How do you structure an op-ed?

Open with a lede tied to a news hook, state your argument in a sentence, make three points each backed by evidence, meet the strongest objection in a “to be sure” paragraph, and end with a call to action that often echoes the opening. This is the outline The OpEd Project teaches, which describes it as one way of approaching a piece.

How many words should an op-ed be?

It depends on the outlet. The Washington Post’s help center caps op-ed submissions at 800 words, while The New York Times asks for guest essays of typically 800 to 1,200 words. This tool plans for 650–800 and lets you set any target from 300 to 1,500, so check the guidelines of the outlet you are pitching.

A news hook is what makes your piece timely: an event, a report, an anniversary, a new data release or a trend. It is often part of the lede. Editors use it to decide whether the piece should run now, and a piece without one may be set aside.

What is the “to be sure” paragraph?

It is the paragraph where you acknowledge the strongest objection or the flaws in your argument and answer them. It shows the reader you have considered the other side, and it makes the rest of the piece more persuasive.

How is an op-ed different from an academic essay?

An op-ed makes one argument for a general reader, fast, and asks them to do something. It uses few citations, plain language, a scene or a story in the lede, and short paragraphs. An academic essay has a longer evidence trail and a more specialist audience.

Does the generator write my op-ed?

No. It arranges your hook, argument, points and objection in order, gives each a word budget and checks for missing evidence. Nothing is generated by AI, and everything runs in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded.

Op-Ed Outline Generator

Plan an opinion piece in the order editors expect: a lede tied to the news, a one-sentence argument, three points that each carry their own evidence, a “to be sure” paragraph that meets the strongest objection, and a call to action. A word meter measures your draft against a target and gives every part its own budget. Honest templates, no AI. Free, no sign-up.

Your piece

Working headline

Target length (words)

This tool plans for 650–800 words. Outlets set their own limits, so check the one you are pitching.

News hook — why now (a note to yourself)

Lede — the opening image or fact

Your argument, in one sentence

Three points

Each point makes a claim, backs it with evidence (one piece per line), and says why it matters. The third can widen the frame instead.

Point 1

The claim

Evidence — one piece per line

So what? (optional)

Point 2

The claim

Evidence — one piece per line

So what? (optional)

Point 3

The claim

Evidence — one piece per line

So what? (optional)

The objection and the ending

The strongest objection (“to be sure”)

Your answer to it

Conclusion and call to action

Length and checks

Words against your target 0 of 750 words

Part	Target words	Your words
Lede	90	0
Argument	75	0
Point 1	135	0
Point 2	135	0
Point 3	135	0
To be sure	90	0
Conclusion and call to action	90	0
Total	750	0

Check: No news hook yet. Editors want a reason this piece runs now: an event, a report, a date.
To do: Write the lede: the image or fact that opens the piece.
To do: State your argument.
Done: The argument is one sentence.
To do: Point 1, 2, 3 has no claim yet.
Done: Every claim has evidence.
To do: Add the strongest objection and your answer to it.
To do: End on what the reader should do.
To do: Write something to measure the length.

Your op-ed outline

15 parts still to write

Op-Ed Outline

Op-ed outline · 750 words

Word Budget

Part	Target words	Your words
Lede	90	0
Argument	75	0
Point 1	135	0
Point 2	135	0
Point 3	135	0
To be sure	90	0
Conclusion and call to action	90	0
Total	750	0

Lede

Tip: Target: about 90 words. Open with a scene, a fact or a moment, and tie it to the news that makes the piece timely.

To write: Name the news hook: the event, report, anniversary or trend that makes this piece timely.

To write: Open with a scene, a number or a moment that makes the reader care.

Argument

Tip: Target: about 75 words. One sentence the reader can repeat to someone else.

To write: State your argument in one sentence: “[Who] should [do what] because [why].”

Point 1

Tip: Target: about 135 words. Claim, evidence, and what it means. Lead with your strongest point.

To write: Make the claim: a sentence that moves the argument forward.

To write: Give the evidence: a statistic, a study, an expert, first-hand experience.

To write: Say why the reader should care.

Point 2

Tip: Target: about 135 words. A different kind of evidence from the first: not a second helping of the same.

To write: Make the claim: a sentence that moves the argument forward.

To write: Give the evidence: a statistic, a study, an expert, first-hand experience.

To write: Say why the reader should care.

Point 3

Tip: Target: about 135 words. Another claim, or widen the frame with history or the global picture.

To write: Make the claim: a sentence that moves the argument forward.

To write: Give the evidence: a statistic, a study, an expert, first-hand experience.

To write: Say why the reader should care.

To be sure

Tip: Target: about 90 words. Meet the strongest objection fairly, then say why your argument still stands.

To write: State the strongest objection: “Critics will say … and they have a point.”

To write: Answer it: “But …”

Conclusion and call to action

Tip: Target: about 90 words. Say what should happen next, and close by echoing the lede.

To write: Say what the reader or decision-maker should do, and echo your opening.

How to Use the Op-Ed Outline Generator

1. Start with the hook and the argument. Note the news that makes the piece timely, write the lede, and state your argument in one sentence. If you cannot say it in one, the piece is not ready.
2. Fill in three points. Each has a claim, evidence (one piece per line) and a “so what”. Use different kinds of evidence in each point: a statistic, an expert, a first-hand scene.
3. Meet the objection and close. State the strongest argument against you, answer it, and end with what the reader or decision-maker should do, ideally echoing the lede.
4. Watch the meter. The meter measures your words against your target, and the table compares each part with its share of the budget. Copy the outline into your draft.

The Shape of an Op-Ed

The OpEd Project, which trains scholars and others to publish commentary, teaches an outline it presents as one way of approaching a piece, not a rule, on its resources page: a lede that sets the scene, a statement of the argument, three points each with two pieces of evidence and a conclusion, a “to be sure” paragraph that acknowledges flaws and addresses likely counterarguments, and a conclusion that often circles back to the lede. The same page defines the news hook as what makes a piece timely and often part of the lede. The generator follows this outline.

Part	Job	Budget share
Lede	A scene, fact or moment tied to the news hook	12%
Argument	One sentence the reader can repeat	10%
Points 1–3	Claim, evidence and “so what” — 18% each	54%
To be sure	The strongest objection, fairly met	12%
Conclusion	What should happen next; echo the lede	12%

The shares are this tool’s pacing convention. If your argument rests on one strong point, give it more room.

How Long Should an Op-Ed Be?

There is no single length, and outlets state their own. The Washington Post’s help center limits op-ed submissions to 800 words. The New York Times asks for guest essays “typically” of 800 to 1,200 words, and says it sometimes publishes shorter or longer ones. That is why the tool plans for 650–800 words — a length that fits the tighter of the two limits — and accepts any target from 300 to 1,500. Guidelines change, so read the current ones from The New York Times or the Washington Post before you fix the number. Both ask for a piece that no one else has published or is considering, so pitch one outlet at a time.

Part	At 650 words	At 750 words	At 800 words
Lede	80	90	95
Argument	65	75	80
Each point	115	135	145
To be sure	80	90	95
Conclusion	80	90	95

Targets are rounded to the nearest five words and balanced so the parts add up to the total.

Worked Example: A 750-Word Plan

“Try an example” loads an outline built on the same invented heat-at-bus-stops research as the Three Minute Thesis example. All figures and sources are bracketed placeholders, which is why the draft stands at 226 of its 750 words: the evidence is what you have to supply. The argument is “Cities should put shade where people wait for buses before they plant it anywhere else.” Its objection, that trees do more than shade a bench, is stated and answered in the “to be sure” paragraph rather than ignored.

Common Op-Ed Mistakes

No news hook. Editors ask why this piece runs now. Without a reason, it reads as an essay.
Several arguments. An op-ed makes one. If your thesis needs “and”, split it into two pieces.
Evidence that is all one kind. Three statistics read like a report. Mix a number, an expert and a human scene.
Skipping the objection. A reader who thinks of it before you do stops trusting you. Meet it in a paragraph of its own.
An ending with no ask. Say what should happen next, and who should do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you structure an op-ed?: Open with a lede tied to a news hook, state your argument in a sentence, make three points each backed by evidence, meet the strongest objection in a “to be sure” paragraph, and end with a call to action that often echoes the opening. This is the outline The OpEd Project teaches, which describes it as one way of approaching a piece.
How many words should an op-ed be?: It depends on the outlet. The Washington Post’s help center caps op-ed submissions at 800 words, while The New York Times asks for guest essays of typically 800 to 1,200 words. This tool plans for 650–800 and lets you set any target from 300 to 1,500, so check the guidelines of the outlet you are pitching.
What is a news hook?: A news hook is what makes your piece timely: an event, a report, an anniversary, a new data release or a trend. It is often part of the lede. Editors use it to decide whether the piece should run now, and a piece without one may be set aside.
What is the “to be sure” paragraph?: It is the paragraph where you acknowledge the strongest objection or the flaws in your argument and answer them. It shows the reader you have considered the other side, and it makes the rest of the piece more persuasive.
How is an op-ed different from an academic essay?: An op-ed makes one argument for a general reader, fast, and asks them to do something. It uses few citations, plain language, a scene or a story in the lede, and short paragraphs. An academic essay has a longer evidence trail and a more specialist audience.
Does the generator write my op-ed?: No. It arranges your hook, argument, points and objection in order, gives each a word budget and checks for missing evidence. Nothing is generated by AI, and everything runs in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded.

More in Essay & Paper Writing

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Length and checks

Your op-ed outline

Op-Ed Outline

Word Budget

Lede

Argument

Point 1

Point 2

Point 3

To be sure

Conclusion and call to action

How to Use the Op-Ed Outline Generator

The Shape of an Op-Ed

How Long Should an Op-Ed Be?

Worked Example: A 750-Word Plan

Common Op-Ed Mistakes

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Tools

More in Essay & Paper Writing