Generate an Op-Ed
Op-eds are opinion pieces that are usually published opposite the editorial page in a newspaper. They are written by columnists, leaders of organizations, public officials, and community members. At most papers, anyone can submit an op-ed to convey a clear point of view about a topic of public interest.
Tips for Generating an Op-Ed
Check the editorial page or the paper’s website for instructions on submitting an op-ed. The preferred length is usually in the range of 500–800 words.
Scan your paper’s opinion pages to get a sense of what people are and are not writing about. Opinion editors often look for pieces that cover issues they are not yet covering.
Try composing your op-ed using the same EPIC format (Engage the listener, state the Problem, Inform about a solution, give a Call to action) you would use for a letter to the editor or laser talk. While an op-ed is considerably longer, EPIC can be a powerful and effective formula for organizing and presenting your thoughts and ideas. Remember, anybody can write; the difference between a published and unpublished piece is in the number of rewrites you are willing to do and your openness to seek and receive help if you need it. A good rule of thumb is to have an opening paragraph (engage), three paragraphs of content (problem and inform), and your closing paragraph with a strong call to action.
Get in touch with how you personally feel about the issue and feel free to use personal examples, relating your message to your own experiences. “Activate the heart before you activate the head.”
It’s often helpful to open with a story or anecdotes and then circle back around to it by referencing it at the end.
Because an op-ed is longer than a letter to the editor, resist the temptation to cover more issues or ideas and instead go deeper on the issue you want to cover. Tell an illustrative story, give a detailed example, include a bit more data, or highlight other people’s points of view. Keep it simple.
Make sure there is a call to action for your members of Congress and/or your readers. An op-ed is a prominent piece that will be read my many people; use this opportunity to be bold in what you want.
Make your piece current and relevant. Have it relate to something that is going on now.
Once you have drafted your piece, send it to your partners or grassroots staff members for feedback. This is a critical step. Feedback from others helps ensure that you have a piece of publishable quality.
Tips on Pitching Your Op-Ed to the Paper
Find out who makes decisions about op-eds for your paper. Sometimes this is different from the editorial page editor.
Submit your piece and then call him/her to confirm that it was received within 24 hours of submission.
Once you’ve confirmed it was received, call the editor or writer back again within 48 hours to see if they are willing to print your piece.
If you learn the editor does not plan to run it, find out why and determine if a revision would improve its chances of being published. In some cases, the paper may give you the opportunity to shorten it and have it printed as a letter to the editor. Alternatively, you can call another paper and ask if they would be interested in your op-ed.
When your op-ed is published, follow up with a thank you to the editorial page editor.
Ghostwriting
Sometimes an op-ed carries more weight if it is authored by a member of Congress, a high level expert on an issue, or a prominent member of the community. However, these individuals are often too busy to draft their own pieces, even if they’re sympathetic to our issues. In this case, you and your group can offer to ghostwrite an op-ed for someone else. This means that you and your group, as experts on the issue, would write the op-ed as if it came from a prominent personality, get him or her to approve your draft, and work with the individual to get the piece placed.
If you are looking to ghostwrite something for a member of Congress, here are some simple guidelines:
A good way to start is to call the legislator’s office and ask to speak to the press secretary or communications staffer. This would likely be the person to whom you would pitch your idea, as if you were pitching an editorial to a journalist.
Introduce yourself, let the staffer know about the issue, and help the staffer understand why a piece from your member of Congress would be a powerful tool in making effective change.
Offer to send a draft within a few days. If he/she wants to work with you, draft your piece according to the instructions above, and then send the staffer your draft for approval by the member of Congress.
Decide with the staffer if he/she wants to pitch it or would like your help. If the staffer wants to pitch it, make sure to stay in regular contact so you know the status of the piece until it is published.
If you wish to ghostwrite a piece for some other influential person, but don’t have a direct contact, call his or her office and ask who to speak with about the possibility of authoring an op-ed. Assistants and communications staff should steer you to the right person. Follow the steps outlined above and you are on your way to getting your issue in the news.
Be Attentive to Exclusivity Rules
Some papers have strict rules that prohibit submissions that have previously been published in other places. Other outlets may frown upon re-publishing a piece, but may allow it. Still others may have no problem with it. If you are interested in trying to run an op-ed in multiple outlets, make sure you know their policies and be upfront about exclusivity. Ask if you can offer the piece on a non-exclusive basis, and if the piece has been published before, be clear about this. As a general rule, national outlets (the New York Times, Washington Post, etc.) will not run a piece that has been published elsewhere. Smaller outlets may be more lenient.
Send Copies of the Op-Ed to Your Representatives’ and Senators’ Offices
Our main goal in getting media published is to influence our legislators to take bold and effective action on our issues – to create political will. Your members of Congress and their aides will pay attention to opinion pieces deemed worthy of publishing because they know that hundreds, perhaps thousands of other readers are seeing your call to action. An op-ed carries substantial clout!
Send the op-ed to your members of Congress. Due to delays from mail screening in Washington, we recommend you e-mail a copy of your letter.
Share the news and inspire others!
Speak Out to Community Members. In addition to contacting your legislators, send copies of your piece to other influential members of the community with ties to your issue.
Keep Your Issue in the News. Make sure to let your partners, friends and Brooke USA know that you’ve been published so they can respond with a letter to the editor and keep the issue in the news.