From PR Week and PR Daily to Gotham Ghostwriters and Axios the demise of op-eds as a content-sharing vehicle is a discussion worth having.
And per usual, those proclaiming simply “Yes” and “No” are wrong.
The real answer is “No — but.“
Without launching into an overly detailed debate, it’s clear you’re unlikely to gain much traction using the old playbook of chasing a long-shot placement in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, or similar top-tier outlets. These days, beyond Jeff Bezos’s shift in editorial emphasis at the Post, most op-eds at premium publications are proactively solicited by editors themselves.
It wasn’t always this way. Ten or fifteen years ago, investing time in a well-crafted op-ed from a prominent CEO or federal lawmaker was often worth the gamble. Scoring a prestigious placement — perhaps with just a 3-5% chance of success — could secure valuable goodwill… for months.
Today, your op-ed strategy should focus on state-level publications, where placements can still yield significant benefits. Granted, securing these placements has become increasingly challenging due to shrinking editorial space and fierce competition. Nonetheless, success remains achievable with high-quality, timely content delivered by recognizable voices on relevant state-specific issues — especially if there’s also a federal angle. .
Major daily newspapers covering state capitals — sometimes now a monopoly — remain receptive to timely, well-written op-eds. Just three years ago, I was subcontracting on a project for a major DC government relations firm focused on federal cannabis banking regulation. Not only was the issue hotly debated in Washington, but so too in state capitals — where myriad facets of cannabis law and regulations remain to be settled.
Was placing these op-eds still challenging? Absolutely. But our small team succeeded with placements in major dailies including Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Illinois and Ohio—locations where both federal and state legislative action was pending. In outlets that did NOT take the op-ed, you could sometimes finagle a 300 word letter to the editor. A hit is a hit is a hit when it comes to client deliverables and justifying your monthly retainer.
The client was obviously pleased with this effort and underscores a crucial lesson: achieving op-ed success today hinges on choosing issues with clear federal and state implications, enlisting credible authors such as CEOs or lawmakers, delivering concise, well-written content, and aiming for multiple placements across several states.
The basic rule: ALWAYS have content in play SOMEWHERE.
And yes, easier said than done — but it still works.
Though this approach demands significant collaborative effort from writers and marketers alike, the payoff remains considerable—especially since so many others have prematurely abandoned op-eds altogether.