The Op-Ed Stress Test | 5 Questions to See if Your Idea Passes

For as long as I’ve worked in communications, I’ve heard the same complaint. “It’s harder than it used to be to place op-eds.” It makes me wonder, when was this mythical era where top-tier outlets were handing out column inches to everyone? The truth is, op-eds have always been hard to place—but there’s no denying that as media consolidates, local outlets shrink, and more outlets turn towards in-house contributors, there are more people than ever pitching op-eds to fewer and fewer outlets.

Meanwhile, op-eds seemingly have less of an impact than ever before. And they can be tortuous. We’ve all been there: a good idea for an op-ed turns into weeks of drafting and approval, only for your target outlets to pass. Before you know it, your piece isn’t relevant and you’re back to square one.

That said, op-eds can still be a useful tool—if you’re realistic about what you’re trying to accomplish. Here are some questions to ask before you start writing one.

Are you chasing prestige or impact?

Everyone wants the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. Legacy national outlets have wide readership and the prestige that comes with it. The brand name looks great on a slide at your annual board meeting. But name alone doesn’t move the needle. It’s more important to have the right readers than simply the most readers. If your goal is to influence a vote in Congress, you’re better off pitching to key members’ hometown papers. If you’re trying to reach investors, you’ll have more impact in a niche trade publication.

Why you (and why now)?

Editors are drowning in submissions. Why should they pick you over the hundreds of others—or the experts they already have on speed dial? You must be the definitive voice, backed by either deep expertise or unique lived experience. Being a CEO or nonprofit executive isn’t enough on its own.

This is where, even if your communications team is taking the pen, the author needs to be involved. Editors are looking for authenticity, which doesn’t happen if the name behind the piece doesn’t read it until the final draft. Moreover, your submission has to fit into the news cycle. That means acting quickly—not giving legal, policy, gov affairs, and your executive director several days to make edits.

Is it really, truly, newsworthy?

Be honest. And no, your organization announcing a new initiative doesn’t count (with rare exceptions). Your piece won’t appeal to editors unless it brings value to their readers. It has to offer a unique perspective on an issue or event that readers care about. It should be something they can’t find somewhere else—a unique topic, a counterintuitive take, or a missing piece of the puzzle. If you aren’t adding something new to the conversation, you aren’t writing an op-ed; you’re writing an ad.

Do you have a plan to capitalize on your placement?

Op-eds are a great way to get people to read about your POV, but what if the people you’re really trying to reach aren’t flipping to the op-ed section of their local paper every morning? A proper op-ed strategy will pull every lever you have to get your piece in front of the audiences you care about—that means sending an “In Case You Missed It” to your press list, putting it in your newsletter, sending it to partners, posting it on social media, getting your champions and stakeholders to share it, and so on.

Would this be better off on LinkedIn?

The biggest communications story over the past few years has been the rise of “owned” media. LinkedIn, Substack, YouTube, and even company blogs are all available to leaders looking to make announcements or insert their voice into a conversation. The bar for posting on your own platform is lower, the timeline is quicker, and the ROI is often much higher. And here’s the thing—the people following you on LinkedIn or subscribing to your Substack actually want to hear from you. By cultivating owned channels, you are growing a built-in audience that has opted in to hearing from you. And if your announcement or point of view truly is newsworthy, reporters will pick up on it regardless.

Ultimately, an op-ed is just one tool in a much larger communications toolbox, and it is often the most expensive one in terms of time and effort. Before you commit to weeks of drafting and endless cycles of approval, be honest about whether you are chasing a brand name for a board meeting slide or actually trying to move the needle. In a world where impact and prestige are rarely correlated, think about the quickest path to your audience, because success in comms isn’t about getting published—it’s about being heard.

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