USPS Postcards

Sizes for Postcards

Postcards are an inexpensive way to get an immediate message to customers. When they arrive in the mail, there’s the message — no envelope to open! First-Class Mail postcards are a great value, too. With First-Class Mail postcards, you pay a low price and get all of the benefits, like forwarding and return that come with First-Class Mail. And, if you mail with single-piece First-Class Mail postage affixed, there is no extra work involved — simply drop the postcards in a collection box.

You may think that your mailpiece is a “postcard,” because it is a single sheet of paper. But to qualify for mailing at the First-Class Mail postcard price, it must be:

• Rectangular
• At least 3-1/2 inches high x 5 inches long x 0.007 inch thick
• No more than 4-1/4 inches high x 6 inches long x 0.016 inches thick

If your mailpiece does not meet the dimensions above, then the Postal Service considers it a letter and letter-size postage is charged. With Standard Mail, there is a little more flexibility — there is no separate (lower) price for postcards, so you don’t have to worry about your postcard being too big — because you’re paying letter prices anyway. But make sure that your postcard is no larger than 6-1/8″ x 11-1/2″ x 1/4″ thick. Mailpieces larger than any of those dimensions and you’ll have to pay flats (large envelope) postage prices.

Find Your Audience

Who is most likely to be interested in your product or service? Chances are, they’re a lot like your current customers. Use their characteristics as a model for a mailing list.

Start with your customer base.

• Conduct a simple survey to learn about customers’ tastes.
• Pay attention to characteristics such as age and income.
• Look at your records-sales slips, invoices, delivery information. These tell you who your customers are, what they buy, how often they shop, and how much they spend.

Target effectively.

Save money and reduce environmental impact by pursuing your best prospects-why spend money on people not likely to buy? You can carefully determine the characteristics of your audience, tailor your message to match their needs and interests, and increase the chances that they’ll act on your offer.

A mailing list provider can help you find your target audience and supply you with mailing lists that meet your needs.

Keep track of your customers.

An effective mailing list is more than names and addresses-you can use it as a record of each person’s buying behaviors. Depending on the size of your list, you can keep track of their activity in a spreadsheet or use a contact management program to organize your customer database.