As a startup founder, you are de facto an expert in your category. You might not think of it this way, but you are actually privy to a lot of information about your industry, its size, the trends it’s undergoing, etc., that your audiences would love to read about.
When you don’t have much to announce to the media, writing guest posts becomes a great way to introduce your name and draw attention to your business. If articulated effectively, your opinions, experiences, and knowledge within your field of activity become invaluable and thus relevant to the media when packaged the right way.
A successful opinion piece is bold; its purpose is to position you as an expert. This endeavour demands the development of an opinion that hasn’t already been voiced. Alongside strong writing skills, you’ll need to present a well-constructed argument that sheds new light on your industry.
Here are some storyline ideas of opinion pieces that work well:
Your forward-looking opinion – My industry in 5 years
As an expert in your industry, you are well-positioned to forecast its future developments. Please comment on a new trend that you observe unfolding in your industry. Discuss how you think this trend will evolve and what impact it might have on incumbents, customers, etc.
For example, if you’re involved in an Insurtech startup, you might discuss how new technologies are improving processes for insurers and their customers, and speculate on how traditional stakeholders will adapt.
Don’t hesitate to put yourself out there, even if your predictions might turn out to be incorrect later on. If your audience remembers you for your bold forecasts, then you’ve done your job well.
The “news cycle” or rebuttal opinion piece
Another excellent strategy is to write an opinion piece about a significant trend emerging in your industry, particularly if it’s receiving extensive media coverage. For example, a logistics startup might want to comment on Amazon’s recent launch of a new logistics robot.
Opinion pieces tied to the current news cycle provide a great opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of industry challenges and to position your company as an authoritative voice. This is not about making a hard sell; rather, it’s an opportunity to showcase your expertise and, indirectly, the value of your product or service to your audience.
For these types of articles, timely response is crucial. You’ll need to act quickly before the news cycle you’re responding to becomes ‘stale,’ rendering your post less relevant.
The How To / Tips guest post
Guest posts that contain lists in their titles perform really well, and so do posts that share tips and recommendations.
As a disruptor in your industry, you are ideally placed to anticipate trends or the effect of current trends at play in the industry. Any tips or recommendations you can give to your audience about how to be well prepared, what to think about, reflexes to have, etc., are sure to be of interest, all while positioning you as the expert that you are.
If you have developed a sales solution to improve conversions, you might want to write about “5 tools that a salesperson can’t do without in 2023”, or “What keeps a digital marketer up at night and what to do about it.”
With a guest post, you will be approaching a reporter with ready-to-publish content. In an understaffed newsroom, you stand a better chance of being published if your pitch doesn’t give the publication extra work but also helps it offer great content to its readers.
As always, be clear, to the point and punchy yet professional in tone (think Ted Talk), and share your argument up front. The body of the text is dedicated to explaining your opinion with the use of proof points. 800 to 1000 words are often enough.
