Presented to faculty and trainees of the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, August 2018 Adapted from a presentation developed with Elyse Aurbach and Brian Zikmund-Fisher

1. Writing for The
Conversation
and beyond
Opinion, commentary
& explainer pieces
for broad audiences

2. Do you have something to say?
• Call attention to problems & opportunities
• Coalesce knowledge on topic in the news
• Call for action – or a stop to something
• Warn of potential impacts of a policy, activity – or inaction
• Share new knowledge in a different way
• Explain something that everyday people,
or professionals, need to understand

3. Who’s going to hear you?
2017 Digital Future Report
Center for the Digital Future – USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
Percentage of American internet users: 92%
Average hours per week online: 23.6
Average hours per week online at home: 17.6
Internet users who go online on a mobile phone: 82%
Hours online at work (weekly): 14.3
Hours actively using the internet at work (weekly): 10.1

4. They need help
focusing their
attention!
You can help.

5. Where can you express your professional opinion?
Academic journals
• Faster turnaround than research papers
• Can introduce limited new data
• Comment on state of field or impact of
new policy or practice development
• Recent alternative: journal-run blogs such as
Health Affairs, BMJ Opinion or AJMC
News media organizations
• Traditional print-first newspapers & magazines
• Top-tier (NY Times, Washington Post, WSJ)
• Specialty (Modern Healthcare)
• Regional (Detroit Free Press, Detroit News)
• Online-only outlets
• With editors:
• National (STAT News, Politico)
• Regional media (Bridge Magazine)
• The Conversation
• Self-published:
• Medium
• LinkedIn

6. Choosing to publish in a non-academic outlet
Advantages
Known “brands” among policymakers/advocates/public
High “Google visibility” for discovery by current and future web searchers
Some sites allow free re-publishing with conditions
Usually no paywall
Disadvantages
Top-tier outlets get vast numbers of submissions, very difficult to be selected
Media outlets hold copyright so usually unable to re-publish
Open commenting – you must decide if you want to engage
How to cite in CV?

7. Types of
commentaries

8. Timely:
Reactive
Timely:
Proactive
Timeless
Today Next
Week
Next
Month
Next
Year
Last
Month
Last
Week
Commentary, context or information
related to a current or recent event

9. Timely:
Reactive
Timely:
Proactive
Timeless
Today Next
Week
Next
Month
Next
Year
Last
Month
Last
Week
Push ideas into public awareness related to
brand-new or upcoming event*
*The timing can be ‘pegged’ to the publication of your own work
or a major report you’re involved with.

10. Timely:
Reactive
Timely:
Proactive
Timeless
Today Next
Week
Next
Month
Next
Year
Last
Month
Last
Week
Commentary, explanation & analysis
that is always relevant*
Something people will find interesting any day
*Timeless pieces can suddenly become timely due to current events!

11. • Central message: A deliberate attempt to
focus attention on a single take-away idea
• Gives context, content and significance.
• Focuses on YOUR goal in writing, and
YOUR AUDIENCE’S goal in reading
• Can shift depending on
the type of article
WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?

12. Central Message
Supporting Idea Supporting Idea
Supporting Idea

13. “Academic rigor,
journalistic flair”

14. Journalistic
Staff
Academics
Foundations
Universities
Traditional &
Social Media

15. What is The Conversation?
What they DO want: What they DON’T want:
Going beyond your expertise
A pre-written piece
Self-promotion
(You must reference/link to work of
others as well as yourself)
Political spin
~1000 words - written after
approval of topic by editor
Research-based evidence
Broad audience appeal
Informed opinion,
commentary, or explainers

16. Why Choose The Conversation?
Broad potential audience
Major media outlet republishing
No paywall, CC licensing
Help from professional editors
Cloud-based editing interface
Attractive pages and imagery
Credibility of journalistic site
Trackable metrics
Moderated comments
Optimized for social sharing

17. The Conversation’s Publishing Process
Idea
Pitch
Refine
Green Light
Write
Edit
Publish
Share
You & colleagues
You
You & section editor
Section editor
You & colleagues
You, colleagues, &
section editor via cloud
The Conversation staff
Everyone!

18. After You Publish*
*The Conversation can agree to not publish piece until a set date/time, for instance if
a paper is coming out or a piece of legislation is being considered.
Republishing
The Conversation US: 1 million users/month
Republishing by media: 7 million users/month
Timely Topics
Social media & reposting
Individuals and institutions share
via web and social media
Article can be shared again
or edited & reposted when the
topic is timely again.

19. 16,159 reads
12 republishings

20. 15,000+ reads
25 republishings

21. 28,237 reads

22. 7,364 reads
20 republishings

23. Ways to structure your piece
A.B.T.
1. 2. 3.

24. … And … But … Therefore …
What we
know
What we
don’t know
What we
must do
What we
learned that we
expected
What we
learned that was
surprising
What the are the
implications

25. • Timely (Reactive/Proactive)
• A: What just happened / is happening
• B: What THE READER doesn’t know that’s relevant
• T: Implications for what the reader should think or do
• Timeless:
• A: What we know
• B: What we don’t know
• T: Why it’s important

26. Momentum
Tension
LowHigh
Life is normal
Equilibrium
is disrupted
All is lost
Science
saves the
day
A better equilibrium
is reached
“The Swoop”

27. “big picture” context
so what?
supporting details
aims, methods, results
payoff/(positive) impact
“The Hourglass”

28. Concluding thoughts on commentaries
• Great way to extend reach of your
academic work & practice innovation
 Policymakers
 Funders
 Non-academic
professional colleagues
 Public support
• Build on professional expertise &
personal experience, frame with
relevant evidence
• Be on the lookout for relevant changes
in policy or practice as “hooks” for novel
commentary to showcase your insights
• Dissemination of the piece after
publication is crucial

29. Links to major opinion section submission guides & forms
The Conversation - https://theconversation.com/us/pitches
New York Times - https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014809107-How-to-submit-an-Op-Ed-article
Washington Post - https://helpcenter.washingtonpost.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003675788-Submit-an-op-ed
USA Today opinion - https://www.usatoday.com/opinion/ http://static.usatoday.com/submitcolumn/
Wall Street Journal - https://www.wsj.com/articles/oped-guidelines-for-the-wall-street-journal-1384383173
STAT First Opinion https://www.statnews.com/category/first-opinion/
Politico Opinion - https://www.politico.com/magazine/tag/opinion / https://www.politico.com/magazine/write-for-us
Modern Healthcare opinion - http://www.modernhealthcare.com/section/opinion-and-editorial /
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20161111/INFO/161119983
Detroit Free Press - https://www.freep.com/opinion/ oped@freepress.com
Detroit News - https://www.detroitnews.com/opinion/ letters@detroitnews.com
Bridge Michigan - https://www.bridgemi.com/topics/guest-commentary dzeman@bridgemi.com
Crain’s Detroit Business - http://www.crainsdetroit.com/section/blog200/other-voices

30. Additional Slides

31. “Covers timely, relevant topics in
health care and medicine in brief,
accessible style.”
1200 word limit,1 table or figure
1-3 authors, <5 references
2-3 month turnaround, can be much faster
Cited in PubMed, often peer reviewed

32. “May address virtually any important topic in medicine, public health,
research, discovery, prevention, ethics, health policy, or health law”
1200 word limit w/o table or figure, 1000 words w/ table or figure
1-3 authors, <7 references
2-3 month turnaround, can be much faster
Cited in PubMed, may be peer reviewed

33. “Structured like essays or op-eds, with a strong, clear explanation of
the issue and key themes upfront…discuss how your work may be
relevant to policymakers as well as researchers.”
<2000 words, references embedded w/ hyperlinks
Rapid review & editing by Health Affairs staff
Not peer reviewed, not cited in PubMed