Subject Matter Experts: What They Do & Why They’re Important

Key Takeaways

• Subject matter experts are professionals with specialized knowledge that can help you boost your content’s credibility or improve internal processes in your business.
• Using a subject matter expert to improve your business or your content can help boost your authority, make sure you speak on a subject in a knowledgeable way, and improve customer trust in your business.
• Become a subject matter expert by investing time into learning the ins and outs of your chosen subject.
• Use social media, professional associations, competitor sites, and your network to find the best subject matter experts for your needs.

A subject matter expert, or SME, is a professional with deep and specialized knowledge in a singular subject. In a world of generalized content, a subject matter expert can help set yours apart.

Throughout this article, we’re going to dive into what subject matter experts do, why they’re important, how you can become an SME, or how you can use them in your own content or to help your business make better decisions.

What Is a Subject Matter Expert?

A subject matter expert (SME) is someone who has taken time to gain specialized knowledge in a specific subject or topic. They’ve developed this knowledge through extensive education as well as on-the-job experience.

SMEs typically dedicate their lives to the study of this one particular subject, granting them a wealth of knowledge that they can then share with industry professionals through a number of outlets.

For example, SMEs will often speak at conferences, work as consultants in their field, or provide quotes to writers to help boost the credibility of their content.

What does an SME look like in action?

• A business lawyer specializing in freelancers would be a great subject matter expert for someone to consult with as they consider becoming a freelancer.
• A marketer who has spent years specializing in SEO would be a great subject matter expert for a brand to interview for an ebook about optimizing home page copy for search.
• A doctor who has conducted research within a specific field would be a great subject matter expert for giving a talk on their field and the research they’ve done at a medical conference.

What Does a Subject Matter Expert Do: Job Duties & Responsibilities

Subject matter experts are relied on as the go-to person for a specific topic. Anytime someone in their network needs insight on that topic, they know who to go to. But there are a lot more responsibilities for an SME than just answering questions.

To understand what a subject matter expert really does, let’s walk through a few of their job duties and responsibilities.

A subject matter expert:

• Conducts research on, reads extensively about, and works within their field of expertise.
• Provides insights and advice on topics related to their main subject matter.
• Resolves complex issues for businesses relating to their expertise.
• Helps create documentation surrounding their field of expertise that teams can refer back to.
• Works with various businesses and teams to teach them how to do something.
• Sits for interviews relating to their field of expertise to provide quotes that lend credibility to the author/creator and their content.
• Translates complex information into language that’s easier for a layman to understand.

Let’s look at an extremely meta example of what subject matter experts can do for a business.

First, we’re going to cover Foundation Inc., a digital marketing agency that has made a great name for themselves by interviewing different SMEs and building amazing blog content surrounding those experts and their work.

This recent article covers how vidIQ has generated nearly 200 million YouTube video views by—you guessed it—hiring their own subject matter expert.

To manage their own YouTube strategy, vidIQ brought on a YouTube creator who had already made a name for himself by building up his own channel.

As the Foundation article states, “What better way to create content that speaks to their target audience (and boost their own bonafides) than by bringing in someone who has dedicated over 17 years to YouTube creation? That’s exactly what vidIQ did over 7 years ago when they brought freelance creator Rob Wilson in-house as their official YouTuber-in-residence.”

In this example, we see two instances of relying on an SME. vidIQ hired a YouTube subject matter expert to build up their channel and saw massive success. Then Foundation interviewed subject matter experts at vidIQ to put together this case study filled with real data and actionable insights.

Two great examples in one of what exactly a subject matter expert can do.

Why Subject Matter Experts Are Important

Why should subject matter experts spend all of this time learning the ins, outs, and all other aspects of a topic? SMEs actually have an incredibly important role to play and can provide a number of key benefits to businesses.

They Boost Authority, Trust, & Credibility

If a business works with an SME or a piece of content quotes an SME’s expert insights, they’re immediately gaining a level of authority, trust, and credibility that they wouldn’t otherwise have.

For example, a learning and development team is going to have a much higher level of credibility if they can publicly share that they’re working with an SME from their industry to put together the best possible training materials they can.

In another example, a company blog post that interviews a well-known industry SME is going to be trusted much more than a blog post that some random freelance writer put together.

The name and experience from the subject matter expert lends authority to your business or piece of content more than anything else could.

They Use Correct Lingo & Terminology

Subject matter experts know what they’re talking about, and they’re going to have the appropriate lingo or jargon to match. However, they can still explain themselves in a way that anyone can understand.

Using the right language can be extremely important in certain industries, something that some writers can miss if they don’t have the level of training that an SME would have. The correct terminology can be the difference between someone trusting you or thinking you’re full of it.

They Improve Content Quality

Interviewing SMEs and incorporating their direct insights into different pieces of content helps boost the quality of that content in a way that not much else can. Instead of a generalist piece, that content has now incorporated expertise that can provide readers with a new level of insight.

They Help Businesses Make Better Decisions

SMEs also often consult with businesses to help them train teams, make informed decisions, and design new systems that can help further their growth. Working with a subject matter expert can be a great way to get specialized insight into a problem your business is facing so that you can expertly resolve it.

How to Become a Subject Matter Expert

Interested in becoming a subject matter expert yourself? Follow along with these steps to get started—but understand that it’s going to take a lot of time, training, and learning to get there.

Choose Your Topic

Start off by choosing a topic. This could be a topic that:

• You already have some level of knowledge in and can work towards gaining more
• You’re extremely interested in already and looking forward to learn more about
• You know there’s some room in the industry for more subject matter experts

Whether you’re starting from scratch or already know a little bit about your topic, it’s important to choose something that you’re essentially ready to dedicate your life to learning all about.

Grow Your Knowledge & Expertise

Now it’s time to start learning everything you can about your selected topic. You can do this by:

• Finding blogs and online publications dedicated to your topic
• Reading books published by other experts in your field
• Watching related videos
• Discovering and listening to podcasts
• Getting hands on experience
• Taking courses or getting a degree in your field

Take your time, finding anything and everything you can relating to your topic of choice. As a subject matter expert, you have to know whatever there is to know about your subject. If you have questions, you need to find answers. If you’re not sure how something works, you need to find out.

Test Theories to Gain Tangible Data

Another great way to gain knowledge and expertise is by conducting experiments and testing out your own theories to see what works and what doesn’t. Having tangible data to back up your insights is even more powerful than sharing your expert opinion.

Make Yourself Available For Interviews

Once you’ve learned enough about your topic that you feel comfortable talking about it, make sure people in your industry know who you are and that you’re available to sit for interviews or provide quotes.

To do this:

• Create a website that promotes your experience, shares that you’re available for interviews, and makes it easy to get in touch with you
• Build a personal brand on social media that helps people in your industry discover you
• Regularly share content on social media platforms like LinkedIn to lend credibility to your expertise

Sign Up For Speaking Engagements

Look for conferences and events in your industry that are looking for speakers. This can get your name out there even more and help you showcase your expertise. Plus, as you become more prominent in your industry, some of these speaking engagements can be extremely lucrative.

Offer Consulting Services

Another way to use your subject matter expertise to earn an income is by offering consulting services. Consult with businesses or professionals about your topic, steering them in the right direction so they can grow.

Publish Thought Leadership Content

Finally, regularly publish thought leadership content that helps put your insights out in the world. This will make you an even bigger authority in your industry and makes it easy for others to quote you and spread your experience even further.

Create your own blog, or use platforms like LinkedIn or Medium to publish your content. Or, reach out to specialized publications like Forbes, Business Insider, and the like to see if they’d be interested in publishing something you’ve written.

How to Find & Work With Subject Matter Experts

Maybe you don’t want to be a subject matter expert, but you’d like to work with one to help boost the authority of your business and its content. These tips can help you find the right SME for your needs.

Know What You’re Looking For

Subject matter experts vary greatly in their online presence and availability, so it’s important to know what you’re looking for from the start. Some SMEs may be influencers in their space with large online followings. Others may be less visible but still provide subject matter expertise.

Before approaching a subject matter expert, consider what it is you’re hoping a subject matter expert can help you with? Do you want to interview them for a video? Get a quote for an article? Get their help setting up specialized processes in your business?

Some other needs to consider include:

• Are you looking for someone who has done extensive research in your space?
• Do you want someone with a large following?
• How important is celebrity to you?
• Does it matter where in the world they live?
• What is your budget?
• What is your timeline?

Knowing what you’re looking for is the first step in finding the best suited SME for that purpose.

Search Social Media

Use social media platforms to search for subject matter experts in your field. Instagram, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn are all great places to start. You can also conduct a Google search or use AI tools to aid your search.

When using a platform like Instagram, search hashtags related to the topic of your choice and follow subject matter experts while engaging with their content. This can help build a relationship before you ever ask for their help.

You can also check X/Twitter by using a similar formula. Search for people tweeting about topics relevant to what you’re promoting with a subject matter expert or SME in the search.

Being a more professional network, LinkedIn is another great space to find subject matter experts. Use the search bar and type keywords surrounding your industry or topic to find people who share content about that topic.

For example, you can search for “podcast marketing,” then look through results for posts, people, and groups to see who comes up. You should also look at a potential SME’s existing posts for ideas on how they describe certain subject matters to ensure their content matches your needs.

Source

When using Google, you can include subject matter experts and your subject/keyword in the search. For example, type in “subject matter experts business blogging.”

You can use AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude to assist with your search as well. Simply ask the AI bot to recommend some of the top subject matter experts within your industry.

Check Professional Associations

Professional associations can also help you find subject matter experts for your content.

For example, the American Marketing Association (AMA) has local chapters that include subject matter expert members active in their communities.

You could join a few of these organizations to meet subject matter experts or ask other people if they know subject matter experts in their communities. (Note that if you have interest in becoming an SME yourself, you can search for associations within your own industry to join.)

Other marketing-related organizations to search can include:

• Canadian Marketing Association (CMA)
• American Advertising Federation (AAF)
• Association of National Advertisers (ANA) 
• Social Media Association (SMA)
• Association of International Product Marketing and Management (AIPMM) 

When reaching out to these associations, be sure to mention you are looking for a subject matter expert post for your blog or that you need help finding subject matter experts in a specific field. If they don’t have someone that matches your needs, they may still be able to connect you with another organization that can.

Review Competitor Sites

Another way to find subject matter experts is to look at other companies’ websites. Many will have subject matter expert pages or author bylines that can help you find relevant experts in your field.

You can also browse competitor blogs and see who they reference in their posts. This can give you a great list of subject matter experts to reach out to, who may be willing and happy to share their experiences with your company.

Don’t know who your competitors are? Tools like Ubersuggest can help you see who’s ranking against you and why.

Ask Your Network

Leveraging your own network is a great way to find trusted subject matter experts. 

If you’re looking for someone proficient in Google advertising, maybe you know someone who works at Google or has worked with them in the past. Similarly, if you want to write about SEO, find someone that has been working in this space for many years.

You can also ask your existing subject matter experts to recommend other subject matter experts they know or have worked with.

This approach is a great way to find subject matter experts who already trust you and are willing to share their experiences as part of helping you out. With this tactic, you stand to form longstanding relationships with SMEs in your field.

Get Their Insights

Subject matter experts can be used to provide valuable insight to your audience on a subject they are passionate about. This can come in the form of blogs, webinars, lead magnets, live events, website copy, testimonials, and more.

Here are a few more ways to leverage their expertise:

• Interview them on a podcast
• Ask them to write a guest post
• Get help with your content strategy
• Get help reviewing content ideas, such as blog post or white paper topics
• Use quotes in your content to lend credibility
• Have them work with ghostwriters to produce content
• Ask them to guest host a webinar (then create blog posts from the transcripts)

You can also use subject matter experts as industry influencers, building credibility and trust with the people you’re trying to reach. Remember, subject matter experts aren’t just limited to bloggers or traditional media types. Anyone who knows something special is fair game.

Just make sure to clearly define the role the SME will play in your content strategy or with your business and communicate regularly to ensure everyone is on the same page.

The most important thing to remember when choosing subject matter experts for your brand is to find people who are passionate about the subject and eager to share what they know.

This also makes it much easier for them to produce high-quality content, so you can be sure your business is getting a good return on investment (ROI).

FAQs

What is a subject matter expert?

A subject matter expert (SME) is someone with deep, specialized knowledge in a specific field. They usually gain this expertise through years of education, hands-on work, and research. Businesses rely on SMEs to provide accurate insights, use the right terminology, and bring credibility to decisions or content. For example, a lawyer focused on freelancers, an SEO strategist, or a medical researcher could all act as SMEs in their fields.

How do I become a subject matter expert?

Choose a field you are willing to study in depth and dedicate yourself to continuous learning. Read industry publications, take courses, and gain hands-on experience. Share your knowledge through blogs, social posts, or thought leadership content to build visibility. Speaking at events, offering consulting, and making yourself available for interviews will also establish your authority. Over time, as you publish and connect with your network, you’ll become the go-to expert in your niche.

What does a subject matter expert do?

An SME researches, advises, and helps others understand complex information. They may consult with businesses, create training materials, resolve specialized problems, or provide expert quotes in content. In short, they act as trusted advisors and translators of deep knowledge, helping teams make informed decisions and giving content credibility.

Subject Matter Experts Improve Your Content

Subject matter experts (SMEs) can play a huge role in boosting your business’s credibility, helping you create better processes, and putting out higher-quality content. Learn more about what else you can do to write great content in our guide.