Happy new week! I’m Nicole Schuman, Managing Editor for PRNEWS. Welcome to another edition of Single Shot.

In 2022, Gannett, the largest conglomerate for local and regional newspapers, recommended changes and cutbacks to its opinion sections. The Arizona Republic, Cape Cod Times and others scaled back publication of their opinion pages to only a couple days a week, rather than daily.

And this seems to be a media industry trend. Newer publications like Axios and Punchbowl News launched sans opinion sections.There's more than enough opinions being spouted on cable news networks. Newsrooms are cutting staff, and more often than not, those cuts fall on the opinion pages.

So PR folks who depend on traditional media for thought leadership article placement, may be feeling the heat. Thankfully, there are new and innovative ways communicators can work around this and benefit from some of the newer technology and platforms available.

Here's a look at alternatives to the op-ed page, and below are some of the article’s key takeaways.The PRNEWS team wishes you a great start to your week. As always, we welcome feedback on our newsletters. Feel free to contact me at nschuman@prnewsonline.com. [And a note: I will be OOO from today (Aug. 26) through Sept. 4, so feel free to reach out to Kaylee Hultgren (khultgren@accessintel.com) with any feedback, pitches, etc.]

• Look to self-publishing platforms, like LinkedIn, Substack and Medium (among others) to help fill the gap.
• Bylined articles, ones that aim to inform and inspire a particular audience, are in high demand from trade publications.
• For the right campaign, there is utility in sponsored content. Paying for a contributed placement, white paper or sponsored report allows the author to be more overtly promotional of the company and products or services they represent.