Congratulations! You’ve just released your newest online course or product. Now it’s time to market your product. You’re promoting like crazy, but can always use more help in promotion. It would be particularly helpful to have other influential marketers in your niche promoting your course or product.

Here are some simple steps you can take to connect with marketers who are in a position to promote you and your product.

1. Go to an article directory and search for your keywords. Start with the top writers and click to see what they are promoting. Many times it’s a general site, rather than a specific product such as yours.

2. Comment on their article, offering a real comment, not just a “good article” comment. Use the URL for your product as your comment link.

This is effective because most authors don’t get many comments on their articles. So when they are notified that someone has commented on their article, it will stand out.

3. Repeat this process with 5 articles per day. This isn’t something you want to spend your day on. It’s just a way to get your name and your product in front of influential people in your niche.

4. Write an article per day for the next week, adding them to your blog. Do your usual blog post promotion – tweet, facebook, Pinterest, email to your list. Encourage them to leave comments.

5. Search for blogs who are posting on the topic of your product. Again go to their blog posts and comment, using your product’s URL.

6. Follow the market leaders on Facebook and other social media. When the newest social media is hot, follow them early. Again, the idea is to get your name in front of them as a fellow market leader.

7. Contact them directly through their help desk. There is a strong chance that an email to them will get lost. But their help desk will at least receive your request. Be sure you have crafted that message to ask for exactly what you want and to make them an offer they can’t refuse. Introduce yourself. Say how you found them (bought your products, following your blog, etc). State what you are offering. Would love to get their help in promoting it in exchange for…

8. Attend live events. Nothing takes the place of meeting someone face-to-face. And live events are where the movers and shakers are. You need to be there, too.

9. Don’t be shy. Whether it’s contacting them online or going up to introduce yourself at an event, you have to step out of your comfort zone and extend your hand.

10. Keep marketing. No other marketer is as passionate about your product as you are. Whether they help promote it or not will not determine your success. You are the one in charge of that!