Behind Hinge’s Work with Real Couples to Celebrate Their Love Stories

Hinge’s “Designed to Be Deleted” storytelling spotlights the real, imperfect, and deeply human love stories of couples who met through the app. From It’s Funny We Met on Hinge to No Ordinary Love, these stories honor the twists and turns of real relationships, including moments of excitement, vulnerability, and earnestness—with the goal of helping daters feel inspired as they navigate pursuing meaningful connections of their own.

For the first time, we’re offering a behind-the-scenes look at how Hinge supports the couples featured in these campaigns – sharing how we collaborate, prepare, and celebrate them throughout the storytelling process and beyond.

Why Hinge shares the stories of real couples

We intentionally feature real love stories from a range of identities and lived experiences that reflect and resonate with Gen Z daters today. Each of the couples brings their full selves into the storytelling — embracing authenticity, humor, and empathy as they share what led them to their one-of-a-kind relationship. Their stories reflect how real relationships unfold and celebrate the joy of meaningful companionship while honoring the individual experiences each person had along the way. By sharing these stories, Hinge looks to inspire hope in daters and offer encouragement as they navigate the deeply human experiences that come with early dating.

Ensuring each couple feels prepared and supported

Sharing your story with the world is a unique and exciting experience, but for many, being in front of the camera for the first time can also feel daunting. That’s why Hinge creates dedicated support and tools to reduce ambiguity and provide clarity about what to expect. Ultimately, it allows each couple to be empowered and excited for what’s ahead.

Ahead of the shoot for the latest chapter of It’s Funny We Met on Hinge, Hinge created a 20-page printed zine titled You’re on Set, Now What? to help the featured couples get a sense of what the experience will be like. The zine features important details to help them prepare, like what to pack, what to expect on the day of the shoot, and how to prioritize their comfort with navigating the excitement of a set.

“It’s a real privilege to share the love stories of real Hinge couples with the world. We think a lot about the creative tension in asking our courageous couples to reflect on their personal journeys while being surrounded by lights, cameras, and the thrilling organized chaos of a set. We’re intentional about creating an environment where people feel safe, seen, and entirely themselves,” said Ola Sobiecki, VP and Executive Creative Director at Hinge (they/them). “Designing for that kind of openness is, in itself, an exciting creative opportunity.”

Fostering shared values with long-term creative partners

Hinge works closely with creative partners who demonstrate care and authenticity in their work with non-actors. Both chapters of It’s Funny We Met on Hinge were developed with creative collective Birthday and directed by India Sleem, a filmmaker and photographer with rich experience capturing honest, human stories from everyday people. By cultivating long-term relationships with our creative partners, we foster shared values, principles, and language that guide us in more thoughtfully supporting each couple.

“If you’ve ever been vulnerable with a friend about your relationship, try doing it in front of a camera and a full crew. You need to feel completely safe and supported. Hinge is a dream partner for Birthday: clear in their values and principled in their creative choices. Together, we were able to create the caring environment our combined ambition called for, allowing our real cast to show up only as themselves,” said Corinna Falusi, Founder and CCO, Birthday (she/her).

You’re on Set, Now What? was created by Hinge and developed in collaboration with Birthday and production company Somesuch. The zine was illustrated by longtime Hinge partner Tara Booth, who had previously contributed illustrations of real Hinge couples as part of our Afterlife storytelling in early 2024.

Celebrating the featured couples beyond the shoot

Similar to the date stipend we offer Hinge employees to encourage more quality, in-person time with loved ones, we provide each couple with an experience stipend so they can enjoy in-person connection time together while traveling for the shoot. Whether it’s trying a new activity, enjoying a meal, or unwinding at the hotel spa, the stipend is designed to help couples make new memories and enjoy the moment as a celebration of their relationship.

Hinge’s commitment to showcasing real couples through “Designed to Be Deleted” began with Afterlife in early 2024, which featured the retelling of great dates from real couples who met on the app. Since then, Hinge’s storytelling has expanded through both chapters of No Ordinary Love and It’s Funny We Met on Hinge.

+++

About Birthday

Birthday is a global creative collective that brings the right people together to build brands worth celebrating.

Founded in Brooklyn by Corinna Falusi in partnership with Jamie Standen and Erik Norin, Birthday acts as a creative extension of brands’ in-house teams, plugging in seamlessly to deliver world-class strategy, creative, and production to launch campaigns that resonate and drive results. Learn more at Hellobirthday.com.