When I do searches in my area (or any area really), there are always a number of "premium" profiles that pop up.  Most are above average in hotness, and my response rate is much lower than average.  Are these fake profiles that Seeking adds to keep guys interested?  Have you ever had success with a profile that is a premium member?  What do the women get for being premium anyway?  Why would they pay to be on the site?

Actually, I have noticed the opposite, at least in my area. Most with premium seem to be of higher caliber and more serious.

They are able to better manage their visibility and availability in searches in the same way that premium SDs can. Whether that is to their advantage only they can say. I do not know what they pay for premium but I believe it is substantially less than SDs.

Girls can pay $20 a month to get extra visibility.  This is part of how I found out my ex was cheating.  She had the bill right in her bank statements when I sat down with her to do her taxes.