24 Sep 2026

Letters to the Editor: Your Cheapest Megaphone

Local letters reach the neighbors who will decide your race, including voters who are less active online and on social media. They also reach the legislators and reporters who read their hometown papers.

Guidance compiled from the Strafford County Volunteer Messaging Group, Open Democracy NH, and the NH Democratic Party.

How to Write a Strong Letter

  • Start from your “why.” Answer “Why am I running?” in under 100 words and in bullet points. Use that same language in every letter, postcard, and door conversation.
  • Pick one issue and one angle. For example, a specific policy, a Democratic accomplishment, a Republican broken promise, or why you support a candidate. Focused letters are easier to read and more likely to be published.
  • Make it local and personal. A story from your own life or a neighbor’s is the most powerful thing you can include. Explain why the issue matters here, in your own voice.
  • Use specifics. Accurate facts, numbers, and quotes make the case. Avoid obscure words and break complex ideas into simple ones.
  • Keep it short. Aim for 250 words, the shortest limit among our local papers, so one letter works everywhere. Open with an engaging first line.
  • End with a call to action. Tell readers what to do: check their registration, vote, or tell their neighbors to vote.
  • Make every letter your own. The Union Leader won’t print form letters, and other editors reject look-alike letters too. If you start from a sample or talking points, rewrite it in your own words.
  • Edit before you send. Read it aloud, and have someone review it without changing your voice.

Where to Send It

Outlet Reach Word limit How to submit
Foster’s Daily Democrat Strafford County, southwest Maine, eastern Rockingham 300 words Email letters@fosters.com. Include your name, address, and phone. Seacoast Online guidelines
Portsmouth Herald / Seacoast Online Seacoast, eastern Rockingham About 300 words; shorter is better Email opinion@seacoastonline.com. Include your name, address, and phone. Seacoast Online guidelines
NH Union Leader Statewide 250 words; longer letters are edited or rejected Email letters@unionleader.com with the letter in the email body (no attachments). Include full name, address, and daytime phone. Union Leader guidelines
The Baysider Alton, Barnstead, and New Durham 350 words Email editor Joshua Spaulding at josh@salmonpress.news or baysider@salmonpress.com. Include your full name, address, and phone.

Every outlet requires your name, address, and phone number so editors can verify you wrote the letter.

Multiply It and Amplify It

  • Candidates should write their own letter first. Send it to your local paper saying why you’re running and what you’ll do for that paper’s readers.
  • Then recruit 10 friends. Share your letter with your 10 closest supporters and ask each of them to write a letter of support in their own words.
  • Share it once it runs. Post a link to the published letter, or a clean screenshot if the paper has a paywall, in local Facebook groups and anywhere else people in your town go for local news.
  • Lead with your best line. Use the strongest one or two sentences as your caption instead of posting a bare link.
  • Tag and hashtag. Tag the officials, leaders, or organizations your letter mentions, and add local hashtags such as #NHPolitics or your town name.

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