• Reach a large audience, including key officials and decision-makers (Congressional staff and elected officials closely monitor national and hometown papers and clip all articles that mention the official by name.)

• Move an official to act by urging legislators to support or oppose a measure, criticizing or challenging an official's words or actions and rallying constituents to press their representatives to act

• Advocate for and raise community awareness of legislation and initiatives, and highlight the local impacts of laws or policies

• Create a public impression of widespread support for an issue

• Influence media coverage, including the topic and angle of news stories and editorials, and the sources contacted for those articles

• Correct an error or bring up information not included in an article or editorial

• Communicate your message in your own words, bypassing media filters that can distort your message

Tips on Writing a Letter to the Editor:

1. IDENTIFY PUBLICATIONS We'd all love to appear in The New York Times, but it's much easier to get published in a local newspaper, trade publication, or community or weekly paper, so focus on local media. You can write to more than one paper, but be sure to send unique letters.  It's a big no-no to send the same letter to multiple papers in the same media market.
   
2. RESEARCH SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Check a publication's website for its policies on word limits, where to send it, contact information required and any other restrictions, such as a demand for exclusive publication rights.
   
   
3. INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION Include your full name, a one sentence bio, (name of org or school, if applicable) phone number, email, and mailing address
   
4. REFER TO A RECENT ARTICLE OR NEWS EVENT Nearly all published letters are written and framed as a direct response to an article that previously appeared in the publication, typically within the past 48 hours. Frame your letter as a comment or critique of the previous article, and refer to it by title and date. (i.e. I am saddened to read about the recent school violence in our community, ("Title of Article," Date), but I am encouraged by the opportunity we have to do something about it: passing the Youth Promise Act…)
   
   1. • To find an article that you can refer to in your letter, visit the website of the publication you'd like to submit your letter to, and search using the following key words (within the last 48 hours): youth violence, gangs, prisons, incarceration, violence prevention, at-risk youth
5. ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS Who's my audience and what's my goal? What am I adding to the conversation? Why will the reader care? Why should the reader trust me? Can I back up what I say?
   
6. USE YOUR OWN WORDS Be sure to re-phrase and personalize any talking points you use so they appear in your own words. A paper is not likely to publish a letter if it receives multiple copies of virtually identical letters.
   
7. TAKE A CLEAR STAND Editors like strong views and challenges to conventional wisdom, so be bold and firm, but reasonable.
   
8. KEEP IT SHORT & PUNCHY Publications often edit by cutting from the bottom up, and you may have just 5 seconds to hook a reader, so keep it brief (100-200 Words), top-loaded and conversational. Use a catchy first line.
   
   
9. OWN YOUR EXPERIENCE Highlight any relevant experience that may boost your credibility with readers, but don’t be preachy (i.e. As the sister of a former gang member, I know first-hand the challenges young people face in turning their lives around...")
   
   
10. GET LOCAL & PERSONAL Editors love a local angle, eye-opening revelations and compelling personal stories, so consider including a glaring statistic or story to show how the issue affects the reader or the community. Appealing to a person's self-interest resonates better than abstract points or raw data.
    
    
11. APPEAL TO A GENERAL AUDIENCE Use clear, plain language, short sentences and active verbs. Avoid technical jargon, acronyms and clichés.
    
12. CREATE CRITICAL MASS: The more letters a paper receives on a topic, the more likely it is to run at least one, or to include the topic in its news/editorial coverage. Team up with other supporters to write individualized letters to the same publication, but write no more often than once every two weeks.
    
    
13. ACKNOWLEDGE THE OTHER SIDE You'll appear more credible and reasonable if you acknowledge areas where your opponent may have a valid point or where your own position has limitations or uncertainties. (i.e. While it's true that no single bill will solve the problem of youth violence in America, we can start by...")