How to Write an Op-Ed Editors Publish — & Readers Actually Finish
I’ve produced debates for Mehdi Hasan, where prime ministers, economists, and members of Congress went head-to-head with one of the toughest interviewers in news. I’ve also worked as a writer and strategist with some of the sharpest minds in politics, where every idea gets stress-tested before it goes anywhere near an audience.
One of the debates I worked on was when Mehdi interviewed Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater. While doing investigative research, I discovered that Prince had lied to Congress about a 2016 Trump Tower meeting. During the interview, Mehdi put him on the spot. Prince contradicted himself multiple times in just a few minutes before lamely suggesting that perhaps Congress had gotten the transcript wrong.
Prince finally acknowledged the meeting in front of an audience of several hundred people with gaping mouths at the famed Oxford Union. Not long after the interview aired, then-Representative Adam Schiff referred Prince to the Justice Department to investigate him for potential criminal activity and lying under oath.
An argument can seem airtight until it’s been tested in real time. That’s what happens to a lot of op-eds: they sound smart until an editor asks, “What about X?”
Mistake #1: Not Reading the Right Op-Eds
If you want to write a great op-ed, you need to read great op-eds. Not just the ones in your field, but also the ones that make you stop scrolling even when you don’t care about the topic.
Think about the last op-ed that changed your mind, made you forward it to a colleague, or you saved to read again and again. That’s the bar.
If your op-ed sounds like it was written by a lawyer, academic, or executive, it’s not just because that’s what you do — it’s because that’s who you read.
Your writing style is shaped by your inputs.
Want to write differently? Read differently.
Spend a few weeks reading op-eds from your favorite newspaper. Find one you love that has nothing to do with your field. Then study it. What makes it so good? Did it teach you something? Did it change your mind? Did it inspire you to see a solution or an opportunity where you once saw a dead-end problem? Or maybe the voice was just so unique that it turned something that you once thought was boring into a read you deeply enjoyed.
When you read the best op-eds, you start to read like an editor, and that’s when you realize they’re not just judging your writing. They’re also testing your argument and ability to connect with their audience.
Why Editors Might Reject Your Op-Ed
Your argument isn’t clear. Are you exploring a topic instead of making a case? Your op-ed needs to clearly answer the following questions: Who are you trying to persuade? Why does it matter right now? What should the reader do about it?
You either missed the news hook, picked the wrong one, or don’t have one. In general, if your piece isn’t tied to something happening this week, it’s already stale. (As you’ve probably noticed, the news is insane these days.)
It’s written for insiders, not readers. Jargon, assumed knowledge, and insider references tell an editor you haven’t thought about who’s actually going to read this.
You’re not the right person to write it. You have an opinion or insight that has impressed friends and colleagues. But if you don’t have authority on the topic, it’s probably better for the comments section, not an editor’s inbox.
You haven’t addressed the holes. I’m not just talking about the obvious ones. If you want to change the way people think and act, you have to get inside the minds of those least inclined to agree. The best op-eds don’t just avoid those responses like potholes. They address them on the spot.
A Real Example
A client once came to me because she wanted to write an op-ed that would help promote her book. She had a PhD, 20 years of experience in her field, and deep expertise about how US policies were inadvertently strengthening a foreign foe’s military capabilities.
She sent me book chapters, white papers from technical journals, other op-eds from specialist publications, examples so specific they included reference numbers, and internal terminology only insiders would recognize.
It was impressive, meticulous, and exhaustive. And incomprehensible to anyone outside her field.
“My LinkedIn posts get lots of attention,” she told me. They did. But she was writing for people who already spoke her language.
What I saw was a lot of dense information without a clear argument that would help readers understand why they should care.
So we started over.
Step 1: We found the news hook.
Not “this has been a problem for years,” but a solid connection to the news: a new government directive, a recently released industry report, and new data that made sense of the scale of the issue.
Step 2: We cut 75% of what she had.
Instead, we opted for the argument that would capture anyone’s attention: We’re giving competitors the leverage to stall our progress.
Step 3: We identified a specific, actionable recommendation.
Not “we should think about this differently,” but we specified exactly who needed to take action and why.
Once we had the argument, news hook, and call to action, the op-ed morphed from dense, insider material to a piece that revealed her expertise in an urgent policy issue.
It ran in a major national outlet.
Why Even Brilliant People Struggle
As a ghostwriter, editor, and journalist, one of the things I often see is brilliant minds who are too close to their subject to spot what the average reader is missing.
These are people who publish research in top academic journals, explain complicated ideas to funders, close deals, and lead international teams.
Op-eds require turning that expertise into a sharp argument, spotting the right news hook, writing in a voice that’s as authoritative as it is accessible, and doing it all within an 800-word limit — without losing nuance.
That’s not something most people develop in their day jobs, and it’s not something you can fake by running your draft through ChatGPT. But it’s what journalists and editors are trained to do.
The Bottom Line
If you’re not hearing back about your op-ed, it probably has nothing to do with your expertise. It's more likely that you're too close to see what needs fixing.
For years, I’ve watched arguments fall apart on camera and helped people rebuild them on air and in op-eds, books, and articles.
If you’re wondering whether what you have is something that an editor will want to publish, I offer a complimentary Op-Ed Idea Review. Send me your idea, and I’ll be honest about whether it has publishing potential or not. No strings attached.