Writing an op-ed piece is one excellent way to make yourself known and establish yourself as an authority. The op-ed page (“opposite editorial”) faces the page on which the newspaper publishes its own statements of opinion.
When you’re choosing an op-ed topic, the more controversial, the better. A good op-ed piece promotes a strong point of view in 500 to 700 words.
The reason your topic is important right now should be crystal clear. Academicians tend to save their juiciest conclusions for the end – that’s expected in peer-reviewed journals. An op-ed piece is the opposite. The most compelling fact must come first. Well-crafted arguments should follow, making a clear case and concluding with a call to action. Read several opinion pieces in local and national newspapers to gain a feel for how they are done.
At large organizations, it’s not unusual for the op-ed piece to be ghostwritten by a staff member or freelancer, then submitted to the newspaper under the byline of the CEO or other relevant expert. If you don’t have the time to pen your own op-ed piece, you should be able to easily find someone to draft it for you.
Your piece will hit home if you combine a passionate approach with logical analysis. As with any writing submitted to the news media, language must be clear, punchy and direct. Editors are looking for plain English with concrete imagery.
Put a brief note outlining your credentials at the end of the piece to save the editor from the work of tracking that information down. Editors are likely to be receptive to pieces written by someone within the local community, so be sure to submit to your hometown newspaper as well as to all the newspapers in your state.
Some large newspapers will demand exclusivity. Ask the editor’s preference when you submit your piece. But many opinion-page editors understand that op-ed pieces are distributed to newspapers nationwide.
If you have expertise on a topic or have written a book on the subject, mention that. Experts have an edge on the op-ed page. For instance, the opinion editor of the Charleston Gazette in West Virginia was happy to receive a piece on the dangers of secondhand smoke written by the dean of the nursing school and the director of the cancer center at West Virginia University. Not only because they knew about the latest research, but because the had seen patients who suffered from cancer and other lung diseases as a result of secondhand smoke exposure. This gave them credibility.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when crafting an op-ed piece:
- Be provocative, original, timely. Tie your subject into a natural disaster, social trend, or other current news.
- Give examples. Use facts and statistics. Explain why you have come to the conclusions you are drawing.
- Write about ideas you feel passionately about. Tie your argument into your own experiences. Effective op-ed pieces are based on values and emotions, not simply dry reasoning. The ordinary reader must be able to relate to it.
Guest blogger Pam Lontos is president of the PR/PR public relations firm in Orlando and will be the featured speaker at the chamber’s October luncheon.
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