Didn’t like the review given to the movie you saw over the weekend? Want to complain about the proposed increase in Metro fares? Was an article about your company mistakenly one-sided?
You’ve got a chance to set the record straight. Whether it’s in response to an article in a newspaper or magazine or an entry on a blog, almost all media outlets allow the opportunity for consumers to give their opinion. After all, we consumers keep the media in business, so we should be able to voice our opinion.
And we can, on the op-ed page. Some say that name is derived from opinion and editorials. Others say it came about because in many newspapers, guest articles and letters are run on the page opposite the editorials page. Take your pick.
In either case, the nice thing about the page is that it’s a forum anyone can use. You don’t have to have a degree, be a reporter, or a CEO of a company to write in with an opinion, and then hope that your piece is used. Even as a high school student, before I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in PR, I was writing letters to the editor of my local newspaper.
Increasingly, the op-ed page is a useful tool for the PR professional. We often help clients write letters to comment on articles that have been written about them or their industry. We also help them write their own by-lined opinion articles.
Publications see those pieces as another way to educate their readership and give them a third-party expert point of view on a subject or topic. It’s also a great way for our clients to reach a large audience, while demonstrating their public transparency. There’s stiff competition for selection, particularly at the larger publications, but it’s a waste to not try to capitalize on the opportunity.
So if you have an opinion and want to be heard, write away! One note of advice, though: restrain yourself. Most editors prefer letters that are no more than about 250 words, and opinion pieces around 600-800 words.
