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?
Speaking tomorrow in West Virginia...Communications tip 62: A preemptive strike is often the best move to stay ahead of negative news. Don't let others control the message.
Worked all day near Honolulu with a Hawaii and Washington-based contractor. Crisis tip 17: Don't do news interviews directly in front of the crisis scene. The news media want to show you in front of the "trainwreck." Resist!
Spoke all day today on Maui, Hawaii. Sales Tip 19: Keep Q&A responses 30-45 seconds long. Too long of a response waters down key points. Prioritize!
Speaking in Hawaii this week. Q&A tip 68: Avoid the "deer in the headlights" look with a "throwaway" line, a 5-second, perfectly memorized, meaningless phrase that comes spewing out of your mouth to buy you some think time
Speaking in Ohio the next two days. Public Relations tip 21: Not quickly returning news media calls a top PR blunder. Don't miss the opportunity.