Tips on Writing Effective
Letters to the Editor

The letters sections of newspapers and magazines present great opportunities for getting your message to a wide audience. In local and regional papers, letters to the editor are read by local activists, government officials, legislators and many community members.

Your letter can support and expand on something already in the news, make a point that was omitted, or disagree with/correct misinformation from a news story, editorial or another letter.

The most effective persuasive writing appeals to both emotion and logic -- incorporate an element of each if possible in the space allowed.

To maximize your chances of getting published:

Do:
* Respond directly to an article or commentary published within the previous two days (for daily newspapers) or previous issue of a weekly or magazine and follow the citation format used in the target publication. The typical format is: Re "Talking Race," (local news, Jan. 13). Your report neglected one key fact...

* Keep it concise and focused on one important point (don't try to address two separate issues in one letter). Be sure to follow the guidelines and word count limit of the target publication (100 to 250 words is typical for local and regional papers). To maximize your chance of being published, edit your letter to remove all non-essential words. This also minimizes the chance of the editor changing the letter in ways you may not like.

* Use verified facts. Take the time to check original sources (rather than repeating a "fact" cited in another media outlet, for example).

* Look for ways to create immediacy by indicating how readers will be affected by the issue you address when possible; try to balance criticism with a positive -- ask for action from your readers when practical. This includes your elected representatives -- by including their names in the letter and asking for action, you can get their attention.

* Point people to a resource for more information or to engage in action whenever practical.

* Be a student of persuasive writing. Pay attention to letters and comments by others. Note effective and ineffective approaches, style, length, etc.

* When writing to your local newspaper, follow up with a polite phone inquiry about its status if it doesn't appear within 5-7 days (not recommended for large regional or national publications).

*Send us a draft if it's relevant to our work. We'll be happy to offer suggestions and will usually reply within hours.

*E-mail your letter in the body of the email (never send unsolicited attachments) and put "Letter re (article title or topic)" in the subject line. If you wish to copy others or submit to more than one publication, do it in a separate email.

Things to Avoid:
* Don't overstate/exaggerate your point;

* Don't use pejoratives (insulting your opponents);

* Avoid jargon or acronyms (spell out any name the first time you use it, followed by the acronym in parentheses);

* Don't say "I'm writing to..." or "I think..." It's obvious. Omit needless words.

* Never use all capital letters or bold test to emphasize a word. It will almost never be printed that way and may prevent your from being considered. You can italicize one or two words, but most papers will print it as plain text regardless -- the words need to speak for themselves. Use quotation marks to indicate the title of a book, article, etc.

On Magazines
The range of acceptable lengths for letters to the editor in magazines varies widely, so be sure to look for guidelines and observe the range and style used in each publication. Letters to major news weeklies tend to be extremely short (100 words or so).

Consider who the typical reader of the publication is, and keep them in mind when writing. Many magazines tend to be read by like-minded people, rather than the broader cross-sections of society that most newspapers do.

Recommended Resources

* We strongly urge all writers to pick up Strunk and White's booklet The Elements of Style from your local independently-owned book store. This brief booklet is full of great suggestions to help you write concisely and powerfully.

* Don't consider your effort a failure if your letter is not used in larger publications where even the best letters face long odds. Each letter, however, is read and plays some role in molding the thinking and content selection of the editors.

Please note ReclaimDemocracy.org as a resource where applicable. This helps generate interest in our work and lets people know others in their area feel the way they do. One caveat: please never reference us if you are advocating for or against a politician or political party -- we are thoroughly non-partisan and want to make sure that is never doubted. If you have any questions, please contact us.

We love to get copies of letters written by our supporters and we're happy to offer editing help. Send drafts via our contact form.

Writing for ReclaimDemocracy.org
If you wish to propose writing an article for us please include at least two published writing samples (links to web page, in email text or pdf file) with your query note. Writing samples may include letters to the editor.

For a print-friendly flier of this information in pdf format, which may be printed and distributed freely, click here.

© 2006 ReclaimDemocracy.org.