✍️ Writing
Letter to the Editor Writer for Local Newspapers: Reply to a Specific Article Within Days, Word Limit Fit, One Point with Local Proof, Conflict Disclosure, Exclusivity, and a Submission Email with Verification Details
Write a letter to the editor a local paper will actually print: it names the article it answers, makes one point backed by a local fact or personal experience, fits the outlet's word limit, discloses any conflict, and goes out as a clean submission email with the contact details editors use to verify writers.
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Prompt
Act as a former opinion page editor at a local newspaper who chose letters for print every day, knows why most submissions are rejected, and helps residents say one thing clearly in the space allowed. Inputs: - The article, column, or editorial you are answering: headline, outlet, date, and the specific line or claim you want to respond to: [ArticleReference] - Outlet rules you pasted from the paper's letters page: word limit, how soon after publication, exclusivity, how to submit, required contact details: [OutletRules] - Your one point and your proof: a local fact, a number you can source, or a first hand experience: [PointAndProof] - Who you are in the community and any conflict to disclose (job, board seat, business, campaign): [AuthorDisclosure] - The action you want readers or officials to take, if any: [CallToAction] - Output format: [Format] Generate: 1. A fit check: days since ArticleReference ran versus the window in OutletRules, word limit, and whether the point is one point. If it is three points, pick the strongest and park the others. 2. An opening sentence that names the article by headline and date and states the response in one line. 3. The letter at the word limit: opening, the proof from PointAndProof in plain words, one sentence acknowledging the other side fairly, CallToAction, and a closing line. Count words and show the count. 4. A shorter version at about 60 percent of the limit for papers that trim. 5. A disclosure line from AuthorDisclosure placed the way the outlet prefers (in the letter or in the signature). 6. A sourcing note: for every number or factual claim, where it comes from, so the editor can check it. Flag any claim that needs a source before sending. 7. The submission email: subject line format, the letter pasted in the body (not attached unless required), full name, town, phone, and email for verification, and a one line exclusivity statement. 8. A follow up plan: when to check if it ran, and whether to send it to another outlet only after this one declines or the window passes. Constraints: - No personal attacks, no claims about a person's motives, no unverifiable numbers. - Plain, neighborly voice. No em dashes.
Instructions
Replace every [bracket] with your details before running. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Generated Output
This image was generated using the prompt above.
Examples
Example Input
ArticleReference: "Council to vote on closing Elm Street branch library", Millbrook Courier, Oct 6; the article quotes a council member saying the branch "serves very few residents" OutletRules: letters up to 200 words, about local topics, within 7 days of the article, exclusive to the Courier, submit by email with name, town, and daytime phone PointAndProof: I volunteer at the branch's Saturday homework help; we see 25 to 30 kids most weeks; the branch is the only library within walking distance of two apartment complexes AuthorDisclosure: volunteer tutor at the branch, no paid role, no political role CallToAction: attend the Oct 20 council meeting and ask for usage data by hour before any vote Format: fit check, letter, short version, email
Example Output
1) FIT CHECK - Article ran Oct 6; window is 7 days, so send by Oct 12. Today works. - Limit 200 words. - One point: the branch serves more people than the article suggests, especially kids after school and on Saturdays. Park the parking lot and building repair points for another letter. 2) OPENING Your Oct 6 story, "Council to vote on closing Elm Street branch library," quotes a council member saying the branch serves very few residents. On Saturdays, that is not what I see. 3) LETTER (175 words plus signature) Your Oct 6 story, "Council to vote on closing Elm Street branch library," quotes a council member saying the branch serves very few residents. On Saturdays, that is not what I see. I volunteer at the branch's Saturday homework help. Most weeks, 25 to 30 kids come in for help with reading and math. Many walk from the two apartment complexes on Elm and Fourth. The next nearest library is a bus ride away, and for a 9 year old that means it is out of reach. I understand the council has to make hard budget choices, and a building with quiet weekday mornings may look underused on paper. Before any vote, I hope the council will look at visits by hour and by day, not just a yearly total. I plan to ask for that data at the Oct 20 council meeting, and I invite other families who use the branch to come and do the same. The kids I tutor cannot drive to the main library. For them, Elm Street is the library. [Full name], Millbrook The writer is a volunteer tutor at the Elm Street branch. 4) SHORT VERSION (105 words) Your Oct 6 story quotes a council member saying the Elm Street branch serves very few residents. On Saturdays, I see something else. As a volunteer at the branch's homework help, I work with 25 to 30 kids most weeks, many walking from the apartments on Elm and Fourth. The next library is a bus ride away. I understand the budget pressure, but before any vote, the council should look at visits by hour and day, not only yearly totals. I will ask for that data at the Oct 20 meeting and hope other families will too. For these kids, Elm Street is the library. [Full name], Millbrook. The writer is a volunteer tutor at the branch. 5) SOURCING - "25 to 30 kids most weeks": your own sign in sheet; keep a photo of it - "Next nearest library is a bus ride away": check the distance on the library system's branch list 6) EMAIL Subject: Letter to the editor: Elm Street branch library Body: letter pasted in full, then: [Full name], Millbrook, [daytime phone], [email]. This letter is submitted exclusively to the Millbrook Courier. 7) FOLLOW UP Check the letters page for 10 days. If it has not run by Oct 20, you may offer it to another local outlet.