Op-ed articles, also known as opinion/editorial articles, are a great way for aspiring writers to publicize their work and, in exchange, receive an amazing amount of publicity for free˳ You can write an op-ed piece and get it publicized provided you follow these simple rules˳
Before you begin to write, you need to target which newspaper you would like your article to appear in˳ You stand a greater chance of getting into your local paper than in a national publication like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or USA Today˳ Still, if one of the national publications appeals to you, then give it a try˳
1˳ Follow the rules˳ Every newspaper has guidelines on what their specific requirements are˳ Familiarize yourself with these guidelines and stringently hold yourself to their requirements˳ Failure to do so will mean you will be rejected˳
2˳ Write with precision˳ Newspapers do not like verbose writers, unless it is for a feature piece and it is for a high end publication, such as The Washington Post˳ Short, crisp, and to-the-point sentences are the order of the day˳
3˳ Write with persuasion˳ Whatever your point of view, write persuasively˳ Do not muddy the waters by giving vague answers˳ If you are discussing a problem, count on offering the solution˳ Expect that your article may occupy one half of the op-ed page; the other half may feature a rebuttal or an opposite point of view˳
4˳ Double space˳ As with any submitted writing, you must double space your text˳ Expect the editors to work their magic on your piece, including removing entire paragraphs to make everything fit˳
5˳ Submit a cover letter˳ Yes, you more than likely will have to snail mail your letter, so send it off with a cover letter to the appropriate contact person˳
6˳ Your contact information˳ Your name, address, city, state, country, zip, contact numbers, and email address are all needed˳ More than likely none of this will be included in the piece, but they do need a way to get back to you˳
7˳ Resource box˳ Unlike ezine sites where you can write a lengthy discourse on who you are and have links to your site, it is likely that only a one or two word sentence about “who you are” will be included˳ So, consider writing your own resource box and hope that they like it˳ [You can count on it being changed if they do not˳] It could be written something like this:
John Doe is a Detroit based freelance writer affiliated with Writer’s Write˳
Yes, that may be about all the information they want to share about you with their readers˳
More than likely you will know within two weeks time if your piece will get published˳ Some papers will contact you to let you know if you have been approved/rejected, while others will simply publish your article˳ Do not hound them as you may want to become a regular contributor˳
What is the next step?
1˳ If you are approved, you can expect letters to the editor — from readers — in response to your piece to begin appearing in subsequent editions of the newspaper˳ Do not be surprised if letters begin arriving in your home or place of business too˳ Expect phone calls from people who may want to discuss your point of view further, or invite you to speak in front of their group, etc˳
2˳ If you are rejected, consider modifying and resubmitting your piece or forwarding it to another publication˳ Accept criticism about your writing style, if offered˳
3˳ Op ed pieces are sometimes picked up by syndicators such as Reuters or Google News; your piece can have a life well beyond the local newspaper˳ If you hit the national press, you can count on your article having widespread coverage˳ Do a search on Google a few days after publication and you may discover how wide a net your piece has cast˳ If that is the case, good for you!
Above all, op-ed article can help shape local or national opinion, so think of the greater good you can do as well as the publicity you just may receive when crafting your article˳ Although newspaper circulation continues to drop, online versions of these same newspapers continue to grow, thereby giving you exposure far beyond the intended market˳
Source by https://ezinearticles˳com/?How-to-Write-Your-Op-Ed-Piece&id=56570
