People need similar access to reliable evidence at the moment they encounter a questionable health claim online. Patients encountering a dubious medical claim on TikTok, YouTube, or a podcast rarely have an equivalent source of evidence available in the same moment. They are instead left judging medical claims based on influencer charisma and algorithmic reach.

How one health-tech CEO landed an Op-Ed in STAT after seven rejections and why a modular Op-Ed strategy for CEOs matters more than the writing itself.

Once you know how to structure an Op-Ed, and understand how to write within the constraints that structure creates, you’re well on your way to successfully using Op-Eds, whether your goals are science communication, executive thought leadership strategy, or influencing policy and practice. 

Storytelling Tool for Strategic Science Communication

A proven Op-Ed strategy for CEOs and scientific leaders. From finding a worthy opinion to pitching persistently until your piece is placed.

At Etalia, we work with leaders in health, science, and technology to build the communication infrastructure that turns expertise into lasting influence. If you are ready to move from one-off placements to a system that builds credibility over time, we would be glad to think through it with you.

Op-eds are the most direct bridge between scientific expertise and the people making policy decisions and setting research budgets. For leaders serious about strategic science communication, building an op-ed strategy is one of the clearest expressions of executive thought leadership strategy in practice.

Op-Eds have become more valuable than ever in the era of AI search, yet many leaders still fall prey to critical misconceptions about how opinion media works. Here are the 14 most common myths we see when working with CEOs and scientific leaders on building a powerful executive thought leadership strategy.

Looking back a decade, the moments that shaped everything weren't the biggest opportunities or the boldest moves — they were the ones where she stopped hiding and said what she actually thought. That single shift changed what came next.

Mastering executive performance under pressure is not simply about endurance. It requires a deliberate combination of mindset, skill, and preparation.

An opinion media strategy is a structured approach that enables organizations to share expert perspectives through influential media platforms.

Researchers, public health leaders, and institutional executives often assume that strong data will naturally lead to recognition and policy impact.

Op-Eds are immensely valuable tools for any science executive who needs to build relationships, deliver for their people, and help others navigate a shifting landscape. Here are just three ways they can do that.

Scientific organizations work at the cutting edge. Their research is elegant and purposeful, creating innovations that are the closest thing to miraculous in our material world.

But there’s a massive gap between how most scientific organizations conduct science and how they communicate.

That’s a major problem.

If you’ve ever thought about writing Op-Eds as a way to shape public discussion on health or science, chances are you’ve had similar questions to those that come up in our trainings. I’ve shared some of them below, along with my responses.

Scientific organizations eyeing the future should think more expansively about communications.

Marketing shouldn’t go away as a function. Nor should visibility and publicity go away as organizational objectives.

But, they also shouldn’t dominate the communications agenda at scientific organizations. And here’s why.

Some opinions we have are worth more than others. But when it comes to our brightest opinions, their potential value actually depends on how we organize our calendars. We seriously limit the potential value and impact that our opinions can have.

Introducing Building Deep, a newsletter exploring resilient leadership in health and science. To build a structure high, you need to build the foundation deep.

Op-Eds are one of the single most powerful tools for translating research into real-world impact.

Conceptually, they’re quite simple: Pick an argument, make sure it’s interesting and timely, gather the most compelling evidence you’ve got to support it, and write it up in about 750 words.

To be sure, global health institutions possess an immense trove of critical knowledge and capabilities. But they don’t typically have intimate knowledge of how environmental, social, and cultural factors impact people’s health at the community level, where all implementation happens.

This is where Radical Listening comes in.