Tips for Writing a Letter to the Editor

Letters to the Editor, or "LTEs," are one of the most widely-read sections of a newspaper and a powerful way to deliver a message to thousands of readers and decision-makers.

Tips for Writing Your Letter

 Because LTEs are your exact words, they provide an rare opportunity to communicate a precise message to a wide public audience. However, newspapers receive thousands of LTEs and will publish a handful on any given day. That means every letter we write needs to count, and that we want more of your letters to get published than average. And we can make that happen by following are some LTE tips.

1. Be timely. Responding to a specific article will increase the likelihood that your letter will be published.
2. Be personal. The reader should know how and why the issue affects you, your family and your community.
3. Have a strong opinion…but articulate don't infuriate by being reasonable, rational and showing respect for others.
4. Relate to people's daily lives. Quoting legal language or policy studies can cause eyes to glaze. Effective public outreach uses common sense language, incorporating real people and places. People care about their home, health and loved ones as well as basic American values of freedom, integrity and accountability.
5. Be creative. By using a counter-intuitive argument or an interesting or humorous turn-of- phrase you will catch the editor's attention.
6. Stick to YOUR message. It is a waste of limited time, space and energy to repeat your opponent's point of view.
7. Be positive whenever possible. Think about solutions to the problem you care about and make those points in your letter.
8. Avoid the extreme. By going too far with your point of view you can alienate people who support your position and share your values.
9. Follow the rules. Most papers list certain guidelines to follow when contributing a letter. Follow these guidelines closely or you’re just asking to have it edited or thrown away. A short, pithy LTE will not be edited.
10. Follow up. With a smaller paper in particular, it will often help to call the person responsible for the letters-to-the-editor after you email it. If they can connect a real person with the letter is it much more likely to get printed.