Connect your message to news

How to be timely and relevant and remind yourself you have a lot to say

Go to the website of your local news organization or a big national news organization. Pick the current top story, no matter what it is. Begin writing by summarizing the story, then say why it’s good/bad/a problem/missing the point.

Then, free write, deeply and fully, without stopping, and write until you connect the headline to something in your life or in your wheelhouse of things you do.

Then, close by saying a few words about what you want someone to do after reading your piece.

You’ve essentially just written a rough draft of an opinion piece.

But, it’s the middle of this exercise that I want to zero in on a bit more: you have the ability to connect what you know to just about any story in the news and create a relevant reason to pitch your work or your expertise, an easy path to a news hook.

Challenge yourself to do this as a daily practice, even if just in your head. Spot a headline, and think through how you’d use it as an in-road to putting your voice into the public narrative.