How to Write Fan Mail

Preparing the Content of Your Letter

Introduce yourself. Include your name, where you are from, and your age in the letter. Mention your personal connection to the person or the work that they do. You can also mention anything that you and the person may have in common. If you are writing to your favorite basketball player, you might say, "Hello, my name is ___. I am ___ years old, and I am from ___. I have been playing basketball since elementary school." If you were writing to your favorite singer, you may say, "Hi, I'm ____ from ___. I'm ___ years old. I love to sing and write music just like you do."

Be specific. Are you writing to compliment a specific thing they did? Are you writing a general "I love you" letter? Did the person make a positive impact on your life or inspire you? Write what you feel. This will make your letter feel more sincere and genuine. For example, instead of saying "I like your music," say "I am a big fan of your music. My favorite song/album is ___. Your music helped get through ___."

Keep the letter short. The person you are sending the letter to probably receives a lot of fan mail. Keep your letter short and to the point. If your letter is too long, the person may not read all of it. You are also more likely to get a response if your letter is short. If you type your letter, limit it to one page, single-spaced. If your letter is specific, you should have no problem keeping the letter short.

Do not include too much personal information. Although you may admire and look up to the person you are writing a letter to, the person is still a stranger. Do not include any information beyond your name, age, and address. This is to keep you safe. Sending your address will increase the chances of you getting a response, autograph, or fan club gift. Also avoid sending any personal items that you want to get back. For example, you would not send your only copy of a picture or item that you wanted the person to sign. You may or may not get a response, and you will have lost that item forever.

Ask for a response. If you would like for the person to respond to you or send you an autograph let them know. They may or may not respond, but it never hurts to ask. It is best to not expect to hear back. If you do hear back, it will be a nice surprise. Be specific if you want something back. For example, you may say, "I would love an autographed picture from you. Thank you so much." Avoid asking questions in your letter and expecting the person to respond.

Do not write anything creepy or inappropriate. Your letter should simply tell the person that you enjoy what they do, and how it has had a positive effect on you. Do not ask for any personal information, ask to come visit them, threaten them, or talk about anything sexual. You do not want to make the person feel uncomfortable or seem like a stalker. It is against the law to threaten a person through the mail. You could go to jail or have to pay a fine. If you would not be comfortable saying the content of the letter to the person's face, you probably shouldn't write it to them either.

Sending Your Letter

Obtain their address. Visit the person's website to find their address. The person may have a special address for people to send fan mail to. If you do not find a specific address for the person, you may be able to find the address for their manager, agent, or publisher. For example, if you send your letter to a writer, send the letter to the company that publishes their books and write "Attention: Name of Writer" on the address. Many celebrities have official fan club websites and official websites. Make sure you send your letter to the address from the official website.

Include other items with your letter. You may want to send a photograph or some fan art that you created. This is a nice way to add a personal touch and give the person a gift. Many celebrities display fan art on their social media pages. You could send a picture of yourself at the person's concert or in front of an advertisement they are in. If the person is on the cover of a magazine, take a picture of you holding the magazine and send it to them. If you're creative, you could draw a picture of the person and send it to them.

Have enough postage. Once you have your letter ready, place it in an envelope and send it. Make sure you have enough postage on the envelope. You may need more postage if the envelope is thick and/or heavy. Also consider the destination. If you are mailing a letter overseas or to another country, you will need more postage than usual. Visit the United States Postal Service (USPS) website to use their postage calculator.

Using Other Methods to Send Fan Mail

Write an email. An email should contain the same content as a written letter, but it should be a little bit shorter. Like written letters, the person may have a special email address for fan mail. Visit the person's website and look for an area that says something similar to "contact me." Limit your email to 4 or 5 sentences. If the person does not have a website, visit one of their social media pages and look for their contact information.

Comment on a social media post. Another way to contact a celebrity is by commenting on their social media posts. Instagram and Facebook allow you to comment on particular posts. You will not be able to write as much as you would in a letter, but this is a quick way to show your appreciation. Look through previous posts to find out if the celebrity usually responds to and interacts with fans. If this is the case, you may be able to get a response. Even if the person does not respond to your comment, they may read what you wrote. You may get a quicker response by interacting with the person through social media than through sending a written letter.

Send a direct message. You can send the person a direct message on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. If you do not want other people to see what you write, this is the best way to go. Keep your message short and to the point. Do not bombard the person with direct messages every single day. This will not make them respond to you. Also, do not contact a person using all of the methods at once. For example, do not comment, send an email, and send a direct message. This can make you look bad.