It’s time to revisit the old copywriter vs subject matter experts conundrum once again.
Subject matter experts are worth their weight in gold.
Without them, companies wouldn’t be able to function.
They are the unsung heroes and heroines who have dedicated their lives to understanding concepts that most of us find difficult to grasp.
It is through their encyclopaedic knowledge that your products and services lead the way in their field.
However, that expertise can also be their downfall.
I am about to stick my neck out and state categorically that I have never met a subject matter expert who can write engaging, coherent, interesting content.
Let copywriters write
I know a bit about many things, but I am an expert in only one area—writing.
Despite their wealth of knowledge, your subject matter expert can’t write for toffee – not in a copywriting sense.
Their problem is their depth of knowledge. What they don’t know about their field isn’t worth knowing. They are incredibly zealous and will happily talk about it for hours.
However, that is not what you want in your articles.
Your readers want to know how you will take their pain away. They’re not interested in the nitty-gritty. Simply tell them you feel their pain and you have precisely what they need to make it go away.
Of course, that doesn’t mean your subject matter expert’s knowledge is redundant as far as your marketing is concerned.
Copywriters and subject matter experts are a heavenly partnership
You need a professional copywriter working with you to get the most from your experts’ knowledge.
This is how it works.
I am currently in a long-term partnership with a City firm that creates software for Capital Markets and financial institutions.
As you know, the finance industry has experienced several shake-ups over recent years and has been subject to a growing number of regulations.
Needless to say, with every regulation, financial institutions have to revisit their working practices to ensure compliance. That means finding new ways to streamline services, improve the transparency of reporting, and increase the quality of their data. Of course, all this comes at an additional cost, so they want to be able to do all of this while keeping their costs under control.
When writing articles about these complex regulations, we work as a team. Of course, my client could get their subject matter experts to write articles for them. However, this presents a couple of problems:
- The subject matter expert doesn’t have time to write the content
- If they did write it, it would be incredibly detailed, dense, complex to read and far too complicated for the average Joe to understand
That’s where I come in.
After being briefed on the area to be covered, I research it to get a good basic understanding of the issue. Then, I interview the subject matter expert to get their take on it and how my client’s product helps their customers overcome the issues they are facing.
These interviews are usually taped because when you get a subject matter expert talking, it’s a job to stop them. Recording them ensures I have the information to hand so I can go back and tease out the most salient points.
The next step is for me to merge my research with the information gleaned from my client’s expert to create an informative article that addresses the impact of the latest regulation, the needs of their clients, and how their product will help (this bit is usually in the byline to ensure the article is a thought leadership/informational piece of content).
Copywriters and subject matter experts unite
Together, your copywriter and subject matter expert are a force to be reckoned with.
You win because you have two professionals working for you to create strong marketing collateral that gives your customers what they want.
Next time you need articles writing about complex issues, remember this blog post and call me.
Sally Ormond is a professional copywriter awaiting your call. Make sure your articles don’t bore the pants of your readers by calling her on +44(0) 1449 779605.