making money from match-making

Matchmaking is all about connections: connecting people to people, connecting people to jobs, connecting people who want a particular product to people with the products they need.

So match-making sites play the role of middleman. They make money by bringing together buyers and sellers, and facilitating successful transactions. The job's not that different from the traditional romantic match-maker, like the one in the famous song from Fiddler on the Roof ("Match-maker, match-maker, make me a match. Find me a find, catch me a catch...").

Good match-makers whether they're of the old-fashioned or the new-fangled online variety all have a lot in common. They have access to a lot of people, they understand the criteria of a good match, and they can help people articulate what they're looking for. They also know how to arrange a safe environment to explore the idea of a potential match.

3 ways to charge for match-making:

  • Subscription services

  • Pay-as-you-go services

  • Commission-based services

subscription services Subscription services grant unlimited access to the system for a specific period of time. This fee is the same, regardless of how often you use the system or whether you find a successful match.

For example, the dating site Match.com charges users a monthly subscription fee (roughly $25) for full access to the site. However, Match.com lets you sample the service for free: You can browse the system and post your profile before you join. But you have to pay if you want to contact someone or reply to someone who's contacted you.

what match-seekers want

  • A large selection of potential matches to choose from whether that means people, products, jobs, or something else.

  • Effective ways of searching for the right match. They want the site to help them describe what they're looking for, find potential matches, and evaluate how good each match is.

  • A safe, confidential way of exploring a match before committing to it.


pay-as-you-go services Pay-as-you-go services charge a set amount each time you use the system, but this access can take different forms, depending on the site. For example, the employment site Monster.com charges a set rate for employers to post a single job listing for a set period of time (usually 60 days).

Same dating sites use the same pay-as-you-go approach, but they go about it differently. The personals service on Nerve.com lets you post a profile and browse the system for free. You pay a small amount (roughly $1 per message) each time you want to contact someone or reply to someone who has contacted you.

commission-based services Commission-based services charge a set amount or percentage for each successful transaction. This obviously wouldn't work on dating sites (how would you define "successful"?), but it is commonly used on sites where a clear dollar value is attached to the transaction, or sale.

Commissions are often charged to one or both clients on used car sites, real estate sites, and auction sites, such as eBay.



The Unusually Useful Web Book
The Unusually Useful Web Book
ISBN: 0735712069
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 195
Authors: June Cohen

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