This week, you may (perhaps) be tempted to voice your opinion in a Substack post.
But in our contentious climate, how do you do it without being moralizing, reactionary, or trite? How do you establish authority? How do you write something important to readers, not just ourselves?
How? By learning the craft of opinion writing.
Whether you’re writing an op-ed, hot take, or think piece, take a breath, watch this session, and come away knowing how to write your point of view so the person reading feels drawn in and maybe even hears you.
This Writing Studio session will help you go from writing petulant posts to powerful prose in 49 minutes:
00:00 Introduction to Writing Opinion Pieces
01:17 Defining Facts vs. Opinions
08:48 Understanding Different Types of Opinion Pieces
09:50 Hot Takes: Quick and Reactionary
13:20 Think Pieces: In-Depth Analysis
15:11 Opinion Pieces: Supported by Facts
20:55 Op-Eds: Timely and Persuasive
25:07 The Evolution of Opinion Pieces
25:21 Understanding the Role of a Columnist
26:07 Key Elements of Writing an Opinion Piece
28:39 Breaking Down the Opinion Piece Formula
29:15 The Importance of Structure in Opinion Writing
29:46 The Role of Evidence in Supporting Arguments
32:32 Personal Authority in Opinion Writing
37:02 Q&A and Interactive Discussion
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Opinion writing template (thank you, )
Opening hook (snappy title + lead )
Main point or argument (nut graf )
Evidence (supporting facts, anecdotes)
Counterpoint (caveat, what critics say)
Closing punch (ending)
I loved this from
, who shared her expertise writing op-eds during the workshop:“I think the terrifying part about writing online, self-publishing, Substack, etc., although you do get some feedback, is you don’t have an editor and you don’t have all the infrastructure around publishing that creates a certain amount of discerning of what's newsworthy and what isn’t, and what’s a valuable or interesting or fascinating or insightful opinion to more readers than what we ourselves think.
And we don’t have that second set of ears and eyes and that other pressure to create something that’s reader-centric.
And opinions, I think, are particularly dangerous that way.
Just a warning to folks that not everything you think is something people want to read and this from a very opinionated person so I’m throwing the stones at myself as quickly as anyone.”
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