Doing “letter to the editor” campaigns can be an effective way of getting group messages heard. For example, if the local Chamber of Commerce wanted to send a message to local city representatives about a bill that would affect local businesses, they might engage their members to each write a letter to the editor, in hope that some of the letters would get published at the same time, or over a period of time.

Likewise, if the local Tea Party wanted the city to hear a message about local taxes and spending, they could engage their members to write letters to the editors targeting a specific date, like Tax Day (April 18th this year, by the way).

STEP 1: Choose a local publication to target. In Lynchburg, VA, it would be the News & Advance. Read other letters to the editor to gauge the kind of letters the editor likes to publish: http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/apr/11/letters-editor-monday-april-11-2011-ar-964980/

STEP 2: Narrow a Topic. Without clear direction for your letter it will get lost in a sea of other letters. Remember that only a small percentage of letters get published each week. Focus on only ONE talking point, or aspect of your topic. For example, here are some talking points for the Tax Day protest the tea party is putting on April 18th:

• High taxes
• Wasteful spending
• Inability to cut spending
• Inability to balance the budget even WITH high taxes
• The absurdity of spending $58 B while cutting $36 B and calling it progress
• The ridiculousness of reading the Constitution but not following it

STEP 3: Keep it short and sweet, 4-6 sentences at most. Newspapers only have so much space that they can use for copy (words), so if your letter is too long it will either A) not get published, or B) get cut down in size – and trust me, you won’t like what words or sentences they choose to cut out for you.

STEP 4: Make your point with facts, or real life scenarios. E.G.: “I have to pay 11.5% taxes at restaurants in the city, while I could just pay half that at restaurants outside the city limits.” OR “My child’s classroom doubled in size this year because of the city’s inability to balance the budget.” Remember that if you use antidotes or emotional appeals your letter will be more effective to newspaper readers.

STEP 5: Make it a “point sandwich.” State your position once in the beginning of your letter, follow it up with some facts and reasoning, and finish it off by reiterating your main point.

STEP 6: Follow the newspaper guidelines. http://www2.newsadvance.com/forms/letters-editor/

Check back throughout the week to see if your letter was published. If not, try and try again until your voice is heard.

Have you had a recently published letter? Tell us about it here: