By Fraser P. Seitel
On the off chance that your CEO doesn't tweet or procrastinates on his blog or lacks the animation to Auto-Tune a YouTube video, perhaps an op-ed is more viable way to win positive publicity for the chief and the organization.
Op-eds, or opinion editorials, are bylined columns that appear opposite the editorial page in leading newspapers (you remember them) and general interest and trade magazines.
While papers like the New York Times hire full-time columnists, like Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd (and even others less liberal!), to supply regular opinion page material, they also open the page to unpaid contributors with something to say.
Appearing as they do in "news" columns rather than advertising copy, op-eds are outstanding alternatives to news releases as means to earn respected third-party endorsement of an unbiased and neutral (one hopes) news source.
The best op-ed copy must be timely, gutsy, and, most of all, have something to say. And the placement of op-eds is no easy public relations task.
Here's what David Shipley, Op-Ed editor of The Times, the most coveted of all op-ed placements, suggests you consider in attempting to land a column in his paper.
• Be original.
His page, says Shipley, tends "to look for articles that cover subjects and make arguments that have not been articulated elsewhere in the editorial space." Occasionally that means "disagreeing" with the Times' own editorial viewpoint. If both editorial page and op-ed page always agree on a desired, then "we aren't doing our job," says Shipley.
• Make it "your" story.
Personal experiences and first-person narrative, says Shipley, are sure-fire ways to be considered for the page – particularly if they are expressed in service to a larger idea. Of course, the narrative should also be timely, ingenious, clearly expressed, newsworthy, and even, if possible, funny. And you don't have to be an A list celebrity to make it into print.
Says the Times' editor, "The bar of acceptance gets nudged a little higher for people who have the means to get their message out in other ways—elected officials, heads of state, corporate titans."
• 750 Words No Mas.
That's the limit for Times' op-eds. Some of the most memorable pieces have been as short as 300 words. On a typical day, the page has room for about 1,200 words, including those supplied by regular columnists. That word limit means that you have room to express one idea and one idea alone. Make one argument thoroughly throughout the piece.
Alternatively, submit a chart, a graphic, an annotated illustration or series of photographs. The Times likes to shake things up occasionally.
• Exclusivity.
The Times wants the piece first. Period. The paper doesn't publish articles that have appeared in other American publications, and it rarely prints reprints. Since the Times receives 1,200 original manuscripts a week – via email, fax, and regular mail – you won't hear back if you haven't made the cut.
That means it's time (usually in a week or two of submission) to submit the piece to the next target, usually The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today or Financial Times. But here again, make it "exclusive" to each publication.
• They Own It.
If you are one of the precious few to make the cut, the Times owns your work from there. The paper slaps on the headline, edits the copy, chooses the illustration and you sign a contract giving the paper the right to distribute the article online and via other newspapers. You do receive a payment of $50 for your trouble.
Obviously, all this demands work, with no guaranteed payoff. The competition, as noted, is ferocious and the editors' judgment entirely subject.
But it's worth it.
If you are fortunate enough to land a bylined article in the Times or the Journal or CNNmoney.com or PBSnewshour.com or most anywhere else for that matter, you can then merchandise the bejeezus out of it, achieving new found respect for your chief and considerable recognition for your organization. |