{Today’s guest post comes from former New York Times editorial page staffer Maura Casey. She’s sharing tricks of the op-ed writing trade, folks. Pay attention!}

The rise of the Internet and the struggles of print journalism in recent years have made opinion – your opinion – more valuable than ever. Some of the most influential websites such as Slate and the Huffington Post rely heavily on opinion for their broad appeal.  And newspapers, seeking to cut budgets wherever they can, have stopped publishing many syndicated columnists.

Yet newspapers have to fill those pages with some form of commentary. Therein lies the opportunity. You  don’t have to be George Will or Maureen Dowd to get published. Just don’t expect to get paid, since most newspapers pay little or nothing, And remember,  whether your target is my former employer, The New York Times, or the Laramie Boomerang,  you still have to say something interesting. So here are a few pointers to get your pearls in print:

Think like an editor. Put self-interest aside for a minute. Why would anyone want to publish your piece? Who cares? What’s the most interesting point you want to make – in the most interesting possible way? How current is your topic? Editors like news hooks. They also like pieces that are free of jargon, and 700 words or less — anything longer and it may not even be read.

Consider the angle. The angle of your piece needs broad appeal. But if you can hook it around an anniversary or a major holiday, so much the better. Editors are always on the prowl for piece they can set aside for those long holiday weekends, when they know there will be a lot of pages to fill.

Your lede matters. If your lede (the first sentence or two in the commentary) doesn’t grab an editor right away, chances are that it won’t go far. The punchier your lede, the better. For inspiration, read reviews. Years ago, when the Reader’s Digest came out with a condensed version of the Bible, the Washington Post published a book review that began, “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was too long.”  Who could resist reading on?

Opinion isn’t enough. Research is critical to bolster your point. So is rewriting. The first draft should almost never be your last.

Don’t forget the walk-off. The last line might not matter as much as the lede. But it merits attention, if only to reward those loyal readers who have stayed with you until the end.

Once the writing is done comes a difficult moment for many people – contacting the right editor to get your piece in print. Trust me: With a few pointers, it isn’t as hard as you think. But we’ll cover that in the next post. Stay tuned!

Maura Casey spent 26 years at four newspapers writing columns, editorials and editing oped pages. She is a former editorial writer for The New York Times and now owns the communications firm of CaseyInk, LLC (www.caseyink.com). E-mail her at maura@caseyink.com