Creating a Stronger SME Program

When I first started helping companies develop their PR and content strategies, the response was almost always the same: “Talk to our CEO—he’s the one who knows everything.” 

And maybe he did. But that approach created a bottleneck. The CEO was too busy. Media opportunities were missed. Content wasn’t created. And the company’s visibility? It stalled.

That’s why some of the most successful organizations today are building subject matter expert (SME) programs that reach far beyond the executive suite. 

These programs don’t just help a company scale its thought leadership—they make it more credible, more authentic, and more sustainable over time.

It also exposes a stronger team to the market, giving prospective buyers more confidence that the company can deliver.

Here are some reasons to consider broadening your thought leadership program beyond the C-suite.

A Wider Lens on Expertise

Relying solely on executives for public-facing content and interviews is limiting. And this is not a market in which you want to appear limited.

Leaders already have a full plate, and while they can speak broadly about strategy, the most valuable, specific insights often come from the people working directly on the problems.

Think about the director of engineering who’s building solutions or the client services rep who’s solving customer challenges every day. These are the voices that bring depth and authenticity to a thought leadership program.

We have had great luck getting the media’s attention by bringing them information from company subject matter experts who have their boots on the ground in the businesses journalists are reporting on.

Companies that empower employees at all levels to speak publicly about their work benefit in a few important ways: they scale faster, they gain credibility in niche areas, and they demonstrate a true commitment to employee development—something that helps with both recruitment and retention.

And there’s a practical advantage, too. When one of your top executives moves on (and eventually, they will), your program doesn’t have to grind to a halt. You’ve got a bench.

How to Develop a Bench for Your SME Program

You don’t need to go on a hiring spree to find great spokespeople. Most of the time, they’re already working for you. What they need is support.

Start by identifying people with deep domain knowledge, a strong perspective, and a willingness to share. Don’t get hung up on job titles. Your next great thought leader might be a mid-level manager who’s been quietly crushing it for years or a young team member with a fresh take on an old problem.

Then, help them grow. Not everyone will be comfortable doing live interviews or keynotes, and that’s okay. Some will shine in written content. Others will be great on video or podcasts. The key is to match their strengths to the right formats—and give them the coaching they need to succeed.

Support is essential. That means content help, time to participate, recognition for their efforts, and clear pathways to visibility both inside and outside the company. Without that infrastructure, the demands of the day job will always win.

I’m not suggesting that you just give your people permission to speak to the media on the company’s behalf. They need to be properly prepared, media trained, and have guardrails in place. Your SMEs need to be well prepared. It’s a good idea to have your PR representative on the line, just in case.

And remember, you can prepare your future thought leaders by giving them room on the blog to develop their voices. Careful oversight can ensure that everyone in the company is telling the same story, while adding significant value for your target publics.

A well-supported SME program allows you to be more strategic in how you respond to opportunities. It enables you to match the right expert to the right media opportunity, build a robust editorial calendar, and maintain a consistent voice across your company’s platforms. It also gives your internal teams more content to share—an added bonus when it comes to brand amplification.

We’ve seen firsthand how this works. One of our clients went from a few mentions per quarter to becoming a go-to source for journalists, thanks to a network of well-prepared SMEs who were ready to speak up when the moment called for it.

Getting started takes time. Building momentum requires patience. But the payoff—a more credible, scalable, and resilient thought leadership program—is well worth the investment.

If you’re ready to build a more dynamic thought leadership strategy, we’d love to help. Contact RGA PR to talk about building your own SME program and putting your hidden experts to work.