Want to say something about an environmental issue? Write a Letter to Editor! It is an easy way to express your opinions and share your ideas with the local community. To maximize the chance of getting published, Sierra Club crafted a simple guideline based on our experience working with the media. Contact us if your letter is published and we will share it on our social media feeds.
How to write a Letter to Editor
- Keep it brief
- Less than 200 words. Focus your letter on one point and don’t bring up other issues in your writing. Stick to your point. Do not repeat your opponent’s arguments or take the myth/fact approach. Restating a contrary position only serves to put it in print once again.
- Make it local and/or personal. Make a connection between the issue and the people in your community. Newspapers care about what affects the people who buy their newspapers. Relate a brief personal and meaningful experience. Show how your issue will have a local impact, or how it will affect you or your family. Do not copy talking points or materials verbatim. Use your own voice and story.
- Make it timely. Relate your letter to a recent or current issue, event, or article.
- Mention the names of your members of Congress. They have "clippers" on staff that often pass along news stories and letters that mention their names.
- Include your contact information. Full name, address, phone number, email
- Follow up Make sure to call the newspaper and ask if they received your letter (this will increase the chances of them printing your letter!)
Regional Publications
El Mundo
El Nueveo Heraldo
Municipal Publications
San Benito News