The shortlist
| Creator | Audience and reach | Best fit | Example work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Hussey · YouTube @thematthewhussey · Apple Podcasts | Singles looking for a committed relationship; 3.43M YouTube subscribers (vidIQ) | His audience is singles who want a serious relationship, which is the target user for intent-led dating apps. He reaches them on both YouTube and audio | "Why You Get ADDICTED To The Wrong Person w/ Gabby Bernstein", 2026-10-02 |
| Jillian Turecki (Jillian on Love) · Apple Podcasts | People in early relationships or dating again; #13 in Apple Podcasts US Relationships | Her episodes cover the first months of dating, which suits apps for people dating again or dating with intent. Her show ranks among the top relationship podcasts in the US, UK and Canada | "Everything You Need to Know Before Your Next Relationship", 2026-10-19 |
| Stephan Speaks (Stephan Labossiere) · YouTube @meetstephanspeaks · Podcast via Rephonic | Singles and couples who want direct relationship advice; 1.6M YouTube subscribers (SponsorRadar) | He posts advice for singles several times a week, and his detected sponsor history includes a couples app (Paired), so an app read is a format his audience has seen | "5 SIGNS You've Outgrown A Man (And Why It's TIME To Let Go)!", YouTube, 2026-10-19 (via SponsorRadar) |
| Esther Perel (Where Should We Begin?) · Apple Podcasts | Couples and individuals reflecting on love and desire; #45 in Apple Podcasts US Society & Culture | She fits relationship-quality and "intentional dating" positioning, not swipe-volume campaigns. No third-party sponsors appear in her descriptions, so expect a longer negotiation | "Can I Still Be a Good Man if I Leave?", 2026-10-19 |
| Dateable (Yue Xu, Julie Krafchick) · Apple Podcasts | Singles interested in how modern dating works; #121 in Apple Podcasts US Relationships | The clearest fit on this list: the show is about how people date now, and it already reads a dating-app sponsor (Fling) in every sampled episode | "S23E8: You Felt Close. So Why Didn't It Go Anywhere?", 2026-10-20 |
| We Met at Acme (Lindsey Metselaar) · Apple Podcasts | Women who are dating; #63 in Apple Podcasts US Relationships | Its listeners act on host-read codes from many consumer brands, and every episode is about dating, so a dating-app code fits the existing ad format | "He's Not Playing Games ft. Craig Conover", 2026-10-11 |
| Two Hot Takes (Morgan Absher) · YouTube @twohottakes | Young adults who follow relationship and dating stories; 1.03M YouTube subscribers (vidIQ) | It gives a dating app comedy-led reach to a million-plus YouTube subscribers, built on the dating dilemmas the app solves. Use it for awareness, not for direct-response installs | "Rage Bait! Reddit Stories Ft. Ashby", YouTube, 2026-11-05 (via vidIQ) |
Audience figures reflect the November 2026 research window. Choose by audience fit and expected views as well as reach.
How to choose a creator
Choose for audience match, recent relevant work and the ability to show your product completing a real task. Check expected views, rates and usage rights before booking.
Which segment fits your app?
Dating coaches
Matthew Hussey, Jillian Turecki and Stephan Speaks. Their audiences are actively trying to meet someone or fix how they date, which is a dating app's user. Matthew Hussey and Jillian Turecki named no third-party sponsors in the sample, and Hussey promotes his own retreat. Stephan Speaks posts the most often of the three and has run a relationship-app read before.
Relationship commentary
Esther Perel and Dateable. Esther Perel's show is about relationships people are already in, so it suits brands about relationship quality more than a swipe app. Dateable is about how modern dating works and already reads a dating-app sponsor, which makes it the clearest current fit for a dating app on this list.
Lifestyle
We Met at Acme and Two Hot Takes. We Met at Acme mixes dating advice with celebrity guests and carries many consumer sponsors with codes, so listeners are used to host-read offers. Two Hot Takes reads and reacts to listener relationship stories, which gives a dating app comedy-led reach among young adults.
Safety and claims: what to keep out of the brief
Dating apps carry their own claim risks. Kiko checks every script and ad against the FTC Endorsement Guides and platform branded-content rules. Questions for your trust-and-safety and legal teams:
- Can the creator say anything about verification, background checks or safety features that the product can't fully support?
- Are success claims ("met my partner in a week") typical, and are they the creator's own experience? Don't script personal stories.
- Does the brief avoid implying the creator personally uses or vouches for the app if they don't?
- Is the paid relationship disclosed inside the episode, not just in the notes? The FTC expects the disclosure in the content itself (Disclosures 101).
A few large creators or a cohort of smaller ones?
| If you need… | Lean toward | Why | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installs from active daters | Dating coaches and dating-commentary shows | Listeners are trying to meet someone now | Some sell competing coaching |
| Brand positioning on relationship quality | Relationship-commentary hosts | Thoughtful framing suits "intentional dating" brands | Fewer sponsor slots |
| Balanced sign-ups across a local market | A cohort of smaller local or niche creators | Gender and geography balance matter more than raw reach in dating | More coordination |
Kiko's view for dating apps: run a cohort. Book 8–12 creators in the first 30 days, balance them by audience gender and city, and judge each one on matches or first conversations started, not installs. Then scale the ones that convert. A single large creator skews your user base toward one gender and one region, which hurts match rates for everyone.
Run a creator campaign with Kiko
Kiko builds a custom shortlist for your dating app, checks each creator against a written record, and runs outreach, briefs, rights and reporting. See creator sourcing. Judging creator traffic by match quality rather than installs is covered in our dating apps paid social guide.
You don't need us if you already have a creator roster and in-house staff to brief, review and contract.
Frequently asked questions
Do dating podcasts take dating-app sponsors?
Yes. In the linked recent videos, Dateable named the dating app Fling as a sponsor in every sampled episode description. Stephan Speaks has run a couples-app read (Paired), as detected by SponsorRadar.
Which dating creators talk about dating apps directly?
Dateable. Its show description asks whether people expect too much from dating apps, and it reads a dating-app sponsor. The other creators focus more on confidence, choices and relationships.
Can a creator promise users will find a partner?
No. Success and safety claims need support, and personal stories shouldn't be scripted. Take the questions above to your legal team.
What do these creators charge?
We don't publish per-creator rates. Public benchmarks by creator size are on creator rates for consumer apps. Kiko does not mark up creator fees or media.
Does Kiko help dating apps find creators?
Yes, through its creator sourcing service. Inclusion on this page is not paid and does not mean a creator works with Kiko.
Sources
- Creator feeds: Love Life with Matthew Hussey, Jillian on Love, Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel, Dateable, We Met At Acme
- YouTube channels: @thematthewhussey, @meetstephanspeaks, @twohottakes
- Every episode linked in the evidence table
- Audience figures: vidIQ, SponsorRadar, Stephan Speaks, Rephonic
- FTC, Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers
This page explains common practice and isn't legal advice.
More creator lists: all Kiko creator lists · all Kiko resources