What Else Can I Do With My Blog?
Recently, a book promotion client realized he was putting a lot of thought, time, and effort into writing blogs. He knows his blogs are inspirational, and he enjoys writing them. So he asked me, “Can you pitch my blog to newspapers?” Specifically, he was inquiring about whether or not one of his blogs could be published in major newspapers as an op-ed.
My answer was that, yes, I could pitch some of his blogs as op-eds to newspapers. It would require some editing, though.
Since other authors may be wondering whether they can re-purpose their blogs as op-eds, I’ll share the response that I sent to him. Note that, by day, this author is a physician. Therefore, I was speaking specifically about how writing an op-ed might work for him. I told him:
Yes, we can pitch some of your work as op-eds. For that to potentially work (although publishing an op-ed in one of the top daily newspapers is always a long shot), you have to write a brief article and strictly follow the guidelines of the newspaper you’re pitching. Here’s a round up of those guidelines.
Generally, the more passionate about a newsworthy issue you are, the better. It also helps if you take a position that’s at least somewhat controversial. An article with the message “it’s a shame people get sick” or “it’s tragic that children die” would be a non-starter, because no one could possibly disagree with what you’re saying. “Medical marijuana must be legalized on a Federal level, and Jeff Sessions is irresponsible for pursuing what appears to be a personal vendetta against it” would be right on target as far as tone, if not subject matter, is concerned.
Also (or alternatively), it’s helpful if your expertise as a doc allows you to shed light on an issue that, perhaps, isn’t controversial, but that non-medical people aren’t qualified to address. So an example of an op-ed you could write that another person couldn’t write would be: “It’s a shame that wingnuts on both sides of the political table are causing hospital rooms to fill up because of stress-related accidents and illnesses.” (That’s just an example, again. It isn’t an actual topic suggestion. I do suspect that politics are making many of us sick, but I don’t know it.)
An op-ed is vastly different from a blog in that you have to follow someone else’s rules, and the chances of being published by a major publication is remote – but, given your credentials and your passion, it could be worth trying. Hope that helps.
Your Blog Might Become an Op-Ed
The substance of my answer about whether your blogs can be pitched to newspapers would be the same for anyone who is interested in expanding the readership of his or her blog. Yes, blogs might be re-purposed as op-eds. But, in order to interest a major newspaper in your opinion, you have to put some thought into which topics are best aligned with your expertise and your passions, and then you’ll most likely have to edit your piece to ensure it fits the newspaper’s op-ed submission guidelines. Is it worth the time and energy? In a word — yes! If you can get a major newspaper to pick up your op-ed, it could mean that hundreds of thousands of people will read your article, and every one of those people might potentially be interested in your expertise and your book!
Stacey J. Miller is an independent book publicist. She is the founder of the Massachusetts-based book promotion firm, S. J. Miller Communications. For more articles like this one, click here.