How to Get an Op-Ed Published (and Why Founders Should)

A well-placed op-ed does something a podcast or interview cannot. It puts your name, your argument, and your expertise on the record, in your own words, in an outlet people already trust. For founders, that is one of the fastest ways to be taken seriously.

Here is how it actually happens.

1. Start with a real argument

Editors do not want a summary of your company. They want a point of view on something their readers care about right now. The best op-eds take a clear, slightly contrarian position and back it up. If your draft could have been written by anyone in your industry, it will not get picked up.

2. Match the outlet to the argument

A regional business journal, a trade publication, and a national paper want very different things. Read what each one actually publishes, then shape your angle to fit. A smaller outlet that reaches exactly your audience often beats a big name that does not.

3. Pitch the editor, not the world

Op-ed submissions go to a specific editor with a tight, respectful note: here is the argument, here is why it matters now, here is why I am the person to make it. Keep it short. Editors decide fast.

4. Make it count after it runs

A published op-ed is an asset, not a one-time event. It lives on Google, it goes in your "as seen in" credibility, and it gives every future pitch more weight. Decision-makers say thought leadership is a more trustworthy way to judge a company's capabilities than its marketing, by 73% to the rest (Edelman/LinkedIn, 2024).

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