Bridging the Gap Between SME Collaboration and Content

Raise your hand if you have ever had to create content using the expertise of an SME, but not have access to said expert.

We know how important it is to showcase experience and expertise in our content, but it becomes increasingly challenging when we have to rely on others to do our jobs. And even more difficult when you can’t get their attention even for 30 minutes for a simple interview that could get you content for a month.

Yet, we’re repeatedly asked, “Create this content with so-and-so expert. They’ll be happy to help you.” Except they’re not, and we have to figure out how to glean their expertise without actually, gasp!, talking to them!?

We’ve tried many tricks—asking them to send us voice notes when they read something interesting, interviewing them for 30 minutes to get oodles of content ideas, forcing them to write their own content, and even making it part of their daily jobs—but they rarely work or work for only a short time.

When Expertise Is Essential and Elusive

We have a former client who used to sit in weekly meetings and would say out of one side of their mouth, “You need to better demonstrate our expertise in this content,” and out of the other side would say, “But don’t bother our scientists! They’re busy!” Sigh.?

You can imagine why they’re a former client. We tried and tried to get inside their heads without actually speaking to them, but in the end, it became too challenging a job because, as it turns out, we’re not inside their heads. If I could just figure out how to do that, though…

If this sounds all too familiar, trust me when I say…you’re not alone. We all grapple with the same challenge: producing expert-level content without monopolizing the time of busy subject matter experts. This struggle is real. It affects everything from blog posts and whitepapers to media interviews, webinars, and other thought leadership initiatives.

The importance of incorporating SME insights into content cannot be overstated. We already know that Google prioritizes content that demonstrates expertise and experience. Generative search does the same by providing an SME’s insight into its search results. And audiences crave authenticity and depth.

The only way to ensure this happens is to get inside the brains of the experts.

But how do we bridge the gap between the need for expert knowledge and its practical limitations?

Bridging the SME Gap

I recently found a tool (thanks to a Spin Sucks Community member) called Leaps that claims to be the “easy way to capture SME insights for content and PR.”

I will admit that I was skeptical. No one needs another tool, and we haven’t been able to find the magic pill when it comes to SME participation. Plus, asking SMEs to deal with one more thing didn’t sound enticing. But my cynicism was short-lived. It turns out that Leaps may be the solution to this long-standing problem.

More on that in a minute. First, let’s discuss why experience and expertise are so important and, try as you might, why you can’t just go it alone.?

At its core, SME involvement ensures accuracy and depth beyond what we can do on our end, even if we’re extremely knowledgeable about the subject, even with AI on our side. This is because an expert brings a nuanced understanding, infusing your content with insights that only come from years of doing the work.??

This depth educates your audience and positions your brand as an authoritative voice in your industry. It creates thought leadership, and it builds reputation and trust.?

Moreover, SME insights offer a unique perspective that’s hard to replicate, making your content stand out to humans and the spiders crawling the web.?

This originality captivates readers and keeps them coming back for more. Search engines have become adept at recognizing and rewarding content demonstrating expertise and experience—qualities that naturally come with SME input. By incorporating expert knowledge, you’re creating better content and improving your visibility in search results.

Enter Leaps

Now that we have that covered and agree that working with SMEs is incredibly important, let’s go back to Leaps.

Several weeks ago, we faced the SME collaboration challenge. Not only were they not showing up for meetings where we could interview them, but they were also not reviewing the content with their name on it. The process was completely stalled, and my team was frustrated.

We decided to try Leaps to see if it was the magic answer.

We approached a client who is always willing to test things out with us, but also has some stubborn SMEs, and suggested we try this software. I told their CMO it wouldn’t require anything from the SME except answering the questions. I said they didn’t have to download an app or any software. They didn’t even have to log into the software. They just had to click on the link in the email and let it take them through the process.

Rapid Response Times

The results were astounding. We gave the experts a week to respond for the first round and sent off our questions. Two of the six responded within the first hour, the third by the close of business, and the other three the next morning. We’ve never had responses that fast!

I didn’t know if that was an outlier, so we tried it again. And again and again and again. We had similar results every time—and with multiple clients!?

This rapid turnaround is a game-changer for content creators working under tight deadlines. Leaps is revolutionizing the way we interact with SMEs.

User-Friendly Interface

Leaps helps you get what you need from SMEs in a timely and efficient way that doesn’t make them feel like you’re taking up too much of their time—or that they have to stop what they’re doing to get back to you.

They can respond to your questions via text or voice; the software does the rest.?

It offers a simple, intuitive interface that allows experts to share their knowledge without feeling overwhelmed.

Voice-to-Text Functionality

One of the standout features of Leaps is its voice option. Even though we’ve offered time and again for SMEs to send us voice notes, even that seemed like a step too much. But with Leaps, nearly everyone answers the questions with voice.?

It’s great because it gives them an easy way to answer our questions and us an easy way to decipher their voice.

Automated Content Organization

But that’s not even the best part! The best part is that Leaps combines your experts’ answers and suggests an outline for your content based on their insights. You know I love AI, and I love using it to draft outlines. Leaps, does this work for you. The outline is based on the experts’ responses. It saves so much time!

I’m a big fan so far, and we’ve been able to get our most stubborn clients back on a consistent publishing schedule.

Why SME Input Is Non-Negotiable

Now that I’ve sung its praises, let’s break down how Leaps addresses the key challenges of working with SMEs and enhances the content creation process.

You have streamlined access to expertise Leaps makes it easy to tap into an SME’s specific knowledge, accelerating the content creation process by reducing the time spent searching for reliable sources, conducting interviews, or waiting for them to get back to you.

It also allows you to get deeper insights, elevating the quality and trustworthiness of your content. This is crucial for building authority in any niche or industry, showing in all the search results, and building brand awareness through thought leadership.

Leaps provides an organized system for asking questions and gathering responses, eliminating back-and-forth communication hurdles. This helps you maintain momentum and meet tight deadlines more effectively. And, let me tell you, it is glorious! We are so happy about how efficient it is.?

Plus, it allows you to quickly scale content production by collecting input from multiple experts simultaneously and combining their answers into a cohesive content outline. This is ideal for larger content projects such as eBooks, guides, or thought leadership pieces.

This approach integrates expertise efficiently into content while building credibility and trust.

Best Practices for Effective Collaboration

While Leaps solves many logistical challenges of working with SMEs, it’s important to remember that the tool is just one part of a larger content strategy.?

To truly leverage the power of expert insights, some best practices are worth mentioning.

Before reaching out to SMEs, clearly understand what you want to achieve with your content. This clarity will help you ask targeted questions and get relevant responses. Also, while Leaps will create an outline based on their responses, you should know what you want the piece to achieve. Don’t just willy-nilly throw in an idea and expect it to generate questions and an outline. That won’t work. Take the time to craft questions that will elicit unique, valuable information from your experts.

Help your SMEs understand how their input will be used and why it’s valuable. This context can motivate them to provide more detailed and thoughtful responses. And always acknowledge your SMEs’ contributions through direct quotes or mentioning them as sources. This recognition adds credibility to your content and encourages future participation.

While SME input is invaluable, it’s important to maintain a consistent brand voice in your content. Use the insights as a foundation, but shape the final content to align with your brand’s tone and style.

Where SMEs Meets Technology

As we look to the future of content marketing, it’s clear that integrating SME insights will only become more critical. Tools like Leaps represent a new era of collaboration between content creators and subject matter experts that promises to elevate the quality and impact of content across industries.

By streamlining the process of gathering expert input, Leaps, and AI, in general, democratize access to specialized knowledge. This allows you to:?

• Produce more authoritative content, more quickly, meeting the ever-increasing demand for valuable information.
• Build a broader range of perspectives represented in content, providing more inclusive and comprehensive information.
• Shift towards more thought leadership content, with brands positioning themselves at the forefront of industry conversations.
• More easily tailor content to specific audience segments, addressing niche topics with authority.

Embracing the SME Revolution

The struggle is real! We all have faced the need to get content from SMEs to no avail. If your SMEs have a day job that always takes priority or don’t necessarily want to participate or don’t think they have original ideas or don’t have time to prepare or think about their expertise in a way that you need them to, or simply lack motivation, Leaps is for you.

The future of content is expert-driven, and with tools like Leaps, that future is more accessible than ever before. As we continue to navigate the complex world of content marketing, let’s remember that at the heart of every great piece of content is a valuable insight waiting to be shared. With the right tools and strategies, we can ensure that these insights reach the audiences who need them most, driving innovation, understanding, and growth across industries.

So, consider incorporating SME insights into your content strategy. If you’re looking for a way to streamline that process, try Leaps. Your content—and your audience—will thank you for it.

Even better…the co-founders at Leaps gave me a discount code to share with you. You can try it free for 21 days.

After that, if you love it as much as my team and I do, you can get a 10% discount by using the code SPINSUCKS10 at checkout.

Check it out, and let me know what you think!

Resources

This section is dedicated to all our available resources to help make your life easier.

• Spin Sucks Podcast
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• Spin Sucks Community
• PESO Model? Guide
• PESO Model Certification?
• One-on-One Coaching
• Fundamentals of Media Measurement