171% Return, Sometimes it pays to be negative!

At HubPeople, we continually test acquisition strategies to enhance dating brand performance. This summer, our acquisition team achieved a significant milestone, bringing Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) below £1.00 while maintaining a 171% Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) in the same month, at scale.

Results That Speak Volumes

In July 2025 our data told an incredible story:

• 5,000 registrations generated

• 168 initial conversions (upgrades)

• £1.00 CPA achieved

• 171% ROAS delivered in month

• Consistent performance maintained through August and September

These results are not one-offs. Performance has been sustainable since April 2025, proving that with the right approach, profitability early on is achievable.

The Foundation: Strategic Campaign Architecture

Theme-Based Campaign Structure
Our winning approach centres on theme-based campaigns that allow for laser focused targeting and optimisation.

Key elements of the structure include:

• Small, focused ad groups

• Highly relevant landing pages that match search intent precisely

• Sub genre segmentation supported by strong use of negative keywords

• Demographic specific campaigns with tailored messaging and creative assets

The Power of Negative Keywords

In Google’s broad match world, negative keywords are absolutely critical. We treat negative keyword management as a daily task at three levels:

• Account level – broad exclusions across the portfolio to prevent wasted spend

• Campaign level – theme specific negatives to ensure accuracy of targeting

• Ad group level – granular exclusions to funnel the right searches to the right landing pages

Pro Tip: Filters help us direct the right searches to the right ad groups. This improves impression share by rank, reduces competition, and saves time.

Bid Adjustments That Drive Profit

Data driven bid modifications have been central to our success:

• Age adjustments – users aged 18 to 24 convert to paid memberships at significantly lower rates than 35+. We apply an 80% negative bid adjustment, capturing registrations at a fairer cost while investing more in higher converting audiences.

• Device and time optimisation – continuous testing identifies peak performance times and devices, allowing us to bid more aggressively when conditions are right.

Landing Page Relevance: The Conversion Catalyst

The strongest driver of conversions has been perfect alignment between:

• Search intent and landing page content

• User demographics and page assets

• Ad messaging and landing page experience

For example, a 45 year old professional searching will land on a page featuring people their age, with language that speaks to their goals and imagery that reflects their lifestyle. This is strategic design, not coincidence.

The Portfolio Approach: Scaling Through Systematic Process

For this brand, our acquisition team runs 10 campaigns across 5 geographic markets, each delivering consistent ROAS. This is only possible through robust systems and disciplined daily processes.

Key success factors include:

• Daily optimisation cycles focusing on negative keyword refinement

• Cross campaign learning where insights in one market benefit others

• Filtering systems to direct traffic to the most relevant brand and niche

• Testing frameworks that quickly identify winning combinations

From £3 to £1 CPA: A Journey of Continuous Improvement

We began with a £3 CPA target. Through methodical, data driven optimisation, we steadily reduced costs while maintaining volume and quality.

The process:

1. Establish baseline performance

2. Identify optimisation opportunities through data analysis

3. Implement systematic changes to isolate impact

4. Scale winning strategies across campaigns and markets

5. Repeat continuously

Why This Matters For HubPeople Partners

These results show that with the HubPeople platform and the right acquisition strategies, dating brands can be:

• Profitable from month one

• Scalable across multiple markets

• Competitive in high CPC verticals

• Sustainable over the long term

With over 20 years of industry experience, access to 100M+ genuine members, and advanced acquisition strategies, HubPeople provides unmatched opportunities for partners to build profitable dating businesses.

Key Takeaways For Your Campaigns

• Structure campaigns by theme, not broad categories

• Implement negative keyword strategies at every level

• Create demographic specific ad groups with tailored messaging

• Use bid adjustments to optimise for lifetime value, not only initial conversions

• Align search intent, ad messaging, and landing page content

• Treat optimisation as a daily practice, not a one time task

Ready To Apply These Strategies?

The beauty of the HubPeople platform is that these advanced acquisition strategies can be applied to any dating brand, whether mainstream, niche, or demographic specific.

Our team is available to help HubPeople partners optimise their campaigns and achieve sub £1 CPAs. Contact us

Chris Rooney is the Chief Marketing Officer at HubPeople, bringing over 15 years of Google Ads expertise to the dating industry. The HubPeople acquisition team specialises in delivering profitable, scalable traffic solutions for dating brands worldwide.