*** Read Me First ***

*** Read Me First ***

Hello!

I've invited you to you to take a sneak peek at Ink Between Us. Before you begin, it's essential to understand the thought process I went through before deciding to launch.

THE PROBLEM

It’s 2026, and it seems like everyone wants to connect and find love with another person or people. The options, though, are daunting and disappointing. 

  • Dating apps have reduced connection to a commodity.
  • Swiping left and swiping right is fun at first, but quickly starts to feel empty.
  • Women are bombarded with multiple “matches” from men who immediately start talking about sex in the first or second message (if they're lucky).
  • Men feel cheated because their painstakingly written profiles and curated photos are overlooked and ignored every day.

At the heart of it all, there lies a quiet, uncomfortable truth: the dating app companies all say their goal is to help you find the love of your life, but they are fundamentally disincentivized to fulfill this mission.

  • Most of the apps charge at least $25/month for sending and receiving more than a handful of messages.
  • All make more in fees from services such as boosts, super likes, and other promises to put your profile to the “front of the line.”
  • This is a highly lucrative revenue stream, and it all stops the moment you find the love of your life because you cease to be a customer.

All the major dating apps are highly profitable corporations, not niche little startups. Several are publicly traded, and all have shareholders and boards demanding double-digit growth.

The more they keep you hooked, the more money they make.

There’s got to be a better way. And there is: Ink Between Us.

THE SOLUTION: Ink Between Us

Let's walk through this step-by=step.

  1. Jane Lonelyheart signs up for Ink Between Us.
  2. She pays a one-time fee of $99 for 2 introductions.
  3. She fills out an intake form online where she indicates her preferences (LGBTQ, poly, monogamous, asexual, semi, etc.) and other background details.
  4. Within 7 days, Ink Between Us's human editor (me) contacts Jane with some details about another Ink Between Us client, Colin Darcy.
  5. Jane accepts the offer of introduction and has 14 days to write a letter (write, not type) and mail it to a secure Ink Between Us PO Box.
  6. The letter is forwarded with NO CONTACT INFO to Colin ("Mr. Darcy").
  7. Colin gets the letter and excitedly reads it on his commute to work on the subway. Within a day, he writes back to Jane and sends his reply back to the same secure PO Box, which in turn forwards his letter back to Jane.
  8. Jane opens the letter in bed one night and is intrigued. She writes her reply back.
  9. This back-and-forth letter exchange repeats for two exchanges.
    1. No photos are provided.
    2. No personal contact details are shared. 
    3. At every step of the way, both Jane and Colin have the option to opt-out.
  10. After two exchanges, Jane and Colin are presented with a choice: do they want to exchange personal contact details?
    1. Provided both consent and said yes, contact details are shared.
    2. If one person says yes and one says no, the exchange ends.

The end.

INSPIRATIONS

Ink Between Us is a synthesis of several ideas and aesthetics, including:

  • Outlander, Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, etc., are all tremendously popular in part because of the aesthetic they portray. Characters aren’t texting or messaging each other in real time. They take time to write torrid love letters to each other by candlelight and then seal them with their own melted wax. It is slow and delicious.
Letter-writingk not text messaging.
  • Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë sell more copies of their books in a year than they did during their lifetimes.
  • Fiddler on the Roof has a character named Yenta. Although she is portrayed as comic relief in the story, she is based on a person who played a significant role in Jewish life during the 18th and 19th centuries. Every community had a Yenta who was not only the town gossip but also stitched the community together. It was her job to know who was looking to marry, who was a widower, etc. 
  • By the mid-20th century, Yenta later evolved into “Rose,” the woman nervous Jewish mothers would pay for their matchmaking services in urban centers like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boca Raton. Before modern dating became a thing, this is how many men and women were introduced to each other.
  • Fan clubs: In my experience, I was part of U2’s fan service called Propaganda. Joining in 1991 (just before the internet, chat rooms, AOL, etc.), I would get a few issues per year of the fan club magazine. In the back, there’d be listings for people seeing merch, tickets, and yes, connection. It was not an overt personal service, but it was close: “Boston-area U2 fan whose loves Rattle and Hum looking for like-minded fans in MA, VT, CONN. Write to …” Every popular music band or performer had a fan service like this.

THE RESULT

People connect more authentically. Maybe they find love, maybe they find a friend. Maybe they do neither. Either way, it’s consensual, and it’s real. 

The process is deliberately slow, in contrast to the fastness and disposability of speed dating or dating apps.

This is not a personals service. Ink Between Us is not “selling love” or promising a match. Clients are buying an introduction and access to a secure way of communicating that respects their privacy and agency. 

There’s no ghosting, and everything is based on consent.

What I Need You To Do

  1. Please go through the website starting from the home page.
  2. Put yourself in the mindset of someone looking to try something other than dating apps. You're curious and want to learn more.
  3. Please keep a few questions in mind:
    1. Does the layout make sense?
    2. Do you understand the offer?
    3. Would you purchase this for yourself?
    4. Would you recommend this to a friend?