Letters to the Editors Work
Don't forget about this old-school marketing tactic in a social media world.
Even in today’s social media world, the letters to the editor columns are among the best-read sections of any newspaper, whether it is the Smalltown News or USA Today. It is your link to the public. But major newspapers get hundreds of letters each week and most run only a few letters a day.
The rules for getting your letter in the paper or being posted online:
- Be timely. If your letter is about news that’s three weeks old, nobody cares what you have to say
- Be brief. Keep it short, simple and to the point, under 200 words.
- Have an angle. Make sure your letter is different than the hundreds of others the newspaper receives. Have a reason for them to run it.
- Be sure it is well-written and typed.
- Try to make reference to something that has been in the newspaper, especially in another letter to the editor.
Where in the World is Anthony?
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Gave opening keynote this afternoon at an insurance conference in San Diego. Presenting tip 92: Don't staple your notes. It draws attention to them, especially when you turn the page. Instead, fan the pages and smoothly slide and discard.
Worked all day today with a St. Louis-based contractor. Negotiation tip 33: Don't mirror your opponent's demeanor, especially if the tone and questions are negative.
Spent the day working with Michigan law enforcement leadership. Crisis communications tip 7: Quickly address misinformation and rumors in the early hours of a crisis, or risk losing control of the narrative.
Back to work! Spoke last week in Orlando. This week I'm in Ohio, Michigan and Missouri. Meeting/conference tip 15: More Variety = More Energy. Mix things up to keep your audience constantly engaged.
Just wrapped my last job of the year, working with an Ohio-based insurance company. Huge thanks to all my clients who made this year truly one for the books—and more than just a nod to my travel partners, @Delta, @Marriott, @Avis, and @Uber for getting me where I needed to go.