What Is a Letter to the Editor?
A letter to the editor is a short, signed reader response to something a publication has printed, submitted for publication on its letters page and edited by its opinion staff.
For a company or an executive, a letter is the quickest earned route into an outlet's opinion pages after it has covered your industry, your company or your argument. It is much shorter than an op-ed, it has to answer something the outlet has already run, and it is chosen by editors who receive far more letters than they print; the Washington Post says it “receives thousands of letters each week”. It is also not the right channel for fixing a factual error in a news story. That is a correction request, covered in our guide on how to request a correction to a news article. For a full-length argument, see how to write and place an op-ed.
How to Write a Letter to the Editor at a Glance
| Step | Action | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm a letter is the right format | A decision: letter, correction request, op-ed or none |
| 2 | Read the outlet's letters rules | Word limit, window, exclusivity and contact noted |
| 3 | Pin down the article and your one point | Headline, date, link and a one-sentence argument |
| 4 | Draft in the signer's own words, to the limit | A letter under the outlet's word count |
| 5 | Add the disclosure and verification details | Name, title, interest, address and phone in place |
| 6 | Submit once, in the email body | One logged submission to one outlet |
| 7 | Answer the verification call, or move on | A published letter, or a released draft |
Time: one to two hours from reading the article to sending (our estimate). Tools: email and the outlet's letters page. Cost: none. Skill level: beginner.
What You Need Before Starting
- The article you are answering: exact headline, publication date and URL, saved as published.
- A named signer who agrees with the letter, will read it and will take a call from the outlet.
- The signer's full name, title, home or office postal address and a daytime phone number.
- A note of any interest the signer has in the subject: employer, clients, investments, board seats.
- One or two checkable facts, with sources, if the letter relies on facts.
Step 1: Confirm a Letter Is the Right Format
Before drafting, decide what you actually want. A letter adds a view or context to a published piece. It does not correct the record, and it is not a platform for a full argument.
Process: if the article contains a factual error, send a correction request to the outlet's corrections contact first. The New York Times gives a separate address for that, corrections@nytimes.com, and says “All letters asserting factual errors will be forwarded to the appropriate editors” (NYT Help). The Guardian sends complaints to its readers' editor, not the letters desk (Guardian contact page). If you want 600 words of argument, that is an op-ed; USA TODAY says rebuttals to its editorials and columns “should be submitted as letters to the editor, not as full-length op-eds” (USA TODAY). Expected result: one chosen route. Verify: you can say in one line why a letter, not a correction. Common mistake: using a letter to argue with accurate but unflattering reporting; see how to respond to a negative news article.
Step 2: Read the Outlet's Letters Rules
Every outlet publishes its own rules, and they vary on length, timing, exclusivity and who may write. Write them down before drafting.
The Times asks for letters that “Preferably be 150 to 200 words”, “Generally refer to an article that has appeared within the past seven days” and contain no attachments. The Post prefers letters “fewer than 300 words” that “take as their starting point an article or other item appearing in The Post”. The Guardian says a letter “should be no more than 300 words and in the body of the email, not an attachment” (Guardian). Local papers can add their own conditions: the Jefferson City News Tribune limits letters to 400 words, requires authors to live in Mid-Missouri or have a direct connection to the region, and allows one letter per week (News Tribune).
Words, upper end of each outlet's stated limit or preference
Source: The New York Times Help Center, “Submit a Letter to The Editor”; The Washington Post Help Center, “Send a letter to the editor”; The Guardian, “How to send a letter to the Guardian” (last modified August 12, 2025); The Denver Post, “Submit a letter to the editor”; The Globe and Mail opinion page; Jefferson City News Tribune, “Letters to the Editor”. Read October 11, 2026.
The Post and the Globe and Mail state a preference (“fewer than”), so their bars mark a ceiling to stay under, not a target. The Wall Street Journal lists a letters address, wsj.ltrs@wsj.com, on its customer center contact page but we found no published word limit there, so it is not charted.
Expected result: a note with the limit, response window, exclusivity rule, required details and address. Verify: the note cites the outlet's own page, dated today. Common mistake: relying on an old tip sheet; limits change, and several third-party lists we found quoted figures the outlets no longer publish.
Step 3: Pin Down the Article and Your One Point
A letter answers something specific. Editors need to see at once what you are responding to and what you add.
Process: write the headline, date and link at the top of your notes. The Guardian asks for “either the headline and date, or the web link” of the article, and the Denver Post asks for a link to the online article. Then write your point in one sentence: a fact the article left out, a consequence it missed, a view from people affected. The Post's letters team says it looks for letters that “offer a new perspective or add depth to the discussion of an issue”. Expected result: one sentence you could defend on the phone. Verify: the point is not already in the article. Common mistake: three points in one letter. Pick the strongest.
Step 4: Draft in the Signer's Own Words, to the Limit
Write the letter as the signer would say it. Open with the article and your point, give one fact or example, and close with what should follow. Our suggested shape for a 150 to 250 word letter: one sentence naming the article, two or three sentences of evidence, one sentence of conclusion.
Authorship rules are explicit. The Times says: “We do not publish open letters or third-party letters.” The Post says letters “must be the author's original work, and may not be generated or edited by artificial intelligence tools.” The Denver Post says “Letters must be written by the person submitting them” and that letters written by AI programs will not be published. For a communications team this means the executive must write or genuinely own the text and send it from their own address; our explainer will editors now verify who wrote your op-ed covers the wider trend. Expected result: a draft under the limit. Verify: count words in the body only, excluding the signature. Common mistake: a press-release tone with product names. Editors cut it, or bin it.
Step 5: Add the Disclosure and Verification Details
Under the letter, give the signer's full name, title and organization if relevant, city, full postal address and phone number, and a line on any interest.
The Post asks for “home address, email address and telephone numbers, including a daytime telephone number” and says “Writers should disclose any personal or financial interest in the subject matter of their letters.” The Guardian asks for a full postal address and phone number “for verification purposes; we will only publish your name and location”, and says it does not publish letters where only an email address is supplied. The Times asks for the writer's city or town and phone number; the Globe and Mail for name, address and daytime phone (Globe and Mail). If the signer works for a company named in the article, or for a competitor, say so in the letter itself, for example “The writer is chief executive of Example Co, which supplies the city's transit system.” How the outlet prints the affiliation is its decision. Expected result: a complete signature block. Common mistake: leaving out an affiliation the editor will find in a quick search.
Step 6: Submit Once, in the Email Body
Send the letter to one outlet, from the signer's own address, with the text pasted into the body. Use the subject line to name the article.
Exclusivity is close to universal among the outlets we checked. The Times says letters should “Be exclusive to The New York Times”; the Guardian says “Your letter must be exclusive to the Guardian”; the Globe and Mail says letters “should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail”. The Post goes further: letters “may not have been submitted to, posted to or published by any other publication, including your personal social media accounts.” Attachments are a common reason for failure: the Post says “attachments will not be read” and the Times asks for none. The Post also notes it “strongly” encourages email because “timeliness is a critical factor”. Expected result: one sent email, logged with the date. Verify: the letter is not on LinkedIn or the company blog. Common mistake: sending the same letter to two papers covering the same story.
Step 7: Answer the Verification Call, or Move On
Most outlets contact only the writers they choose. The Times says writers of selected letters “will generally be notified within a week”; the Guardian says it will get in touch “if and when your letter is chosen”; the Denver Post says “If we choose your letter for publication, we will call you to verify authorship.”
Process: make sure the signer answers unknown numbers for the next two weeks and can confirm they wrote the letter. Expect edits: the Post says letters are “edited for clarity and to comply with The Post's style and standards, fact-checked and sometimes trimmed”, and the Times says letters “may be edited and shortened for space.” If nothing arrives within the outlet's window (two weeks at the Post), treat the letter as declined. If you want to use the text elsewhere earlier, withdraw it first; the Post asks writers to tell it promptly at letters@washpost.com. Expected result: a published letter or a clean withdrawal. Common mistake: chasing the letters desk; the Post says it cannot respond to letters not chosen.
How to Verify It Worked
- Published: the letter appears on the outlet's letters page with the signer's name and location, and any affiliation you disclosed.
- Accurate: compare the printed text with your draft; edits are normal, changed facts are not.
- Logged: record the URL and date in your coverage log as an earned opinion placement; see what earned media is.
- Not published: after the outlet's window, the draft is released and can be reworked, but not sent to another paper as a response to a different outlet's article.
Letter, Op-Ed or Correction Request?
| Item | Letter to the editor | Op-ed or guest essay | Correction request |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Respond to something the outlet published | Make an original argument | Fix a factual error |
| Length | About 150 to 400 words, by outlet | Longer, set by each outlet; see what an op-ed is | As short as possible, with evidence attached |
| Timing | Days after the article (the Times: within seven) | Tied to a news hook, not to one article | As soon as the error is found |
| Where it goes | Letters desk (e.g. letters@nytimes.com) | Opinion editors or a submission form | Corrections desk or readers' editor |
| Published? | Only if chosen; signed by the writer | Only if chosen; signed by the author | As a correction note, in the outlet's words |
| Exclusive? | Yes, at the outlets checked | Usually | Not applicable |
For how outlets handle errors once flagged, see how publications handle corrections.
Common Problems and Fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No reply | Not chosen, which is the usual outcome | Wait out the window, then rework or release the draft |
| Letter ignored at once | Attachment, or no postal address and phone | Paste the text into the email body; add full details |
| Too late | Sent more than a week after the article | Reply within days; the Times prefers the past seven |
| Heavily cut | Over the limit or several points | One point, under the stated word count |
| Rejected as third-party | Sent on the signer's behalf by an agency | The named individual writes and sends it |
| Outlet asks about your employer | Interest not disclosed | State the affiliation in the letter itself |
What Not to Do
- Do not send an open letter. Consequence: the Times and USA TODAY say they do not publish them. Correction: address the letter to the editor about one article.
- Do not ghostwrite and send from the PR team. Consequence: a failed authorship check. Correction: the signer writes or owns the text and sends it.
- Do not submit to two outlets. Consequence: a breach of exclusivity rules. Correction: one outlet, then withdraw before trying another.
- Do not post the letter first. Consequence: the Post excludes letters already on your social media. Correction: share it after it runs.
- Do not use a letter to correct a news error. Consequence: the error stays in the article. Correction: send a correction request with evidence.
- Do not hide an interest. Consequence: an embarrassing follow-up or a refusal. Correction: one disclosure line.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a letter to the editor be?
Follow the outlet. The New York Times prefers 150 to 200 words, the Denver Post allows up to 250, the Guardian no more than 300, the Washington Post prefers fewer than 300 and the Globe and Mail asks for fewer than 150. Shorter is safer.
How soon after an article should I send a letter?
Within days. The New York Times says letters should generally refer to an article that appeared within the past seven days, and the Washington Post says timeliness is a critical factor in which letters it publishes.
Can a PR team write a letter for an executive?
Outlets expect the signer to be the author. The New York Times does not publish third-party letters, the Washington Post requires the author's original work, not generated or edited by AI tools, and the Denver Post calls writers to verify authorship. The executive should write or genuinely own the text and send it.
Can I send the same letter to several newspapers?
No. The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian and the Globe and Mail all ask for letters exclusive to them. If one outlet declines or you withdraw, you can then try another.
Should I disclose that I work for a company mentioned in the article?
Yes. The Washington Post says writers should disclose any personal or financial interest in the subject of their letters. Put the affiliation in the letter itself, in one line.
Is a letter to the editor the way to correct a factual error?
No. Send a correction request to the outlet's corrections contact. The New York Times lists a separate corrections address and forwards letters that assert factual errors to the appropriate editors.
Sources and Methodology
This guide is built from the letters pages of the outlets listed below, all read on October 11, 2026. The Washington Post and Globe and Mail pages blocked direct automated requests, so we read their text through a page-rendering service and quote only what those pages say. The chart shows each outlet's stated limit as published; it is a set of examples, not a sample of the press. We did not submit letters or measure acceptance rates, and no outlet we read publishes its acceptance rate. The suggested letter shape and the advice on PR teams are our editorial recommendations.
- publisher policy The New York Times, Submit a Letter to The Editor, Help Center. Length, seven-day window, exclusivity, no third-party letters, corrections address. Read October 11, 2026.
- publisher policy The Washington Post, Send a letter to the editor, Help Center. Fewer than 300 words, AI and exclusivity rules, disclosure of interests, two-week window. Read October 11, 2026.
- publisher policy The Guardian, How to send a letter to the Guardian, last modified August 12, 2025. Read October 11, 2026.
- publisher policy The Guardian, How to contact the Guardian. Letters and readers' editor contacts. Read October 11, 2026.
- publisher policy The Denver Post, Submit a letter to the editor. Up to 250 words, authorship and verification call. Read October 11, 2026.
- publisher policy The Globe and Mail, Opinion section, letters note. Exclusivity, fewer than 150 words. Read October 11, 2026.
- publisher policy Jefferson City News Tribune, Letters to the Editor. 400 words, residency, one letter per week, verification. Read October 11, 2026.
- publisher policy USA TODAY, Submitting letters, columns and comment, updated August 20, 2025. Rebuttals as letters; no open letters. Read October 11, 2026.
- publisher policy The Wall Street Journal, Customer Center: Contact. Letters to the Editor address. Read October 11, 2026.