How I Find and Utilize Subject-Matter Experts’ Expertise for My Blogs: Sustainability Content Writing Tips

Are you struggling with research for your blog on sustainable living?

You have done your preliminary Google search, you have looked at a few books perhaps, and even read a few research papers on the topic. But your piece still isn’t speaking to the audience- despite the statistics and the internal and external links.

It feels like it’s lacking lived experience. So, you do what any good content writer does and go looking for a SME or a subject-matter expert.

But there you run into a problem.

While there is research from leading climate-scientists, sustainability is highly individual when it comes to lived experience. After all, none of our lives and needs are the same and so how we go green is unique too. And you aren’t looking for a SME to give you statistics you can find anywhere on the internet, no.

You are looking for a touch of uniqueness.

Well, like sustainable living, writing too is a highly individual activity. No two writers share the same process. Some would suggest looking at the wisdom of indigenous communities, while others would suggest looking at content creators on YouTube and other social media. Yet others will tell you to ask climate scientists for quotes.

And guess what, depending on your piece each one is offering a valuable input.

For me, the best ideas are always from my grandmothers and mothers from their everyday lives. Putting their cultural ideals alongside scientific research helps me craft my blogs in a way that brings wisdom and research together. Of course, they did unsustainable things too and I have to keep an eye out to ensure what I am saying is sustainable is truly green and ethical.

And of course, your insights from all you heard and researched are always important.

But here’s what I would do if I were looking for a subject matter expert for my blogs on sustainability.

How I Pick a Subject Matter Expert

Identify the SME You Need

Yes, I said that it is important to identify which SME, from content creators to scientist would benefit your blog the most. Yet, I tend to reach out to all the SMEs, from content creators to scientists, that I know for a comment on a blog. Depends on what I feel the blog needs.

Because when it comes to sustainability, the more opinions we get, the more helpful the blog is. After all, as I said, no two lives are the same. So, to make sure you reach your intended audience, you have to cover as many as ways of living as possible in that target group. If you’re writing for twenty-year olds, reaching to all your SMEs in that age range is a good idea.

Or you can use the idea of profession. Writing for tutors? Reach out to all the tutors you know.

Sometimes, I even reach out to regular people for their lived experience makes them experts. For example, in a blog on candle safety tips that I wrote for Our Better Planet, I chose to listen to the people who have been using candles for over five years as opposed to just candle manufacturers. After all, aren’t my audience which is mostly tweens and Gen Z more likely to listen to one of their own? Especially someone who has learnt a lesson the hard way?

Another tip I have is to look beyond sustainability. I have found some brilliant ideas and question when talking to both my SMEs and people who are distanced from the topic. After all, sustainability blogs are rarely about sustainability alone. They are usually intersectional. For example, a blog on sustainable investing is about economics, ecology, and ethics.

And sometimes an economist can have an insight, which an environmentalist might not have. Focus matters. This is why I often get my blogs beta read by people who are a little removed from sustainability as a topic. This help me see how much the regular audience can understand the topic and to gain insights which I might not find if I pull all my content from an eco-chamber.

Plus, I get to introduce others to a new part of eco-friendly living. What’s not to like?

For instance, let’s look at my blog for Gift Green India where I spoke about Plastic Free July Tips for those living in Urban India. It is ranking #1 for the keyword “plastic free July urban India” and “plastic free July tips urban India.” While those are extremely specific keywords, the blog is also in top #3 for “plastic free July tips India.”  Why am I mentioning that? Because I reached out to Sorbani Bhowmik, a regular citizen, to learn what causes problems in her transition to a plastic-free life. Using that I built tips which can solve the specific problems of those living in urban India and wanting to go plastic-free.

I did reach out to sustainability experts. My aim though was to prioritize quotes, problems, and solutions from people who are everyday citizens in urban India.

But more important than identifying which experts you need to go for, is to identify what kind of quote or expertise you need. For example, in the above blog if one of my SMEs from outside Urban India responded with willingness to lend a hand, I would have presented Urban India’s problems to them and asked what their cities or towns have done to solve similar problems.

Always keep the aim of your blog in mind when asking for expert advice.

Where I find my Subject Matter Experts

I think the previous section has shown that depending on your topic, unless it is very technical, you can find SMEs anywhere.

You need to look at sustainability experts such as climate scientists, content creators who are known for their research, researchers themselves, teachers, and industry leaders.

And then you have to look at the other half of your topic- who it is aimed at. And what area of sustainability it goes into.

Depending on these, I usually look at the works of YouTube creators and channels such as Gittemary Johanson, and Our Changing Climate. Then I reach out to environmentalists I know such as TrashySisters, Yashvi Jain, and others. I reach out to climate scientists and researchers on Instagram.

After this, I use Instagram and my circle to contact others whose contributions will add value to my piece. You can also use other social channels. For example, Tumblr is a good place, in my opinion, to find stuff related to fandoms. Redditt discussions can provide insight but it can be hard to navigate them and you might need to wait a while to gain enough insights. Plus everything is best if it’s fact-checked. LinkedIn creators such as Isabelle Drury and Rachel Lawton share valuable insights on regeneration and sustainability. Industry experts on Twitter and LI are extremely helpful too.

In short, you can use the social media platform you are most comfortable on to do your research.

Now that you have a SME or two, how do you ensure you don’t waste their time and actually get insights that add to your piece?

Utilizing A Subject Matter Expert’s Expertise

Identify the Kind of Expertise You Need

From cases studies to quotes to lived experiences to actual research they have conducted, Subject Matter Experts are a wealth of information. They aren’t called experts for nothing. But not every form of expertise is applicable in every blog. You have to dress the advice in a manner meaningful in your piece as shown in the above example.

Thus, identify what your blog needs and ask for that specifically. In my case, I usually asked for quotes, lived experiences, innovative ideas…but depending on who your SME is, you need to ensure their strength and the needs of your blog align by asking for the right type of expertise. In sustainability, I feel lived experiences and case studies are the most interesting but that’s also because I write personalized and often lifestyle content. If you are writing a piece on sustainable medicine for example, statistics could be wonderful as could be the medical experience of a doctor whose hospitals has tried green initiatives. What worked and what failed. Why. These are great questions to ask. In such a case, a simple quote on green medical practices will serve less than having a full conversation.

You have to ensure you always keep what your blogs aims to solve and for who in mind when asking for SME expertise. Fellow writer, this is especially if you are asking questions. Let’s see why!

Ask the right questions

Now while many will tell you to ask specific questions, I instead focus on asking broad questions because those can lead to a whole new direction of thought. If asked to ask specific questions, I have the exact things I want an opinion or a fact on ready, but I prefer to just hear unfiltered thoughts about a topic. To me, that is more beneficial as it means new ideas. Sometimes, it can even change the whole direction of a piece. Other times, it has resulted in me getting ideas which some have called “thought leadership.”

Oh, but always remember to give credit to your SMEs for these ideas. It’s their work after all.

At the end of the day, who your SME is depends on your piece and the angles you are taking. Yes, usually content creators with lots of research experience and thought leadership under their belt, scientists, authors, and academics are considered SMEs. But for me, it is a person with experience in a certain field, as shown by the Plastic-Free July and Sustainable Candles blogs. I would rather reach out to a fitness trainer and have a conversation on different shoe types and their impact on fitness and vegans and sustainability experts for a piece on vegan and eco-shoes than just stick with the sustainability expert because the niche of the blog is “eco-friendly” living.

Remember, when it comes to sustainability writing, you are almost always writing about the intersection of research and its application in everyday imperfect life.

Let me know if you use any of these ideas in your sustainability writing!

P.S.- If you ever feel that some insight or fact is off, I encourage you to ask for sources. Respectfully. After all, knowledge shared and questioned, is knowledge grown.

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Also see- How I find Clients for Sustainable Content Writing Work.