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Opinion Writing Absolutely Counts. Here’s Why
Bill Bullard once quipped that “Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding.”
The other day, while I was on social media, I had that same philosophy thrown in my face.
My reaction? Blink rapidly. Stare. Repeat.
I’ll make it clear that I have intense respect for “real” journalists, who are absolutely storytellers in their own right and have a fantastic understanding of how to both inform and engage people quickly. Done well, their stories can change how people think and inspire them to take action, even if the journalist achieves relative objectivity in the way they report.
But opinions can be transformative, too. As an example, I’ll point to Steve Jobs. As Simon Sinek summarizes in his TED talk, for years, people believed that to sell well, you need to focus on the product, highlighting its features and quality. The “what” came first, and the “why” was secondary. But Jobs believed that the real way to engage people and market was to tap into emotions. If you could communicate the why behind your business and get your audience to feel something first, then you could find the people who shared your vision and get them to respond not just to a single product, but to any product you made. That’s why Apple customers don’t just buy…
