Define what you mean by authority
You might mean a provider's domain metric, recognition within a niche, or a buyer's confidence in your product. Those are different goals. Write down which one matters before choosing tactics.
For a small product, we would prioritize being understood and recommended by the right people over increasing a headline count of referring domains.
Make a reference worth using
Choose a narrow problem you can explain with original detail. That might be a working resource, a documented workflow, or a comparison with transparent criteria. Use verifiable evidence and be clear about what is an example.
A guide explaining the constraints of recurring tutor bookings can be more useful to a specialist writer than another broad article about productivity.
Earn coverage where the context fits
Identify articles covering that problem. Offer the resource or product access as a contribution the writer can assess. Keep the pitch tied to their reader rather than asking them to help your SEO campaign.
A relevant mention may help discovery, but it does not create a fixed exchange rate between links and rankings. Avoid promising that one high-scoring domain replaces a particular number of smaller ones.
Maintain what people reference
Keep product facts, documentation, and original resources current. If a cited page moves, handle the change carefully so the reference still leads somewhere useful. Review broken links and inaccurate descriptions rather than only searching for new placements.
A smaller body of useful, maintained material gives your outreach a firmer basis. It also makes the next visitor's decision easier once a mention succeeds in bringing them to your site.