How to Write an Opinion Article: A Student’s Guide to Publishing Persuasive Op-Eds
What is an Op-Ed
“Op-Ed” is a short way to say “Opposite the Editorial Page”, and was commonly a section of a newspaper that focused on commentary, features, or opinion pieces, mainly given to editors to write their opinions. These days, op-eds are relatively common, and social media is full of opinion videos, microblogs, and posts that are very much like op-eds. When opinions were presented in national publications, writers’ thoughts on policies and other topics were heard by lawmakers, the public, and readers.
These days, work like this can be seen throughout social media by the same higher-level policy makers, and op-eds aren’t as necessary as they were before. However, there will always be room for people’s opinions, and writing opinion-based content is an art form that requires diligent work.
Whether you’re writing an opinion article for school or you’re looking to create opinion articles or content, here are a few tips that can help you ensure that your content is fresh, catchy, and original.
Distinctive Features of an Opinion Article
If you think of any opinion articles or opinion-based content you’ve seen lately, you know that opinion pieces are generally bold, containing strong content that may be considered controversial. If you choose to write in a voice like this, your statements must be backed up with facts. Cite your sources, review direct quotes, and analyze those quotes to demonstrate to your audience how they support your points.
Additionally, being clear and organized is key. Outline what you’re going to write or say before you proceed.
You can add voice and connection to your work by including an anecdote, tell a story about your life or about the people you’re discussing in your opinion piece. You can also add wit or irony to show a contradiction.
Creating voice like this can help you draw your audience in and keep them engaged, especially if the material is heavy.
Ask Questions to Yourself While Writing
A great technique for writing a persuasive opinion piece is to continuously ask yourself questions that the audience may ask if you were having a conversation with them.
Here are a few questions that can help you get started:
- Am I making a clear point?
- What is my point?
- Who is my audience?
- Why do I want to convince a particular set of people?
- Why should my audience trust me?
- Is my argument substantive?
- Is my argument original or different?
- Am I persuading my audience?
Have the Topic and Theme Defined Clearly
Sometimes, free writing can help you get to the point you want to make. Before you begin working on your final draft, you should have a clear topic and theme of your opinion piece. Your opinion piece should include a thesis, an argument, clear points of evidence, and a conclusion. This will help you stay organized and keep your audience focused on your opinion.
How to Support Your Opinion With Enough Evidence
To build a following with opinion-based content, readers need to engage with your perspective, whether through agreement or interest. This engagement is significantly strengthened when your opinion piece is grounded in solid research. Solid research involves gathering information from various sources, including personal observation, credible source material, direct quotations, and verifiable facts.
When you support your opinion with facts, draw connections between multiple sources, and come to your own conclusion, you have a better chance of persuading your audience of your opinion.
Put Your Main Point First
Students often ask how to start an opinion paper, and it’s always best to start with your main point. Grab the reader’s attention with a metaphor or strong claim. Present them with a question that you wish to answer with your opinion. Place the main point early in the article or piece of content, as you would in conversation, by explaining the exciting happenings first to pique the audience’s interest.
Use Conversational Tone
As mentioned above, having a solid, confident voice throughout your opinion content is an effective way to maintain your audience’s attention. Using a conversational tone, as if you’re speaking directly to the audience, can be helpful. While you can use a range of voices throughout the piece, your audience must understand what each voice means in accordance with your main points. Perhaps if you’re trying to make a central point about something funny, you could consider using sarcasm, which can take your audience off the defensive. For the next main point, you may want to emphasize that they should listen carefully.
Always Avoid Copied Content or AI-Generated Content
Plagiarism is one of the worst things you can do in an opinion piece. Using AI-generated content is another one. Stay away from AI as much as possible, as audiences are becoming increasingly aware of how AI sounds (even in printed writing).
To avoid plagiarism, run your work through an online plagiarism checker that can flag any areas you may need citations for. Giving other content creators or authors the proper credit for the job you’re using is essential to keeping your audience’s trust.
If you’re worried your work might sound “Too AI”, there are online AI detectors available to help you ensure your content is original and unique.
Having original content in op-ed pieces or for any opinion-based writing or art can help you gain an audience and keep it, opening up discussions about your arguments and main points.
