ACCM 2024 Op-Ed Toolkit
Op-eds are a great tool for arts advocates. They help communicate the value of the arts and arts advocacy to local community members who may not otherwise think about the arts in that way. Op-eds also are often read by elected officials and public officials who make decisions about policies and funding allocations for the arts.
4 Steps to Write an Op-Ed:
- Find out how to submit an op-ed: Call or email your local or regional newspaper to ask who is responsible for opinion editorials, or “op-eds”. Each newspaper is different. Sometimes this information can be found on the newspaper’s website, while other papers will provide a contact person.
- Determine the author(s). You may submit the op-ed on your own, or choose to contact local arts organizations or artists to co-author the editorial with you. You might also ask local arts folks to submit quotes to back up your article.
- Compose the article. See below for a template with lots of sample language you can use.
- Submit your op-ed! Send the full piece to the op-ed editor or contact person, or submit online if there is a form to do so. In some cases you may need to submit a brief “pitch” about what your article is about.
What if you can’t find anywhere to publish your op-ed? Try publishing on Medium.com, Linkedin.com, or on the blog of a local arts organization, then use the URL to promote it widely in your community and send it to local elected officials.
If your op-ed is published, be sure to send a copy to CA for the Arts via email: eduardo@caforthearts.org
