The 40,000-view wake-up call

I was reviewing analytics with a construction firm last week when something caught my eye.

A simple two-minute video of their senior project manager explaining a complex foundation challenge had racked up over 40,000 views on LinkedIn. It was well-produced but straightforward—just their expert on site, speaking directly to camera about a real problem they’d solved.

Meanwhile, their competitors with a steady stream of generic AI-generated blog articles—technically accurate but lacking that authentic voice of experience—struggled to get even 500 views per post.

The project manager looked slightly embarrassed. “I was nervous about being on camera, but your team made it so easy. I just explained what we actually do every day. I never expected anyone to actually watch it.”

This isn’t an isolated incident.

We’re seeing this pattern repeatedly across Sydney’s professional services landscape. Law firms, accounting practices, IT consultancies, construction companies—in every sector, video content featuring real experts consistently outperforms even well-written blog content that lacks that authentic human expertise.

And the gap is widening.

Why expertise is winning the attention war

Something fundamental has shifted in how professional audiences consume content.

In a world drowning in AI-generated articles and corporate marketing speak, authentic human expertise has become the scarcest and most valuable commodity.

Your prospects can spot the difference instantly.

They can tell when they’re reading generic content created by marketers versus insights from someone who has actually solved the problems they’re facing. They can feel the difference between rehearsed corporate messaging and an expert speaking from genuine experience.

This shift is being accelerated by three converging trends:

AI content saturation

As AI tools make content creation easier, they’re simultaneously making written content less valuable. When everyone can generate seemingly credible articles with a few prompts, the perceived value of generic blog content plummets.

Trust erosion

With misinformation rampant across every channel, audiences are becoming increasingly selective about who they trust. Real expertise—demonstrated through specific insights that can only come from experience—creates credibility that no marketing budget can buy.

Connection hunger

After years of digital transformation and remote work, professionals crave authentic human connection. Seeing and hearing real experts creates a connection that polished corporate content simply cannot match.

A law firm we work with discovered their “Meet the Team” videos—simple conversations with their specialists—had become their highest-converting website asset, outperforming their practice area pages by 340%.

The most underutilised assets in your firm

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: The people who understand your clients’ challenges best are probably not in your marketing department.

They’re your technical specialists, project managers, senior consultants, and practice leaders—the people with deep expertise earned through years of hands-on experience.

These subject matter experts are your most valuable marketing assets. Yet in most firms, their knowledge remains locked in their heads or buried in text-heavy documents, inaccessible to potential clients and invisible to your market.

Why? Because traditional marketing approaches create unnecessary barriers:

• Experts feel intimidated by the perceived need for polished presentation
• They worry about saying the “wrong thing” or looking unprofessional
• They don’t see content creation as part of their role
• Firms rely too heavily on written content that AI can now mimic, rather than showcasing their unique human expertise through video

Transforming reluctant experts into content creators

In our work with Sydney professional services firms, we’ve developed a proven methodology for helping even the most camera-shy experts become confident content contributors.

The key is removing the perceived barriers while creating a process that respects their time and plays to their natural strengths.

Step 1: Start with conversation, not creation

The biggest mistake firms make is asking experts to “create content.” This immediately triggers perfectionism, procrastination, and avoidance.

Instead, begin with simple conversations about what they’re working on, challenges they’re solving, or questions they frequently answer. Record these conversations (with permission) as raw material.

Step 2: Focus on teaching, not performing

Many experts freeze when asked to “present” or “be on camera,” but naturally come alive when asked to teach something they care about.

Frame content creation as education rather than performance. Questions like “How would you explain this to a new client?” or “What do people misunderstand about this topic?” tap into the natural teacher in most experts.

An IT consultancy we work with completely reframed their content program as “The Expert Education Series.” Participation jumped from 20% of their technical team to nearly 80%.

Step 3: Create psychological safety

For many experts, the fear isn’t about being on camera—it’s about looking foolish or saying something incorrect that might harm their professional reputation.

Establish clear ground rules that experts have final approval on any content featuring them, can request edits or retakes, and won’t be pressured to speak on topics outside their comfort zone.

Step 4: Implement a progressive comfort model

Start with formats that create the least anxiety, then gradually expand as confidence grows:

• Begin with written Q&As or quotes for articles (no recording required)
• Progress to audio-only interviews (less visual pressure)
• Move to casual video conversations (with an interviewer as guide)
• Eventually, standalone presentations when comfort allows

The four content formats that showcase expertise best

Not all expert content formats are equally effective. Through extensive testing across our client base, we’ve identified four approaches that consistently showcase expertise while generating meaningful engagement:

1. The Problem-Solution Showcase

Format: Short (1-3 minute) videos where experts outline a specific problem they’ve encountered and explain their approach to solving it.

Why it works: Shows practical expertise in action rather than theoretical knowledge. Creates immediate credibility through specificity.

2. The Myth-Busting Series

Format: Experts directly addressing common misconceptions in their field, explaining why conventional wisdom is wrong and what the reality actually is.

Why it works: Creates immediate attention through contrast. Positions the expert as someone willing to challenge assumptions and speak truth.

3. The Behind-the-Scenes Process

Format: Experts walking through their actual methodology or approach to solving problems, ideally with visual aids or examples.

Why it works: Reveals the thinking behind solutions, not just the outcome. Shows depth of expertise through process details that only true specialists would know.

4. The Expert Roundtable

Format: Multiple specialists discussing a complex topic from different angles, with light moderation to keep the conversation flowing.

Why it works: Shows the breadth of expertise across your organisation. The natural interplay between experts creates engaging dynamics while reducing pressure on any single person.

The technical barriers are lower than you think

Many firms assume expert content requires expensive equipment and complex production. The reality is much simpler.

Simple editing is usually better

Heavy editing and production often diminish rather than enhance expert content by removing the natural qualities that make it authentic. Simple trimming of starts/stops and adding basic titles is typically all that’s needed.

We’ve found that when it comes to thought leadership, successful videos were those with minimal editing—just enough to remove awkward pauses while preserving the natural speech patterns that conveyed authentic expertise.

Consistency matters more than perfection

Regular, consistent content from your experts creates more impact than occasional “perfect” pieces. Audiences follow and engage with experts they come to recognise and trust over time.

A Sydney construction firm implemented a “Weekly Wisdom” format where different project managers share one quick insight each week. The individual videos are simple, but the cumulative effect on their brand authority has been transformative.

Creating systems that scale expert content

The biggest challenge for most firms isn’t creating initial expert content—it’s developing systems that make it sustainable and scalable. Here are the approaches we’ve found most effective:

The content calendar that actually works

Forget elaborate editorial calendars that map specific topics months in advance. For expert content, we’ve found a more flexible approach works better:

• Block regular time slots for expert conversations (monthly or quarterly)
• Maintain a running list of broad themes rather than specific topics
• Allow conversation to flow naturally around current projects and challenges
• Extract multiple content pieces from each expert session

Our preferred approach with our content marketing retainer clients is that we’ll have a regular recurring scheduled video content session with their team to capture stories from their team and their happy clients. From each session, we’ll create up to 20+ different content pieces across various formats and channels.

The extraction team approach

Assign specific responsibility for turning expert conversations into usable content. This typically includes:

• An interviewer who guides conversation and asks follow-up questions
• A content producer who transforms raw material into finished pieces
• A technical reviewer who ensures accuracy (often another expert)
• A distribution specialist who ensures content reaches relevant audiences

The confidence-building feedback loop

Create systems that show experts the actual impact of their content contributions:

• Share engagement metrics and positive comments
• Forward specific client responses to their insights
• Highlight business opportunities influenced by their content
• Celebrate significant milestones (views, shares, leads generated)

The expert content competitive advantage

In an increasingly crowded and AI-saturated content landscape, your firm’s genuine expertise is your most defensible competitive advantage. Unlike your brand, website, or service descriptions, your experts’ knowledge can’t be easily copied or replicated by competitors.

The firms gaining the most significant market advantage today aren’t those with the biggest marketing budgets or the slickest branding. They’re the ones who have solved the challenge of making their expertise visible, accessible, and engaging to potential clients.

Your experts are your best marketing asset. The only question is whether you’re leveraging them effectively.

Ready to transform your firm’s expertise into compelling content that drives real business results? Let’s talk about how we can help your experts shine.