Letter writing 101 - tips for writing an effective letter

Paul in Idaho · Feb 8, 2016

Like others, I have wanted to write letters to various officials and politicians about public lands and other important issues. I haven't yet, in a large part due to not knowing how to do so effectively.

I searched this forum for suggestions on how to write letters that decision makers would pay attention to, but didn't find much. After reading the public lands form letter thread, I thought I'd start this discussion in hope that those of you with experience in working with public policy would share advice.

I'd be interested to see input on length, formality, content type (personal stories vs hard research facts), appropriate greeting and closing. I'd guess a standard business letter format would be a good start, but the letters we write on public lands and other issues are in a different context than financial business. Emails generally are less formal than paper letters, but which do people in those positions pay more attention to?

quarterhorse · Feb 9, 2016

Dear. Sir and Sincerely are always good openings and closing shift. State the issue you are writing about in the first sentence. Get your top reasons out on your position quickly as they may not take the time to read it all. Be concise. Be sincere. Be professional. Close by thanking them foe thier time for hearing your concerns.

Be prepared to follow up your letter with some facts if they respond to you.

Always keep it civil and professional or you'll be written off as a nut and your concerns discounted.

RobG · Feb 9, 2016

Generally I've been told to state your position and personalize it (how it affects you). I've been called by congressional staffers for Tester and Rehberg in response to questions I've asked, so they do read them in some cases. Other times they just put them in for/against piles and judge the height of each pile so you don't have to get fancy.

tjones · Feb 9, 2016

Lamb always says be nice. I say give them both barrels.

Jamen · Feb 9, 2016

From my recent college career I would say it depends on the audience that you are writing for. If you know the person a little less formal would be appropriate. But if you have never engaged in a conversation with them going the formal route is the best choice. I would keep you letter short and sweet and to the point. You want to grab their attention right away otherwise they will toss your letter to the side. I would also suggest maybe adding a few appendixes to your letter this will show them you have some facts and knowledge of the topic you are addressing. You also need to add what are the benefits of them helping you "who all will benefit and the cost benefit of doing what you propose to not doing."

One other thing I found that works well especially when you are writing or asking in person for someone's help is make them feel like they are wanted. When people feel wanted they get a sense of self pride that someone has come to them for a problem and will be more willing to help. Towards the end of the letter when you thank them for their time you should add if they have the time you would like to either sit down and discuss this topic further in person or over the phone.

This is not the easiest thing to write since it should be of a shorter length to start off with. I would also suggest having multiple people proof read it. What we write may sound good in our minds but once read aloud makes no sense. I know some colleges may offer help with proof reading documents as well.

noharleyyet · Feb 9, 2016

tjones said:
Lamb always says be nice. I say give them both barrels.

..some of this, some of that, but the best way to get it noticed is green stationery with an ample spray of;

Bambistew · Feb 9, 2016

Address them by their title, they earned it and some will get butt hurt about it. Spell their name correctly as well.

Don't write with emotion, but be clear and to the point.

Don't call names, or call out others unless you know their allies.

Way to get involved!

Ben Lamb · Feb 9, 2016

noharleyyet said:
..some of this, some of that, but the best way to get it noticed is green stationery with an ample spray of;

I've found that bringing a few hundred of my friends to work helps as well.

Rotunda rally 8 by Ben Lamb, on Flickr

For letters to the editor:

1.) State your position early. You need to get your hooks into the reader as early as possible.

2.) Don't restate the opposition's position. Responding means you're not advancing your opinion.

3.) Don't call people names. It's important to remain above the pettiness that is common for online banter. While it's fun to call someone a pig-f#@$er, it doesn't bring others over to your side.

4.) Keep it simple, short and to the point. You only have, in most cases, 300 words. While some struggle with filling that amount of text, it can be easy to get long winded and not get to your point, or confuse the audience with superfluous language.

For letters to your elected officials:

1.) Business letter format is a good idea if you are writing on a word document, etc.

2.) Email, always address the elected official with their title. You might not appreciate their politics or party, but they earned the right of respect that comes with the office. Always use the gender neutral, i.e. Representative, Senator. If you are writing a chairperson of a committee, use that title, but don't worry about gender, i.e. Madam Chairwoman, or just Chairman.

3.) Don't swear or use overly aggressive language. Those letters generally get put in a burn pile, or simply recorded as pro or con. Your goal is to move the elected official off of a bad position, or show that people care about a specific issue enough to write a thoughtful letter/email. Giving them both barrels shuts down their willingness to listen, unless they get 5,000 angry emails/letters. Which is tough to organize.

4.) Include your phone number and street address. You'd be surprised at the number of times a staffer will call your or write you back, especially if the email/letter is well written.

5.) Be specific. Don't walk down memory lane too far. The people reading these don't have too much time, so get to the point, and be polite.

RobG · Feb 9, 2016

noharleyyet said:
..some of this, some of that, but the best way to get it noticed is green stationery with an ample spray of;

I grew up with Sen Ed Buttrey of Great Falls. After the session I wrote him and decided to use the green engineering paper since we both graduated electrical engineers at MSU. And I offered some funds for any primary. He wrote back saying he liked the paper

.

noharleyyet · Feb 9, 2016

RobG said:
I grew up with Sen Ed Buttrey of Great Falls. After the session I wrote him and decided to use the green engineering paper since we both graduated electrical engineers at MSU. And I offered some funds for any primary. He wrote back saying he liked the paper .

Good work Doc G.

Ben Long · Feb 9, 2016

Lamb's advice is good. I follow this simple formula:
1) State what is important to you, your values. (Freedom to hunt, right to bear arms, passing on our heritage to our kids, clean water, whatever.)
2) State the problem. (What is happening that interferes with No. 1? What's the threat?)
3) State the solution.
4) Tell them what to do about it. (Vote for/against a bill, show some backbone, etc.)
I have seen this formula work many, many times. It takes numbers, passion and repetition. But it works.

Ben Lamb · Feb 9, 2016

Much better, Long.

Ben Long · Feb 9, 2016

Here's a real world example from when Big Fin and some of us reformed the game farm industry in Montana:
1) Values. Love of hunting, healthy wildlife, sportsmanlike, fair chase hunting.
2) Threat. Elk farms were importing disease and undermining Montana's hunting traditions.
3) Solution. Enact commonsense reforms to cap new elk farms and stop canned hunts.
4) Ask. Vote yes on Initiative 143.

Same formula works on letters to the editor, brochures, advertisements, etc.

Paul in Idaho · Feb 10, 2016

Thanks everyone for your input. I'll see what I can put together.

Corax · Feb 10, 2016

Excellent stuff, Messrs. Lamb and Long,

We have had several threads recently that I believe justify being made into a sticky. This is one.

tjones · Feb 10, 2016

Dalton: I want you to be nice until it's time to not be nice.

Paul in Idaho · Mar 13, 2016

I recently saw RMEF has produced a guide on how to communicate with legislators, media and social media. It fits well in this topic, so here's a link

http://www.rmef.org/Conservation/RealConservationMatters.aspx with "how to" links on the right.

full brochure in pdf format at http://www.rmef.org/Portals/0/Documents/RCM_Booklet_web.pdf

Tradewind · Mar 13, 2016

Ben Long said:
Lamb's advice is good. I follow this simple formula:
1) State what is important to you, your values. (Freedom to hunt, right to bear arms, passing on our heritage to our kids, clean water, whatever.)
2) State the problem. (What is happening that interferes with No. 1? What's the threat?)
3) State the solution.
4) Tell them what to do about it. (Vote for/against a bill, show some backbone, etc.)
I have seen this formula work many, many times. It takes numbers, passion and repetition. But it works.

Excellent advice.

Paul in Idaho · Nov 17, 2016

Since the fight to preserve public land and hunting is getting stepped up, this seems a good time to bring this thread back to the top.

I also have another question to add. Is there reason to write letters to sponsors of land transfer/sale legislation?

It seems unlikely to me that communication from common citizens (as opposed to major donors to their campaign) would have much of any impact on the type of people that are pushing for this. Other than the sound advice provided above about keeping things professional, is there anything you can share about how to have a better chance of shifting their stance?

For now, I'll likely focus my time on thanking those who support public lands and encouraging them to continue to do so.

Rob Allen · Nov 17, 2016

I don't know how effective i am but I keep things short and tell them exactly what I want them to do and how their actions will affect my future voting.

I figure they are busy people and don't want to read for 5 minutes about me. I figure they are generally informed about various opinions and don't need to be bored by my take on the issue.

example. I want you to vote no on HR XXXX Recreating on public lands is important to me professionally and personally. Supporting public lands will help earn you my vote

might be a bit longer if the issue was not as well known , like the needs of a specific species..

Letter writing 101 - tips for writing an effective letter

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