Timeframe: Ongoing Roles: Coaching, Copywriting, Service Design, Web Development Deliverables: Two-tier service — one-time Profile Assessment (€149) and monthly Ongoing Coaching (€249/mo). Clients/Users: Men struggling to get traction on Bumble. Status: Live at robhutters.com/coaching. One paid client to date, sourced before the page existed.
Introduction
Most dating profiles fail for the same handful of reasons: a weak lead photo, a bio that lists traits instead of telling a story, and prompts that don't point in any consistent direction. The gap usually isn't effort, it's not knowing what's working against you.
Problem + main research question
- Problem: People can be putting in real effort on their dating profile and still get nowhere, with no clear feedback loop to tell them what's wrong.
- Research Question: Can a structured, async audit (rather than generic dating advice) reliably turn a stalled profile into one that produces actual dates and does that framework generalise beyond the niche it was first built for?
Target market
Men who are active on the Bumble app, but feel stuck. They're either not getting matches, or getting matches that don't convert into conversations or dates.
Deliverable
- Profile Assessment (€149, one-time): client sends screenshots, receives a detailed written review (Notion document) within 3 working days covering photo ranking, bio rewrite suggestions, and tailored prompt rewrites.
- Ongoing Coaching (€249/mo): async messaging with replies within 48 hours on weekdays, covering profile optimisation, conversation support, and date prep. Month-to-month, cancel any time.
Timeline
Framework developed during a real-life workshop → first paying client → framework validated as working beyond that one client → general-audience version built → launch
Design vision
Key objectives:
- Treat the profile as a marketing artifact, not a personality test.
- Keep everything async-first so clients control the pace and never have to perform on a live call to get value.
- Make the process fully transparent upfront (e.g. what happens after you pay, how long it takes, how to leave) so uncertainty doesn't become a barrier to starting.
The framework
The audit applies a three-part structure to every profile:
- Lead photo: determines whether anyone looks at the rest of the profile; should highlight a physical feature or a hobby, with professional or creative shots consistently outperforming casual ones.
- Three-part bio: a hook that's relatable, conversation starters, and a clear value proposition for what dating this person looks like.
- Prompts as a single story: one prompt for what dating you looks like, and two for painting a picture of life together, all pointing the same direction rather than functioning as disconnected trivia.
Build
- Built as a standalone page within robhutters.com at /coaching, rather than a separate domain. The coaching service now benefits from the existing site's SEO and audience.
- Stripe handles checkout directly from the page. There is no calendar booking friction for the assessment tier.
- Prices reflect a deliberate move upmarket: no reduced rates, no exceptions.
Testing
- One paying client closed obtained through a real-life workshop I hosted in December 2024.
- The page itself has yet to convert.
Reflection
Lots of men struggle with their dating profile, but getting my page visible to them has been challenging.