Companies often know that their content needs expert input. Their solution is to send an expert a blank document and ask for a draft.
The expert is busy. Writing may not be their job. The blank page stays blank until the deadline becomes urgent. Eventually the content team writes the article without them and requests a quick review.
Nobody failed. The process asked the wrong person to perform the wrong task.
Experts are often better sources than writers
A subject expert may be excellent at diagnosing a problem during a conversation and uncomfortable turning that knowledge into a polished article. That does not make their knowledge less valuable.
The content team can handle structure and readability. The expert can supply decisions, evidence, terminology, examples, exceptions, and corrections.
Do not begin with “Tell me everything you know”
Broad interviews create broad transcripts. I prefer to share the audience, article purpose, and a small set of scenario questions in advance.
During the conversation, I ask:
- What does a beginner usually misunderstand?
- What happened the last time you handled this?
- Which step creates the most avoidable trouble?
- What evidence would change your recommendation?
- When does the usual advice not apply?
- What would you never claim without checking first?
These questions collect expertise in a form that can shape content.
Review should happen twice
The first review checks the outline. This is where the expert can correct the direction before the article becomes expensive to change.
The second review checks the final claims, wording, and omissions. Asking only for a last-minute approval turns the expert into a proofreader and misses most of their value.
Credit and permission matter
Agree on whether the expert will be named, quoted, listed as a reviewer, or remain internal. Do not turn an informal comment into a public endorsement. Record the source and date so the contribution can be verified during future refreshes.
What I would check on Monday
- Identify the decisions only the expert can explain.
- Give them questions instead of a blank document.
- Record examples, evidence, limits, and exceptions.
- Ask for outline review before drafting.
- Confirm quotes, credit, and permission explicitly.
- Save approved contributions for related future content.
Questions about subject matter expert content process
Does a subject expert need to be the named author?
No. Authorship should reflect the real contribution. An expert can be interviewed, quoted, credited, or listed as a reviewer.
How long should an expert interview be?
It depends on the topic, but focused preparation often makes a short interview more valuable than a long unstructured conversation.
Can one interview support several articles?
Yes, when the contributions are recorded with context and permission. Do not stretch one answer beyond what the expert intended.
How often should expert content be reviewed?
Review it when important facts, standards, products, regulations, or the expert’s recommendation may have changed.
