How to Involve Subject Matter Experts in Content Writing
I've lost count of the number of times I've seen brilliant content fall flat because it lacked genuine expertise. In today's search landscape, where Google's E-E-A-T guidelines reign supreme, involving subject matter experts (SMEs) in your content creation process isn't just nice to have—it's essential.
Unfortunately, most SMEs are incredibly busy, often resistant to the content creation process, and sometimes struggle to translate their deep knowledge into accessible content.
But when you get it right, the results speak for themselves. Expert-backed content ranks better, converts harder, and builds the kind of authority that sets you apart from competitors.
In this guide, I'll walk you through exactly how to identify, collaborate with, and maximise the value of subject matter experts in your content writing process.
Why subject matter experts are essential for content quality
Here’s the truth: Google is getting better at spotting weak, rehashed content. Research shows that 73% of B2B buyers consider thought leadership more trustworthy for judging a company’s competencies than traditional marketing materials, and with good reason—expert-backed content builds the authority that drives real business results.
SMEs bring something AI and generic writers simply can't replicate—real-world experience, nuanced understanding, and credibility that audiences instinctively recognise. When a practising psychologist writes about mental health or a CFO explains budget management, readers can tell the difference.
This expertise directly impacts your search visibility. Google's algorithm increasingly rewards content that demonstrates first-hand experience and authoritative knowledge. For industries like healthcare, finance, legal, and B2B technology, SME involvement isn't optional—it's the baseline for credible content that actually performs.
Identifying the right subject matter experts for your content
Not every expert makes a good content contributor. I've learned this the hard way. The key is matching the right expertise to your specific content needs.
Internal vs external subject matter experts
Internal SMEs are often your best starting point. They understand your brand, products, and customers intimately. Look beyond the obvious candidates:
Product and engineering teams (for technical content)
Customer success managers (for pain points and use cases)
Sales teams (for objection handling and buyer questions)
Senior leadership (for strategic and thought leadership pieces)
The advantage? They're accessible, invested in your success, and typically don't require additional budget.
External SMEs fill gaps where your internal team lacks depth. Consider external experts when you need academic credibility, diverse perspectives, recognised names that boost authority, or specialised knowledge outside your core competencies.
Assessing expertise and credibility
Not everyone who claims expertise actually has it. Vet potential SMEs by investigating:
Professional credentials: Certifications, degrees, and licences
Published work: Articles, research papers, and books
Industry recognition: Speaking engagements, awards, and media features
Practical experience: Years in role, companies worked with, and projects delivered
Create a simple scoring system to evaluate SMEs objectively. This becomes invaluable when building your internal database of approved experts by topic area.
Building effective relationships with subject matter experts
SMEs won't magically appear and contribute—you need to court them properly.
Start by understanding what motivates experts to participate. Some want professional visibility, while others are driven by company loyalty or simply enjoy sharing knowledge.
When reaching out, I always acknowledge their expertise specifically, explain the project and why they're the perfect fit, outline the time commitment honestly, clarify what support I'll provide, and explain the exposure they'll receive.
Set clear expectations from day one. Nothing kills SME relationships faster than surprise requests or scope creep. Define deliverables, timelines, review cycles, and communication channels upfront.
Remember: they’re doing you a favour—make it as easy as possible for them to contribute. The best SME relationships are long-term partnerships, not transactional one-offs.
Practical methods for involving SMEs in the content creation process
There's no single right way to work with SMEs. The best approach depends on their availability, communication preferences, and your content requirements.
Interview-based content
This is my go-to method for time-poor experts. A focused 30–45-minute interview can generate enough material for multiple articles. I prepare structured questions that extract valuable insights without wasting time, then record everything and use transcription services to create written records.
Alternatively, for busy SMEs that don’t have time for an interview, you can offer to provide a short questionnaire that they can complete in their own time.
Collaborative writing and review processes
For experts who prefer written collaboration, I typically create a detailed outline for their approval, draft the article based on my research, send the draft for technical review, incorporate their changes while maintaining readability, and get final approval before publication.
This division of labour respects both the expert's knowledge and the writer's skill in crafting accessible content. As a freelance SEO content writer, I've found this model produces excellent results for technical industries.
Third-party source and request platforms
Another way to reach out to SMEs is through authoritative-source websites like MentionMatch and Help a Reporter Out (HARO). These platforms connect you with topic experts willing to share their insights in exchange for a brand mention, website backlink, or general exposure.
All you have to do is submit a request, wait for the responses to come back, and choose the ones that best align with your content goals. Oh, and thank the source of course!
Overcoming common challenges when working with subject matter experts
Let's address the elephant in the room—working with SMEs can be challenging. The reality? Around 39% of B2B marketers cite difficulty accessing subject matter experts as a major challenge.
Time constraints and competing priorities
SMEs are busy people. Their expertise makes them valuable across multiple projects. Respect their time by scheduling contributions weeks in advance, providing complete briefs that minimise back-and-forth, using asynchronous collaboration tools, and building buffer time into deadlines.
Create templates and frameworks that make participation effortless. A well-structured interview guide or review checklist can cut contribution time in half.
Bridging the communication gap
Experts often struggle to simplify concepts that feel obvious to them but baffle your audience. Your role as a content writer is to translate expert knowledge into accessible content.
Provide critical details about the target audience before interviews, share copy examples, ask "explain it like I'm new to this" follow-up questions, and request real-world examples and analogies.
Some experts initially resist simplification, viewing it as a form of dumbing down. Reframe it as respecting the reader's time and making complex ideas accessible to decision-makers.
Managing editorial control and revisions
Balancing expert accuracy with readability requirements sometimes creates tension. When SME feedback conflicts with SEO content strategy, explain the editorial decision in terms they understand, provide data showing why certain approaches work, and propose compromises that preserve accuracy.
Establish clear approval workflows with defined authority. Who has final say on technical accuracy? Who decides on tone and structure? Clarity prevents conflicts.
Tools and systems for optimising SME collaboration
The right tools make collaborating with subject matter experts significantly smoother. Here's my essential toolkit:
For project management: Asana, Trello, or Monday.com to track contribution status and shared content calendars.
For collaboration: Google Docs for real-time editing and Loom for quick video explanations.
For interviews: Zoom or Google Meets for recording, Otter.ai or Descript for transcription, and Notion for organising insights.
For efficiency: Standard operating procedures documenting your SME process, a template library for interview guides and briefing documents, and knowledge bases capturing expert insights for future reference.
Investing in SEO content writing tools that facilitate collaboration pays dividends. It saves both you and your SME time and money, optimises the writing process, and balances expert input with essential SEO requirements.
Best practices for maximising subject matter expert contributions
After years of working with experts across industries, these practices consistently produce the best results:
Do your homework first. Never waste an expert's time on questions you could answer yourself through basic research.
Provide complete context. Share your content strategy, audience information, and how their contribution fits the bigger picture. Experts produce better work when they understand the why behind requests.
Make contribution effortless. Remove every possible friction point. Pre-fill templates with available information. Provide clear instructions.
Show genuine appreciation. Demonstrate how their involvement creates impact. Showing experts how they contribute to your goals makes them more likely to contribute again.
Create feedback loops. Use performance data to refine your SME collaboration process. Which contribution methods produce the best content? Let data guide your strategy.
Document tribal knowledge. Expert insights have value beyond individual articles. Create systems to capture and organise this knowledge for future reference.
In my experience, SME-involved content consistently outperforms generic articles for both B2C and B2B content writing. One effective way to measure the value of introducing SME input to your content is to begin with optimisations—update older content with expert insights and see how it performs in search compared to the original page.
Starting your SME content programme
You don't need a complex system to begin. Start with one expert and one piece of content. Identify someone in your organisation with deep expertise in a topic your audience cares about. Schedule a 30-minute interview. Use the insights to create one exceptional article. Measure the results against your baseline content.
The data will justify expanding the programme. As you build momentum, document what works, expand your expert network gradually, test different contribution models, and train frequent contributors on content basics.
Remember, E-E-A-T isn't going anywhere. Google will continue rewarding genuine expertise and first-hand experience. The content creators who master SME collaboration will dominate their niches. The question isn't whether to involve subject matter experts in your SEO content writing—it's how quickly you can start.
Need help creating expert-driven content that ranks?
I specialise in creating authoritative, SEO-optimised content that builds real authority in your industry. Whether you need someone to interview your team's experts, translate technical concepts into accessible articles, or develop a complete SEO content strategy, I can help.
Book a free consultation to discuss how we can leverage your organisation's expertise to create content that actually performs.
