How much should I pay an expert for a call?

There is no standard rate. Ask what they usually charge, or offer a fair figure based on their seniority and the time involved.

What if the expert works at a competitor?

Do not ask them to share confidential information. Ask about the field, not about their employer's secrets.

Finding by who they are

How to find an expert to interview or advise you

To find an expert, look for people who have done the specific thing recently, not those who talk about it most, then ask them one clear question and offer to pay if it takes real time.

By Invenitor team. Updated 2026-11-01.

What makes someone a real expert for your question?

Expertise is narrow. Someone who ran logistics for a large grocery chain knows things that a consultant who writes about supply chains may not. So write down exactly what you need to know, then ask who would have had to learn it first-hand.

A useful test is whether they have made decisions in this area and lived with the results. People who have run the plant, filed the case or shipped the product know where the problems are. People who are only visible may be good talkers, and that is a different skill.

Where do you find them by hand?

Different kinds of expert leave different traces:

Academics: recent papers and review articles. The people cited on your exact question.
Practitioners: conference programmes, trade magazines and award lists.
Former insiders: people who have recently left a company, since they can speak more freely. Check that they are not bound by a non-disclosure agreement.
Regulated professionals: bar councils and professional institutes list their members.
Writers: authors of industry books and long newsletters.
Other experts: ask anyone you speak to, "Who else should I talk to?". This is the single most useful question.

How do you describe an expert in a search?

Describe the experience, not the word expert. "Former plant heads at Indian steel companies" works. "Steel experts" does not, because anyone can call themselves that. On Invenitor, one search costs 20 credits (₹40) and returns up to 100 people with their role, company and links.

Look at the people's history, and pick those whose experience matches your question most closely. You usually want three or four people, not one, so that you can compare what they say. See how to write a people search query.

How do you ask, and should you offer money?

Your request should tell them exactly what you want and how long it takes. Include these parts:

What you are working on, and who it is for.
Why them, naming the specific experience.
What you want: twenty minutes, or three written questions.
Whether it is on the record, for a story, or private.
Whether you can pay, and how much.

Whether to offer payment depends on your purpose. A journalist usually should not pay a source, and many newsrooms forbid it. A company seeking advice should expect to pay, since a consultant's time is their income. A student can honestly say there is no budget. People rarely mind being asked if you are upfront about it.

How do you run a good conversation?

Prepare by reading what they have already said, so that you do not spend their time on it. Open with your hardest question, not your easiest, because you may run short of time. Ask for stories instead of opinions: "Tell me about the last time this went wrong" gets far more than "What do you think about this?".

Ask what you should be asking but have not. Finish with the request for one more name. Then send a short thank-you the same day. If you quote them, check the quote with them, unless your newsroom's rules say otherwise.

How do you check what an expert tells you?

Even a true expert can be wrong, out of date, or have a stake in the answer. Protect yourself:

Ask about their interest. Do they sell to this market? Did they leave that company on bad terms?
Talk to at least three people, and notice where they disagree.
Confirm any number or claim from a document.
Be careful with claims about former employers. People can be bound by a confidentiality duty, so do not press them to share secrets.
Note the date of their experience. A market may have changed since they left.

If you need to reach many experts, the journalists page and the researchers page cover the extra care each involves. Contacts on Invenitor cost 1 credit (₹2), and only when an email or phone comes back, so you pay only for people you decide to ask.

Common questions

How much should I pay an expert for a call?: There is no standard rate. Ask what they usually charge, or offer a fair figure based on their seniority and the time involved.
What if the expert works at a competitor?: Do not ask them to share confidential information. Ask about the field, not about their employer's secrets.