How to Write a Letter to the Editor That Gets Printed

If you have a strong reaction to a recent news story, a letter to the editor can be an effective way to share your views with a wide audience. But with so many people wanting to have their say, editors are selective. To maximize your chances, follow a few simple rules:

Start with the article, not the issue

The most effective letters tie closely into a single, recent article and make just one key point, according to media experts and outlets. Start by briefly referencing the story in question, then move to your central argument.

Pace University public affairs office says:

"Respond within two or three days of the article's publication,"

And

"Stick to a single subject."

The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, urges letters to refer specifically to "a news story or editorial in your local paper,"

While

"The New York Times stresses that letters should generally refer to an article from the past seven days."

Harvard's letter-writing guide suggests:

"Start by mentioning the article or news item in question, and then move to your main point, for maximum impact."

Taking these words to heart helps ensure your letter will be timely, relevant, and focused, which makes it more likely to catch an editor's eye.

Hit the length window

Length limits vary, but the best letters almost always land within a short window. Pace University points out:

"Proofreading is important, as is paying attention to your paper's word limit."

While

"The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health says letters should generally be 200 words or less."

And

"The New York Times recommends 150 to 200 words."

At the other end of the scale, most sources agree that around 300 words is an outer bound. Both The Washington Post and the University of Kansas suggest this cutoff, which means anything over that will almost certainly be edited or marked down.

A shorter letter signals a disciplined writer, not just in terms of process but of content. It shows you're not padding, or changing the subject, but making one clear main point -- usually, in response to a specific article.

Give editors what they need

To boost your credibility and show you're not a front for an interest group or using an assumed identity, editors regularly check that submitters actually exist, live where they say, and did indeed write the letter themselves.

"Include your full name, address, and daytime telephone number at the end,"

Which

"Makes it clear that you've written on your own initiative, and have no hidden agenda."

Pace University's guidelines are similar, specifying:

"Your name, address, daytime phone number, and signature."

The Washington Post takes this a step further, requiring:

"Full name, home address, email address, and telephone numbers, including a daytime telephone number, for verification purposes."

Again, following these rules doesn't guarantee your letter will run, but to ignore them is to signal a problem before an editor even thinks about the content.

Use the submission channel the paper prefers

Some papers ask for letters by email, others by an online form, and others still prefer printed mail. Consider this clue a suggestion not to fight the system, but to go with the grains.

The Washington Post suggests:

"Timeliness is a critical factor in selection,"

"Submitting by email may be quicker, and simpler, than printing and snailmailing the letter."

Even where online submission is available, some newsrooms, like Harvard's, recommend including the full text in the email body, not as an attachment. Knowing the house rules can signal you're a professional who can play by the game's rules, which might get you fast-tracked to publication.

Write like a letter, not an op-ed

Letters respond to the media by taking a stand on a specific topic, as the news itself does. They know their audience. Most papers, after all, are nationally distributed, city-wide, or have narrow focuses. Any letter should take that into account. There are a few key things that top letter-writers do, and a few things they avoid.

Pace University speaks of:

"Writing like a letter, not an op-ed,"

And

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health specifies: "The correct format is to begin with a reference to the news story or current development being addressed and then move to the writer's argument."

The University of Kansas calls for forceful language, but even there:

"The most important points should be made in the first paragraph, which will draw the reader in and make the letter memorable and impactful."

This shouldn't be a rewrite of any other letter, either, and with Harvard and PACE both warning against it, it shouldn't come from artificial intelligence, either.

Don't be tempted to elaborate the situation with additional anecdotes or entities not directly related to the subject of the publication. There are a whole load of minor rules, but the overarching guidance is always the same: the letter should meet the paper's formal requirements, focus on the article or news event, limit itself to one main point and between 200-300 words, use your own words, say when you saw or heard the thing you are referring to, probably the day before, if not the day itself, and sign it with your name, address and contact details, and leave it at that.

Be satisfied with your odds

Faced with many submissions, editors have to be picky, and those that run letters can be very specific, and that means even a reader who does everything right is not guaranteed to be published, sometimes no matter how relevant your letter is.

Publishers interviewed by the ACLU point out:

"Many newspapers only print letters that refer to a specific article, and use a verification process that often includes a phone call to the author."

Some newsrooms follow up with submitters, while others do not. Some confirm receipt of a letter, while others are silent until -- and unless -- they choose to print it.

The Washington Post, for example, accepts letters by email, surface mail, and an online form, but:

"Strongly encourages email because timeliness is a critical factor in selection."

Pace University says:

"because "The key to getting a letter into a newspaper is to be quick, relevant, and focused. A letter that makes a single point, that ties closely to a recent article, and that uses original language, with the author’s name and contact information, is far more likely to be published than a general rant sent in weeks after the fact."

This is sound strategic guidance, and it may explain the paper's no-attachments rule, and preference for email over physical submissions. It certainly makes sense to submit by email, given that the paper describes itself as a local paper, and makes much of its "timely" response to "local" events. Anyone else thinking of writing should do well to heed the advice.

Tight, original, letters on a single point relating to a specific article from the past two to six days are the most likely to run, and the most likely to be read. If you follow the guidelines here, although you can't guarantee a place in print, you'll have given yourself a good shot.