What is an expert network? How it works, costs and alternatives

An expert network is a company that finds people with firsthand experience in an industry, company or technical field and arranges paid conversations with them. You describe what you need to learn. The network searches its database or recruits new people, screens them, and sends you profiles. You choose who to speak with, it schedules the call, and you pay per call or draw down a prepaid package.

The main buyers have been investors, consultants and corporate strategy teams. Most of the large firms now sell more than calls: transcript libraries, surveys and longer advisory placements. If you only need a few conversations, it helps to know what you are paying for before you ask for a quote.

How an expert network project works

The process described by most large networks looks like this. Third Bridge lists it as four steps: you discuss the brief with an account manager, it sources custom profiles, you pick the experts, and it schedules the calls. Third Bridge expert calls

1. Brief. You explain the question and the kind of experience you want, for example "someone who ran procurement at a regional food distributor in the last three years."
2. Sourcing. The network searches people it already knows and often recruits new ones for your brief. Dialectica says over 65% of the experts it connects are first-time, custom-recruited professionals. Dialectica calls
3. Screening. The network checks that each person has the experience claimed and is allowed to talk. GLG says every expert completes a compliance screening and agrees to confidentiality terms before a call. GLG expert calls
4. The call. You run the conversation, or at some firms a consultant or an AI interviewer runs it for you. Transcripts and summaries are often available; at some firms they carry a separate fee.

Here is a hypothetical example. A founder building supplier-onboarding software wants to know how food distributors vet new suppliers. An expert network would take that brief, find a handful of former and current procurement managers, and schedule 30- to 60-minute calls. The founder's job is to write good questions and decide who is relevant.

What an expert network costs

Most large networks do not publish prices. GLG, AlphaSights and Guidepoint ask prospective clients to fill in a contact form or request a trial, and the service pages linked here show no fixed rate. A few firms do publish numbers:

These are published starting points, not quotes. Two pricing models are common. In pay-per-use, you are billed per hour of consultation. In a subscription, you prepay for credits at the start of the year and use them up as you book calls. Wikipedia's overview of the industry describes both. Expert network overview

When you ask for a quote, ask for the total cost of one hour-long call: the expert's fee, any network markup or credit value, transcription, minimums and cancellation terms. Then compare that total, not the headline rate.

Expert advisor networks and expert network consulting

You will also see the terms "expert advisor network" and "expert network consulting." They usually describe the same firms selling longer engagements. GLG offers deal advisors and board placements, AlphaSights runs Deal Advisor searches, and Third Bridge offers an Advisors service. GLG AlphaSights services Third Bridge

Use a call when you have a specific question. Look at an advisor placement when you need someone to work alongside your team for weeks, such as during a deal. For an ongoing advisory role at a startup, the expert directory and a direct approach may be enough.

When an expert network is the right choice

A managed network makes sense when:

• You need many interviews across several roles and do not want to source them yourself.
• You cannot name the kind of person you need precisely, and want an account team to help.
• Your firm requires formal compliance checks, conflict screening or transcript review before and after calls.

It is often more than you need when you have one clear question, you can describe the person who can answer it, and you are happy to run the conversation yourself.

Alternatives to an expert network

• Your own network and warm introductions. Free, but slow and limited to people you already know.
• Direct outreach. Find the person on LinkedIn or a company website and ask. It costs nothing, but busy senior people often ignore messages from strangers.
• Advice marketplaces. Clarity lists people who offer paid calls and deducts a 15% service fee from the expert's side. Clarity service fee Our Clarity comparison walks through how that works.
• Paid invitations. In Instant Expert, you describe who you want to hear from, review the people it finds, and send invitations. You pay for calls that are booked. Each person decides whether to accept.

For the food-distribution example, a founder could start with the procurement professionals in food distribution directory page, shortlist three people whose past roles match, and invite them to a short paid call.

What to do next

Write down the one question you most need answered and the job history of someone who could answer it from experience. If you need help finding that person or must meet compliance requirements, ask two or three networks for quotes. Our expert network companies overview compares the main firms. If you can already describe the person, start a search and review who comes back before you commit to a larger contract.