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 conference keynote this afternoon in Las Vegas. Social media tip 8: Sometimes less is more. Go on vacation. Don't post. Have real-world interactions with strangers. It'll make you a more interesting person and help with small talk.
Gave opening keynote this morning in St. Louis. Team presenting tip 7: Know in advance who will address specific topics or questions in Q&A. Be prepared!
Spoke today at two different events in Phoenix. 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 in Ohio the past three days. Crisis communications tip 3: There are 12 audiences to communicate to in a crisis. Employees are no. 1 on the list.
Spoke at two events today in and around Austin, Texas. Tip 112: ChatGPT (and other AI) now makes everyone a great writer. So the future of differentiation in the workplace and marketplace will be VERBAL communications. Are you and your company prepared to TALK in this new world?