You’ve finally done it.

You’ve made the leap as a freelance copywriter.

You’ve invested in your new website and defined your niche audience.

You’ve committed to a consistent blog post schedule (right?).

You may have even gone so far as to create an editorial calendar for your blog (right?)!

And that’s likely when the reality hits you: aside from your own contributions and those of a handful of sympathetic (empathetic?) colleagues, your editorial calendar has a lot of empty spots in it. Circled in red, with a 🙁 for emphasis.

If you’ve researched your industry’s vertical to see what content your niche readers are eating up – and what they are not – then you’ve most likely discovered that they love those blog posts authored from recognized experts in the field.

So how do you – a relative “unknown” – convince these authorities to contribute to your brand new shiny blog?

Here’s what I’ve learned along the way… Keep in mind that these are long-term strategies; getting the attention, much less the contribution, of an industry “somebody” requires time.

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