The story
Guardian Soulmates let a newspaper’s brand do the matching: join and you already knew everyone’s politics, reading habits and probable position on oat milk. For sixteen years it was the UK’s classiest dating shorthand. The Guardian closed it in 2020 as app-era economics ended the newspaper personals for good.
What it did well
- Perfect cultural self-selection
- Trusted publisher brand
- Literate, serious members
Why it faded
- Closed in 2020
- Never made the app leap
- Niche by definition
