The Power of Op Ed Content Marketing

A couple of weeks ago, at a meeting of our Financial Planning Association chapter, IU professor Greg Geisler* shared his opinion (proceeding to demonstrate why) that popular money guide Dave Ramsey’s advice to  recent graduates is absolutely wrong. (While Ramsey advocates getting rid of student debt before investing, Geisler shows why making monthly student loan repayments over the 10-25 years following graduation, all the while contributing to 401(k), health savings accounts, and Roth IRAs offers the potential for much greater wealth accumulation…)

*Geisler, Greg, and Bill Harden. 2023. “Maximizing Tax Alpha in both Accumulating and Decumulating Retirement Savings” Journal of Financial Service Professionals 77 (2): 46- 58.

One point I often stress to content writers is that whether you’re creating content for a business, a professional practice, or a nonprofit organization, you must demonstrate an opinion, a slant, on the information you’re serving up for readers.  Of course, you can aggregate other people’s insights, even succeeding in making your own website the “go-to” destination for information.  But, whether you’re creating business-to-business content or business to consumer marketing, the content itself needs to use opinion to clarify what differentiates that business, that professional practice, or that organization from its peers.

 In other words, when online readers find your site, one question they need answered right away  is “Who lives here?” What do they think? How much depth of knowledge – and of opinion – am I going to find here? We must be influencers, I advise clients and blog content writers alike. 

In 10 Tips for Writing an Opinion Piece, Median.com advises starting with an attention-grabbing opening line that cuts to the heart of your key message. (At the FPA meeting, both the name Dave Ramsey and the hot topic of student loans drew immediate attention). Chris Anderson, head of TED Talks, tells speakers: “Don’t share the obvious.  Nobody want to print what everyone already knows…Argue the point and elucidate as only you can.”