Thought leadership content works best when it’s built around genuine expertise. But what happens when your subject matter experts or other stakeholders make your job harder?
Let’s take a look at the most common ways internal contributors unintentionally derail thought leadership content – and how to manage these situations with tact and confidence.
The expert who wants to be the strategist
Sometimes, your subject matter expert (SME) brings more than just knowledge to the table – they bring strong opinions on the article angle, structure, messaging and writing style. While their expertise is valuable, things get tricky if they expect to control the content direction.
It’s not always an intentional take-over attempt – many internal SMEs aren’t shown the brief, or given instructions on how to provide feedback. They’re simply asked to review the completed content and provide feedback.
The way to reduce this risk is by setting clear boundaries upfront and provide more context. Often, involving contributors at brief development stage can eliminate this problem. However, if that’s not appropriate in your setting, the next best option is to explain that their role is to contribute expertise. Let them know that the article angle is based on broader marketing goals, audience needs, or campaign priorities. Reassure them that their insights are critical – but tactfully reinforce that content decisions are handled by the marketing team.
The stakeholder who rewrites the draft
Few things are more frustrating than receiving a fully rewritten draft from someone who wasn’t briefed on the goals, tone, or strategy. Suddenly your carefully planned thought leadership piece has been turned into a personal opinion column or sales pitch.
Get ahead of this by outlining and sharing the feedback process before you send the draft for review. Ask contributors and stakeholders to focus feedback on factual accuracy and areas where their expertise applies. Encourage them to use margin comments rather than rewriting the document.
The uninvited influencer
An executive sees a draft and decides to get involved – suggesting word changes based on personal preferences, questioning the tone, wanting to add his or her perspective, or even suggesting a completely different direction. Their influence can send things off track and dilute the strength of the message.
This scenario can be tricky to navigate. Where possible, identify potential influencers early and (if it’s appropriate) involve them at the concept stage (but not the drafting stage). Share your goals for the piece and how it fits into the broader strategy. Keep them informed, not involved. If late-stage feedback arises, listen, clarify the intent, and diplomatically push back where needed to preserve content quality. How well you’re able to navigate this can depend on the person’s seniority level, and their approachability.
The team of too many voices
Sometimes the problem isn’t one person – it’s too many. Involving multiple stakeholders often leads to conflicting feedback, delays, and diluted messaging. Collaborative input doesn’t mean committee writing.
This one is entirely avoidable, but habits can be hard to break – the longer your team has been working this way, the harder it can be to change the process. The solution is to nominate a single point of contact for approvals. Make it clear who the primary expert is and who has final sign-off. If others need to stay informed, share updates, not drafts.
The battle you can’t win
Some contributors or teams might simply not be a good fit for your thought leadership program. Perhaps the power dynamics are too entrenched, or an executive’s preferences override the strategy. If it becomes clear you’re fighting a losing battle, cut your losses – but don’t give up entirely!
If you can, choose a different expert or shift focus to a more cooperative team. Thought leadership content works best when it’s insightful, on-message, and supported by contributors. One piece of compromised content isn’t worth derailing the momentum of your entire program.
Managing internal contributors is part art, part process, and part patience. By setting expectations, and developing good stakeholder relationships, you can greatly reduce the risk of derailment – even if things get messy behind the scenes occasionally.
Want more tips for developing thought leadership content? Come along to our 27 August webinar: Building a Thought Leadership Content Program That Works. Register here.
Leonie Seysan is the Director of Article Writers Australia, and manages the team of professional writers and editors. She holds a Bachelor of Communications Degree (Media Studies) and has been writing professionally for over 15 years. Leonie is also the podcast host of "Content with Humans" and author of "Turning Insight to Influence: A Guide to Building a Thought Leadership Program".
