How to write a letter for your local press

If you’ve never written a letter in to your local newspaper, here’s how!

Getting the word out about Energy For All

Fuel Poverty Action’s Energy For All campaign calls for every household to receive, free of charge, adequate heating, lighting, cooking, hot water, refrigeration and medical and mobility aids.

This demand is hugely popular and also deliverable. Over 660,000 members of the public and 250 organisations have signed up in support. 

But not enough people know about it yet. The more we spread the word, the more difficult we become to ignore. The more members of the public, politicians and journalists hear about e4a, the more it becomes part of the conversation in parliament and the energy sector.

Why does writing letters work?

The letters page is one of the most-read parts of the paper. It’s a great place to get people thinking about how energy policy directly affects their local community.

When campaigners send in quotes or press releases, we don’t have control over what context our words will be used in, or whether the piece will be friendly or hostile. The great thing about letters is that there’s a good chance that every word you write will be run. 

This guide will walk you through how to get a story into your local paper to help raise awareness for Energy For All, and make meeting our basic needs mainstream.

🔍 Step 1: Find the email address of your local newspaper. 

• To do this, go on their website and look for ‘contact us’ or ‘letters’ section. They might have a letters@ email address.

✍️ Step 2: Write your letter

• Keep it short and punchy – 100-300 words is fine. Make your most important point in the first sentence, if possible.
• Make sure to include a call to action: that could be to call on local MPs or councillors to sign the Energy For All manifesto or for people to join FPA.
• If you can link your story to any recent news the paper has covered, even better!
• If possible, talk about your personal experience in your own town, city or area. How could Energy For All improve your life and benefit others in your community?
• If you want, you could include your email address so people who read your letter can follow up with you.
• If you’ve got a bit more time, you could write a longer opinion piece of up to 800 words instead. If so, it might be a good idea to write a short ‘pitch’ first, to check that the paper is interested. Get in touch if you want guidance on writing a pitch.

📧 Step 3: Send your email

• Try and add a catchy subject line, for example: “‘Letter: skyrocketing energy bills are a political choice” or “Letter: [Our Local mayor] should be backing Energy For All”
• Make sure your letter is in the body of the email (not as an attachment).
• Best not to send it to more than one outlet at a time.
• You can send a follow-up email if you haven’t heard back after a few days asking if they will run your letter. If not, you could offer it to another outlet.

📣 Step 4: Let us know how you got on 

• Forward your email to media@fuelpovertyaction.org.uk 
• Email us to let us know if your letter is published

Here’s one we made earlier

Stu’s letter, “It’s always us, rather than energy firms, who take the hit” was published in The National. 

Some ideas to get you started: 

Energy is a human right, and everyone deserves enough of it to stay warm, dry, clean and fed. But energy bills in Britain are forcing millions of people into poverty and unpayable debt. Energy companies are making eye watering profits while elderly and disabled people freeze to death in their homes.

This government wants us to think their hands are tied and that they have no way of ending the “cost of living” crisis. Meanwhile, the right wing press spreads misinformation blaming green measures for a crisis caused by profiteering and unfair policies.

But the truth is that politicians could choose to ensure all of our essential needs are covered, without further poverty or harm to the planet. 

That’s why I’m backing Fuel Poverty Action’s Energy For All campaign, as one of 660,000 people who’ve signed their petition. You can read the manifesto at energyforall.org.uk