How to Write a Letter to the Editor that Gets Published and Read
How to Write a Letter to the Editor that Gets Published and Read
We’ve all read bang-up letters to the editor focused on a recent event or issue covered by a publication or TV or radio coverage. More recently, I’ve seen letters crafted in response to websites and e-newsletters. It’s much more likely that your organization’s letter will run than it ноутбук sony is to place купить автомагнитолу an op-ed piece or get your nonprofit covered in a feature article.
Unlike news stories, letters to the editor enable your nonprofit or foundation to state an opinion, offer an alternative viewpoint, heap praise, or move someone to action, in your own Аб Рокет Макеевка words. That means there’s a much smaller chance that the facts will be wrong or that your message will be twisted or diluted as it might be in a news or feature story written by a reporter.
The benefits for your nonprofit include:
- Keeping its name in front of the public.
- Raising its profile.
- Getting palm springs crye leike realtor your share of news ink.
But writing an opinion letter that gets published and has the desired impact is both мобильные телефоны samsung an art and a mls listings austin science. Here are 10 practical tips for writing a letter to the editor that gets published and read:
- Identify your target publications and programs
Select
five to 10 venues to focus your opinion letter placement efforts on. Don’t forget trade publications, and community and weekly newspapers. Depending on your audience, those venues can have greater influence than an opinion letter in the NYT. And it’s easier to get letters to the editor published in these smaller publications.
Once you have your target list, you’re ready to respond when an opportunity surfaces.
- Research the letters policy for each venue on купить калькулятор for your target list
Most publications and programs publicize what they want in a letter to the editor, and how and to whom to send it. Examples include:
Asheville (NC) Citizen Times – Helena homes conditions for rejection http://orig.citizen-times.com/service/faq/letters_policy.shtml
Chronicle of Philanthropy – via snail or email http://philanthropy.com/about/letters.htm
The New York Times – maximum of 150 http://www.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/letters/
The Washington Post – letters must be exclusive to the Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/edit/letters/letterform.htm
- Reference a recent print or broadcast article
Write your organization’s letter as a direct response to recent coverage, building on the focus presented or emphasizing how your organization’s perspective wasn’t presented (and presenting it clearly).
- Respond as quickly as you can.
If there’s an issue or news story that’s getting a lot of attention in the press, draft a letter or at least key message points so your nonprofit is prepared to finalize and submit your letter pronto.
- Hone your opinion letter writing style, before you’re on deadline to submit it.
Read letters in your target venues on a regular basis to learn how to write the most effective letter. Nashville Homes For Sale
- Be Concise.
Include a maximum of 200 words. The publication will shorten your letter to fit its format. The more it has to edit, the less control you have of what gets printed.
Include two to three paragraphs, each with no more than three sentences.
- State Your Point Early and Clearly
Use the inverted pyramid scheme, leading with (and maintaining focus on) your most important point.
- Include Your Contact Information
Your contact information is a prerequisite for most publications to print your letter. Include your full name, title, organization name, address, phone number and email at the top of the page and sign the letter at the bottom.
- Don’ts
Don’t write too often. Once every three months is as often as you should write. Avoid being abusive or strident.
- Follow Up
Make a follow-up phone call to the editor in question to make sure your letter has been received. It’s best to keep calling until you get through, rather than leaving a voicemail message.
|
Nancy E. Schwartz helps nonprofits succeed through effective marketing and communications. Subscribe to her free e-newsletter “Getting Attention,” at http://www.nancyschwartz.com/getting_attention.html Stinger S300 and read her blog at http://www.gettingattention.org for more insights, ideas and great tips on attracting the attention your organization deserves. |
How to Write a Business Plan in Five Steps
People often ask “What makes a good business plan? Or, “How do I make my plan attractive to lenders and investors?”.
The simple answer is that lenders and investors (I’ll call them “readers” from here on out) are looking for “good deals”. A “good deal” is one TOYOTA JB 04 Jeans that offers the reader a reasonable rate of return for the risk assumed. The complete answer is that you should write a plan that a reader will want to read and then get it to reader(s) who are Hasty homes looking for your type of project and levels of risk and return. This article Whistler XTR-500 deals with the first part of the equation - how to write a business plan that readers will want to read.
Readers want plans that clearly, accurately and completely allow them to make an initial determination about the project. Here are the steps needed to write that plan:
To paraphrase a real estate expression, the three most important things about a business plan are research, research and research. While other things are important (even critical), ultimately your plan will live or die san bruno california realestate on the quality and completeness of your information. For that matter, you’re about to risk your time and financial future on a project - how much information do you want to have? Step one:
1. Become expert in your project. Learn everything possible about:
- The customers to whom you will sell (your market).
- The competition.
- The actual costs of operating your business (get quotes).
- The actual results of similar projects.
- Your industry.
- The project’s physical location(s) and it’s impact (if any) on the project.
- The people who will be key to the project.
(You are welcome to use as a guide the questions that we use with FundablePlans to query a business plan. It is available via