Lovebook wants to use Facebook ads to find you love

Lovebook is a new matchmaking service for people who can’t be bothered to sign up to a proper matchmaking service. In fact, if you can never tear yourself away from Facebook, so much the better. As PSFK reports, Lovebook uses Facebook ads to find its customers people to date.

After letting them know a little about yourself (age, gender, interests, etc) and what kind of person you’re looking for (ditto), Lovebook will create a targeted ad campaign and community page featuring the photos and info they think best sell you to potential love matches.

There are three packages available, starting at $15 (around a tenner; it’s based in the UK, but I guess they’re expecting international interest): First Date, which guarantees five leads, Lovebug (12 leads), or Casanova (25 leads). Lovebook contacts people who express interest in the ad to tell them you might be in touch, and when it’s over you can friend request them and find out if there’s anything between you.

Lovebook claims this is a better investment than traditional dating sites, especially as they have a larger reach – 1.2 billion – and because it’s a place you probably visit every day, so it’s easy to monitor or respond to an ad.

It’s definitely an original way to get a date, but I have to wonder how many people are looking for a new relationship in the same sidebar where they can find out about Kim Kardashian’s latest selfie or get a new broadband provider. If I saw an ad featuring some dude saying he was looking for a date, I’d probably think he was recruiting for a new cult.

But the frequency with which I’m sent spam asking for my bank details suggests that a lot more people on the internet are a lot more trusting than I am. I wish them luck (and love).