An informed opinion piece is commonly referred to as an editorial or “opinion piece,” which stands for an opinion editorial. Opinion pieces give you the opportunity to present your extended opinion on a particular topic, event, or other occurrence that is covered in the daily news. People with experience and knowledge in the subject area write the majority of opinion pieces.

A letter to the editor column is not the same as an informed opinion piece, although both allow for the expression of opinions. Readers of the publication write letters to the editor. An expert, celebrity, or well-known public figure is the author of the informed opinion piece.

Tips for writing an informed opinion piece:

1. Base your article on current, timely and recent news. Nobody cares about an opinion on outdated news.
2. It must be locally relevant and of interest to the readers of the submitted publication. People are interested in events that are not local, but your opinion of remote activities does not interest them as much as events that take place close to home.
3. Be concise. Be clear and direct when writing. Use a strong argument both in the introduction and in the last paragraph of the article.
4. Be specific. Write only on one specific topic at a time. Make sure the reader understands why your argument or opinion interests them. An op-ed is not a forum for general complaints about beatings.
5. Be brief, 600-750 words is the recommended length for your article.
6. Use simple, everyday language. The general public has to understand your writing without having doubts about what the subject is or your opinion.
7. Give suggestions of possible solutions or recommendations to the situation.
8. Keep your punctuation simple. Exclamation marks have no place in an opinion piece.
9. Provide facts, base your opinion on well-documented facts, research, statistics, and examples. There is no room for personal emotions in the piece.
10. Check your article. Your piece needs a logical organization. As with all writing, spelling, grammar, and punctuation are vital. Use the normal language of your reader. Avoid cliches, racism, personal attacks, and sexism.

The target audience for most posts includes people from different backgrounds and experiences. The piece must have relevance to the general public. A good opinion piece begins with a strong opinion and ends with a strong summary or thought-provoking ending point.

Consider your format; Mix long and short sentences to get the reader’s attention. Use short, attention-grabbing paragraphs. Make sure the reader doesn’t have to “work” to understand your point.

Provide current and accurate contact information. The post requires your name, address, email, phone number, and signature.