Maybe you’re that friend that’s always giving out advice. Maybe you’re the one who’s had over 1,000 significant others and are ready to shell out what works or what doesn’t. Hell, maybe even you just wanted to make some extra cash on the side and chose a dating blog because you consider it an easy write. However, I’ll let you know that whatever the case may be, what you’re faced with is a task much harder than you’d expect.

What separates good dating blogs from the greats is not just the quantity of content, but the quality of it. After all, if you’re truly looking to make this a business, then it’s imperative to treat it like such to avoid becoming a run-of-the-mill advice column. This includes coming up with a fresh perspective almost daily, as well as writing the content pieces you know readers are more likely to click.

While running a dating blog can be a tough task, it can also be one of the most rewarding. Not only could you potentially be the reason someone falls in love, but your advice could leave an indelible impression that could spread far and wide. Yes, the advice you could offer might just become a noteworthy phenomenon, and by following a few simple tips, you’ll be off to the races quicker than you can say “Dear Angie.”

As Always, Honesty is the Best Policy

Even if it sounds cheesy, writing from the heart is going to be one of the first things that will separate you from other bloggers. While you might be thinking “sure, but a voice is something I had already developed a long time ago,” that’s not necessarily what we’re talking about here. Instead, this is more of an exercise in finding out the commonalities between you and your audience and what lessons they can learn from your experiences.

Start by making a list of where your strengths are regarding dating advice. Are you masterful at wooing the bar scene? A wizard of online dating? Or even the old, wise sage who knows how to make love last a lifetime?

Where you shine most will decide how you develop consistent, quality content. This whole thing is about examining the experiences that you and your peers have had, so make them honest tales about what our day-to-day dating life is going to be.

Consistency is Key

Perhaps one of the most frustrating things a reader can go through is finding a blog post or story online and then realizing it’s one of four in total, without any ending. Sure, they came up with an excellent column on “How to Feel Confident With Your Approach,” but it was radio silence after that. Not only are they missing out on a great opportunity to cultivate an audience, but the experience to help others grow in their love life as well.

When you think about it, you’re in a pretty powerful position, and one that others are desperately seeking out, so make yours relevant to theirs.

Go back to the list of your strengths and try to draw out a content map of the type of posts you want to see. Try to vary them up between insights (I.E.: How to grow a relationship past the honeymoon phase), tips (5 easy meals you can make to wow your partner), or even guests posts/interviews/research pieces (we talked with women at Coachella on what they look for in a festival fling). By giving yourself a variety of content to work with, you’re able to keep your social channels consistent as well as provide yourself with more financial opportunities.

How to Monetize

Beyond just taking the traditional channels of targeted ads, SEO, or PPC, your blog can eventually become a way for you to make some extra cash (as well as get a ton of free stuff). After you’ve developed your content and social media strategies, you can utilize these tools to bring in sponsored posts/interviews, invites to events/product launches, or even free food/drinks at local restaurants/date spots.

Starting a dating blog is one of those ideas we all think we could do, but seldom actually pursue it. However, if you’re approach is to give an honest, sincere picture on your world of dating and how it relates to others, then you could be playing cupid in no time.