Advocacy Made Easy: Extra Tips for Letters to the Editor
“Do you have any specific advice to get LTE’s published? I’ve written and submitted several, but to no avail.”
A young activist sent this question to me this week. Does this sound like you?
I’ve been there, too. I got lucky that my very first letter to the editor (LTE) printed right away back in 2008. The next one wasn’t so easy. I submitted about 40 more with no response. I wondered what I was doing wrong. It took years to reach the point where I could reliably get a letter published within a week or two. Even when we have the basics mastered (see my Advocacy Made Easy: Writing a Letter to the Editor post for basic skills), I learned there’s more we can do to increase our chances of selection for print.
My Most Successful Run of Letters
In December 2020, RESULTS media activist extraordinaire Willie Dickerson challenged fellow volunteers to submit twelve letters inspired by the upcoming twelve days of Christmas. That weekend, I submitted twelve letters to the editor to the following papers plus one extra one responding to a letter by my colleague Sarah Miller. Here’s my list of submissions with links to the published letters. I couldn’t believe that eight out of thirteen letters went to print! Here’s the list of newspapers where I submitted letters. There are links for the ones that were published.
Carbondale Times
Jewish Light
West Newsmagazine
Springfield News Leader
New York Times
After this exercise, I reflected about why this worked so well when I used to struggle so much. Part of it was because Christmas is a slow season when many other people take a break from writing letters to the editor. But I was also using some techniques I learned from other activists or figured out myself.
Tips for Getting Published
Keep Going AFTER Letter #1
Persistence is the biggest factor in media advocacy success. What a shame if I’d never submitted 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 13! My first one is never my best one, so I keep going knowing that my writing gets more concise as I spend more time with a topic. Even as an experienced letter-writer today, I usually must submit five letters to different newspapers for every one published letter.
Use a Very Fresh Hook
A hook is an article that you can connect to your issue. If you write your letter in response to an article or a letter they’ve already printed, an editor is more likely to choose your letter because you are continuing a conversation the paper started.
Try to find a hook published within the last 3-4 days. The news cycle in 2025 moves especially fast, and you want the best chance at giving the freshest take! The more recent the better.
Write to a Variety of Papers
I wrote to papers of varying sizes in different states. I know big papers like the Chicago Tribune or the New York Times are kind of long-shots because they get so many submissions. But if I land one of them, more people will see my words and they carry more weight with out-of-state influential decision makers, like Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Schumer (D-NY).
I also submitted to smaller papers in my area, like the St. Louis American and the Webster-Kirkwood Times. They are more likely to choose local voices to print.
Change Up Your Text Each Time
When I write letters in a batch like this, my letters are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Newspapers want to publish something unique for their readers. You don’t have to start from scratch every time (in fact, your “Call to Action” won’t change at all), but you want to give some variation so you don’t risk getting banned if papers do an AI search on your text. Using a unique hook every time will help with that.
You can start with a template from an advocacy organization, but add your own personal details and try to put the language in your own voice using words natural to you.
Support Fellow Advocates
I mentioned that my 13th letter was in response to Sarah Miller’s letter. A bit later, she got a letter published in response to my letter in the Joplin Globe. Just as I used her U.S. poverty COVID-19 hook to address a global issue, she used my global COVID-19 hook to write about the need for U.S. rental and nutrition assistance.
Image: Cynthia leading a LTE media training for RESULTS volunteers in Texas who can respond to each others’ letters. There’s a lot of competition for federal funding right now as valuable programs suffer cuts across many sectors. I recommend staying positive and not getting in a media fight about other highly worthy causes. For instance, when Sarah asked for funding for Americans in poverty in her letter, I built upon her ask without suggesting that senators fund people in poverty around the world instead of impoverished Americans. Our country can do both.
Give it a Try
See if some of these suggestions can boost your publication rate. If so, I’d love to hear about it. If you have more tips, please share in the comments so we can learn from each other!
How to Purchase My Books
My first book, “From Changing Diapers to Changing the World: Why Moms Make Great Advocates and How to Get Started,” is a warm and witty guidebook helping moms to make a better world for all of us. It provides inspirational stories and “how-to” instructions for new and experienced activists to get more involved in advocacy.
My second book, “Advocacy Made Easy: How to Turn Civic Frustration Into Powerful Action,” is a practical handbook designed to demystify the advocacy process for everyone. It offers a convenient, step-by-step guide to making your voice heard in the halls of power—no political experience required.
Buy an autographed copy from my website at www.changyit.com/books.
Order online at bookshop.org or Barnes & Noble.
Order from any independent bookstore near you!
