Short of face-to-face visits with politicians, writing to your newspaper is still one of the most effective things you can do to make change on the issues you care about.
Whether in print or online, decisionmakers and influencers read the opinion pages of major and local papers to take a pulse on public perspectives. This is why letters to the editor (LTEs) are still a powerful way to change the conversation.
Make your voice heard!
A few tips before you dive in:
- If you’re responding to a recent article, mention the headline and the date it ran.
- Choose a compelling subject line for your email.
- Be clear, concise and accurate — and mention why the issue is important to you. Why do you care?
- Keep it short! LTEs are usually between 150-200 words.
Once you land an LTE on one of PAN's issues, send a link to the decisionmakers you want to influence, and be sure to send it to us as well so we can help amplify your message.
More resources
- Communications Consortium Media Center, Tips, Tools & Trends
- The Frameworks Institute, How to Talk Food Systems
- SPIN, Strategic Communications Planning
- The Foundation Center, Communications for Social Good
- Matthew Nisbet, What's Next for Science Communications?