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Home > Resources > Placing an Op-Ed
Placing an Op-Ed: What Editors Want
Editors usually have some very concrete requirements for selection. Timeliness is an
important consideration. Even if your op-ed does not break new ground, you may be able
to find a news hook: a holiday, an anniversary, an election, an upcoming conference, a
report, a vote in Congress or pending action by local or state government. Editors want
opinion pages to be relevant to ongoing events. If properly crafted, your op-ed can help
achieve this goal.
The author’s byline can make a huge difference. Having the article signed by a local
or national expert, your group’s president, a member of the clergy, or a well-known politician
could enhance its prospects of being printed.
- Editors also tend to look for the following:
- A provocative idea on any subject
- An opinion on a current issue that is controversial, unexpected, authoritative, or
newsworthy
- A call to arms on a neglected subject
- Bite and wit on a current issue
With the above criteria in mind, you should pay attention to current events and
look for an angle that is provocative and new. Op-ed pages rarely run
announcements of events, status reports or the blatant promotion of organizations or
obscure causes. Most editors see this as a section for sharp opinion, advocacy,
denunciations, controversy and surprise.
Investigating Submission Requirements
Call the newspaper first to confirm the name of the editorial page or op-ed editor and to ask
about criteria for submissions. Larger papers including the New York Times and the Washington Post, have recorded messages that explain how to submit an op-ed, as well as
the process by which you will be notified if a submission has been accepted or declined.
Some newspapers accept op-eds by fax—but ask first. You should also ask about the
approval process. In most cases, the newspaper will call you to clarify some of the facts only
when they have decided to print your piece.
Getting Started with Writing
The first step in writing an op-ed is to think through what message you want to deliver. What
is your goal—to recruit volunteers, start a grassroots campaign, sustain of increase public
funding, pass new legislation or educate opinion leaders and the public?
Defining the goal will help you determine which audience you need to reach: the
general public, local or national policymakers or specific groups such as voters, teachers,
health care professionals or senior citizens. Defining the audience will also help you
determine which outlet the op-ed is best suited for: your local daily or weekly paper, a
professional journal, a state or regional paper like the Denver Post or Boston Globe, or the
much more competitive national papers such as the New York Times or USA Today.
Here are ten helpful hints to consider when writing the op-ed:
- Try to reduce your point to a single sentence. For example: “Every child deserves a
family”; “The United Nations needs more funding”; “Women have achieved enormous
strides in the past decade.” See if your sentence passes the “wow” test or the “hmm”
test; if not, the point needs sharpening.
- Any point worth making will have to be defended. Muster your best three of four
supporting arguments, and state each one in a single paragraph. Be as specific as
possible.
- Avoid starting sentences with “There are.” Use the active voice rather than the passive
voice.
- Raise your opponents’ best arguments, and challenge them with countervailing facts,
withering irony, condescension or whatever is appropriate, but address them.
- Ask yourself, What is the minimum background information a reader absolutely has to
have in order to grasp this point? Write two paragraphs that summarize this information.
- Imagine your target reader browsing through the newspaper on a workday morning,
rushing to find something interesting. What kind of statement might catch this person’s
attention? If you can raise questions, surprise, intrigue or baffle your reader into getting
past the first paragraph, you stand a chance the editor will let you put the entire op-ed in
the paper.
- Now, write the piece. Draft about a thousand words (four double-spaced pages)
maximum. Restate your key points in the final paragraph.
- Cut out half a page. Eliminate repetition. Trim words, not ideas. Check every word and
see what you can eliminate. Convert passive verbs to active ones. Give the piece to
someone else and ask that person to review it. If rewriting or cutting is required, you want
to do it yourself, rather than leave it to the discretion of the newspaper editor.
- Your final piece should be no more than 750 words. Do not forget to include your name,
title and affiliation at the end. Remember, whether this op-ed was intended as a single
action or as the first phase of a multifaceted media campaign, you are on your way.
- Submit the piece with a short cover letter that includes your name and phone number.
You will be notified if your article is accepted for publication. Calling and badgering the
op-ed staff may not help and could hurt you. Be patient. It can take weeks for even a
time-sensitive op-ed to appear. Stay ready to update and revise in the hours before
publication.
If your op-ed is rejected, revise it and try another publication. Or try again in a few
weeks or months on another topic. Do not despair. You piece may have arrived during a
very busy week with lots of competition. Often it is just a matter of your op-ed’s being in
the right place at the right time.
If your piece is printed, make copies and send them to colleagues, elected officials,
funders, reporters and others who can help move your issue. This can be an excellent
way of getting your exact message to key influentials and helping to frame the debate.
An op-ed can serve as a springboard to talk show appearances, panel discussions and
countless other opportunities.
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