Valentine’s Day is nearly here, meaning many brands will be planning their PR campaign launches to maximise impact. It’s always a competitive day in the media, and companies whose products or services match this calendar hook need to ensure they plan early to cut through the noise. This is all too important for those in the dating industry be it online platforms or applications. Having worked with several dating apps, we’ve found some press office tactics work better than others, so here are our top tips on how you can help your dating app stand out ahead of Valentine’s Day.
Case studies
A great love story always works well in the press, and any dating app should be looking to engage keen consumers wherever possible to tell their stories of finding love. While great marketing tools on your website and social media platforms, these stories also act as third party endorsements of your brand and will encourage other people to download your app for themselves. Case studies can be hard to come by, so if you do have a lead with one of your users, prepare questions in advance to try and get all the information you require for marketing and PR purposes in one go, including any relevant imagery.
Data and research
Data stories work well for time-poor journalists who don’t always have the resources to do their own digging. While market research is a commonly used and straight forward route, dating apps should also think about what data they already have, and how they could use that to create a press story.
We took this route when working with happn, using its own data to determine what makes a great dating profile, which places are best for finding matches, and more. Through these stories, we secured 200 pieces of coverage including an exclusive in the Evening Standard on London’s top five most datable women. Regularly named as one of the top dating apps in the UK, 80% of all coverage was dedicated purely to happn – not its competitors, and ultimately lead to the app attracting over two million British users by the end of our campaign.
For Valentine’s Day, think about what unique date you hold that could tell an interesting story or reveal a trend about British singles. Could you suggest the best type of restaurant for a date based on what people most often cite as their favourite food? Could you suggest the best locations to be in the UK to match with a potential Valentine? Or maybe you can reveal the best types of photo to have on your profile to get matches? Of course, it’s important to remain GDPR compliant, so ensure all data is anonymised and you cannot reveal personally-identifying information on your users.
Founder profiling
Finally, if the founder or CEO of your company has a great back story, be sure to use it to your PR advantage as well – especially if it’s to do with finding love! Compelling founder stories are an excellent way to show how the business has grown, its origins, and summarise your goals too. While a romantic back story could be a great way to encourage user downloads, these founder stories also work well for attracting the interest of investors and other businesses that may want to collaborate with you too.
All in all – planning is the most important thing you can do to make sure your dating app gets the press it deserves come Valentine’s Day. If you need some support in growing your dating app, get in touch with us today.