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Writing Letters to the Editor

Writing a letter to an editor can be an easy and fulfilling way to get your voice heard. If you know how to do it. Below, we have provided some tips on how to get your letter successfully written and published.

Be Passionate

  • Balance your passion for what you are saying with politeness. Avoid rude, inappropriate language or personally attacking someone in your letter.
  • Be original. Find a new way to approach the topic that highlights your message.
  • If you truly believe in what you are writing about, that passion will come through in your letter.

Be Specific

  • Never assume the reader knows what you are talking about. At the very least, state the article name and date to which you are responding. Editors are more likely to publish a letter that directly references a specific article as it demonstrates active interest in their publication.
  • If you are commenting on a specific event or political position, provide some background information.

Be Informed

  • Use facts, testimonials or other data to add credibility to you argument.
  • State your own qualifications.
  • Compare and contrast your ideas with others.
  • Find the local connection to your issue. Provide examples of what local members of your community are/ aren’t doing to help with the issue.

Be Concise

  • Try to limit your letter to one specific point. Short letters are more likely to be printed than long ones.
  • Don’t be overly verbose. Try to maintain a vocabulary within an 8th grade reading level.

Be Aware

  • Include all of the necessary information the publication asks for.
  • If you want to remain anonymous, state this outside the body of the letter. Be aware that some publications do not print anonymous letters.
  • Always type your letter to ensure legibility.
  • Be grammatically correct. Most publications will correct minor spelling errors but will not publish a letter with grammatical structure problems.

Be Active

  • Don’t give up if your letter does not get printed the first time. Try re-sending the letter at a later date (make sure you alter it to make it current) or responding to something else at a later date.
  • Send the letter to multiple publications, if applicable. This includes online sources.