Once upon a time, journalists were the ultimate authorities. They selected the stories, they conducted the research, they wrote the articles, they held the microphones, they pointed the cameras, and they controlled the papers and the broadcast towers. Journalists shaped, or at least influenced, public opinion and narrative. Today, however, the traditional journalist is disappearing. Now anyone can be a contributing writer, commentator, or pundit. Anyone can espouse their opinion. Anyone can be an expert or pretend to be one.

We now live in a twenty-four-hour news cycle when content cannot be created too quickly and news outlets race to be first with a story. There is so much information of all types that we gravitate toward the familiar and the reassuring. We don’t read to be taught anymore; we now read to be validated. The most popular sources of news are now marinated with entertainment and drama to increase appeal. Yet, trust in media is at an all-time low. Cries of “fake news” abound.

It would be convenient if SMEs could ignore the shifting sands of journalism and dismiss the trend as irrelevant. But SMEs are experiencing many of same challenges that reporters are facing, with the only difference being that the challenges are less obvious for SMEs.

Trends in technology, consumer preferences, and popular behavior influence SMEs and journalists alike. From an SME’s perspective, the journalist is simply the canary in the coal mine. If the air is polluted for the journalist, then the air is also polluted for the SME. If someone is critical or distrusting of journalism, then they are probably critical or distrusting of SMEs as well. If consumers don’t have patience for long-winded articles, then they probably don’t have patience for long-winded explanations from SMEs either.

Today’s SMEs need to take a page from journalism. Modern consumers of information don’t want data served dry, cold, and brittle. They don’t want to wait two minutes for something that can be served in one. They don’t want to smell condescension in the air or be told that their opinions don’t matter. They want to be informed and entertained, educated and inspired. They want what they want, and they are only interested in what you have if it helps them get what they want.

So, learn to give people what they want, at least a little bit. Give them enthusiasm. If SMEs can’t be passionate about their field of excellence, then who can? Give people some excitement. If an SME can’t show interest and enthusiasm about a subject, then who will? Give people a reason to believe and show them a reason to care.