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Want to quickly gain the attention of an audience?  Take advantage of the cult of celebrity. You see it everyday on television and in magazines as models, actresses, and musicians stand in as the voice of a company or product. The same is possible in email marketing, although it is advisable to make sure that your celebrity is actually an expert in the field. With email marketing you are going after more than the idea of celebrity; you are providing a clear voice of authority. Your readers will not only be duly impressed, they’ll benefit from having access to the wisdom of your expert source. 

Step One:  Find your figure.  The first thing you’ll need to do is determine what kind of authority figure you want to invite as a contributor.  Make a list of the qualities that your ideal expert would have.  Do they have ten years experience in the field?  Do they hold a specific degree or have a position of authority?

Step Two:  Define your offer.  Be clear about what you’re looking for.  Are you hoping for custom content from the expert?  Are you asking them to write a one-time essay?  Would you be open to them contributing on a regular basis?  Would you accept reprinting some of their previous work?

Step Three:  Send out your invitations.  Create a unique invitation for each person you desire to have contribute.  Decide in advance whether or not you will be issuing multiple invitations at once. If so, consider whether or not it would be appropriate for those parties to be contributing simultaneously.

Step Four:  Design an appropriate lead-in to their contributions.  You’ll want to build a little hype for you contributor. Don’t just drop their work into your email newsletter - let your readers and social media contacts know when and where to look.

There’s an obvious marketing bonus to all of this; if you gain a partnership or receive the work of an expert in your field, they will likely use the opportunity to share the work as well. This could result in greater exposure for you and what you have to offer.