Opinion posts are a great way to connect with your audience and bring new people into your audience. It's a way to share your thoughts and feelings on something and have other people strongly identify with your point of view. Opinion posts are not low-brow, tacky gossip articles. In traditional print media, they're known as op-ed and well respected. They bring in traffic to your site and like-minded readers when you do them the right way.
An opinion post is where you share your opinion on something. And the first thing you do is start with your conclusion. Just like I did in this post and then I backed it up with facts and undeniable truths.
Step One: Focus & Research
Focus on one issue/ Is it an evergreen topic or something that's in the news right now? Introduce your topic in the first paragraph of your post as either a long-standing argument for/against or state that it's topical. Then start your research… If you have never written an opinion post before start with Google news.
Type in your industry or keyword and press enter.
Anything you feel strongly for or against is perfect for your opinion post.
Step Two: Add evidence and power words
Share your opinion. Add-in in the facts that support your opinion as evidence towards the case you are making. Choose reliable expert sources for your facts. Think about power words you can choose for your headline.
Step Three: Length matters
If it's a short opinion post be reasonable and cajole your reader to your side. If you are creating a longer opinion post you can have elements of outrage and controversy. All of what you write in your opinion post should be conversational.
Step Four: Stay off the fence and watch your tone
If you are trying to remain neutral in your opinion piece then it's the wrong topic to create content about. Choose another one. The best topics you are for, or against. Remember this piece of content isn't an essay or a lecture. It's winning hearts and minds and growing your audience. It's okay to show your passion for something.
Step Five: Add Images
Choose an image that expresses how you feel and add it to your post. Remember Google Images isn't a cookie jar you can help yourself too each time you need a new photo.
- Take the photo yourself
- Create one in Canva.com
- Buy a stock image
If you take an image from someone or somewhere else you are committing copyright theft. This can get you and your business fined a huge amount of money.
If your content is topical or celebrity-based you are most likely looking to purchase a paid image from a site like Deposit Photos. Paid for stock sites have a bigger range of celebrity images that you can use for editorial purposes only.
Step Six: Call to Action & Promotion
Summarise your content and then add in your call to action. It can be as simple as “Do you agree” or something longer; “Where do you stand on this issue?”
When it comes to promoting the opinion piece you need will need to do more in the short term if it's topical, and longer-term promotion if it is evergreen. Topical opinion pieces lose traffic as the news cycle moves on. Try to get a balance of topical and evergreen opinions or you will find that site only has traffic when you post an opinion piece – it's what you've become known for.
Done well, an opinion post will build your audience of like-minded people. You get better at opinion pieces when you make them part of your content plan and share one opinion at least once a month.
Do you have opinion pieces as part of your content strategy?
