Top takeaway: Letters to the editor and op-eds help your nonprofit influence public discourse, establish your expertise, bring visibility, and help you control the narrative.
Letter to the Editor best practices
To enhance your advocacy and make your community more aware of the many contributions nonprofits make to Minnesota, consider writing a letter to the editor in your local newspaper.
Best used by: Supporters speaking in an individual capacity (volunteer, staff member, board member, etc.)
Best used for: Adding perspective to previous coverage of timely issues (legislative policy); bringing in additional voices to local conversation (financial policy, etc.); expressing support or counterpoints to op-eds or commentary pieces.
While it may make sense to submit letters to large newspapers like the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press, the reality is your letter is competing with hundreds of other submissions for publication. Submitting a letter to your local newspaper has a far better chance of being published and read.
Find your local newspaper on MNnews.com’s directory of all Minnesota newspapers.
Both state and federal legislators pay close attention to their local newspapers. When legislators are away from their districts during the legislative session, monitoring local news coverage is one of the best ways for them to stay up to date on the issues their constituents care about most.
When deciding what stories and commentary to publish, newspapers consider multiple factors:
- Is the issue timely?
- Is it unique?
- Does it affect a local audience?
Keeping these questions in mind while writing a letter to the editor can help you create a piece that is more attractive to reporters and editors.
Writing tips:
- Keep it short and sweet, no more than 400 words (word count is often between 150-250 words). Try to limit your letter to one to three key messages.
- Be sure to follow guidelines, like the deadline of the newspaper and the word count limit. Some newspapers list their guidelines on their website, and some do not.
- Include a personal story about why you support or care about the issue you’re writing about.
- If you can, tie the topic to a recent news story or opinion piece in the paper where you are submitting the letter.
It is common practice for newspapers to only publish letters written by residents who live in the community where the newspaper is circulated. To make verification easier for your newspaper, list your home address, phone number, and email address at the end of your letter. Personal contact information is never published; it is only used to verify that you live in the community.
If your letter gets published, write a short email to the editor thanking them. It’s also a good idea to share the letter with your elected officials, colleagues, and social media networks.
Op-ed and Commentary best practices
Many newspapers also accept opinion and commentary submissions from local residents and leaders. These pieces are often longer (400-600 words) and have a direct call to action for a specific audience, like legislators (to support or oppose a bill), community leaders, or community members.
Best used by: Individuals speaking on behalf of an organization (leaders, board members, etc.).
Best used for: Communicating a clear call to action on a specific policy issue or community occurrence; sharing real-world case studies through new data or recent experience to express support or opposition to an issue; and raising public awareness of an issue or action happening in the state.
Like letters to the editor, opinion pieces can be powerful tools but should be reserved for key moments. Newspapers publish fewer opinion pieces than letters to the editor. They also may only publish one opinion piece on a topic; in the case of an advocacy push, it’s best to have a coordinated strategy with other area nonprofits to ensure you’re not duplicating efforts and have the highest likelihood of op-ed publication success.
That often looks like working together to have a combined message but selecting one or two leaders to serve as the formal author for the op-ed; in the message, you can reference that you’re speaking on behalf of others (“I can speak on behalf of our area partners when I say…,” “In speaking with partners, we know this is true for nonprofits across our region…,” etc.)
Regional publications that publish opinion pieces include: