For B2B businesses, in-house subject matter experts (SMEs) are a hugely valuable resource for brand building, profile raising and reputation enhancement. With their finger on the pulse, SMEs help businesses, and their most important stakeholders, understand the world around them and prepare for what might be coming next. Those attributes are, also, just what makes them such useful assets for media, too. In practice, however, newsrooms receive a constant volume of offers of quotes, opinions and ‘talking heads’. Alongside rising concerns about ‘fake’ AI experts (prompting a campaign by the CIPR and PRCA), even the most credible SMEs will rightly wonder how they can cut through. Four factors that make an SME useful to journalists Media relations should be a productive symbiotic relationship. SMEs provide vital points of view, evidence and credible analysis which journalists rely on for both research and reporting. In broad terms, there are four key areas that tend to define whether, and how, a journalist uses (and returns to) an SME. These can be framed as the ‘Four Ps’: Platform: What makes the SME both a currently relevant and a legitimate voice on this topic, and do they have any ‘skin in the game’? It’s not necessarily the expertise itself; being a source chosen above others can often be heavily influenced by wider credentials: does the SME chair an industry group on the subject, have they helped to shape government policy, or do they have a credible thought leadership proposition? Being first in the queue can be a trump card (see ‘P’ #2), but journalists will certainly look for a clear reason to quote this person above others on the topic, and for assertions that can be backed with context and credible proof points. Pace: Can the SME respond at speed and give journalists what they need in a timely fashion? For reactive opportunities, that often means minutes or hours, not days. With media relations, it is often speed over beauty. Sometimes, it’s the seemingly simple statements that cut through. SMEs can often underestimate their own expertise. Journalists may just want a straight-talking and speedy soundbite that validates a wider point or counterbalances an opposing take (see ‘P’ #4). Pragmatism: Is the SME able to join the dots between theory and practice? Journalists want to know what a topic really means for readers, so being able to translate knowledge into impact is key. The most usable SME commentary doesn’t simply state the factual position (that’s usually the reporter’s job). It explains why a story matters, what the implications are, who will benefit (or lose out), and what is being overlooked. Illustrative examples (case studies) and analogy can be powerful here. Punch: Sometimes it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Rhetorical devices, colourful language, idioms and colloquialism can turn dry content into punchy quotes, and vanilla opinions into more memorable soundbites. SMEs should always bear in mind that journalists may only use a couple of words from an expert to illustrate an editorial line, so delivering punch in as few words as possible is a key skill to hone. This is where working with a PR adviser who understands both the SME’s nuance and the newsroom’s needs can be a powerful force. Trust and mutual benefit SME-led media relations for B2B businesses works best when commentators deliver tangible intellectual capital at the right moment, in a form a journalist can use. Journalists want to work with people who help them do their job well. In a landscape shaped by shrinking editorial resources, information overload and declining trust in mainstream media, trusted SMEs who can respond quickly, explain clearly and help move the story forward are consistently valuable.