SELF IMPROVEMENT

sacramento business journal One of the most powerful yet underrated forms of PR is the "opinion piece." Many people assume that reporters have written all the articles that appear in local business magazines and trade journals. For instance, American City Business Journals is the nation's largest publisher of metropolitan business newspapers with 41 print business journals throughout the country. In addition, there are thousands of smaller publications dedicated to keeping business audiences up-to-date on happenings in their community. Working with skeletal staffs, editors at these publications are generally very receptive to printing opinion pieces that offer their readers practical business information.
Trade journals for industry groups and professional associations are another target for well-written opinion pieces. If the industry exists, there is a publication for it - as titles such as Bodyshop Magazine, American Quarter Horse Journal, Feed-Lot Magazine, Successful Farming and Sanitary Maintenance indicate. Most editors with business audiences are looking for how-to articles and analysis of industry trends. If you are still not sure what to write about, request a copy of the publication's editorial calendar to see if you have a topic that fits with an upcoming issue (very often, publications post their editorial calendars online).
You'll want to know whether an opinion piece is 500 words - or 5,000 words. Also, find out the editor's name and contact information. Whatever your target, an opinion piece must be:
o Well-written. To gain insight into the professional journalist's mindset, pick up a copy of The Associated Press' Guide to News Writing as well as a copy of The Associated Press' Stylebook. o Informative. Editors are looking to inform their audiences, not promote your business - so keep self-promotion to a minimum and address both sides of an issue. Never pitch an opinion piece to more than one editor at a time. Publications want exclusive content, not something that has been published elsewhere. Most importantly, the opinion pieces helped establish Paul as a credible expert on CEOs. We leveraged this credibility to secure guest appearances for Paul on KGO Radio's "Ron Owens Show" (810 AM), the number one talk radio program in the San Francisco Bay Area, and KNBR Radio's "Gary Allen on Business (680 AM)."
Opinion pieces are an excellent way to get in front of business audiences and should be part of any marketer's toolbox.