How to Successfully Incorporate Op-Eds into a Media Relations Strategy
While the third-party validation and credibility that traditional media interviews offer remain invaluable, organizations are increasingly recognizing the power of op-eds and bylines. Contributed thought leadership offers the opportunity to control more of the narrative on the company side and elevate the voices of spokespeople who might not be comfortable (or trained on) speaking with reporters. Op-eds can also provide lift to overburdened newsrooms that are struggling to operate on shrinking budgets with fewer staff.
The harsh reality of today’s media climate is that publications are increasingly looking for engaging and well-written content from outside subject matter experts because their own reporters do not have time to completely fill the content pipeline. Which is good news for PR professionals and the companies they work with. But how can communications teams incorporate contributed content into a broader media relations program and successfully place it in an outlet? Read on to find out.
Op-Eds Versus Bylined Articles
Contributed content can take many forms. The most commonly leveraged contributed content tactics include op-eds, bylined articles, and expert columns.
- Op-eds (originally meaning opposite the editorial page) are one of the most influential forms of contributed content. These opinion pieces typically present a clear perspective on a timely issue and are supported by robust evidence and grounded in deep expertise. When placed in relevant publications, they can significantly elevate an organization’s visibility and credibility.
- Bylined articles and expert columns allow organizations to share in-depth knowledge on specific topics. Unlike op-eds, which focus on opinions about current issues, these pieces typically provide educational content, analysis, or practical guidance. Many publications maintain contributor networks or guest author programs that welcome submissions from industry experts. Some even offer recurring column opportunities.
Understanding Audience for Targeted Thought Leadership
Developing an op-ed that resonates begins with establishing a clear understanding of your target audience and their challenges, opportunities, and media consumption preferences. Your thought leadership needs to meet your audience where they are—in the publications they read—and address their needs and concerns.
Before diving into content ideas, consider conducting an audit of your target audiences. Research what moves them: what keeps them up at night, what challenges they face, what they need, etc. You can do this through stakeholder interviews, third-party market research, or even focus groups.
It’s also important to understand where your audience prefers to consume content. Are they active on LinkedIn? Other social platforms? Do they read trade publications or join associations with newsletters? This information will help tailor your content to the platforms where your audience is active. Otherwise, the effort and resources that go into bringing your ideas to life will not generate engagement.
Connecting Contributed Content to a Media Relations Strategy
Like any facet of a communications program, contributed content should be approached strategically. Tactics need to support overarching organizational objectives. When brainstorming articles, it can be helpful to map ideas back to thought leadership pillars that underpin your communications strategy. If an idea doesn’t fit within a pillar, how can it be adjusted to better serve your goals? Or is this piece something that can be revisited later given other priorities?
Timing is also critical. The most successful op-eds either anticipate emerging trends before they become widely discussed or offer fresh perspectives on established topics when interest peaks. It’s much harder to place contributed content that is evergreen, though it isn’t impossible.
Content should serve a publication’s readership just as it should align with your organizational objectives. If a publication doesn’t see value to its readership, it’s likely to decline your article.
The Thought Leadership Article Success Formula
While specific requirements vary by publication and type of content, successful pieces typically incorporate the following structural elements:
- Compelling hook. Open with a powerful statement, surprising statistic, or timely reference that immediately engages readers.
- Clear thesis. Establish your central argument within the first few paragraphs.
- Supporting evidence. Strengthen your position with relevant data, examples, and expert insights. Make sure you cite any data you include.
- Counterargument acknowledgment. If appropriate, address opposing viewpoints respectfully to demonstrate nuanced understanding.
- Practical implications. Explain what should happen next. Actionable insights are key.
- Strong conclusion. End with a memorable statement that reinforces your main point and inspires action.
Keep in mind that education needs to be balanced with the “so what” of an article. Avoid overexplaining, especially if you’re speaking to an informed audience. It’s important to get to your main argument quickly and spend more real estate showcasing what this argument matters, what it means for your audience, and what the path ahead looks like as a result.
Before finalizing a drafted op-ed, review it with an eye towards potential legal issues. If there are any compliance concerns, it’s best to run contributed content through your company’s legal team.
Selecting the Right Publication for Your Contributed Content
When identifying target publications to pitch, as with traditional interview outreach, you should make sure the outlet is a good fit for your audience. You can often get a sense of a publication’s readership by requesting their media kits or using PR tools like MuckRuck.
Trades versus Top-Tier
Trade publications are sometimes overlooked for the flashiness of top-tier news outlets. However, op-eds in hyper-targeted trade publications can be even more effective than content published in national news outlets because of where your audience is concentrated. Top-tier publications often have a broader reach, while trades will connect more with specific groups of people with certain interests or professions. Factor this into your assessment of media targets before landing on a publication.
Op-Ed Submission Process
Submission processes will vary. Often, publications will want to review the full draft of an article as they consider what they want to use. Other times, editors only need an abstract to give your article the green light. Make sure you know what upfront investment will be involved before you get started to ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page. Publication isn’t guaranteed, whether a byline is reviewed in full or whether editors are assessing an abstract.
Publication Timing
Even if an article is accepted, be prepared to manage expectations around publication timing. Editorial teams may have several other pieces in their queue that take precedence over yours. It could take a few weeks or more for your article to publish. This is all the more reason to develop an op-ed that’s timely, as it’s more likely to go live sooner than evergreen articles that can be pushed further down the editorial calendar.
Consider Paid Content
Finally, weigh the pros and cons of paid contributed content. Paid or sponsored content is often denoted as such when it’s published. Your audience may find this type of content less trustworthy than organically won placements. However, there are still benefits to paid content. It can still be read as thought leadership (versus serving as an ad), and it can offer a consistent cadence of insights from your company’s executives, allowing them to regularly reach a target audience. When budgeting for the year, consider how you might integrate paid contributed content into your strategy.
Promoting Articles for Maximum Impact
When contributed content is published, consider how you can promote it among even more members of target audiences. For example, it may make sense to draft a social media post from the company’s and author’s LinkedIn pages to share the article directly with their networks. You could also leverage the published article in outreach to prospects if appropriate and relevant to them.
If an editor you work with or the publication itself posts about the article, feel free to interact with or share their post(s). Doing so can show your appreciation for the opportunity and offers another chance to boost your article outside of your original social copy.
Measuring Success
Establishing clear metrics for contributed content is essential for demonstrating value and refining your approach.
Effective measurement frameworks typically include:
- Reach metrics like publication audience, social shares, and referral traffic.
- Engagement metrics like comments and reposts.
- Influence metrics like speaking invitations.
- Business impact like the number of leads generated, sales conversations, and partnership opportunities.
Unlike direct-response marketing, thought leadership impact often develops over time and requires measurement approaches that capture long-term influence. If one piece doesn’t resonate as you would have hoped, don’t give up on contributed content altogether. You may need to revisit future topics, refresh your promotion strategy, and confirm whether an outlet is the best fit to reach your target audience. A compelling body of work isn’t built overnight, and it may take time to get in the swing of what works best. And what works best may shift as audience needs, issues, and concerns change.
The Future of Contributed Content
So, what’s on the horizon for contributed content?
Increasing personalization. The most successful organizations will move beyond generic thought leadership to develop content that addresses the precise challenges and opportunities facing their key stakeholders.
Multimedia integration will become standard practice rather than a differentiator. Tomorrow’s thought leadership will seamlessly blend written insights with visual storytelling, interactive elements, and audio components to create immersive experiences that engage audiences across their preferred consumption channels.
The line between contributed and owned content will continue to blur. Communicators will adapt core insights across paid, earned, owned, and shared channels to maximize both reach and resource efficiency.
Contributed content will increasingly serve as the foundation for relationship-building rather than merely a visibility tool. The organizations that thrive will use op-eds and bylines to initiate meaningful dialogues with their audiences, creating feedback loops that inform product development, service offerings, and future communications.
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