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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One of the best parts of my job is visiting unique and beautiful places like Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, where I spoke this morning. Strategic Communication tip 7: A Q&A document is the foundation for building out customized (& consistent) messages for each department.
In Florida today, facilitating a crisis communications drill. News interview tip 9: Long-winded answer leads to being "taken out of context." Keep responses 10-12 seconds and significantly reduce the chance your comments will be misinterpreted.
Gave keynote this morning at a tech conference in Bismarck, North Dakota. Abusing AI Tip #2:
The fastest way to lose credibility.
Is to use AI to write your LinkedIn posts.
You know them. They’re everywhere.
The super long ones.
Sentence on every line.
People. Please. Stop
Spoke this morning in Boston and then gave an afternoon keynote in Newport, Rhode Island. Sales tip 63: A bad Q&A session can kill a great presentation. Answering questions is an art that can be learned. Learn it!
Worked all day today with a contractor in Arkansas. Crisis Communications Tip 137: Write the right AI prompts in advance to quickly generate messaging documents in a crisis (buy-time statements, news releases, customer & employee letters, talking points, etc.)