Germany continues to be a top-tier geo for affiliates promoting dating offers. The country has a diverse demographic, high disposable incomes, and German males have a propensity for adult entertainment and meeting women globally through online dating sites. And affiliates wouldn’t be affiliates if they didn’t take advantage of the weaknesses of the target audience, where you can make good money.
But even veteran affiliate marketers, who have been running push notification campaigns through advertising networks for over a long time, tend to miss out some key features of the geo.
In this article, the team from the fully-managed advertising network, MyBid, will analyze in detail several examples of creatives used for promoting dating offers in Germany, and point out their strengths and weaknesses.
A popular strategy for making dating ads is to copy a message that appears to be from a woman. Here are screenshots showing a few examples of these ads that were recently found in spy tools.
This example shows that localization and understanding the customer journey are important, but were overlooked here.
Since over 80% of dating push notifications are sent to mobile devices in 2023, the first thing a user sees is the message icon. Here, the affiliate duplicated part of the main image showing a provocative mirror reflection of a girl. This might grab the user's attention, but the creative has might not convert.
The affiliate also ignored localizing the language. He used English instead of German for the title and message body.
Also, the team from the fully-managed ad network, MyBid, pointed out that the affiliate did not use emojis. MyBid's internal stats show having emojis in the text can increase push notification CTR by 30-40%.
Some affiliates intentionally blur the main image in push notifications to stimulate users' curiosity. Below are a few examples of creatives using this tactic:
As you can see, natural photos of girls are used as the main images, but they are not overly explicit. This sparks the user's interest and makes them more likely to click on the message.
Moreover, the ads avoid using icons that look exactly like the main picture. One of the icons even mimics a notification indicating an unread message from an unknown person.
The headlines are also carefully designed. Besides using emojis to mimic an "Online" status, the affiliate also uses a script that automatically inserts the user's location in the creative based on their IP address.
This approach boosts the click-through rate (CTR) of the ads, as it creates a sense of anticipation among the target audience that they might have a genuine chance to meet an intriguing girl after a brief online conversation.
The next three examples clearly show that both new and experienced affiliates often mistakenly believe that the typical target audience for dating offers (a single or divorced man over 35) is searching for an incredibly attractive supermodel with size 5 breasts. Most average guys know that it's not very likely for a girl who looks like a model to send them a message first.
Even though the ads have compelling titles and call-to-action text, using photos of glamorous models hurts performance. The truth is high click and conversion rates for dating push notifications come from everyday photos of real girls and mature women.
Below are some examples of such casual images that MyBid's manager saw in spy tools:
So instead of unrealistic glossy models, average guys respond better to relatable images of attainable women in everyday situations. Using authentic photos makes the messaging more believable and effective.
Some affiliates promoting dating offers in Germany with push notifications try increasing ad CTR by modifying the main image to mimic a "Play" button like in webcam offers. But they make it seem like a voice message audio clip from a stranger using emojis and characters.
But there's a problem with this approach. If the website they're promoting doesn't have the technology to actually send or receive voice messages, then when people click on the link and see that the site doesn't work properly, they'll probably just leave. This means the ads won't actually lead to any sales, and the money that was spent on the ads will still be taken from the advertising budget.
To avoid this issue, it's important to choose an offer that has a "Sign-up Only" (SOI) or "Double Opt-In" (DOI) payment model. This way, the person running the ads will still get paid for getting people to sign up, even if those people don't end up exploring the website fully. This can help reduce the risk of losing money on ineffective advertising.
When dealing with dating offers, especially in the German market, it's crucial for affiliates to keep in mind that in their advertisements, they should include a relevant and eye-catching icon, a trigger, and a concise title. The main message should also have a clear call to action, such as directing users to a chat or website. Additionally, using a large image or an icon featuring a photograph of a real girl in her daily life can be effective.
If you're not comfortable, knowledgeable, or experienced in crafting ads that can deliver a strong ROI, it's a good idea to delegate this task to skilled managers within the advertising network. These managers operate in a fully-managed capacity, handling not only the creation of the ad creatives, but also optimizing the entire campaigns for better performance.
