A guide for subject matter experts

Your role as a subject matter expert

How the programme works, what you will be part of, and why senior buyers respond to experts long before they respond to sales.

Build your profileShare your expertise with senior peers across your industry.

Build relationshipsOpen genuine conversations with the buyers who matter most.

Build pipelineTurn credibility and trust into commercial opportunity.

01 Why experts matter now

B2B buying has changed. Thought leadership, led by your experts, is now one of the best ways to engage buyers.

Senior buyers research thoroughly before they speak to anyone, and by then they have already formed a view. What they value is a conversation with someone of authority and experience, a peer who understands their world rather than a product being explained through features and benefits.

That is where a subject matter expert leads. You set the narrative and talk about the topics that matter most in your field, the impact technology and changing dynamics are having, and what it means for people like them. You bring empathy, understanding and a genuine peer-to-peer perspective, and that is what earns credibility, builds trust and opens the door to a continued conversation.

02 Who TechPros is

A platform for senior professionals to share insight and learn from their peers.

Through interviews, roundtable events and the Enterprise Thought Leadership Podcast, TechPros gives business and technology leaders a place to exchange the thinking that shapes their decisions. Participation is free, and the conversations are genuinely peer-to-peer.

Those interviews become content the wider market values: one-pager write-ups and Market View Reports. Participants gain visibility and a stronger network. Your expertise adds genuine substance to a respected programme that senior leaders already value and choose to be part of.

What our sponsors say

“I have sponsored TechPros programmes for several years and it has been fundamental to building our Market Makers educational community at 6sense whilst developing brand awareness and pipeline - our most successful programme this year and shortlisted for a B2B marketing award.”

Stefano Iacono
Marketing Director, 6sense

“Building relationships in a less salesy and aggressive way is crucial, and that’s where TechPros shines. I realised the potential of building meaningful relationships based on value, understanding our buyers’ needs, and addressing their pain points without a traditional sales approach. It’s all about value selling and fostering genuine connections.”

Emily Tippins
Chief Marketing Officer

03 How the programme works

1

Your podcast interview

We start with an in-depth interview with you for the Enterprise Thought Leadership Podcast. It captures your point of view and becomes content that attracts senior buyers to the programme.

2

Reaching the right people

We reach out to senior influencers and decision-makers in the sponsor's category, the people who shape discussions and could become advocates for the sponsor within their organisation. The aim is to open a genuine conversation and explore whether it could lead somewhere worthwhile for both sides.

3

The buyer interview

TechPros runs a short, research-led interview with each participant. We produce a summary of their key points to support the conversation that follows.

4

The exploratory (EXP) call

Your first conversation with the buyer. You go deeper into their insights and challenges, and start to build the relationship.

Your role

5

The one-pager

We draft a one-page write-up of their interview and send it to you both ahead of the review call.

6

The one-pager review (OPR) call

You run through the write-up with them, then, when it feels right, offer something of value as a next step.

Your role

7

The relationship continues

An educational session, a roundtable or a deeper discussion. The conversation moves forward naturally, and the published Market View Report raises everyone's profile.

Run by TechPros Led by you, the expert

04 Your role as an expert

Three things make you the centre of the programme.

Lend your point of view

You share your perspective in an interview for the Enterprise Thought Leadership Podcast, which can also become a social post in your name.

Lead the exploratory call

A short follow-up conversation where you draw out a buyer's insights and begin to build a genuine relationship.

Review the one-pager

You walk the buyer through their write-up, then offer a valuable next step when the moment is right.

Think of them as peers

The people you speak to are senior leaders at the companies you want to reach. You meet them as an equal, expert to expert.

05 The two conversations

The exploratory (EXP) call is a 20 to 30 minute follow-up after a buyer's interview. We send you a brief with their summary and suggested questions. Your job is to listen, go deeper into the topics they raised, and let them do most of the talking. Hold back on your solution. This call is about them.

The one-pager review (OPR) call comes next. You run through their write-up, confirm they are happy with it, and only then offer a valuable next step, an educational session or a deeper discussion. That is the value exchange, and it is where a genuine relationship starts to form.

Thought leadership is a dance, not a pitch.

What works

Focus the conversation on the buyer and their challenges
Listen, draw out anecdotes, take your time
Offer something of value before asking for anything
Let the relationship build at its own pace

What gets in the way

Opening with your company's credentials
Steering quickly towards your solution
Pushing for a sales meeting too soon
Treating the call as a qualification exercise

06 The value you create

Every interview produces something the buyer genuinely values.

The one-pager write-up. A polished, personalised summary of their thinking that they are proud to share. Because the experience is enjoyable and the output reflects well on them, interviewees often become advocates, championing you and your organisation inside their own company.

The Market View Report. Individual interviews come together into a peer-led report on the themes that matter to your market. It gives participants a view of what their peers are thinking, and it raises the profile of everyone involved, including you.

07 What we need from you

A modest commitment, with the heavy lifting handled for you.

TechPros manages the scheduling, the logistics and the write-ups. Your time goes where it matters most: the conversations.

~10 min

to prepare for your podcast interview

20-30 min

per exploratory and one-pager review call

1-3 hrs

a week once conversations are in flow

We handle the diary

Scheduling and coordination with interviewees is managed for you, so calls land at times that suit you.

We write it up

You get a clear brief before every call and a drafted one-pager after each interview. No paperwork.

The result is a programme that builds your profile, opens relationships with the buyers you most want to reach, and turns credibility into commercial opportunity, all from conversations you will genuinely enjoy.

08 Engaging on LinkedIn

Some of the best interviews start with a single comment.

When a senior leader at a company you would like to reach posts about AI, skills or a topic close to your field, we add a short, genuine comment from your profile. Nothing salesy, just a peer recognising a good post.

Because the comment comes from you, it appears in their feed and feels supportive. That gives us genuine context for a warm follow-up: a brief message saying we are interviewing thought leaders on the topic and would value their view, followed by a connection invitation with a little more about the programme.

We handle all of it on your behalf, from your profile, so it takes none of your time, and nothing goes out that is not the kind of thoughtful, low-key comment you would be happy to put your name to.

What it looks like

Their post · a senior leader at a target account

“Six months into rolling out AI tools and the honest lesson is this: the technology was the easy part. Getting people confident enough to use it well is the harder work. Curious how others are handling the skills side.”

Your comment · posted from your profile

“Couldn’t agree more - the confidence gap is where most rollouts stall. Really good post.”

The follow-up · message and connection invitation

“Hi [name], I enjoyed your post on the skills side of AI adoption. We are interviewing senior leaders on exactly this for a thought leadership programme, and I would love to include your view. I will send a connection with a bit more about it.”

It is always you

Comments go out in your name, in a tone you are comfortable with: simple, genuine and peer-to-peer.

Never a pitch

We comment to be supportive and to start a conversation, not to sell. The relationship comes first.

None of your time

We spot the post, write the one-line comment and send the follow-up on your behalf.

A warm way in

Because you engaged first, the interview invitation arrives with context, not cold.

09 Using your LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn is where these conversations begin, so with your agreement we reach out to prospective interviewees from your profile.

This is how most of our interviews come about. A message from a real person, with a real profile and a genuine field of expertise, is far more welcome than anything from a company page. Below is exactly what we do, what we need from you, and the promises we make in return.

Why we work from your profile

LinkedIn limits how many connection invitations a single profile can send each week, so working from your profile lets us reach the senior people the programme is built around. With your permission we send thoughtful, professional invitations to people we have already identified and approved with you, never a mass mail-out.

What we do with your profile

Refine your details

We may gently enhance your summary and headline so your expertise and the programme are clear, always keeping a neutral, professional tone you are happy with.

Add the interview guide

We add a link to the interview guide so anyone you connect with can quickly see what taking part involves.

Send approved invitations

Using our research tools, we send connection invitations only to the prospects we have agreed with you in advance. Nothing goes to anyone outside that list.

Follow up and hand over

We follow up with people who connect, and once someone is interested we hand the conversation to the TechPros team to book the interview.

What we need from you at the start

To begin, we need a quick way to relay your LinkedIn passcode when you log in. A short call, text or WhatsApp works well, since the code expires within a few minutes. You will likely only need to do this once or twice while we set things up. You can change your password whenever you wish, and you stay in full control of your account throughout.

Our promise to you

We respect your trust

Sharing access is a matter of trust and we treat it that way. We use it only to send approved messages and to arrange interviews, nothing else.

Your privacy is yours

Any personal messages or information we happen to see are ignored entirely and never acted on.

A small, named team

Access is limited to a small named team, your account manager, a researcher and our CRM manager, and no one else.

Nothing reaches your employer

Nothing we see or do is ever shared with your organisation. The work stays between you and our team.

Keeping your profile secure

We use technology called Multilogin to keep your profile in its own isolated browser environment. Your session, cookies, device data and IP settings stay separate, which avoids the conflicting logins and device-mismatch issues that can arise when more than one person accesses a profile. It keeps your account safe and well within LinkedIn's normal usage.

A dedicated, controlled profile

Your profile is managed in its own isolated environment, with no shared sessions or device clashes, so your account is never put at risk.

Your access is never interrupted

The way we work does not get in the way of you using LinkedIn normally and whenever you like.

You stay in control

You can change your password at any time. If anything ever concerns you, just raise it with us first and we will sort it out together.

What you will see

You may notice invitations, follow-ups and replies appearing on your profile. There is no need to respond to anything connected to the programme, we handle all of that for you. Please carry on using LinkedIn exactly as you normally would. The only thing we ask is that you talk to us before starting any other outreach campaign of your own, since two campaigns cannot run from one profile at the same time.

10 Frequently asked questions

The questions experts ask us most, answered.

How much of my time will this take?

Less than most people expect. Around ten minutes to prepare for your podcast interview, then 20 to 30 minutes for each follow-up call. Once conversations are in flow, one to three hours a week is typical. Scheduling, logistics and the write-ups are all handled for you.

Do I need to be a polished presenter?

No. These are conversations between peers, not performances. You are there because you know your subject. We send you a brief before every call, and the interviews are relaxed and led by genuine curiosity.

Is this a sales role? Am I expected to sell?

No. Your job is to share your point of view and listen well. There is no pitch and no target to hit on a call. The relationship comes first, and something of value is always offered before anything is asked for.

What if a buyer is not ready for a next step?

That is fine, and it is normal. Some conversations move forward quickly, others take time, and some simply build your network and profile. You are never under pressure to push for a meeting.

Where does my podcast interview appear?

It becomes part of the programme content, a recorded conversation and a write-up that attract senior peers to take part. We always show you the output before anything is shared.

Will the people I speak to know who I am?

Yes. You take part openly as an expert in your field. The conversations are honest and peer-to-peer, which is exactly why senior people agree to them.

What if I get a question I cannot answer?

Say so. "That is a good question, let me come back to you" is a perfectly good answer, and it often opens the door to a follow-up. You are not expected to have every answer.

What support will I get?

A clear brief before each call, a drafted one-pager after each interview, and the TechPros team handling scheduling and content throughout. Your time goes into the conversations, nothing else.