In a fast-paced city like London, dating apps have become the default for singles looking for connection. But while the likes of Hinge and Tinder dominate the dialogue around modern romance, "swipe fatigue" is quantifiable.
According to the 2025 Online Nation report by Ofcom, Tinder’s user reach fell from 5.2 percent in May 2023 to 3.1 percent in May 2025. A declining female audience is the primary driver behind this change - Tinder has a male-to-female ratio of 3:1.
What’s more, many young people looking for love are putting their phones down and resorting to more traditional methods. Enter The Lonely Hearts Club - a monthly publication where hopeful romantics can share personal ads in the hope of finding the one. Print copies are limited, but for those who don’t manage to get hold of a physical copy, the paper is also available for digital download.
When I first heard about it, I had one question - does it work? After all, with busyness being the reason so many of us resort to dating apps in the first place, I wondered if anyone would actually take the time to sit down and pen a letter. To find out, I spoke with the project’s editor, Nilly von Baibus.
"It is only our third month and we’ve already had at least three people write in saying they’ve found a connection", she says. "It has a novelty factor it wouldn't have had 15 years ago… I think Gen Z are quite into the analogue”.
While the younger generation have taken to pen and paper better than their predecessors might have expected, The Lonely Hearts Club’s demographic is surprisingly broad - ranging from 18 to 60+.
As for the ads that perform best? "It’s usually the ones that are really cheeky”, von Baibus adds.
One particularly polarising ad in the first issue garnered the highest volume of responses so far. It reads: “Missing in action. Will the tall, slim, gorgeous, intelligent, kind, loaded, funny, popular and horny woman please write to her male 28 year old counterpart? Letter must be in calligraphy as proof of pedigree”.
While some readers were horrified, the ad was a hit. Von Baibus says the anonymity of the classifieds allows for participants to show off that kind of unapologetic personality.
With Issue Three hot off the press, the project continues to grow. "We started off really strong with over 80 ads, which was overwhelming for a new project", von Baibus continues. "In this issue we have one page of ads, making it our most exclusive yet".
Beyond the careful curation of the ads, the editor takes pride in the paper's visuals, which use public domain archives to "wreak havoc" and create something beautiful. The team’s creative freedom comes through on every page.
And The Lonely Hearts Club isn’t just for people looking for love. "We have platonic ads too”, von Baibus adds.
“We really just want people to connect, to make friends, to find lovers, or to get married". To encourage this, a new campaign is launching for 2026. If the publication hits 10,000 digital downloads, the club will send one lucky pair - friends or lovers - on a spring holiday to Paris.
When I asked von Baibus for her advice to those seeking love (aside from reading The Lonely Hearts Club, of course) her answer was simple: get away from permanent distractions and just go out and live. Sounds like Paris would be the perfect place to do so.
