Writing opinion articles for publication in the press can be an excellent strategy to position yourself and your organization as an expert in your field of action.
These opinion pieces, or editorial collaborations, are texts in which, as the name implies, you can express your opinion on a certain topic, helping you to gain a relevant position within your peers.
If you manage a company’s marketing department, this is one of the strategies of content marketing that you should not overlook. Of course, it is also important to keep a blog updated with articles of interest to your area of expertise, but in addition, it is important to make your word go further, hence the focus on opinion articles that can be published in the media.
But what are the advantages of publishing opinion articles in the media?
- Scope and visibility – First, the scope that article can take. When we publish something on our blog, we will impact the public who already follows us regularly and knows our work. However, when we publish an opinion article in the press we are impacting the public in this media, who may not even know you or your work. Here, the possibilities of making your work known and visible to the general public are much bigger;
- Reputation – a good, well-argued article will help you improve your reputation within the public;
- ‘Public service’ – Finally, when writing for a media outside your organization, you are contributing to a broader discussion on a topic that is of interest to everyone.
How can I write a good opinion article?
It seems (and is) cliché, but let’s start with the basics. Here are some tips for writing a good opinion article:
- Know what you are writing about – Do not write about what you do not know. Focus on a topic that is important in the area in which you are an expert in and that is controversial enough to generate a discussion that is valued by those who read it;
- Adapt your speech – Contrary to what happens when you write for your corporate blog, when you write for external media you don’t know the audience you are impacting. Thus, it is essential to adapt the speech: always opt for less technical and more general terms, so that the content of your text is as clear as possible. However, if you are writing for a more technical media, you can also adapt the language so that it has a greater impact on other specialists in the field;
- Appealing title – as in press releases, the title is the first impact of your article. Make sure it is strong enough – perhaps controversial – to grab the readers’ attention right from the start;
- Sustained argumentation – It is not enough to write what you think, you must always base your arguments on valid points, using reliable sources of information to support your point of view;
- Counter-argument – Don’t just stick to your point of view. There are several views on a given topic and addressing them on your article, even though you disagree with them, can enrich your article;
- Consistency – be consistent in the arguments presented. It is very important to maintain your view on the subject, especially if you write a fixed column for a particular publication, as your readers certainly don’t have a short memory.
These are some of the points to focus on when writing a good opinion piece. Basically, if you present yourself as one more active voice on relevant and fracturing topics for your area of activity and if you are consistent with your line of thought, you will be able to gain visibility within your peers and those who closely follow the themes of your activity field. You will be seen as an expert and your reputation will increase exponentially.
Ready to raise your knowledge and make it public? Contact us if you want to create a content strategy.
See you later!
Rita Justo, press officer at Media em Movimento
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