While writing to your elected official about an issue, or calling their office can be an effective way of communicating your position, there are other ways to develop support for your issue. One way is to send a message for the "letters to the editor" section of your local newspaper. Another way is to write an article for the newspaper’s opinion page, called an "op-ed.' Op-eds typically appear on the page facing the newspaper’s own editorials, which is where the name comes from – opposite the editorial page.

Your letter should be considered a conversation not only with fellow readers, but with the newspaper itself. Don’t write a letter out of the blue on a topic that is unfamiliar to the masses. Your letter should be in response to an article or editorial, and your letter should mention this specifically (makes job of ‘editing’ and fact-checking your letter easier, and thus more likely to get published.)

These guidelines are not meant to be viewed as universal, because all papers have different rules, but they are good protocols to keep in mind.

• Follow word count rule – every paper publishes what their limit/range is. If it says 150-200 words, don’t expect a 275 word letter to be published.
• Make your letter simple, concise and to the point.
• Show the editor you actually read the paper, by including info on previous articles published, and give exact date when possible.
• Email is preferred method of communication. Sometimes editors will email back, make sure they don’t have to go through hoops of verifying their own address as spam.
• Make sure to include personal information, such as name, contact information, address, etc. Most papers don’t include this (aside from name and hometown) on the actual editorial page (although some do, might want to check before sending by looking at the pages themselves.) Editors ask for this information because they want to make sure you are in readership area, and that you are a real person.
• Your letter should be unique, not just in the way it’s written, but to the people you send it to. In other words, don’t send the three community newspapers in your area the same letter. You may think you are helping your chances, but you aren’t.

• Send a form letter. Editors can and do read right through these, and they go straight in the trash. It doesn’t matter where you are in the pecking order of your company, if the word carries YOUR voice – and is under no circumstances a computer generated letter – it will get the editor’s attention.
• Be afraid to follow up, if after a few days you haven’t heard from them. This serves two purposes, ensures your letter was received as well as enables the editor to ask you any questions he or she might have had that was impeding their ability to publish.
• Use inflammatory language. Letters won’t be discarded because of the opinion. They will be ignored if the opinion is written in a disrespectful manner.
• Send a letter once a week. Instead space your letters out (at least a month, preferably more time) so editors realize you are sincere in your efforts, and not just a nut-job.
• Make your letter boring. Make sure your letter, while respectful, is also witty and creative. While you are addressing it to the editor, remember it is a conversation between you and the community as well. If the editor doesn’t think the community will care, why should he or she?
• Handwrite your letter. As noted above, email is preferred method. But if you are sending via traditional mail, make sure letter is type-written and ideally double-spaced. Some people have legible handwriting, but most people don’t. You want your letter to be as easy to read as possible, thus it is more likely to be published.