App users being in the role of ultimate consumers want nearly everything for free. But everything good or bad comes with a price; be it love itself. No, we’re not going to talk about the muddled-up philosophy of love. We have something that you surely want to know to start making higher profits from a dating app like Tinder.   

Most dating apps or websites use the freemium model to entice their users with premium services. But what if we told you that this strategy is bringing you more liability than profits? Even with thousands of online dating platforms around the world and the most advanced matchmaking algorithms, finding love isn’t easy! 

How Dating Apps Like Tinder Grow Their Network?

While millions of people are seeking their special someone online, as dating app marketers, you need to attract more potential matches. The most common challenge among dating sites is the need to establish balance between growing their network and revenue.  

To attract new users and grow their membership, dating apps often run referral programs. This provides existing users with access to several premium features as commission for a successful referral. However, the exact value of these referrals is not always clear. 

It’s a bit tricky for dating sites to understand whether referred customers are more profitable or the Tinder clone users who invited them. Considering the nature of business, it is likely to be more of guesswork and not any science. There are all possibilities that the new referrals may be actually inactive and less interested in premium features.  

Things can really go askew if most of the referrals are the ones who never want to pay for premium features. Undeniably, this will distort the value of the app in the near future.

Understanding The Flaws In Freemium Models

As said earlier, most companies developing Tinder clone apps depend on freemium models and a referral program to expand their network. Freemium models consist of some basic features which are subsidized by premium subscribers of the app. 

However, the referral program promises freemium users that they will be given access to paid features. That is, in exchange for introducing new friends to the app! While these paid features are supposed to be the profit center for a dating site, something seems wrong. 

There are two sides to this approach which often leaves dating sites with a dilemma. Under the referral program, some referrals are generated by users who may not want to pay for premium features. This results in an increase in app users but not necessarily in revenue. 

Some referrals come from users who can and may pay for premium as long as they find the features worthwhile. Although this may not generate many users, the number of paid users will increase. 

Moreover, the number of successful referrals required to access premium features can definitely have an effect on the users’ behavior. It’s important for dating app marketers to come up with referral programs that keep the balance between network expansion and revenue generation. 

What Do Studies Say?

The results and benefits of a referral program generally come with a price. Here are some important points based on studies that show how relevant a referral program can be. 

• Generally, it’s assumed that when the referral population in a network grows, their level of engagement collectively falls. There’s a reason behind this. When the referrals join your dating platform, they would like to first connect with the ones who invite them. But if their original friend decides to leave the platform, they might as well start losing interest. 
• There’s another scenario where users might take longer to fill in their entries when you ask for more referrals. This means it may take a while for them to access premium features. Meanwhile, they may engage less with the platform and ultimately reduce the value offered to other users. 
• Moreover, it was realized that for Dating App Development Solutions that use freemium models, referral programs are great. They can help in significantly growing the network without affecting its profitability. 
• During the studies, no notable effects were seen on the relative activity of users due to the number of successful referrals required to access premium features. 

Unlike what the assumption said, the new users were found to be as active as the ones who were brought in through referral programs with lower thresholds. In fact, most of them were willing to pay for premium features contrary to their friends who chose to send invites. This is a positive sign for revenue generation and a reason for going ahead with Tinder clone app development.

You can definitely use referral programs to attract new users without affecting profitability. 

How To Use This Strategy For Your Tinder Clone App?

If you have been wondering what’s your take here, we would suggest you stick to a voluntary referral program. This lets the users choose a suitable role for themselves. You may consider tweaking referral options among the two groups of users – the ones who would pay for premium features and the others who wish to exchange referrals for paid features. 

When using a freemium model, dating app solutions can make the best of opportunities by explicitly requesting users to refer new friends. At the same time, some features can be simply reserved for paid memberships only. This will ensure simultaneous revenue generation. 

During studies, it was noticed that user behavior did not change much when additional referral requirements were added. Thus dating app marketers can use this data to tweak referral programs among different user groups. It can be a great way of expanding network and payment acquisition without having to worry about engagement. 

However, for dynamic tweaks in the programs, it may be important to observe users’ behavior. Especially during the first few weeks of using the freemium model. It will give a better idea about who is perfect for the referral program that exchanges premium features. 

Most users like to have their friends on social platforms that they use. In such cases, referral programs may be perfect to enhance online dating experiences. It will increase platform engagement and keep the users more interested. 

The Importance Of Exclusive Premium Content

At some point, the users are likely to be intensely immersed in an app and how it keeps them engaged. Whether it’s an exciting game offering boosters or a social media app feature that lets users create their personalized emojis, the apps should not fail to give away enough joy and comfort. 

If you are smart enough, you would understand that the immersion of users into your Tinder clone app is an opportunity to convince them to upgrade. Tactfully putting a freemium limit on selective features can bring the users to crossroads in deciding if they’re willing to upgrade. 

However, it’s necessary to know exactly which feature to withhold and what’s the right time to do so. Unless you know that a user isn’t engaging with the app as they should, a prompt to upgrade will only be an unsuccessful try. Rather than beating around the bush, lay your eyes on some analytics and make informed moves. 

Final Takeaways With Data-Based Decisions

Despite the pros of data-based decisions, many dating app marketers still conduct campaigns based on intuition and gut instincts. It may take some time to make the most of the information gathered through network analysis. However, it’s worth all the effort. 

While looking to maximize profits for your dating platform, make sure your decisions are guided by the analytics you gather. Decisions based on some concrete data are likely to be more reliable in the long run.