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Want to get better at conducting SME interviews? Learn from other experts. Yesterday, I watched Ryan Paul Gibson, a Customer Interview expert, interview Monica Moran on the George Coudounaris' B2B Playbook podcast. Here's what stood out to me: 💡Ryan set a comfortable tone by assuring Monica that she could skip any questions she wasn't comfortable answering. 💡Ryan's strength lies in his use of mirror questions – he restated Monica's points to ensure clarity throughout the conversation. Phrases like "Let me ask this in a different way" and "I want to zero in on that," helped clarify Monica's points. 💡Ryan's interview style involved asking numerous probing questions to encourage Monica to share more. For instance, when Monica mentioned the challenge of multitasking- “It is quite challenging but it’s the nature of how things are”, Ryan asked, “What was challenging about doing them both at the same time?” He also sought specific details by asking, “Do you recall when that was?” Ryan's approach emphasizes the importance of active listening and tailoring interviews to the interviewee's perspective. The focus wasn't on running through a checklist of questions or demonstrating eloquence. Instead, the interview centered entirely on Monica—encouraging her to share more of her insights and experiences. How do you conduct interviews? Do you use mirror questions or prefer to prepare your questions in advance?

Expert: I responded to your query on XYZ platform Me: *Screens quote* AI content detector: 100% AI content detected

Partner directories are not to be sneezed at. They are excellent for finding contributors for your roundup piece. I have connected with some amazing agencies over the years. The majority of them I found on the partner directory of these companies: 💚HubSpot 💚Agency Spotter 💚Clutch 💚Pipedrive 💚Facebook business directory 💚Sprout Social, Inc. 💚Klaviyo 💚BigCommerce 💚Unbounce 💚Databox 💚Shopify 💚Flywheel You can filter the right agencies for your article based on: 👏🏽The services they offer 👏🏽Industry 👏🏽Location 👏🏽Language 👏🏽Certifications (for some) 👏🏽If you’re working on an article about a certain tool, you can find agencies that use the tool. How to connect? ✅Find an agency that meets all your criteria ✅Search for them on LinkedIn ✅Search for their Head of marketing/marketing manager/account manager on LinkedIn ✅Send a personalized message (Tell them what you’re working on and why you want to connect. It’s okay to say you found their agency on XYZ directory) I’m looking for more partner directories to add to my list. Got any to share?

I recently caught up with my 85-year-old neighbor. She inspires me. She's learning Italian and volunteers as a yoga instructor for people with multiple sclerosis. She organizes hiking trips for women her age. You name a country--and there's ALWAYS a story. She's as strong as an ox and as wise as an owl. She got me interested in Neuroplasticity. In simple terms, it's our brain's ability to adapt and change throughout our lives in response to learning and new experiences. As we age, it's important to take care of our brain health, just like we do with our bodies. Our memory, attention, and other cognitive skills tend to decline as we grow older. Thankfully, there are many fun things we can do to keep our minds sharp. Here are some ideas I've curated, with the stamp of approval from Bozica: 💚Play games Challenge yourself with games like crossword puzzles, sudoku, and jigsaw puzzles. These games stimulate different parts of your brain--they rely on logic, word and visual and spatial awareness. They can help improve memory and processing speed. 💚Read widely Expand your mind by reading a variety of books on different topics, from business to history to contemporary classics. This does not only help you build vocabulary but also stimulates your imagination by exposing you to different cultures and ideas. 💚Engage your senses Try activities that use all five senses. For example, try forest bathing (https://lnkd.in/dKpmyAyA), cooking classes, or visiting a farmer's market. Engaging all your senses simultaneously strengthens your brain. 💚Learn something new It's never too late to learn a new skill, whether it's playing an instrument, dancing, or picking up a new language. Learning challenges your brain and builds new connections. 💚Teach others Sharing your knowledge with others reinforces your understanding and retention. Plus, it's a rewarding experience. I wrote about how I use this memory technique here: https://lnkd.in/dy6RRv8r 💚Change your routine Shake things up by taking a different route for your daily walks or trying a new mode of transportation. Breaking routines can boost brain activity and improve mood. Remember, you are your home. Take care of yourself.

Here’s ONE way to save time when crowdsourcing quotes for your article. 👏🏽👏🏽Create an Ideal Contributor Profile 👏🏽👏🏽 Answer key questions, such as: 1) What job titles do my ideal contributors have? 2) What industries do they work in? 3) What's the size of the company they work for? Are they self-employed? (This is important if you’re pressed for time. The larger the company, the more approvals they need to submit a quote). 4) Is work experience relevant? If yes, how many years of experience do my ideal contributors have? 5) Would my readers prefer to hear from professionals with XYZ certifications? 6) What location(s) am I open to? (If it’s a location-based article). Depending on the nature of your article, you might need to answer more/fewer questions. 🧡 It saves you time and resources without sacrificing quality. 🧡 You'll know where to scout for your ideal contributors when you know exactly who you want.

Duolingo had to go. The things I did to keep my streak and to rank in the top three each week in the leagues. I thought, 'This is crazy--must be cr*ck,' as I rushed through the paintings in an art museum after finding out someone else had taken my spot in the league. There were times when I'd pull out my phone at the pub to do my daily practice to avoid losing my streak. Learning the traditional way now--good old books and chat with locals. Duo is sad but he'll be alright. #ThisIsWhyI'mNotAGamer

Pressed for time and in need of quotes? Look no further than Q&A platforms. You can count on them to help you connect with professionals as fast as greased lightning. But, unlike manual prospecting where you cherry-pick your respondents. On these platforms, you'll get a mix of subject matter experts and fluffuencers. As such, you’ll have to invest some more time to screen quotes for: ✅Plagiarism Some “experts” lift sentences from Google. They do not rephrase or draw inspiration. They see it, they like it, they copy it and they paste it. ✅Expertise You can tell the difference between a quote written for links ONLY vs a quote written to educate others. Pick the latter. Skip tips that are common and obvious. ✅Nature of the site You should have a list of sites that are a no-go. Content farms? Sites that publish explicit or illegal content? Etc You decide. ✅Broken links These platforms are like those neighbors you can count on to water your plants when you're on vacay. 🔍Featured does the bulk of the work when it comes to Quality assurance. Verifying experts, filtering quotes, cross-checking the URLs, and so on. You can also specify the titles of the respondents you’d like to hear from. 🔍HARO is great for getting lots of quotes from professionals across diverse industries. The quality of the quotes sometimes might make you want to pull your hair. Also, your site needs to be of a certain DA to post questions there. So not friendly to new site owners. 🔍Qwoted is great if you prioritize quality over quantity. You might get 14 quotes here and 70% of them will be good enough. But the experts here are more PR and marketing-focused. Other platforms to check out: Pitchbox, Source Bottle, PitchResponse, Help a B2B Reporter Out and OnePitch. Do you source quotes on Q&A platforms as well? Based on your experience, what are their pros and cons?

Got an upcoming interview with a subject matter expert? Here are some tips to help you nail it: 1) State your objective(s) Define and communicate your goal(s) for the interview. Ask questions that directly relate to your objective(s) and help you achieve them. Avoid cramming multiple topics into one discussion. 2) Preparation is key An SME interview is not a “free and flowing” chat. Be prepared as a scout. Have your questions ready in advance or at least have an agenda. This will help you stay on track. 3) Record the interview (and triple-check) Makes it easy to transcribe and quote verbatim. Ensure you press the record button (double check)––a lesson I learned the hard way. I once had a 1-hour call with an SME, only to realize after the call that I forgot to press the record button. I’d rather run my entire neighbourhood than have that happen again (I HATE running). Sh*t happens but you can prevent it. 4) Leave room for more At the end of the interview, ask "Is there anything else you’d like to share?" The SME might have more to say that's important. Anything else you’d add? Brooklin Nash 💡Masooma Memon ✍️

I was a 'yes' person in my early 20s. I said yes to countless conferences, internships, and volunteer opportunities. Yes to working in startups for promised equity that never panned out. I learned a lot, and I don't regret it. But over the past year, I've become ruthless in saying NO. Why? 1: Time is my most precious asset as an entrepreneur. 2: Distractions often disguise as opportunities. 🫠When I engage in activities I don't enjoy, I'm stealing time from myself. 🫠When I invest time that I don't have in the "next cool thing", I deplete my energy and the things that truly matter suffer. 🫠When I let other people's demands distract me, my goals suffer. To free up my time: ❤️I delegate and partner with people that do the things I'm good at but don't enjoy. ❤️I turn down offers that don't align with my goals. ❤️ I've put a cap on the number of "passion currency" work I do annually--mostly for NGOs. I practice this - "Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables: that he that readeth it may run over it." I don't want to be everything. I don't want to do everything. Saying no has become my superpower.

In 2022, Joshua Hardwick conducted a Twitter poll asking his followers why they create expert roundups. 43.9% cited backlinks as the primary reason. These publishers fall into two groups: Group A hopes experts will link to their roundup because they're featured in it. Group B creates roundups for natural linking. Ironically, the majority of my clients (potential and existing) create roundups for other reasons: Primary motivation: ⭐They have few internal experts. They collaborate with industry experts to create content, expand their knowledge and shape their product offering. ⭐They use collaborative articles to engage their prospects and existing customers. ⭐To increase publishing frequency while maintaining quality and employee count. Secondary motivation: ⭐ To establish their blog as a leading resource for data and expert-backed insights. Curious to hear from other curators and publishers: Is backlinking your primary motivation for creating roundups today?