How to Write an Editorial in Five Steps (Including Tips for Writing a Killer

One)
February 22, 2021

Writing an editorial is a great way to share your perspective or advocate for

a cause to a wide audience. Effective editorial articles can raise awareness of
an issue while also influencing other people's opinions on that topic. Knowing
how to write a strong editorial can allow you to make your voice heard,
generate discussion in your community or take a stance on behalf of a
group. In this article, we discuss what an editorial is, how to write one and
tips for creating a good editorial.

What is an editorial?
An editorial is a short essay that shares an individual's opinion on a current
event or social issue. The goal of a good editorial is to persuade the reader
to consider your perspective and change their opinion. Editorials often focus
on controversial issues with widely different viewpoints.

Professors assign editorials in class to determine your skill at persuasive

writing, while writers at newspapers and magazines create editorials to
make a claim or create discussion about their publication. Your editorial
should make a clear argument that reflects your stance and appeals to your
audience.

Types of editorials
While the goal of all editorials is to share an opinion and persuade an
audience, there are editorial style variations. The different types depend
upon the goal of the article and can be divided into four categories:

Interpretive: An interpretive editorial explains and provides background

information on an event or issue. This type of editorial aims to raise
awareness and discuss how the topic is relevant to the reader.

Critical: The critical format focuses on the various causes of a problem and
suggests a solution. For example, you might critique a policy that relates to
your issue to advocate for a specific change.

Persuasive: This type of editorial appeals directly to the reader and

encourages them to take action. The persuasive format focuses on the
reader's ability to change a situation by following your advice.

Praising: A praising editorial shows appreciation for a person or organization

based on their involvement in an issue.
Whether you are writing for a class assignment or a major publication,
understanding the goal of your editorial will help guide your tone and the
direction of your argument. After determining the category of your editorial,
you can begin to write confidently to influence an audience.

Parts of an editorial
Although people write editorials on a wide range of topics, most have the
same basic components. All editorials need a clear stance and details to
support that perspective. Good persuasive articles have the following
elements:

Introduction: The introduction builds a reader's interest in the topic and

gives an overview of the issue.

Argument: The argument presents your opinion along with reasons why the
audience should agree with you.

Evidence: The evidence supports your argument with facts, research or

anecdotes.

Counterargument: All editorial writers should establish credibility by

presenting a fair review of the perspectives involved. While a praising
editorial might be mostly positive with a brief reference to an issue, a critical
editorial needs to address the opposing perspective directly.

Refutation: After sharing the counter-argument with a reader, the writer

must explain why that argument is not accurate or relevant. Refuting the
counterargument allows you to promote your point of view while still
seeming fair.

Conclusion: In the final paragraph of your editorial, summarize your point of

view and remind the reader why they should care about this issue.

How to write an editorial

Once you know the type of editorial you want to write and the basic
components you need to include, you can begin the writing process. If you
are writing an editorial for a class or work assignment, refer back to the
prompt frequently during the planning process. An editorial with specific
classroom guidelines will likely be very different than an opinion piece
published in a magazine or newspaper. Regardless of why you are writing
your editorial, you can use these steps to create a strong foundation for a
successful editorial paper:
Decide on a topic.
Research your topic.
Create an outline.
Start to write.
Proofread.

1. Decide on a topic

Since editorials are based on opinion, your topic should be arguable and
have multiple points of view. Your essay will reflect your personal bias or the
bias of the group you are representing, so you should expect some of your
readers to disagree with your stance. You might select a controversial topic
that involves politics to provoke conversation about your writing. Regardless
of the topic you choose, make sure that you can write about it passionately
and focus on why others should agree with your perspective.

As you decide what to write about, keep in mind that your topic should be
specific. Keeping the scope of your editorial on a certain aspect of an issue
will keep your argument strong and help the reader stay focused. A well-
written editorial devotes multiple paragraphs to supporting one specific idea.

For example: A writer for a school newspaper might choose to write an

editorial on the new school dress code. Instead of trying to criticize
everything they don't like about school, a writer can create a call-to-action
by focusing on this one topical issue. Whether their readers agree or
disagree with the dress code, an editorial about a specific controversial topic
will inspire others to engage in the issue.

Related: The Key to Successful Speech Writing

2. Research your topic

Even though an editorial is opinion-based, it is still important to provide your

readers with well-researched evidence to back up your ideas. You can
convince your readers of your credibility by demonstrating knowledge of
what other prominent voices have to say on the topic. Researching your
topic can also help you decide which particular stance you will take and
create an article that contributes new ideas to the conversation.

3. Create an outline

After selecting and researching an issue, write an outline to keep your ideas
organized and ensure that the main points of your editorial flow well. The
introduction will always be at the beginning of the essay and the conclusion
at the end, but you can organize your body paragraphs based on what
format fits your essay the best. List each main idea as its own paragraph,
making sure to provide evidence for each idea.

4. Start to write

Once you finish the planning portion of writing your editorial, start to write
by adding details to your outline. Some people prefer to start with the
introduction, while others focus on the body of the paper first and write the
introduction at the end. Try to write down as many ideas as you can at first,
then go back and edit your paper. Getting started on a paper can be the
most challenging part of the process for many writers. If you find yourself
having trouble beginning to write, look back on your research for inspiration.

Related: Top 10 Study Skills and Techniques

5. Proofread

Before submitting your editorial, proofread your own work to make sure you
have created a professional, quality piece of writing. Many writers read their
work aloud to check for tone and flow. Another popular proofreading
technique is to read your paper backward, starting with the last sentence
and moving to the introduction.

This process helps catch spelling and grammatical errors that you might not
have seen the first time. You might also consider having a trusted friend or
colleague read and summarize the main ideas of your paper for clarity.

Tips for writing a good editorial

A good editorial can focus on any topic, as long as you can make a strong
case for your opinion and write with your audience in mind. Focus on why a
reader should care about your issue, as well as why someone might have a
different opinion. Understanding both sides of an issue will make your
editorial interesting to a wide variety of audiences. Use these tips to make
your editorial as convincing and relevant as possible:

Be decisive

Your editorial needs to take a firm position on your chosen topic. Any time
you mention an opposing view, immediately explain why it is incorrect and
why readers should agree with you instead. Convince readers to consider
your ideas by displaying confidence in your stance.
Offer new ideas

During the research process, see if there are any aspects to your issue that
others have not yet discussed. While anyone can have an opinion, adding
something new to a discussion will show that you have put careful thought
into your piece.

Provide solutions

If you draw attention to an issue in an editorial, provide possible solutions to

the problem. You want to avoid simply complaining so that the audience can
find value in your work and consider taking action themselves.

Focus on your interests

Whenever possible, choose a topic that you are passionate about. Your
writing will reflect that you actually care about the issue, making your paper
more interesting to read and more relevant to readers.