Dating App S’More Offers In-App Original Content

CEO Adam Cohen-Aslatei on S’More TV

Image: S'More

Dating app S’More is testing a new feature called S’more TV, offering users access to celebrity interviews and other videos the company has produced.

S’More TV was inspired by the company’s Instagram Live feed, where CEO Adam Cohen-Aslatei has been interviewing reality TV stars, WWE athletes and models about their dating lives and other dating-related topics. After gathering more than 50 hours of content according to Tech Crunch, he decided to launch the new feature and provide the content directly to users from the app as a “conversation-starter.”

To promote the new feature, S’More users will now receive prompts directing them to watch S’More TV, where they will be able to comment on the videos. Commenting is encouraged, because the feature is intended to help users attract potential matches as well as giving them a starting point for conversation.

Only fifteen new videos will be added to the app each month, though Cohen-Aslatei is already close to filming his 100th video.

As dating apps compete for attention in a crowded market, more are turning to original content and video chat options to keep users engaged for longer periods of time. This trend also seems to be driven by young Gen Z daters, who gravitate to apps like TikTok and Instagram Stories where people can express themselves through short form video. 

Tinder debuted its own original content with interactive series “Swipe Night,” where users were presented with different choices to make while they watched, which led to different outcomes for the show. Their choices also populated their profiles, which sparked conversations among users. Gay dating app Grindr is also investing in more original content following the success of its online celebration of Pride Month in June during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Cohen-Aslatei told Tech Crunch that since the company has been beta-testing S’More TV, they have seen time users spend on the app doubled.

In addition to S’More TV, the app has also introduced a new feature called cover photos, which allows users to showcase a photo of something that reflects their personality that won’t be initially blurred – the signature feature of the dating app. Blurring the profile image at first is a way to get people to communicate and reveal more about themselves before deciding on a match. 

Cohen-Aslatei told Tech Crunch that he wanted to do more with all of the content they had, so developing S’More TV provided “the first organic way to have content not related to a dating profile on the app.”