McKinsey publishes hundreds of articles a year, on subjects ranging from national defense to inventory optimization to climate change to homelessness. We get tens of millions of reads on our website. But we know that not everyone who might benefit from McKinsey’s research and insights, goes to our website or app.

To reach that additional audience, we launched the McKinsey Op-ed Advisory in 2021, with one fulltime editor and the support of one media relations manager. The principle was simple: find business audiences where they are, globally. We believed that a steady flow of McKinsey- authored articles in well-regarded external publications would also reinforce our reputation for thoughtful, actionable expertise.

The Advisory was a new initiative, so we had to invent it from scratch. While there have been tweaks over the years, our guidelines have been generally consistent.

Spreading the word internally

First, we wanted to work with a wide range of McKinsey’s industry practices so that word about the Advisory would spread internally and to demonstrate the value of the service.

Second, we sought out specialized, trade, and regional publications as possible outlets. No question: everyone wants to get into the Wall Street Journal or the Financial Times. The fact is, however, a great deal of McKinsey research is tightly focused and not necessarily what is making news. Not everyone is interested in, say, the use of AI in supply chains—really—but a vital cohort of people is intensely so, and the trade press is how to reach them. We think in terms of the “priority audience,” not necessarily the biggest audience.

Third, we tried to make the process as easy as possible. Initially, we assumed that our consultants would do the first draft. Very quickly, reality prevailed. McKinsey partners are always busy, and however much they like the idea of authorship, writing an op-ed is rarely their top priority. So the Advisory editor does almost all first drafts. Typically, these are based on recently published material on McKinsey.com; then the authors review and edit. They always have the last word.

Fourth, we work in concert with McKinsey’s priority themes. If a new book is coming out, for example, we will work with the authors on related op-eds.

Flexibility is a necessity

Finally, the Advisory is a service; that means we have to be flexible. Some offices and teams have well-established op-ed pipelines. In that case, we don’t get in the way. Part of the service, too, is advising, as the name implies. There is a good deal of ongoing education about what an op-ed is; how it can be part of the overall communications strategy; what works; and why an idea is not going to make it in the Economist (it doesn’t run op-eds). A good op-ed does not sound like classic McKinsey research and cannot read as if it was written by a public relations agency; this can sometimes be a difficult idea to get across.

So, how has it worked?  Since 2021, we have developed and published an average of 75 op-eds a year in media that matters to us and our clients.

Placing content in major publications

In 2024 alone, we placed 80 articles not only in the United States, but on every continent (except Antarctica). Major publications included Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Forbes, Foreign Policy, and Fast Company. Among the regional and trade publications were Asian Banking, Livemint (India), CIO, Mexico Business, Pharma Forum, Directors and Boards, Detroit News, New York Daily News, and Brazil Journal.

Many of McKinsey’s most senior thought leaders have participated; they routinely tell us that it has led to productive conversations with business leaders. Four years in, the Op-ed Advisory is all about repeat business.

McKinsey spends considerable time, money, and expertise to create insights of value to business and government. The Advisory is one way to get those insights to the people that can put them to work.