Does your content suffer from a lack of variety? Adding new voices beyond the communications team can help breathe life into your output and extend the thought leadership from a wider range of contributors.
Organizational blogs written only by the communications team sound monotone, no matter how skilled the writers.
Subject matter experts, program managers, frontline staff, and technical experts can all provide voices that readers want to hear from. When a museum curator writes about conservation, it carries weight that a communications officer’s version doesn’t. When a policy expert explains regulatory changes, readers trust the expertise.
Identifying voices and pulling them in
As usual, strategy is key to expanding the chorus of voices in your blog. Look for subject matter experts with deep knowledge. Frontline staff with real stories about client or customer experiences. Leadership who can speak to strategic vision. Your company’s data expert should probably be the one writing about data.
If the idea of new voices excites you, remember that not everyone will share that enthusiasm. Most subject matter experts aren’t writers and don’t want to be. That’s fine. You need their expertise. The communications team can handle the writing.
Schedule a 30-45 minute interview instead of asking people to write blog posts. The conversation format draws out stories and examples that might not make it into a briefing document. Tangents often lead to the most interesting material. Be prepared with a list of questions, and approach topics like a conversation. The interview extracts content that would take them hours to write, plus the connection you build will make them likely to say yes the next time.
Use a form if necessary
While an interview may be preferable, if it isn’t possible, a series of simple questions can help extract information in a similar manner. Let them know it’s fine to use bullet points. Ask for specific stories and real-world examples where possible. Ask whether there are any commonly asked questions about the topic, or anything they themselves find surprising.
Ask if there’s anything you haven’t thought to ask as a way to sidestep your own lack of knowledge on the topic.
With new contributors, your blog can achieve broader reach, and interest from new readers. Moreover, the voices will reflect the actual diversity of expertise and perspective in the organization.
Any suggestions on who you could ask to share perspectives within your organization?
I also share these blog posts on LinkedIn – visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbowness/ to connect with me there. Or hire me to help you build a contributor program for your blog!
