Are you feeling burnt out by the endless swiping on current dating apps? In today’s episode, I sat down with entrepreneur Nicole Drew to discuss her new dating app, Rater. She tells us why her app’s rating system can offer a deeper layer of authenticity, how it differentiates from the other apps out there and the exciting in-person events her company will be co-facilitating this year. 

This episode, we discuss:

[1:57] Introducing the founder of Rater, Nicole Drew 

[3:04] How Rater differentiates from the other dating apps and websites

[7:05] How Rater is bringing back the honesty in dating 

[11:54] What is currently going on with the growth and development of Rater 

[14:36] The advice Nicole would give to men when creating a dating profile 

[21:09] The pain points people are experiencing on the dating apps today 

[26:46] What to expect from a Rater in-person event 

[30:18] The ins and out of Rater’s membership offerings  

[32:33] Getting to know Nicole’s favorite date 

Introducing the founder of Rater, Nicole Drew 

Nicole’s educational background is in counseling psychology. Professionally, she worked at a big corporation before starting Rater. She is now a new entrepreneur and began this journey during the pandemic in 2020. 

How Rater differentiates from the other dating apps and websites

Nicole explains that Rater has a benign way to rate your interaction and the authenticity of your experience. She doesn’t want people bashing and shaming each other so she doesn’t offer an area to write something about the date. You may answer with 1-5 stars or yes or no answers. 

Also a user can plan, post and promote events in their area. This can be something like a bike ride or a dinner. This offers a way to meet in person and a more casual way to meet other singles or newly divorced people who have moved into the area. 

Rater has thrown two in person mixers in San Francisco and is planning to host more in the future. The company will also be hosting mixers in Southern California while planning to move East soon. 

How Rater is bringing back the honesty in dating 

Recently, it’s become much harder to meet people in person and much less likely than it used to be. Also, many people on the current dating apps have no intention of meeting someone in person ever. As a result of this, one of the rating questions is :“How did you meet this person?” 

Two more questions the app asks are, “Were they accurate about their height and were they accurate about their age?”, because those are the main complaints. Unfortunately, people are not always honest about who they are and Rater was created to help with that. 

What is currently going on with the growth and development of Rater 

Nicole started Rater in California because she knew that the users needed to be in the same geographic area and she wanted to grow a decent user base in California first. It is very important for Nicole that the users find each other easily. 

As of today, Rater has hit its goal of 1200 users in California and in 2023 we will be launching in Texas. 

The advice Nicole would give to men when creating a dating profile 

Nicole recommends filling out your profile completely and not being vague. She also suggests using the video recording capabilities and using live photos rather than still. It’s best to use recent photos that may include you in your career or in doing your hobbies. Further, to keep in accordance with the terms and conditions, indoor shirtless pictures are not to be shown.

Nicole states that once you do find a match try to connect on video or in person quickly because a high value woman isn’t going to have time to chat for more than a couple days. 

Lastly, make an effort with your pictures. There are even companies that will do professional photos for you which Nicole believes is definitely worth it. 

The pain points people are experiencing on the dating apps today 

From what Nicole has heard from users, many people are continually experiencing catfishing or being sold something. 

Also users are finding that their date isn’t being honest about their marital status or if they have children or not. People are coming on to the app promoting a facade that comes to the surface once they finally meet in person. 

Rater’s goal is to vet out these inauthentic users to help eliminate those pain points. If they know they are going to be rated then they will come on with their best self and that’s been Nicole’s vision behind the rating system. 

What to expect from a Rater in-person event 

Nicole’s process for curating these fun events is to find a local influencer and collaborate with them to set up a private event in the area. Then she shows up as the brand ambassador and helps facilitate the event. 

This is usually at a local bar or restaurant and includes a free drink for an app download. It’s been wildly successful thus far. 

The ins and out of Rater’s membership offerings  

Follow @rater.date on Instagram where they will announce all of the dates of the in person events. Nicole also recommends joining her VIP email list where she announces all of their events. 

In regards to the application membership, there is a basic and premium option. Currently, Rater is offering a free month for the premium membership so that you can try it out and see if you like it. 

Furthermore, with the premium membership you can cancel anytime and the price point is from $10.99 to $20.99 a month. With this type of membership, you receive special features such as: match queue, seeing who may have liked you first and unlimited swipes.

Getting to know Nicole’s favorite date 

Nicole had a very romantic date where someone took her on a horse and buggy carriage ride. She says it’s fun to do an activity because you get to know the person on a different level. 

Connect with Nicole:

Instagram

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