Subject Matter Expert on a Topic You Do Not Know
A subject-matter expert, (SME) is someone who has proper and relevant knowledge about a topic. In other words, the person who has an extremely higher level of understanding of any subject is known as SME. As a content writer, you need to sound like a subject matter expert on every niche you write. However, writing about a topic you have never written or heard before is often easier said than done. Let’s see how to be a subject matter expert on a topic you do not know.
Know Your Audience
One of the most significant mistakes writers do is that they do not have an idea about an audience. If you do not know your audience, how will you write about that particular topic? You need to know the audience group, their age, level of understanding, and their needs. This combined data is known as the buyer’s persona. The buyer’s persona is the best way to identify your audience. According to that, you can create your content or product.
Give Time to Your Research
The critical step after identifying the audience is to do research, and do it well. Also for research, find a trusted and relevant website on Google, and analyze its content. You do not need to go through 10 pages of Google search results. Take it slow, and make points of the essential topics. Additionally, you can download or buy eBooks on that particular industry. Focus more on beginner level guides to your industry or niche.
Subscribing to Newsletters
A newsletter is the best way to keep yourself updated. Whenever you visit any relevant website, subscribe to their newsletter. This will help you gain new knowledge about an industry. You can also discuss these newsletters with your colleagues, as they might share their perspective about that industry.
Following Social Media Handles of Industry Leaders
If you are not an expert on a topic, you can learn from the people who are. Industry leaders have different perspectives and have proper knowledge about the market and the occurrence of the industry. By following them, you can add values in yourself.
Identifying Your Competitors
Identifying your competitor does not mean that you should go to their site and steal ideas or posts. You can observe the essential things for analyzing your competitor and they can help you brainstorm and generate ideas. When you go to your competitor’s site, keep the following points in mind:
- What kind of points are they addressing?
- What queries are they solving on the website?
- Know what they think about the industry
- Know about what kind of content are they producing
Remembering these points, will give you ideas about the topic in which you are writing. Also, you can talk to subject-matter experts in the respective industry, as they can also share knowledge about the issue.
Conclusion
These were some tips on how to be a subject-matter expert on a topic you do not know. Keep learning, and keep exploring.
