You Can Help Us Build Your Writing Toolbox. Here’s How.
At Spotlight PR, our goal is to amplify the voices of exceptional leaders like you. One of the ways we do this is through opinion essays. Last year, we placed 56 opinion essays for clients and partners. We did this because we know truly spectacular leaders are also brilliant thinkers and deserve to be heard; every piece shares important new ideas and perspectives that uplift the important work you are doing.
We want to show more leaders how to elevate their work through opinion essays. That way, we may expand this exchange of ideas and address the important issues of the world today. That’s why Spotlight PR recently submitted a proposal on opinion essay writing and placement to Netroots Nation’s annual conference. To advance our proposal, we are asking for your attention and your vote.
What You Will Get from Our Panel
Thought leaders like you are at the heart of this panel. Our goal is to increase the likelihood that your opinion essays will be published. In a constricting media environment, it can be harder to go through the process and get your opinion piece placed. However, it’s not impossible, and we can get you to the finish line.
Our panel will walk through how to write and develop your opinion piece, as well as tools and strategies for pitching it afterwards. You can carry these strategies with you to achieve more coverage and attention to the stories you’re telling.
What is Netroots Nation
Netroots Nation is a phenomenal space for movement leaders. They are a non-profit organization whose annual conference offers opportunities for other non-profits, leaders and social justice organizations to learn and connect with each other. This year’s conference will be held in Philadelphia from June 4 through June 6.
How to Vote on Our Proposal
All panels are considered through a public vote, and must receive enough votes in order to be selected. Will you take a moment to vote affirmatively for our panel, ‘Crafting and Placing Opinion Essays Amid a Contracting Media Landscape?’
The session will be led by Spotlight PR’s wonderful founder and principal, Jennifer R. Farmer, alongside one or more of Spotlight’s long-time writers: Coshandra Dillard, Tiffany Onyejiaka and myself (Sophia Shannon).
Voting will be open through March 13, 2026. You can view the submission and vote here: https://netrootsnation.secure-platform.com/nn26/gallery/rounds/82014/details/12836
What You Can Expect
Everything we know about communications – from what constitutes media, to what the media will cover, to mainstream versus independent media, etc. – is shifting. The media landscape has also changed considerably, with power concentrated in the hands of a select, wealthy few. Those hands don’t always see, nor do they want to see, us. If we are going to tell our stories with impact, we’ll need to take control of the modes of communication we use to do so.
To share our message effectively and get the coverage we desire, we must increasingly build our own platforms and share our thought leadership there. Opinion essays are an excellent tool to do so. They also allow you to position yourself on your own terms. This training will show you how to do so.
As we know, every vote matters to move this proposal forward. We would love the chance to share this training with you and all attendees at the Netroots Nation conference. Please visit this link to see our proposal and vote to advance our training for selection. Thank you for supporting us so that we can continue to support you.
Sophia Shannon is a senior media relations associate for Spotlight PR LLC. Be sure to check out our other blogs and subscribe for regular communications updates.