The overload of blog reactions to OKCupid’s analysis of profile pictures this week has been incredible. 281,000 results on Google for the phrase OKCupid profile pictures. I’ve received at least two dozen tweets, emails and IM’s about the post. Some from people I haven’t heard from in ages.
In the same time period, Match and many other dating sites have rolled out there usual Valentine’s Day surveys, full of generic statistics to get reporters to write about them in the mainstream media. I have not received a single email about any of these survey and V-day blog posts. Why? Because the only reason they exist is to get people to remember that this is the busy season for online dating. Throw out a quick survey, write a press release and unleash to the usual suspects. Same as last year, and the year before that.
OKCupid, on the other hand, has published a number of fascinating blog posts in the last year that have created an enormous amount of conversation. These posts are based on research performed on OKCupid Members and are often controversial because the results tend to be unexpected (style of email writing, popular photo poses).
For most companies it can be a challenge to find original topics of interest to talk about in blog posts and tweets. This is why people put pictures of hot women in their Twitter profile, anything to get a click.
OKCupid gets a lot of attention because they self-publish research on relevant topics that provide benefits to 100 million single people. Compare this to eHarmony Labs, which, while I’m sure pumps out reams of data on their blog, doesn’t show up on the radar like OKCupid. It doesn’t hurt that OKCupid blog posts can be a bit risque and everyone likes to look at photos of sexy people. eHarmony can’t get away with this sort of reportage, it’s simply too edgy for their members.
Dating sites that don’t have the marketing budgets of the big dating sites need to be smarter about their promotional efforts. A press release about how great your new dating site is results in a tiny traffic bump for a few days and thats about it. All the talk about the long-tail of PR in online dating is a misnomer. Certainly, there are times when a credible, informative and well-timed press release are just what the doctor ordered, but those types of releases are usually best suited to larger dating sites achieving goals in membership, revenue or other relevant milestones.
There will always be dating sites that grow quite large by spamming the net with affiliate offers, T&A advertising and other assorted trickery. Good for them. Most semi-savvy net surfers see these sites for what they really are and stay away.
I pay attention to and write about dating sites like OKCupid because they understand the value of their brand and do just the right thing to enhance it, time and time again. They understand the importance of openness, transparency, sharing and educating the general public as well as their members. Original research, novel topics, semi-explicit tone and refreshingly open sharing of information. That’s what gets you thousands of blog mentions. Generic survey’s regurgitating the same boring statistics, not so much.
And unlike much of the online dating industry, they don’t come off like a bunch of greedy little kids hell-bent on making as much money as possible any way they can, often at the expense (literally and figuratively) of their members. Try to judge companies based on how they make their money, not how much they earn. Lot’s of lessons to be learned there.
PlentyOfFish and many other sites are in a position to follow OKCupids lead and publish more fascinating research, and I’d love to read it.
Epic Save The Date video via Boingboing.
