This is part of the point I was making with High Profile Article Marketing before I retired that product.
You see, gone are the days when you’re an expert online just because you claim to be. Even if you, you have to prove it somehow. You’ll need either:
- Social Proof
- Applied Proof, or,
- The “Proof” of Popularity
Get the trifecta (that’s all three of these winning horses in that order), and you’ll never be broke again.
How do you achieve such a thing? The exclusive content angle can take you through all three of these if you’re diligent.
First, write a list of all the online and offline publications in your industry. The online ones will probably be easier to get into.
Second, go find out more about all the editors. Follow them for a while and find out what they read.
Third, see if you can get into publications they read, or, failing that, get widely syndicated on a topic they read about.
Fourth, give it a week or so and see if they come to you. It’s most awesome when an editor asks for your work.
Fifth, if after a week you aren’t noticed, well hey, folks are busy. Think of some way that you can give to this editor and help them with their mission. Then, ask how they most like to accept submissions – having been an editor of poetry and business resources, I can’t tell you how many submissions get rejected for being in the improper format. They may be good but if they’re too hard to re-format, they get trashed and often, a less impressive article goes in its place.
Exclusive, time-sensitive, well-written work gets the most exposure.
Sixth, follow up.
This does not mean harass.
This means, after at least a week, maybe even up to a month has passed, if your work hasn’t been accepted or published, find out how your work was received, and if there is anything you need to work on.
If you did get published, bravo. Can you get on their staff or write another piece? Do it!
Writing benchmark, high quality work for a wider audience will first gives social proof of your expertise – you can’t be a chump with no clue if you’re writing for About.com, right?
If you include tips, it provided applied proof – you tried my free tips and they worked, didn’t they? Now you have a basis upon which to invite them behind the curtain.
When that publication gets read by thousands or tens of thousands more people than you do? Popularity proof. I don’t like this one as much, because I’m of the mind that is everyone is jumping off a bridge, they should be doing it because I did it first. I’m a skeptical follower, and prefer to investigate, then lead the crowd. 
However, the reality is that most people are waiting for someone to follow into battle. Often, it’s with good reason. The thought and action leaders take all the bruises and scrapes, and find out what the safe path through the wilderness is. Sometimes it’s smart to be the one following.
Easy enough, yes? Good. Remember that “publications” has a wider definition online. If you can be a guest blogger, or have the following to create a publication, they count too.
