It’s a question I hear a lot. When a school launches a new blog or content marketing initiative, it seems like everyone is excited and on board. School leaders say they are willing to contribute ideas, write articles and give you “anything you need.”

But then, something happens.

The novelty wears off, and daily interruptions take precedence. People stop responding to requests for blog contributions. They miss their promised deadlines. They pass you off to someone else.

It’s always the same. But it doesn’t mean you should give up on getting leadership and other faculty and staff involved in your content marketing efforts. Here are some ways to tap into that expertise without turning off the future-contribution spigot:

1. Don’t ask school leaders to write blog posts.

Say wha? That’s right. Don’t expect your leaders to sit down and write their own blog posts. Because that’s asking a lot.

Writing is hard. It takes a lot of time, thought and energy. And most leaders are perfectionists. They would rather turn in nothing than turn in something that is not up to their standards.

Instead, hire (or become!) a ghostwriter. The writer can interview the school leader via phone or email to capture her perspective, and craft an initial draft of the post. The leader can then edit the article and make it her own.

This will help streamline the process and keep it on schedule. And trust me, the leader will be more apt to respond to a draft than to sit down and start an article from scratch.

2. Repurpose their daily communications.

Most leaders and experts are very proficient. They have lots of knowledge to share, and end up sharing it casually in all forms of communications.

If you dig around enough (or are given access), you will most likely find that your leaders are already creating lots of content that explains or summarizes their thoughts and ideas. Think: emails, speeches, presentations, editorials, quotes in the media or in press releases, white papers, etc.

Take this content, and rewrite/repurpose it into blog posts. Some longer forms of communication can even be split into a series of posts. This is a great way to gain leadership insights without having to get time on their very busy calendars.

3. Don’t write; record!

Remember, blog content does not need to be in article format.

If your leader is eloquent, capture her thoughts on video or in audio. Consider a Q&A session, an interview format, or simply allow the leader to share her point of view on a specific topic. You can then use these recordings in your blog posts. Transcribe the interviews for SEO purposes, and to give your audience different options for accessing the information.

This will require less time commitment from your leader (to reiterate: writing is hard), and it will give them exposure that could be beneficial in positioning them as a media source. Win-win!

These are three simple ways to get school leadership involved in your blogging efforts, but we’d love to hear more! If you have successfully engaged your school leadership with your business blogging efforts, spill your secrets in the comments below.