Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Learn the trick below, how to get your letter published: Write a positive Letter to the Editor (LTE) about our City of Lake Worth.


Last Sunday in the Post somebody from Boynton Beach wrote a Letter to the Editor complaining about such-and-such and so-and-so here in the City of Lake Worth. I know. Who cares what somebody in Boynton thinks about our City. Don’t they have their own problems?

Reacting negatively or getting miffed about something you heard or saw in The Palm Beach Post doesn’t solve anything. Remember the Hoffman’s Chocolate nonsense and when City’s Code Enforcement was blamed for the Gulfstream Hotel not undergoing a promised renovation? Did you get angry? Why didn’t you write an LTE?

Or the Post article about Lake Worth being just a “jumping off place”, only “music and booze”? That article made the print edition last year and was titled,
Lake Worth art gallery owner: “Didn’t make sense to stay open anymore”
Did you write an LTE? Not long afterward, by the way, came the news about “Art Studio Cafe” opening in Downtown Lake Worth and the studio is getting rave reviews. Stop by and say “Hi” to another exciting, truly innovative artist in our little City. 

Anyhow, if you’re tired of reading all those negative, ridiculous LTE’s. . .

Here is an example of a positive LTE that was published after Hurricane Matthew last year:
It only takes a few minutes to write a positive LTE about our little City. But how to get the letter published? LearnThe Trick below, so easy you won’t believe it.

If you have something thoughtful, positive, and well-reasoned to write instead of the typical negativity with open-ended and circular questions, then please follow the instructions below. Learning “The Trick” will greatly increase your chances of getting your letter published:
  • Keep your LTE to 150–200 words in length. The “shorter the better” is a good rule.
  • An LTE submitted by email (see below) is the best method and remember to include your phone number and complete address.
  • Engage like-minded “average citizens” to write LTE’s on the same subject.
  • Listing your credentials will help greatly.
Then always follow-up!

This is the mistake people make. That’s why you always see those LTE’s from the same people over and over again: They know the trick!
  • Follow up your LTE with an email or fax later that day or the next morning.
  • Then later, call the editorial department and explain why your letter is important.
  • Don’t be timid! Stay pleasant and respectful but make a strong pitch.
  • To seal the deal, just ask outright, “Are you planning to publish my letter?”.
So get cracking and have your positive LTE published in the Post, maybe even in next Sunday’s paper:
  • Email: letters@pbpost.com
  • Fax: 561-820-4728
  • Phone: 561-820-4441