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RAW dating app pays users to take selfies everyday

Raw Selfie Challenge

RAW rewards people for being 100% authentic and posting daily selfies.

The contest is going strong, with new winners announced every Friday. All users can participate just by being active on the app!
— Marina Anderson, co-founder of RAW
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, April 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Dating apps aren’t cheap. According to recent estimates, the average user spends around $243 a year on subscriptions, boosts, and other in-app features — often just to be seen.

But one app is taking a different approach. RAW, a viral dating platform, is paying users each week for taking part in its selfie challenge — a campaign built around real-time photos.

Here’s how it works. Once a day, RAW sends out a randomized notification prompting users to take a dual-camera photo — one from the front-facing camera, one from the back. There’s no time to stage the shot or add filters. It’s designed to capture life as it is: mundane, chaotic, or somewhere in between. This way, people connect through what's in the background — not just based on looks. The second photo becomes a conversation starter, revealing what matters to each person.

To encourage participation, the app runs a weekly selfie challenge. Each week three users are selected based on the creativity or authenticity of their submissions, and they receive a reward. Since the launch of the contest, participation has hit 65%, and user activity on the app has jumped by 35%.

While the contest is temporary, it reflects a broader tension in dating culture — between polished profiles and real-life impressions. It also leads to better matches and offers the opportunity to get paid just for showing up as yourself.

About RAW:

RAW is a dating app that encourages people to show their true, unfiltered version through daily photo updates captured in real time only using a double camera. Unlike any other dating apps, RAW requires users to take a new photo every day using their device's two cameras. One shot gets you into today’s swipe game. The time of the posting changes daily — so the users never know when and where they'll be 'caught', keeping them on their toes and creating an air of spontaneity.

Marina Anderson
RAW Dating App
press@raw.app
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Distribution channels: Culture, Society & Lifestyle