Establishing thought leadership in the 21st century is no easy task. The news cycle moves at the speed of Twitter and Facebook, challenging even the best press strategists to stay ahead.
One of the best traditional tactics for building thought leadership has been the op-ed. This is an opinion piece written on a relevant news topic from the writer’s point of view. Unlike a press release, an op-ed is typically sent to, and published at, a single outlet instead of many.
Opportunities for op-eds to be published are mixed. On the one hand, many prominent outlets such as Roll Call, The Huffington Post, and Investors Business Daily have closed their editorial shops in recent years. Conversely, a recent McClatchy study found that quality opinion pages drive significant traffic for regionally influential outlets such as The Kansas City Star.
My company finds that op-eds are valuable for our clients. We are not alone – a Pinkston Group white paper showed that the op-ed is still pretty awesome. You just have to use it the right way.
Tailored but flexible
The modern op-ed strategy must be tailored to the news cycle without being stale. Everyone has an opinion – but if you provide a unique piece of data or provide an unusual perspective, your opinion will have more credibility and value. This also ensures that if your op-ed isn’t immediately placed, you can simply make minor adjustments for the next relevant news cycle.
Likewise, an op-ed which has a unique proposition can be tailored within a single news cycle to different audiences. If one outlet turns it down and you are able to slightly modify it for another outlet, all the better!
A multi-use tool
Op-eds are also valuable as a multi-use tool. They can be great social media, handout, and newsletter collateral, showcasing your reach and influence. They can be the basis for a video op-ed or multiple blog posts to drive traffic to your site. They can even be the launching point for a comprehensive media campaign.
A brand builder
A third benefit of op-eds is that they can build significant credibility quickly. No matter the industry, offering a unique perspective or data point will draw the attention of gatekeepers and readers alike. A thought leader with a modest media presence, the right angle, and an evergreen perspective can be placed at increasingly influential outlets fairly quickly.
One of our favorite brand-building op-ed tactics is to find a co-author. For example, the president of a national trade association may have trouble getting placed in a regional outlet…unless an association member is in that region. Conversely, someone with less credibility may be able to write a great piece and get a higher-profile co-author.
Just remember…
Now that you know op-eds are awesome, there are two other important things to consider:
First, unless you have a great relationship with an op-ed editor, you must have a great subject line for your pitch. Otherwise, to quote former Huffington Post D.C. Bureau Chief Ryan Grim, “you’re dead.”
Second, remember the three Ts of getting in the press. You must have the right title and the right topic, but none of that matters if you have the wrong timing. In other words:
- The president of an accounting company is more likely to get published than a junior staffer.
- Unless that president is talking about rocket science.
- But even if that president is writing about accounting, he or she is better off doing so near April 15 than on Thanksgiving Day.
