Behind the scenes of Raya: the Tinder of stars!

There are all kinds of dating apps: for married people, according to sexual orientation, to allow women to make the first move... And there is also a category of its own: a dating application dedicated to the stars! Passion Media takes you behind the scenes of Raya.

Hello You,

Just imagine: you’re just hanging out on Tinder, and then you come across your favorite singer, that famous chef, or that ultra-famous athlete. Exciting! Except that in practice, there is a strong chance that the latter, because of his fame, receives an avalanche of messages, and therefore wants to protect himself from it, to “date” in peace. And precisely, there is a dating application designed only for “stars” : Raya. Passion Media explores the backstage of this (almost) secret application!

A dating app based on cooptation

To begin with, joining this application is only possible via a cooptation system. In other words? You must know someone well enough to recommend you. This way you pass the first step. Then, the application reserves the right to carry out a second filter, in order to ensure the good coherence of your profile with that of the other members of the application. Its criterion put forward? “Be a personality of the creative industry”. In other words? That you are not a paparazzi or a fan. Once these steps are completed, all you have to do is pay the equivalent of 25€ for a 6-month subscription. 

Raya, an application based on secrecy

The application advocates trust and confidentiality, and we can understand that this is key when you have this type of community. It has put in place a few actions to go in this direction (warning messages of the conditions of use at the beginning, alert message in case of screenshot, etc…). Except that it only takes 3 seconds and a few Google searches to find previews of this feature, and to learn more about how it works. 

The selection committee of Raya

One of the points that often attracts the attention of Raya? The selection committee. This committee intervenes after your application on the application. Once you have been able to download the application via the person who has co-opted you. A committee of “select” people then chooses whether you can enter the application according to a list of criteria more or less vague (Instagram account, community size, place of residence, what comes up in Google searches with your name, etc. …). There is also the “Raya Score”. Specifically, it is an algorithm that calculates your level of influence on Instagram and therefore your potential as a Raya member. No more information about the criteria of this algorithm. 

The inside of the application and its functioning

Unlike Tinder, Grindr, Bumble and other dating apps, Raya stands out on two points: its design (classier), its UI (not at all intuitive). As for the rest, people’s profiles are more complete than what we are used to. 

User profiles on Raya 

A slideshow with an unlimited number of photos (and the possibility to add music). In other words? The staging is even greater than in other applications. 

The geolocation feature, absent from Raya

What’s more special about Raya? The application does not offer a geolocation option. In other words? It’s not possible to meet a star near your home. You just wander around discovering profiles that can be found anywhere in the world. 

Raya, the call of curiosity

More than a dating application, Raya is in fact more like a networking application. Most members go there hoping to meet a celebrity, who unsurprisingly almost never responds to messages. It’s a place where you sell a lifestyle, a status more than a person. Not surprising, when you know that the founder is none other than the CEO of a large marketing and public relations agency based in Los Angeles. In short, it works! Yes, Raya is the equivalent of Voici, Scoop or Closer, but with an application version. A thirst for curiosity, a desire to discover more about these people who make people dream. And it works. Thousands of people try to enter this application every day. Thousands of people pay each day this famous subscription to be able to approach the grail.