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How to Publish Your Op-Ed Online

Opinions are sometimes best left unsaid and other times an opinion may be used to start a healthy and deserving conversation. If you have written an opinion editorial article you may be able to have this Op-Ed piece published online for others to read and discuss. Op-Ed articles began in newspapers, and the abbreviation actually means "Opposite the Editorial page." In newspapers, these articles are printed on the opposite side of the editorial section to offer varied opinions for readers. Publishing an Op-Ed piece online may be done through several publishing mediums.

Instructions

    • 1

      Edit the Op-Ed piece for grammar mistakes and to ensure smooth sentence structure. While editing, make sure the piece outlines your points in a clear and concise manner, and that your strongest point is made first. Have a friend or family member read the article and ask them to point out areas that may be confusing or if any part of the article seems incoherent.

    • 2

      Compile a list of online publications that may be interested in publishing the piece. For example, if you are publishing a political Op-Ed piece you would not contact online publications dedicated to home and gardening. After you've located several online publishers, write down the contact information for their editorial department. If it is a smaller website, or if there is no submission policies for Op-Ed pieces, use the main contact number or email address to inquire about their submission process.

    • 3

      Send the Op-Ed piece with a cover letter to the online publication sites. Within the cover letter express why you have written the Op-Ed piece in a short first paragraph and include your professional qualifications in the second paragraph. If you do not have an extensive writing resume, state your personal qualifications for writing the piece. For example, you are not a professional writer but you are a teacher and submitting an Op-Ed piece on the educational system. Thus, your qualification is your background as a teacher.

    • 4

      Create a blog for your Op-Ed pieces. You can create a free blog by signing up with a blogging service, such as Blogspot (www.blogspot.com), or you can purchase a domain name and install a blogging platform such as Wordpress (www.wordpress.org). The main benefit of purchasing a domain is you are the owner of your blog while a subdomain blog on a blogging service is not fully owned or controlled by you.

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