It’s something that also has value from a content marketing perspective. Opinion-oriented content can be fun to read as well as informative, so it collects eyeballs. It can be a tremendously valuable source of information for anyone in decision-making mode -- such as someone trying to find an engineer to unravel a particularly difficult problem.
It positions the author as a thought-leader, someone who is invested enough in the topic to have a viewpoint and take a stand.
Opinion content can be in written form, or in video, a podcast, or any other medium.
Take, for example, a mining engineer client I’ll call Hussein, who believes that mining companies must do more to manage the environmental effects of their mines after they’re closed. Water leaching through the mine waste and through the mine itself can pick up contaminants like acids and metals, causing huge issues for ecosystems downstream.
Here are some of the ways I’ve used -- and can use -- Opinion content to help Hussein show his expertise to members of the mining industry.
Stand-alone opinion
In working with Hussein, the first form of content I’ve done is an article in a trade magazine for the mining sector. I interviewed Hussein about what he wanted to say, and studied the text of a keynote speech he gave recently to a conference on mine closure, to gather information to ghost an article for his byline.
It was what I call stand-alone content in that this article wasn’t based on a previous development, as is the case with the “Review” and “Comment” below.
Also, it was stand-alone in that there wasn’t a specific news hook or other event to hang the article on -- such as a mine whose tailings dam had burst recently, flooding contaminants downstream. So, I had to put in some words up front, explaining why the issue is important to the industry’s financial and legal future.
It’s always best if you can find a news hook -- so that when you include the right keywords and phrases, your content will get a ride on that event. How to structure stand-alone content?
· Explain the issue you’re commenting on, and why it’s important to the content user
· Give your viewpoint
· Explain your reasons for that viewpoint, acknowledging and dealing with counter-arguments
· Along the way, you must state why your opinion matters -- your experience, your qualifications, or familiarity with the issues
Reviews
Content that analyzes or reviews recently-released books, movies, music albums and the like has a long history. Now, we see reviews of software, information technology, video games, social networking platforms and other products -- by traditional journalists as well as bloggers. But anyone can write a review, including subject-matter experts like Hussein. I see a lot of reviews posted on engineering.com -- and it's a strong way to build one's professional profile
A review has strength from a content point of view in that it’s “news” at least while the subject of the review is new. It can get a search engine boost just from being associated with that subject. It doesn’t take much predictive power to say that there will be a LOT of reviews of the next iPad when (or before) it makes its appearance.
A review positions the writer as being up to date with developments in her or his field.
In Hussein’s case, we might write a review of a new technology for removing contaminants from water flowing out of a closed mine ... or maybe a review of new mine closure legislation such as that in the state of Western Australia.
Review-oriented content needs to cover these points, not necessarily in this order:
· A description of the product
· Comparison with its predecessor, and competing products
· What’s new about it
· Analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the product
· Potential applications of the product -- and where its use should be avoided
Comments
If Stand-Alone opinion content has its origins in op-ed articles in newspapers, and Reviews go back to literary book reviews, Comments are rooted in letters to the editors of newspapers and magazines.
A Comment is based on content generated by someone else. Like the Review, it positions the author as being up to date with current developments, particularly if the comment is posted soon after the original article.
With the tendency for many online news media to have space for Comments after each article, there has been a huge outpouring of this kind of content, much of it not worth the pixels and server space. A quick look through some entertainment-oriented sites like “OMG” will find thought-free gems such as “I think J.Lo looks fat in that dress.”
So, where to comment? Choose venues that are:
· Monitored to keep out the spam, name-calling and personal attacks
· Frequented by the kinds of people you want to reach
· Able to generate content on which you can usefully comment
Of the three types of content, the Comment is likely to the shortest -- maybe just a few sentences. So just like composing an effective Tweet, an effective Comment must say a lot with a little. One thing it must do is identify the author -- otherwise, what’s the point? -- and give her or his credentials. A comment on J.Lo’s fashion choices by someone signing off as “Snooki” would presumably have less weight than that of the editor of Vogue.
Mining Engineer Hussein might reasonably comment on someone else’s article on mine closure in a publication, website, blog or other medium.
Comments are a quick and easy way to stay top of mind for the people you want to reach. Be sure to protect your brand by posting only thoughtful, informative Comments.
Review content needs to include these elements:
· The reviewer’s opinion on the content being reviewed
· Recommendations that the reader might take
· Qualifications of the reviewer (briefly!) indicating why the reviewer’s opinion matters
Opinion content needs to be done with care, in that there is a good chance that someone will disagree with your opinion. Hussein needs to be careful about being too critical of the industry that pays his living. He can do this through backing up his views with real facts, acknowledging opinions different from his own, and keeping his comments in a positive tone.
This way, he acts as an expert witness of sorts, contributing to the base of knowledge on mine closure. He’s also able to add to the discussion, helping keep the “social” in “social media.”