How to get the most out of SME interviews

Speaking to subject matter experts is one of the toughest parts of being a B2B marketer. My (unsubstantiated) theory is that it really comes down to a deep seated fear that you don’t have “a real adult job”. And now, you’re forced to face someone who actually does. Someone who’s good at math or physics or whatever else made you feel intellectually inferior in 8th grade. 

Unfortunately, speaking to someone with 15+ years in traffic management or B2B telecoms or cross-cultural communication is the only way we can come up with any honest marketing for those markets. So, why does the thought of having a one-on-one conversation with an SME make your palms sweat? 

In this blog, we’re letting you in on what we do to prepare for and conduct SME interviews so we can get the most out of them.

The delicate balance of preparation and improvisation

At Velocity, we start every interview with a lie. We reassure our SMEs: “This is just an informal conversation.” But it isn’t. It’s a careful balance of preparation and improvisation. The best interviewers come in knowing just enough to be trusted with more wisdom but open up opportunities for some surprising insights.

How to prepare for interviews

Sean Evans, the host of the YouTube show Hot Ones, is famous for conducting thoughtful, in-depth interviews with his guests. When Vanity Fair asked him how he’s able to cover so much ground during a single 10-wing interview, he said: 

“I saw an opportunity because most interview shows don’t do this level of research. They confuse their proximity with celebrity for actual celebrity and they don’t do the actual work. It almost sounds sad to say, but by virtue of taking it seriously and working really, really hard, we’ve kind of set ourselves apart from the pack.”

It’s not a new piece of advice for interviewing. Every guide to interviewing talks about good preparation and research. But I think Sean’s point here about “taking it seriously” is the important part. In B2B marketing, taking the research seriously means looking beyond the company’s website and blog (or your SME’s LinkedIn profile). It means looking at competitor and analyst perspectives, scouring academic journals, and delving into subreddits and forums. It means coming into the interview with a hypothesis. 
Thought-provoking questions help SMEs think about what they do on a deeper level. It unearths exactly why they’re excited about doing what they do because they’re no longer talking about the surface level concepts that you’ve already researched. The value of coming in with a viewpoint isn’t to prove your credibility. It’s to signal that you can skip to the good stuff because you’ve got the basics down.

How to get to the good stuff

Ziwe, the host of Showtime’s late-night talk show Ziwe, is both a talk show host and comedienne. So, her interview style is all about being in the moment. She says: 

“I may have prepared a list of 100 questions, and if they answer one and it goes in some sort of a direction I didn’t expect, it’s up to me as an interviewer to follow that direction. That’s where you get really honest reactions from not only my guests but from me because I’m not expecting it. I don’t know what they’re going to say. I don’t know what I’m going to say but it seems like the conversation’s happening in real life.”

The B2B version of being in the moment is a little different. Ziwe is listening out for unexpected threads to pull on. Those moments tend not to arrive organically in B2B SME interviews — you need to create them. The best way to elicit surprising responses from your SMEs is by asking follow up questions that drill into their personal experience. 

For example, I recently interviewed some employees for a client blog series on employer branding. Someone said that their company supported personal growth. When you’ve seen as many job ads as I have in my career, your brain instantly responds, “who doesn’t?”. So, I asked “What do those moments of support in your personal growth look like?”. The SME told me that it was how her coworkers workshopped the concept in the office kitchen one day and how a colleague on the dev team in the company took the time to beta test her idea. 

Asking people to dig a little deeper forces them out of general platitudes and into original thought. Even if it’s hard/annoying at first, they’ll wind up enjoying the interview process more too. 

Brandon Stanton, the Humans of New York blogger, does this everyday. He stops grumpy New Yorkers on the street in the middle of an errand or on the way to something to ask them deeply personal questions and somehow comes away with the most touching insight into their lives. How does he do it? He said:

“I think for a lot of people there is something “honoring” about being interviewed. You feel like you have something to say, that there’s something interesting about your experience. A lot of times people are annoyed when they’re first stopped, and then they get into it. People like to feel like they have a story worth telling. When you have someone who’s super interested in your story … It makes you feel important.”

Now, all you have to do is listen.

How to balance preparation and improvisation

No matter who you’re interviewing or what the subject matter is, there are some basic rules for every interview.

Before you ask a single question, set the stage. Tell your interviewee what you’re here to do. It could be as simple as: “We’re here to pick your brain about the emerging IT trends in South Africa for our upcoming quarterly report. Your insight will help us explain to readers why these changes matter and how they can stay ahead in their industry. Shall we get started?”.  

Halfway through the meeting, share a quick recap. Mention what you’ve covered and what you’re hoping to achieve by the end. It’ll keep everyone focused. 

Ask if there’s more. Finally, once you’re at the end of the interview, ask: “What should I have asked you today that I didn’t?”. That will leave you and your interviewee the reassurance that you’ve covered every important aspect of your story.

Your role in an interview with an SME

The good news is that marketing becomes “a real adult job” once you start taking it seriously. Most SMEs expect marketers to skate along the surface because every marketer they’ve ever met has. You can break that cycle. Because once you’ve proven you’re interested in their world, they’ll become interested in yours.