Send a letter to the editor

Writing A Great Letter to the Editor
Keep it short. Stay within the publication’s rules—likely no longer than 250 words. This may seem very short, but shorter letters are the most effective. Get to the point.

Also, many people will stop reading after the first paragraph, and if your letter is edited it’s likely to be from the bottom up. So put your best material at the top!

Tell your story. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. Begin the letter with a brief story about you or someone you know. People can argue with your positions, but they can’t argue with your experience. Describe how this issue has affected you, your family, a coworker or a friend. Make it personal. Even another local MPA member, someone you met on a long plane or bus ride, or in line at the grocery store can be a great subject for an anecdote (especially if this person is from the local area). Make the issue human.

DON’T delve into policy. There is not enough room in 300 words to make a nuanced policy argument. When using facts and numbers, use only one or two, and choose the most powerful. A long string of facts and information is not an argument.

Use powerful language. Let your feelings show! Use powerful verbs and descriptive nouns. Write short, punchy sentences. Vary sentence length. This will help your letter stand out and make it more likely to be published.

Make a call to action. End your letter with a specific call to action to your local lawmakers or community members. Your LTE will only be effective if it gets others to take action!

Check your letter and make sure it’s clear and to the point -- also check for proper grammar and spelling. Ask someone else to read over your letter.

Sign your letter. Be sure to write your full name (and title, if relevant) and to include your address, phone number, and e-mail address. Newspapers won't print anonymous letters, though in some cases they may withhold your name on request. They may also call you to confirm that you wrote the letter before they publish it.

Submit your letter. You should submit your letter to one paper only -- so decide which is the best choice for you. If you’re looking at a very local issue, it might be your hometown paper; if it’s something broader that impacts the whole state, it would likely be one of the bigger papers like the Press Herald or the Bangor Daily News. Good luck!

Letter to the Editor Contacts and Forms:

Sun Journal (includes Advertiser Democrat; Bethel Citizen, Rumford Falls Times)
Bangor Daily News - https://bangordailynews.com/submit/
Centralmaine.com (Kennebec Journal; Morning Sentinel) - https://www.centralmaine.com/letters-editor/
The County (Aroostook Republican; Houlton Pioneer Times; The Star-Herald) -  [email protected]      
Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper/PenBay Pilot - [email protected]
Bridgton News - http://www.bridgton.com/contact-us/
Calais Advertiser - [email protected]
Cape Courier (Cape Elizabeth) - [email protected]
Castine Patriot/Penobscot Bay Press/Island Ad-Vantages/Weekly Packet [email protected]
Daily Bulldog (Franklin County) - [email protected]
Down East Times (Calais) - [email protected]
Ellsworth American - [email protected]
Free Press (Midcoast) - [email protected]
Gorham Times - https://www.gorhamtimes.com/contact-us/
Knox County Village Soup/Waldo County/Free Press/ Republican Journal - [email protected]
Lincoln County News - Send letters to J.W. Oliver, Editor, [email protected]
Lincoln News - [email protected]
Machias Valley News Observer - https://www.machiasnews.com/contact
Mount Desert Islander - [email protected] 
New Maine Times (based in Bath with statewide coverage) - [email protected]
Piscataquis Observer - Send letters to Mike Dowd, [email protected]
Portland Press Herald (American Journal; Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier; Coastal Journal; Forecaster; Journal Tribune; Kennebunk Post; Lakes Region Weekly; Scarborough Leader; South Portland Sentry; Times Record)
https://www.pressherald.com/reader-services/letters-editor/
Quoddy Tides - [email protected]
St. John Valley Times/Fiddlehead Focus - [email protected]
The Irregular (Western Mountains)  - [email protected]
Town Line (based in South China) - https://townline.org/contact-us/
Weekly Sentinel (southern York County) - [email protected]
College and University Newspapers
Bowdoin Orient - [email protected] 
Colby Echo - https://www.colbyecho.news/letter-to-the-editors
Maine Campus (UMaine) - [email protected]
USM Free Press - [email protected]