Whatever is going on in the news cycle and the world, everyone has an opinion. For small business owners, sharing that opinion openly and honestly can be a great way to boost your brand, while presenting yourself as a subject matter expert and thought leader.
Give your brand a stance to stand out!
It also allows you to show where you stand on an issue you care about, helping you connect with your target customer base, or any potential partners or investors who may share your values.
Traditionally, an op-ed is an opinion piece: one person expressing strong opinions about something that affects them and their peers. You might have pointed commentary on economic or legislative changes, for example. Or you may think the actions of a high-profile brand is letting a whole industry down.
However, an op-ed can also be an opportunity to offer some tongue-in-cheek commentary on something in your area of expertise – a high-profile leadership fail or branding blunder, for example.
You could also share your own story about something affecting you and your business. This kind of article can really strike a chord with others in the same situation.
Either way, your opinion or your story should be:
topical,
time-sensitive,
adding value to the audience you share with the journalist
relating in some way to the news cycle, or the cultural moment you’re in.
You can find our guide to pitching an op-ed to the media here. But arguably the harder part is actually writing the thing.
Writing is a skill that comes easily to some and not to others. However, following a few key guidelines can help you get your point across clearly. Then, you can always work with an editor or colleague to polish up your piece.
4 things to consider before writing an OPED:
What are you writing about?
This sounds obvious, make sure you’re clear on what your article is going to be about.
Passion is so great, but it can cloud your vision, and it’s easy to conflate issues you care about deeply. Having a clear topic and angle in mind will help you stay on track and write something coherent, concise and powerful.
Is your opinion informed and relevant?
Who might you alienate (and do you care?)
Don’t write an ad
7 tips to write an opinion piece that stands out for small and starting businesses
Once you’ve clarified your argument and established it’s a good idea to share it, it’s time to put pen to paper.
For a lot of people, this is easier said than done. But with a few pointers and a bit of practice, anyone with great ideas to share is capable of writing a great op-ed.
Here are seven tips to get you started:
Read a lot and write a lot
Great writers are invariably great readers. It will of course help to read other opinion pieces, to get a sense of different styles of forming an argument, but the more of anything you read – think fiction, magazines, news articles, business blogs – the better writer you will become.
It also doesn’t hurt to practise. Like anything else, the more you write the easier it will become, even if no one ever sees your musings
Don’t force an opinion
Get your thoughts in order
Just. Start. Writing.
Make it personal
Keep it short and sweet
Let editors to do their thing
Now that you're ready to write your oped, check out our other resources!
What does an oped looks like? Check out EzyCom open-source framework library here 📣
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