There's a market because online dating is a funnel process. In large markets, there are thousands of potential female matches and tens of thousands of potential female matches.

The funnel from initial message to reply is brutal. The funnel from conversation to date is also brutal. Relying on mass messaging has a terrible conversion rate. So you need relatively specific messages, and lot of them, to get as far in the funnel as "first date".

Some people feel that they don't have time for that nonsense. Along comes an English lit grad who needs some extra cash ...