Setting Up Your First Online Dating Affiliate Campaign Step-by-Step
Joining an online dating affiliate can be a fabulous way to monetize a blog or website. If manage carefully, in time, it can even become a source of passive income. But getting started can be daunting. It’s like stepping into a whole new world, with its own language and expectations. It’s worth it in the long-term, but those first few weeks can feel overwhelming. So, what exactly do you need to do to set up your first dating affiliate campaign?
Eight Steps for Setting Up Your First Online Dating Affiliate Campaign
Step 1: Choose a reliable affiliate network
Before you can promote anything, you need a service to promote! You can either join an affiliate network that offers a range of verticals to work with. Or you can join an affiliate program run by a direct advertiser. Both options have their own advantages. But when you work with a direct advertiser, you can often gain more tailored resources, which can help with your affiliate campaign management.
Step 2: Choose your niche
The dating market is huge. It now caters for more interests than you can probably imagine. So, don’t just get started with a generic dating site that everyone has already heard of. Narrow down your niche for better results. The less an audience is catered for, the more profitable it could be for you. Some profitable areas to consider include:
- Casual dating
- Senior dating
- LGBTQ+ dating
- International dating
- Faith-based dating
- Adult/sugar dating
Pick an area that you’re comfortable promoting. And try to make sure that it resonates with your existing audience – if you have one.
Step 3: Choose your model
Online affiliate programs offer a range of different remuneration models. Including pay per sale (PPS), pay per lead (PPL), and pay per signup (PPS). Each model has its benefits. But if you’re new to affiliate marketing, pay per lead dating affiliate programs tend to be more lucrative. Why? Because they pay you when a user asks to find out more. Not when they spend money.
Step 4: Build a simple funnel
This is optional. But it is often beneficial to create a simple landing page (also known as pre-lander) to direct interested users to. Rather than sending people straight to the affiliate offer. This can help to smooth the sales process, building interest and avoiding the hard sell.
Pre-landers can take a range of forms. So, you can choose from:
- A faux blog or article
- A quiz funnel
- A teaser page
And to make life easier, there are multiple tools you can use. Carrd is a free & simple option for one-page websites. WordPress and Elementor offer more comprehensive web building services. While Unbounce and ClickFunnels provide a more premium service.
Step 5: Set up tracking
If you’re running any kind of paid traffic, you need tracking. This can show you which of your ads and creatives are converting. Where you need to improve and where you can scale. And your ROI per affiliate campaign. There are a whole host of options available, both paid for and free to use. So, search online to find the tool that suits you.
Step 6: Choose a traffic source
Dating traffic can come from so many different places. You just have to find the right one to reach your audience and to suit your content. Your first step will be to refine your content and SEO to attract maximum organic traffic. Next, you might choose social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Maybe even linked in, if your niche is right. Or you may consider working with an ad agency, such as MGID or PropellerAds. Either way, assess your budget and start small. Test multiple ad angles and creatives. And spend no more than $10 per day until you’ve found an approach that works for you. Then increase your budget incrementally.
Step 7: Launch and monitor
By this point, you’ve done all the preparatory work you can. It’s time to launch on your chosen platform. But don’t just launch it and leave it. Pay attention to the data. Focus on cost per lead (CPL), click-through rate (CTR), bounce rate, and conversions.
Monitor the data and use it to enhance your performance. Remembering that split testing (creating different versions of the same ad) is always a good idea.
Step 8: Optimize, scale, or pivot
Once you start seeing some interaction with your ads, it’s time to decide what to do next.
You can optimize your assets by cutting out underperforming ads, working on your landing page, or refining your targeting.
If your ads are beginning to perform well, you could increase your budget. Or roll your ad out to new platforms.
And if your ads aren’t performing for you at all, you can pivot to a new offer or niche.
Working with an online dating affiliate can be fun and exciting, especially when the money starts coming in. But starting your first campaign is undeniably daunting. Following these eight steps will put you in the right place to succeed.