1. Keep it current

Think you’ve got a ‘hot take’ on the latest innovation in glass manufacturing… 

…three months after it was announced? Think again! This is an opinion that’s going to be lukewarm at best if everyone else was talking about it a quarter ago! 

The opinions that grab attention and keep your readers engaged are ones that are reactive to: 

• • • Something happening now and making headlines left, right, and centre 
    • A new trend predicted to disrupt in the near future and cause opportunity – or havoc – within your sector 
    • Fundamental changes to the markets your business operates in, or the legislation that regulates them 

And let’s not forget the power of responding to – and perhaps counteracting – someone else’s opinion with an alternative take. (Only if that’s what you believe, of course!)   

2. Keep it credible

Anyone can give their view.

But be warned – just as an insightful opinion will add credibility to your business, a poorly-planned, hardly-researched, thrown-together piece can cause damage. And run the risk of an opinion for opinion’s sake. Now, haven’t we had enough of those? 

The easiest way to form an impactful opinion piece is incredibly straight-forward because it’s something we do all-day, everyday – forming opinions. Whether you’re deciding how acceptable it is for your colleague to have brought *that* mushroom soup into the office for lunch today, or reading a headline in agreeance with the changes Kellogg’s have made to their recruitment process, the core concept of your opinion is already there.

It’s where you take it, and how you tell it that stands between your opinion remaining as a Word Doc on your laptop or being featured on the front page of a digital magazine. 

3. Keep it original

Proposals for op-eds are ignored by editors if the point they’re trying to make comes across wishy-washy, and it feels as though the author doesn’t have much confidence to make a stance. (Trust me, I’ve been there!)   

Editors are looking for pitches that are relevant, original, and offer value to their readers – i.e. exclusive thoughts and expert advice.

It all comes back to really knowing and owning what you believe in – and then showing passion to share it with a wider audience. 

Before you start hastily tapping the thoughts in your head onto a blank document, there’s one piece of advice to part with. Remember that people may not always agree with your opinion – yet that’s the beauty of this PR activity.

The B2B world would be very bland if all brands knew the same stuff or shared the same way of doing business.

Opinions allow you to spark a thought or inspire a conversation, the power of which can’t be underestimated given creating an emotional response can drive brand recall by 20%.