Do you love working with subject matter experts (SME) to get your content created and delivered? For me, yes and no. What a terrible answer, right? Whether you create videos, documentation, courses, PDFs, or website content, you have to go to the source of knowledge. SMEs are invaluable and willing ones are one to send regular gifts to for their hard work
I have been in roles where I don’t understand the content itself very well and need someone to produce that content, then I will transform it into a customer facing asset. Other times, I am able to produce that content on my own and run it by someone for a final check. Here are some problems that content creators may face and how to overcome them.
SMEs don’t have time to help me
This is one of the more common complaints that we hear about working with SMEs. I have worked in the software space where I need the developer, product manager, or marketing person to help clarify or produce content and they just don’t have time. How can this problem be solved? First, build solid personal relationships so that the communication is comfortable and honest. When two people see eye to eye, you can hold each other accountable. Second, align content goals with those Dev or Product teams. This starts with company alignment down to department/team alignment. If SMEs are not expected to produce from their team or manager, it won’t get done on your timeline. Lastly, have a system in place to make their job easier. More on that later.
SMEs don’t see the value in documentation or content
I had a person in product management once tell me that they didn’t see the value of technical writers because they just clean up docs and don’t add value to the documentation. He just wanted to push out content on his own and bypass the writing team. As we know, a single source of truth is best when delivering content to the customer. Content creators know the pulse of the customer and what they expect. Dev teams aren’t writers or trainers and can produce suboptimal customer facing content. Content teams organize, audit, and centralize this up for actual consumption in many cases.
SMEs may be difficult to work with
It may just be the company culture or individual, but sometimes the SME can be a difficult personality. I recommend regular intervals of communication to set expectations of what each person’s role is in the process. I also recommend that you find a system that a SME can easily add notes, tasks, and comments to. A system will make it easy to manage a project or task and take pressure off of them.
SMEs are people just like us with other priorities. Content isn’t their main job, so we can empathize with them that content creation may seem secondary to their day to day work. Comment below and share your best tips and tricks working with SMEs. Thanks for reading.
Comments