You’re a startup founder or the CEO of a large company (or your boss is). You’ve seen others do thought leadership, an op-ed to be more specific, and you think you’ve got it too. Contributed content, contributed essays, guest articles, op-eds. Call it what you want to call it – you know it’s time to incorporate it into the mix. But where to start?
Well, you’re in luck. We recently published our second episode on the Runway podcast, a conversation with none other than Jake Meth, the Founder of Opinioned and former Editor of the op-eds section at Fortune Magazine. After spending years building and running the opinions section, he’s now crossed over to the other side and works with clients looking to place opinion pieces in top tier publications such as Entrepreneur, Inc, CNBC and The Hill.
So, building on Jake’s guidance and expertise (and complementing them a tiny bit with our own experience) it was a no-brainer to put together this guide to op-eds.
For a full transcript of our chat with Jake, uncensored and unsummarised, click here.
Part 1: Planning and writing op-eds
Wait a second, what is an op-ed?
It really depends. Each publication might have a different understanding. For sure, different publications look for different things in their op-eds. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll define op-eds broadly, as described by Jake in the podcast. It’s a guest article, or contributed article, that includes unique opinions and/or insights, unique or valuable enough to warrant publication in a media outlet.
Client education and expectation management
There’s nuance to op-eds. A lot of work goes in. And as always in PR, it can take a while to see results. Things can happen. Texts might need to be tweaked. Contacts might leave publications or the editor could have a bad day when your email goes out. You might need to try different outlets and different contacts before getting even one result. So it’s important to ensure clients understand the time and effort involved in getting an op-ed published. Set realistic expectations about the timeline and make it clear that there might be rejections. After all, it’s “earned”!
Skin in the game and identifying original and thought-provoking Ideas
The first step, OK, kinda goes without saying. But it always helps to double check. You do need to consider how original and thought-provoking your idea is. Especially in comparison to views that others are expressing. In theory, you don’t need to be a blue chip CEO. But, whether you are a startup founder or the CEO of an established company, you need to be a person with thoughts about the wider industry.
You ideally are already reading what leaders in your industry are writing, and attending events where these topics are discussed. If you’re doing things right, you probably already have unique, interesting opinions worth expanding and sharing (and getting published, in the right format). If not, perhaps you should go back to the drawing board. Improve your reading diet, attend some events, speak to the movers and shakers and form new opinions. Needless to say, if you have no connection whatsoever with the industry or topic you’re writing about, you should reconsider. Skin in the game is almost a hygiene check.
Understand reader interest and relevance of topic
It’s not just about you! On the side of the equation is the media outlet and its audience. It needs to be something that the outlet’s readership will find interesting. You have to understand the readership. What are they interested in and what will bring them value? Every publication is different. So ask yourself: would this particular publication with this particular readership be interested in this particular piece? Is this a topic that is a relevant discussion currently? Within this discussion, is my op-ed thesis unique?
Aim to provide a unique perspective or insight
Once you’ve chosen your topic, it’s time to dig deeper. Ideally your thesis is clear from the start, but is it unique or interesting enough? Many outlets do appreciate spicy or contrarian views. Every person is unique, and every business leader has lived through unique experiences. What can you see that you believe others are not quite seeing as clearly? From where you stand and based on your experience, how do things look? Everyone’s journey of building a business will take them to different places where they learn different things. The key is understanding what that unique place is, and what value you can take from there to others for their own journeys.
Use research, curate and present efficiently
If you can, incorporate original research or data into your thought piece. It significantly enhances the quality and credibility of the piece. However, do validate your data to ensure accuracy and reliability. You can also use existing, third-party research. Here, your skills at curating it and presenting it in an accessible and engaging way will yield dividends. On the pod, Jake mentioned a person successful in ‘translating’ new medical research into something we can all understand, and pitching those as contributed pieces. The key is to make the complex readable and understandable for the audience.
Leverage personal experience
Op-eds aren’t anonymous. It has your byline!. And, if you make it yours in the right way, it will boost the attractiveness of the piece. So do share personal experiences and insights, especially if you have significant expertise or firsthand knowledge in the subject matter. Use anecdotes and real-life examples to add color and depth to your argument.
Last checks: run your piece by someone, check for a flowing structure
Test your idea by running it by someone with no association to the topic. Be honest with yourself (David Beckham meme comes to mind) about whether the idea is genuinely interesting and valuable. Ensure your argument is well-structured, logical, and robust. Include solid advice, good examples, and comprehensive reasoning to support your point of view. Compare with similar Pieces. Look at op-eds in target publications to see if your piece fits in terms of style, tone, and content. Aim to meet or exceed the quality of comparable op-eds.
Part 2: Pitching op-eds
Focus on the idea, not just the author
Of course, it matters a lot who the author is. However, at this stage we already made sure the author is relevant. And the editor will expect you to pitch someone relevant. So focus on the quality of the idea over the prominence of the author in your pitch. Start the pitch with the idea unless the author is extremely high-profile.
Concise explanation
Synthesising texts to the core idea is a skill you’ll want to develop. Make sure you provide a concise yet comprehensive explanation of the article in the pitch email. You need to ensure the editor can understand the entire argument from the pitch itself.
Write the full piece first
Generally, write the entire op-ed before pitching it, as most outlets prefer seeing the full piece. This is due to the general lack of time of most outlets, and their expectation that you should be able to get what they are interested in (all that planning before yields dividends here). Only pitch the idea first in cases of longer pieces or unique circumstances where the outlet specifically requests it.
(The right kind of) persistence in pitching and follow-ups
It pays off to be persistent and planning options. Be prepared to pitch to multiple publications (but one at a time). Understand that it can take multiple attempts to get an op-ed accepted. Sometimes as many as 18 pitches! Not to the same person or publication, of course. But don’t worry about following up a few times to the same person if you believe in the strength of your pitch and piece. Remember: Jake was an op-eds editor himself at Fortune, so he knows how editors tick. Editors know you are doing your job as a PR professional in trying to get through and can discern between reasonable and unreasonable persistence. It’s their job to field pitches.
Alternatives
If traditional outlets do not accept the piece, consider self-publishing on platforms like LinkedIn or the company website. Recognise the value of self-publishing for reach and message control.
Pitches Get Stitches
And remember, you can always send your pitch and piece to Jake anonymously for him to break down in his email newsletter, Pitches Get Stitches.
Relevant links
Runway Podcast: Jake Meth of Opinioned – How to plan, write and pitch the perfect op-ed
