It is a highly profitable niche with low competition. Why? Well, only a handful of affiliate marketers work with it. It requires a different approach because typical dating ad techniques do not work with gay offers.
Top gay searches in 2019: Korean, Japanese, black, daddy, straight
Top GEOs: USA, Spain, Italy, France.
Tips for engaging ad creatives: It is crucial to study the offer before working on ad creatives. But bear in mind that gay communities have different preferences. It means that you will have to do your homework — research — before testing and launching ad campaigns.
