User:Recent Runes/Letter Writing Parties/Writing Your Letter

Writing your letter

There’s no one best way to write a letter to your MP. It is a good idea though to write a letter about the issues you are passionate about and affect you directly. That way you can use personal stories to illustrate the points you raise. Also, if you use a template letter, you are much more likely to get a template reply back from your Member of Parliament’s office team. Individual letters raising individual points are much more like to be read by the MP themselves.

An effective letter will:

An ineffective letter will:

Keep it short. A well-written letter shouldn’t be longer than 250 or 300 words. It should be direct and straight to the point.

Write to someone who is not your MP. Parliamentary protocol means an MP will pass the letter onto your Member of Parliament to reply.

Be topical. Don’t cover issues from months ago. Focus on the future and being positive.

Try to be funny. It is very difficult to be funny in a letter. Inappropriate humour will mask your message.

Tell your story. Begin the letter with a story to draw people in. Describe how the issues have affected you, your family etc. Personalising the issue with make it real for the reader.

Focus exclusively on policy points, facts and figures. To be clear, facts are important, but they should support rather than be the main thrust of the argument.

Avoid confusing readers with in-depth policy details. The longer and more complex your letter the longer it will take to receive a reply and the overall message about supporting a people’s vote will be lost.

Fall into the trap of too many policy details. We want to find out what the politicians actually think, without them tailoring a message.

Use powerful and emotive language. Let your feelings show. Use powerful verbs and descriptions. Write short and punchy sentences to get your point account.

Embellish. While emotive language and stories of personal experience can make an issue more real, do not overly embellish as this will allow the MP to be dismissive of your views.

Include a call to action. End your letter by asking the Member of Parliament to do some thing.

Have no call to action. If the campaign is to be a success, we need people to help up. If you don’t include a call to action you are missing an opportunity.

�Letter to your MP template Now that you know what to do and what to avoid, you are ready to give your thoughts some structure. Here is an example of how to break things down so you can put pen to paper in the most effective way.

�After you have posted your letter Once you have posted your letter, you should receive a reply and you can use this to amplify your message even further. Share your success with friends, family and other members of the letter writing team. It is important to build momentum. ✓ Share your letter. Sharing your letter with other people. ✓ Share the reply you receiver on FaceBook, Twitter and other social media outlets. ✓ Send it to us and we will share a summary of the replies on our website. This will allow other people in your local area to see what their Member of Parliament believes. If you need any further help or advice, please contact David (david.gwyther@peoples-vote.uk) or Hugo (hugo.mann@europeanmovement.co.uk).