In recent times, open letters are becoming a common genre for communication because they are so versatile. They can either address a person or group specifically or they can be left open ended. Regardless, an open letter is meant to appeal to a wide audience – often one that is implied. When deciding which route to go, it’s important to ask three questions: “Who is your audience?”, “What is your letter about?”, and “What are you trying to achieve?”.  The answers dictate the explicit and implicit audiences, thereby impacting the tone of the letter. There are a few common pitfalls when it comes to publishing an open letter: “using a preaching tone,” diverting from the subject at hand, using an “aggressive tone which alienates the reader,” and not following a logical formula. Open letters should begin powerfully, continue with purpose and facts, and end “full circle” to make a convincing argument (Burrows).

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An open letter, by nature, is one that addresses a specific audience but actually appeals to a much larger one. Perhaps one of the most famous open letters is Martin Luther King, Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to “My Fellow Clergymen”. Though his audience was in theory narrow, many suggest that King actually speaks to white moderates. His words are intended to resonate with an audience that transcends just his “fellow clergymen”. Thus, open letters strike a balance between truth and fiction. Writing in metaphors for an audience must somehow send a broader and more persuasive message to the imagined audience. To do so, the author finds some common ground between the explicit audience and the implicit audience (Nicotra).

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Open letters are extremely calculated. Behind each word, there is intention. So, in writing an open letter, an author must have a purpose in mind: judging, disputing, redefining, etc. Writing an open letter to oneself makes that purpose even more important. In some instances, authors use this opportunity to speak candidly with their former self, offering criticism. Others use it as a time to apologize for past mistakes. And though these are all valid ways to approach the open letter to oneself, it severely restricts the implicit audience to those struggling to move past a misstep or coping with how they view their former selves. With this in mind, the best way to encompass a broad audience is to be broad (medium.com).