Letter to the Editor- Guidelines and Sample

A letter to the editor is written to the Editor of a newspaper or magazine. Generally, in

these letters, a social issue or problem is highlighted. Since, it is a formal letter, the
format is to be followed strictly. Furthermore, there are marks for writing the letter in a
correct format. Now, there are few points to take care of while writing a letter to the
editor:

1. Re-read your letter and ensure there is no spelling error

2. Since it is a formal letter, use only formal language.
3. Do not use abbreviations and slang language in formal letters.
4. Take a good look at where to put commas at the starting of the letter.

Students need to write the letter to the editor as per the format provided below:

1. Sender’s address: First you need to write the address and contact details of the sender.
2. Date: Now, below the sender’s address, leave a space or line and then write the date.
3. Receiving Editor’s address: Here you need to write the recipient of the mail i.e. the
editor.
4. Subject of the letter: Write the main purpose of the letter in one line. It must convey the
matter for which you are writing the letter for.
5. Salutation: For formal letter, the salutation to be used are Sir / Respected sir / Madam.
6. Body: Write the matter of the letter here. You can divide it into 3 paragraphs.
7. First para of the body: Introduce yourself and explain the purpose of writing the letter in
brief.
8. Second para of the body: Give a complete detail of the matter.
9. Third para of the body: Conclude by mentioning what you expect to be done by the
editor. For example, you may want him to highlight the issue in his newspaper /
magazine.
10. Complimentary Closing: You can conclude the letter using Thanks / Thank You &
Regards.
11. Sender’s name, signature, and designation (if any provided in the question).

Sample:
Write a letter to the Editor of National Herald, New Delhi about water scarcity in your locality
suggesting ways to improve the position of water supply. You are Ramnath/ Reema of
Ghaziabad.
A-24, Kavi Nagar
Ghaziabad

April 2, 20XX

The Editor
National Herald
New Delhi-110001

Sir

Sub: Water crisis in Kavi Nagar

Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of the
concerned authorities towards the problem of water scarcity in our locality.

It is still early summer and the residents are already facing acute water shortage in the area.
The supply is cut off at 8.30 a.m. in the morning and is restored only for half an hour in the
evening between 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Since the timings are erratic, many people, especially, the
working couples are unable to store water. Frequent complaints to the Jal Board haven’t yielded
any result as the authorities express their helplessness saying that one of the tanks of the
Hyderpur Water Treatment Plant is under repair and has been shut down for a month or so
thereby affecting the water supply in the area. But it is nearly one and a half months since the
problem began, yet there is no respite to the residents.

The Jal Board should, in the meantime, make provisions for water tankers at different horns of
the day. Also, measures must be taken to expedite the repair work.

Yours truly
Ramnath /Reema