Dating: 71% of singles struggle to sell themselves on dating apps

STRUGGLE TO “SELL” YOURSELF ON DATING APPS?

GET YOUR NEAREST AND DEAREST TO DO IT FOR YOU WITH BADOO’S NEW “FAMILY-APPROVED” FEATURE

• New research* by dating app Badoo reveals almost three quarters (71%) of singles struggle to sell themselves on dating apps
• So much so, over half (56%) believe someone they trust could do a better job building out their profile and bigging up their “best bits”
• To help Brits make more meaningful connections, Badoo launches Family-Approved– a set of in-app features allowing its community to call on their family and chosen family, to highlight their cute quirks and help them land more dates
• The new updates have been put to the test by Gogglebox stars and iconic mother and son duo, Joe and Lisa Baggs – who have created a crash course in getting your profile parent-polished and family-approved

Creating a profile that showcases our best selves to potential dates is often the first step in the online dating game. And yet, so many of us fall short at the very first hurdle, with 3 in 4 (71%) singles admitting they struggle to sell themselves on dating apps.

From trying to find the right words to describe themselves (45%), to finding building out a profile a tad embarrassing (44%), new research from dating app Badoo, reveals it’s a task daters find so challenging, that over half (56%), would prefer to enlist someone they trust to build their dating app profile for them.

In fact, a third (31%) say they think their family and chosen family would do a much better job of expressing their best bits and cute quirks to help them bag a date, and three in five (59%) confess they have already sought help from friends or family before updating their dating app profile – after all, who knows how to sell you better than your nearest and dearest?

To answer the callings of UK singles and help them in their search for love, Badoo has launched Family-Approved – a set of features in-app that will allow singles to show that they have called on their family and chosen members to help them land connections. The dating app has partnered with Gogglebox stars and iconic mum and son duo JoeandLisa Baggs to create a crash course for singles on how to use the features themselves – see the content here. 

Getting a second opinion means a lot to singles on the dating app journey, as over half (58%) would feel a confidence boost if someone they trust had helped them build their dating app profile – and a whopping 70% of singles reveal they’d like to use a feature which allowed them to be ‘approved’ by someone they trust. What’s more, over half (55%) reveal they’d be more likely to match with someone if the person had also been vouched for by a family member.

Looking within the family, it seems singles have the most faith in their siblings, as just under half (45%) agree that their brothers or sisters would say the nicest things about them on a dating app profile; with another quarter (25%) trusting their parent/guardian/parental figure to do so. Trust in their opinion is the main reason why most singles (42%) would seek help from a friend or family member to help with their dating app profile, with another third (32%) agreeing that their friends and family know them better than anyone. 

Remy Le Fèvre, Global Head of Brand Engagement and Influence at Badoo says: ‘It’s no secret that, sometimes, a little help goes a long way. Here at Badoo, we’re all about making sure singles feel confident putting their best foot forward when dating, and for many of us, that means getting a little help from the people that love them most! Family-Approved is here to help singles feel good right from the start of their dating journey, whilst also showing potential matches when profiles have had the trusted green light from their loved ones – which could be a fun icebreaker when starting a conversation!’

Joe Baggs, Gogglebox star adds: ‘I’ve got to admit that sometimes I do need a bit of help with my dating life – I genuinely find talking about myself really cringe and I never know what the best bits about me actually are. The fact that my mum can now help me out and ‘approve’ my profile means that I have a lot more confidence to ‘sell’ myself and land connections – she knows me best and helps remind me that I’m a catch!’

Lisa Baggs, Gogglebox star and mum of Joe quips: ‘Finally there’s a feature that proves ‘mother knows best’! As a mum to an adult child, all I want is to be reminded that they still need me… and the Family-Approved feature from Badoo does just that! I am always looking out for my son, and what’s best for him – and I want him to feel confident in himself whilst he looks for love because he’s amazing. His future squeeze deserves the same too!’

The new features are available to access from 7th June via the Badoo app – the features include:

• Badge – the new ‘family-approved’ badge that members can add to their profile to show they’ve been approved by a member of their family / ‘chosen family’
• Clips – members can now add a video clip to their profile featuring their family member ‘approving’ them 
• Prompts – dedicated prompts that allow members to share what their family / chosen family would say about them to a prospective match  
• Interests – another feature members can add to their profile to show they’ve been approved by a member of their family / ‘chosen family’