Progressive Wednesday

How-to Write Letters to the Editor (Full)

February 3rd, 2007 by Progressive Wednesday

How to Write a Letter to the Editor

Problem:

You’ve got big ideas, frustrations, and suggestions to help your area. You want your words to matter beyond your brain, your friends, your blog.

Make Progress:

Penning a letter to the editor is a potent way to aid progressivism. There are several values in writing letters to the editor.

• You can reach thousands of readers, readers who crave the opinions of others.
• The opinion pages of newspapers are read by politicians and the leaders of nonprofit organizations.
• Even if your letter isn’t published, your letter can contribute to a tipping point on a topic. If editors receive enough letters on a particular issue, they’ll feel compelled to publish one or more letters on the position, because an interest has been demonstrated by active readers.
• Progress starts at the local level, and newspapers are a great forum to alter community ideas and ideals.

So, without further ado, here are five keys to writing a successful letter to the editor:

1. Be enthusiastic about your subject matter, but avoid sounding livid or illogical or didactic (let’s save that for the repressive dinosaurs out there).

2. Be smart, but please steer clear of lingo that makes you sound like a pedandic erudite. Remember, progressive one, that the average newspaper is written for an audience with 6^th-grade reading proficiency, give or take.

3. Keep it pithy. Every newspaper has its own specific maximum word count. (My two hometown newspapers have 200- and 400-word limits. If I were you, I wouldn’t assume that my letter was so exquisite that the editors will ignore the word count rule just because their so awed by my words. In my experience, newspaper editors are a passionate but surly bunch. They receive far more letters than they can use, and they’re looking for reasons to throw letters out. You can even write just one paragraph as long as you get your point across clearly. Often, less isn’t just more, it’s more exact.

4. Revise and revise (and revise). Show the letter to at least one other person to help with your proofreading and clarity of content. Your first draft can’t be the final draft. I often recommend that folks write double the amount they’re shooting for. So, if your newspaper, let’s call it the King of Prussia Picayune, has a 150 word limit, write 300. Then trim, baby. Shape your letter they way a sculptor hacks away at a slab of marble.

5. Include contact info: your name, address, daytime and evening phone numbers, and an email address. If your letter’s going to run, they need to verify your identity first.

6. Keep it professional in presentation. I just structure it like a normal business letter. I recommend block formatting. (You can read more about that here.) Part of business writing has to deal with tone and audience. Don’t write like you’re scribbling a note to your grandmother or your best friend who’s in Riker’s or me. This means no slang, no cursing, no inside references or personal jokes. This also means, in the name of all that is holy and sacred, please type the sucker.

7. Feel free to be a little witty if the subject permits, but don’t try to be witty if you’re not. How do you know if you’re witty or not? Here’s a good test: no offense, but if no one’s ever told you that you’re witty, assume that you’re not. Please note: there’s a big ole difference between wit and sarcasm—the former is sincere, the latter is not.

8. Keep it local. If the issue is national or global, make it local first. Writing in relation to what’s going on in town, or explain the impact of the problem in your community, if possible. You can also tell a brief personal narrative, when appropriate, to enter into the topic. Folks dig on story. That’s part of why they’re reading newspapers in the first place.

9. Be timely. If you’re writing about the commercialization of Christmas, then you probably don’t want to write the letter mid-March. If you’re responding to recent events, you need to write promptly. Tying your topic to seasonal events is a great entry.

10. Celebrate good news. Positive voices are few and far between on op-ed pages.

11. Have sources to back up your claims. You know that expression, “Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion”? Well, I think that’s nonsense: Hitler had an opinion. Your opinion is only as good as your support; it’s fine to believe something is true, but that alone, of course, doesn’t make it true. If you’re an authority on a subject (say you’re writing a letter about the recycling of wood and you’re a carpenter) then say so; it’ll increase your street cred. If you’ve lived in an areas for a long time, mention this. If you’re not an authority, then reference people and organizations that are. For example: “According to Martha Smith, a sociology professor at the University of Nebraska, gun crime continues to rise at an alarming rate in rural communities.” When you use others as authorities, the weight of their knowledge, in essence, becomes your own.

12. Reference the newspaper if appropriate—they like to know that you’re reading (it makes you more important to them). If you respond to an article because you believed it lacked information or a complete picture, mention the article’s headline in your letter. But don’t just write letters criticizing. There’s nothing wrong with praising an article, and then mentioning related information on the topic.

13. Be sure to read the newspaper and be aware of the style, structure and tone of the letters they publish. Editors have tastes. Learn from the previous writers.

14. Talking points can come across as lies. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use the framing language of talking points presented by those you agree with (never, ever, never use the talking points of your opposition!), but you need to make a letter sound authentic, original, personal.

15. Write about one issue at a time. You want your letter to be focused. You want to open your letter introducing the point you’re trying to make. Don’t beat around the bush.

16. Ranting and raving won’t cut it. Anger doesn’t translate well when you’re hoping to change the minds of educated readers. Adults tend not to enjoy the experience of other adults yelling at them. Be honest, candid, and tactful. “Talk” to others the way you want to be talked to.

17. Newspaper editors edit, so don’t go ape if they trim a bit, or change your sentences (they may have included grammatical errors or awkward phrasings).

18. You can use your letter as a way to inform readers. Just don’t tell them that’s what you’re doing. Research your topic using more than Wikipedia (which is a great source for educating yourself on a topic). For more info on research, check out our tool on research methods.

19. Write positive! Don’t write by negation (like I just did).

20. Avoid hyperbole. Exaggeration is a kind of lying.

21. Avoid using the imperative. Commands can make folks feel inferior. (We realize the irony here.)

22. Use “we” when appropriate. This kind of inclusive language can make a reader feel as though they are tied to you.

23. Steer clear of euphemisms. They distract us from the truth.

24. If your letter isn’t accepted, contact the paper with a courteous and respectful attitude inquiring why your letter wasn’t published.

25. If your letter is taken, congrats! You can send the letter and masthead to your legislators, representatives, mayor, Senator, anyone who you think ought to read. If you don’t mind, shoot us a copy to us so we can share the progress you’ve made with others.

26. Keep it structured. We recommend using one of two basic formulas:

1. An introduction of yourself and your topic/main point.

2. Evidence that the problem exists.

3. A brief solution.

or

1. An introduction of yourself and your topic/main point.

2. An explanation of your praise.

3. Suggestions for even more progress in this area.

27. Be courteous. Ad hominem arguments directed at reporters, politicians, previous letter writers don’t go over well. No one likes reading insults in the long run. Flash back to your experiences in Ms. McGillicuddy’s if you must.

28. Be cheap! Writing a letter to the editor is an all-but free way to make a progressive point.

This whole list isn’t intended to make the process of writing a letter to the editor daunting. We’re just trying to help maximize the odds of your letter being taken so that your progressive message can reach a large and important audience. For more help or suggestions or explanations, feel free to drop us a line.