How to Nail Your Subject Matter Expert Interview

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Wondering how to nail your subject matter expert interview for your article, blog post, white paper, guide, or some other piece of marketing content you’ve been tasked to write as a freelance copywriter or content writer?

Well, step right up.

Below, I answer the following:

  • What is a subject matter expert (SME)?
  • Why should freelance copywriters seek out interviews with subject matter experts?
  • How do interviews with SMEs differ from other interviews (like the ones journalists conduct)?
  • How do you nail your subject matter expert interview?
  • What are some best practices when coming up with questions for SMEs?

What is a subject matter expert?

A subject matter expert, or “SME,” is exactly as it sounds: A person has expertise in a specific topic. In my world of content marketing, an SME is usually someone within the organization I’m writing the content for. The SME might be the business owner, a sales rep, or an engineer. (That’s not an exhaustive list). I do a lot of writing for a urology practice, so the subject matter experts I talk to are urologists.

Why should freelance copywriters seek out interviews with SMEs?

There’s a glut of mediocre content, much of it written as part of a content marketing strategy. In the past ten to fifteen years, we’ve pumped out content at alarming rates, often for the sake of getting content “out there.” This worked for a while. But now, we have this glut.

Here’s the thing: When it comes to content marketing, the goal should always be to provide people with helpful content that goes above and beyond the mediocrity gumming up the interwebs.

To do this sort of writing, you need fresh, original perspectives. AI like ChatGPT can’t give you that. Copywriters and content writers who simply research and write up stuff can’t provide that unique perspective either.

But subject matter experts can.

Since everything I write is on behalf of a business that’s trying to promote its brand, products, or services, it makes sense that I should talk to subject matter experts within the organization. The SMEs will have hot takes, contrarian points of view, and an understanding of the little nuances that matter most to the prospects who are being sold to.

Bottom line: Talking to subject matter experts elevates content. It’s the special sauce and the thing that differentiates the content from the competitor’s.

How do subject matter expert interviews differ from other types of interviews, like the ones journalists do? 

The biggest differences? Allegiance, tension, and process.

Let’s talk about allegiance first. A journalist’s job is to be objective. You’re not beholden to a business owner. Your job is simply to capture and present the facts without bias. As a freelance copywriter or content writer, your allegiance is to the brand you’re writing for. This doesn’t mean you should ignore ethics. You certainly shouldn’t make things up. And you shouldn’t write misleading or incorrect info, either. But you’ll be writing things that ultimately make your client look good.

Let’s talk about tension. As a journalist, you often have to interview people who have no desire to talk to you. That can lead to lots of stress and tension.

When you’re a freelance copywriter doing an interview with a subject matter expert, there’s zero tension. The folks you interview are invested in what you’re doing.  They want to see you succeed since it’s beneficial for them and their business. So they’re usually happy to help.

That said, the nerves don’t go away in either case. This is normal, even for copywriters like me who’ve been at it a good long while. If you’re an introvert and you hate talking to people, conducting interviews via phone, Zoom, or in person can be challenging. Especially in person since that requires pants. 😉

Let’s talk about the process. In journalism land, you don’t give people questions before the interview, and you don’t let people review or edit your drafts. (The latter is a big no-no.) When you’re writing content for a client, the folks you interviewed usually sign off on their quotes and often make edits to your content.

How to nail your subject matter expert interview

Develop your questions in advance and send them to your interview subject ahead of time.

You’re going to want to do some preliminary research based on the angle of your article, blog post, or white paper. Develop questions from there and send them to the subject matter expert. Keep it reasonable, though. I wouldn’t send more than 15 questions via email. If you feel you’re going to need to ask a lot more questions than that, double-check to make sure the focus of your article is focused enough.

Set clear expectations.

How will you be conducting the interview? Over the phone? Zoom? Skype? Should they have their cameras on, or is audio-only OK? When scheduling, let people know how long you’ll need them. Plan for more time than you need. It will be a treat for them if you complete the interview early. Suddenly, they’ll have 10 or 15 extra minutes in their day.

Always send a calendar invite and make sure they accept it.

I always follow up a calendar invite with an email alerting them that I just sent it. (Yeah, yeah, I know.) And I paste the info in the email, just in case. I might be going overboard. But it works for me. You do you.

Send a reminder the day before or the morning of.

Provide the details, like a Zoom link, phone number, and the list of questions again. If you don’t send the reminder, then don’t be surprised when someone flakes out.

Show up early to the interview.

You’ll likely be conducting most interviews via phone or Zoom. Show up five minutes early. You’ll be able to troubleshoot any glitches. And if your interview subject is early, they won’t have to wait.

RECORD THE INTERVIEW.

Be redundant and use a backup device. I use Zoom and the memo function on my phone. I always alert people that I’m recording and explain why (because I can never read my own handwriting). I tell them that I promise I won’t use anything they say against them in a court of law. This almost always elicits chuckles and puts people at ease.

And while all of the above is true, the real reason you want to record is this: You will listen better and more deeply if you’re not worried about taking notes. I think you should still take some notes, as needed. But put your focus on your interview subject. Follow their directives. Yeah, you don’t want the interview to go off the rails, but allow yourself to follow tangents that seem relevant or interesting.

Ask follow-up questions or clarification as needed.

Your interview subjects will likely say something that surprises you or that you want to know a little more about. ALLOW for this. Ask those questions.

Resist the temptation to bring yourself into the interview.

I’ve seen this mistake one too many times. It’s not about you. Shine the light on your subject. (Unless, in rare instances, your experience is highly relevant or directly related.)

PAUSE AND TAKE A DEEP BREATH.

And when doing so, simply say, “Great, I’m just double-checking my questions here. Bear with me.” This allows for a little breather for both of you, and for you to catch any questions you missed.

Lean into the silences and let your interview subjects fill them in.

They will, too, because it’s human nature.

At the end of the interview, set clear expectations about what happens next.

For example, let them know when they can expect to see the first draft. Remember, in Copywriting Land, your interview subject will review, edit, and approve the final copy. This is one of the biggest differences between journalism and copywriting.

In Journalism Land, people don’t get to approve or change their quotes. What’s on the record is on the record. But in Copywriting Land, it’s a little different. So explain what happens next: “I’ll be sending you a draft in a week. You can make suggested edits in the margins, or if we need to discuss more complex edits, we can schedule a call.” Let people know they are welcome to reach out to you via email if they forgot something or whatever.

Be classy and say thank you.

Send a quick email thanking them for their time and reiterating the next steps.

Best practices for asking questions during interviews with subject matter experts

Ask open-ended questions. Remember, the goal is to get people talking.

If you need clarification, ask for it. Say something like, “Can you elaborate?” Or: “Can you provide an example?”

Don’t be afraid to ask someone to dumb something down. You can even ask them to do exactly that: “Hmm. I’m not quite sure I understand. Let’s pretend I’m ten. How would you explain this concept to me?”

Here’s a great question to end all interviews (or some variation):

  • Is there anything you were expecting me to ask that I didn’t?
  • If there’s one thing you’d want a reader to take away from this article, what would it be?
  • Is there anything else you want to make sure I convey?

Remember, don’t fill in the silences. IT’S SO TEMPTING, I KNOW. But bite your tongue, especially when asking these closing questions. Let the interview subject fill in the blanks.

Final tips on how to conduct an interview with a subject matter expert 

Use a service like Rev.com to transcribe the interview.

Either with a human or with their automated transcription, which is pretty good. It’ll make your life so much easier, trust me. Instead of spending valuable time transcribing the interview, you can focus on highlighting important messages, identifying great quotes, conducting additional research, and—oh yeah—writing awesome content. Plus, you’ll get to the writing part SO MUCH FASTER, which is good for the client and you.

Wondering how it’s good for you? Well, let’s say you charge $500 per blog post, and that includes initial research (keywords and topic), scheduling the interview with the subject matter expert, conducting a 30-minute interview, reviewing the transcript, writing the blog post, getting feedback from the client, and providing one round of revisions.

If you don’t record the interview and simply go by notes, I guarantee you’ll have overlooked something/forgotten something. And if you choose to transcribe the interview yourself, think of how much time that will take. I don’t care if you’re a good transcriber—it will take you at least 30 minutes (if you’re truly super fast) and more like an hour or more easily. What if you got that hour back for writing—or what if you get that hour back in your pocket, period?

Look at it this way: Let’s say it takes you five hours from start to finish to produce the final blog when you use a transcription service, but it takes you six to seven hours if you transcribe the interview yourself. You can do the math! Consider how much an hour of your time is worth.

Be kind to yourself, especially if you’re just starting out.

And know that even if you end up doing this for years, some days will be better than others. Even now, I still have moments where I’m like, “Hmm. That wasn’t my best work.” It happens. The good news is that all that messy stuff happens in the background. In other words, the interview itself is not the final product—the piece of writing is. So even if it’s a little messy getting there, you can still make sure the final prose shines in the end.

Are you new to copywriting? Here are my go-to resources for learning the ins and outs.

I use Amazon Affiliate links. If you use one of the links to buy something, it won’t cost you more, but I’ll earn a small commission. I only recommend stuff that I believe in. I own both of these books.

Aaand here are my go-to writing and editing resources.

Again, I use affiliate links where noted.

Got other questions about how to conduct an interview for an article?

Get in touch and ask away. Always happy to help!