How to write an official Letter

Format for Writing an official Letter

1. Sender’s address: On the left side of the page, just next to the margin, write the sender’s
address/ contact details.
2. Date: Below the sender’s address write the date after leaving one line.
3. Receiver’s address: After date, write the address of the recipient (the Officer / Principal /
Editor).
4. Subject of the letter: Here you have to mention the main purpose of the letter in 4 - 5 words.
5. Salutation: Respected Sir / Madam
6. Body: Here you have to explain the matter of your letter. Body of letter must be divided into 3
paragraphs as follows:
 First Paragraph: Introduce yourself and the purpose of writing the letter in brief.
 Second Paragraph: It should include the matter in detail.
 Third Paragraph: Here you have to conclude your letter by mentioning the conclusion or
solution.
7. Complimentary Closing:
Thanking you.

Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely

8. Sender’s name/signature and designation (if applicable)

How to write a Letter to a newspaper

Drafting Your Letter

1-Open the letter with a simple greeting. “To the Editor" or "Dear Editor” is usually fine. It's
best to look at previous letters that have been published in the newspaper and follow their lead,
though, just in case the standard is different.
2-Reply to a specific article in the newspaper. While some newspapers print more general
letters to the editor, you have a better chance of publication if you are referencing a specific
article. You can respond to an editorial, op-ed, or news story.
 In your letter, mention the original story with its title, date, and author, and then
write your response.
3-Stick to one topic and argue it well. If you have multiple subjects you want to discuss, you
should write multiple letters. Newspapers want articles that are pointed and focused. Make sure
your reader understands what the topic and argument of your letter is right off the bat. If you
have any specific qualifications to speak on the topic, you should bring them up. Backing up
your points with facts and figures will also give you more credibility.
  Don’t fudge the facts to make a point, because someone will probably catch your
mistake and it will discredit your argument.
4-Break your letter into a few short paragraphs. Though your letter will be short, breaking it
up into paragraphs will help your reader move from one idea to the next. Each paragraph should
contain an idea, backed up by facts of personal experience.
 If you have experience with whatever issue is at hand, a personal testimony
could help inspire the pathos of your reader, and connect to them in a way pure
logic and facts can’t.
5-Sign your real name. Letters to the editor need to be identified so that people reading the
newspaper can trust your legitimacy. Include your full name, title, address, phone number, and
email. This way they can contact you if they choose to publish your letter. If your letter is
published, the newspaper will only publish your name and city, so don’t worry about the whole
world learning your contact information.
 Newspapers usually don’t print anonymous letters, though they might withhold
your name if you ask.

Meeting Newspaper Requirements

1-Keep your letter brief. As a rough estimate, stick to under 250 words. You should check the
website of the newspaper you want to submit to, because they will probably have information on
preferred word count. It might seem like a pain to have to condense all your thoughts into such a
small space, but it will make sure you get straight to your point.
 For example, the Washington Post prefers letters under 200 words.
2-Write your letter in a timely manner. Newspapers are more likely to print a letter if you are
responding to an article within a few days of its publication. The news cycle is so quick these
days that if you wait too long to submit your letter, the conversation will be all over. On the other
hand, if your point is that people have stopped paying attention to a certain issue, you can bring
that up whenever you see fit.
 For example, The New York Times prefers letters responding to articles from the
past 7 days.
3-Type your letter and submit it via email if possible. Most newspapers prefer you to email
them your letter. Some do accept handwritten or typed letters in the mail, but this is a lot of extra
hassle for both you and them. If you are writing by hand, make sure your handwriting is clean
and legible. Before you submit it, read it over for copy-editing mistakes.
 Check the newspaper’s requirements one last time before you submit.
Tips
 Stick to the facts. If your letter is disputing something that has been published, include
specifics—what was said, when and by whom—and be ready to back up your assertion
that it was incorrect.
 If you can avoid it, don’t write your letter by hand.

 If you have friends or colleagues who feel the same way you do about an issue,
encourage them to write letters to the editor as well. This way, even if your letter is
passed over for publication another letter on the subject may still make it on to the
opinion page.