While direct mail postcards are an extremely successful marketing tool, you must choose the best postcard size for your direct mail goals and create an effective design to ensure you generate the best results.
Luckily, we've got some postcard design guidelines for you to follow, direct mail postcard templates to make the design process easy, and tips for choosing the right postcard dimension.
Direct Mail Postcard Sizes: Which Should You Choose?
The USPS states that postcards must be at least 3.5" x 5". They must also be no larger than 4.25" x 6". Anything larger than this, the USPS considers to be a letter. Letter sizes have a postage cost slightly higher than postcard sizes if you are mailing First Class.
However, there isn't separate pricing for sizes for Marketing Mail (or Standard Mail) as long as your postcard is no larger than 6.125" x 11.5".
Direct mail postcard sizes also depend on how you are mailing your postcards. For example, you can choose from various sizes for First Class and Marketing Mail, but for Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), your options are limited to 6.25" x 9" or 6" x 11". In addition, for direct marketing services like Postcard Commingling, where you can send as few as one postcard with bulk postage discounts applied, you must mail a 6" x 9" postcard.
Ultimately, the postcard size you choose should align with your goals and budget. Here is a list of the standard postcard sizes and when they might be the right option.
4" x 6" Direct Mail Postcard - 4" x 6" is the smallest and cheapest direct mail postcard size. This size is tiny but powerful enough to convey a short, eye-catching message. You want to ensure your message is concise as there isn't much room for content and design elements, especially because you need to leave a blank space at least 4" x 2.25" for the mailing information.
4.25" x 6" Direct Mail Postcard - Offering 0.25" more space than a 4" x 6" postcard, 4.25" x 6" postcards are the second cheapest and smallest postcard size for mailing. These postcards are ideal for event invitations, thank you notes, sending out coupons, or if you need a slightly larger postcard than a 4" x 6" to add some breathing room to your design.
5" x 7" Direct Mail Postcard - 5" x 7" postcards are among the most popular direct mailers, offering an extremely affordable canvas for promoting your message. In addition, they are slightly larger than the average mail pieces found in mailboxes, meaning they easily catch the recipient's eye. Consider these postcards to promote a special offer, send a holiday greeting card, or as a thank you for a purchase.
5.5" x 8.5" Direct Mail Postcard - These postcards are the same size as a standard letter-sized piece of paper (8.5" x 11") folded in half. This size is slightly more expensive than the 5" x 7" and offers a larger space to include more details. You can effectively use a 5.5" x 8.5" postcard to promote a special offer, your B2B services, seasonal promotions, and more.
6" x 9" Direct Mail Postcard - For several reasons, 6” x 9" postcards are one of the most common postcard sizes. For one, this large size allows you to promote your message with detail and in a way that can't be ignored. Because they are larger than most mail pieces, they stand out and catch the recipient's eye. In addition, these postcards qualify for Postcard Commingling, meaning you can send as few as one 6" x 9" postcard with bulk mailing discounts applied.
6.25" x 9" Direct Mail Postcard - Sizing just 0.25" larger than the 6" x 9" postcard, 6.25" x 9" postcards are the smallest postcard size that qualifies for Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), where you can affordably mail to entire postal routes.
6" x 11" Direct Mail Postcard - 6" x 11" postcards are the largest standard postcard size. Businesses commonly use them in the real estate, retail, food services, and entertainment industries. This size offers a large area to promote your message in detail while including special offers, imagery, and eye-catching design elements. In addition, they qualify for all mail classes, including EDDM.
Each direct mail postcard size has its own purpose. Some sizes are suitable for thank you notes or appointment reminders, while others, like oversized postcards, are ideal for making a huge and immediate impact.
For additional help choosing the right postcard size, check out our blog "Postcard Sizes: A Guide to the Dimensions."
Direct Mail Postcard Design Guide
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While direct mail postcards have a higher response rate than online advertisements, to gain exceptional responses, you need a postcard design that stands out and entices your audience to act.
A great postcard design includes eye-catching colors, proper image-to-text ratio, high contrast, and enough negative space. A good postcard design will also reflect your marketing goals and appeal to your target audience.
Here are a few postcard design guidelines to follow to ensure you create a direct mail postcard that generates a successful outcome:
Determine Your Marketing Goals & Define Your Audience
Determining your goals and defining your audience will help you easily design a postcard that appeals to your audience and aligns with your goals.
Are you looking to convert more web traffic, introduce your brand to a new audience, or promote a big sale? Are you targeting a specific demographic, current customers, or individuals within a certain geographic location?
Suppose you're looking to drive traffic to your website. In that case, you need a design that intrigues your specific audience to visit your website while providing clear and easy-to-follow steps on getting there.
On the other hand, if you're introducing your brand to a local audience, you need to include details on who your brand is while also persuading your audience to visit your store or call you.
Use a Direct Mail Postcard Design Template
Use a direct mail postcard design template to ensure your design is printed perfectly and the area for the mailing information is in the correct spot so that it follows the USPS design requirements.
Select from any one of the below postcard sizes to access free templates and sample design files.
These direct mail postcard templates include:
- Correct size and orientation
- Built-in bleed, margin, and trimming parameters needed for printing
- Guidelines for mailing indicia, stamp, and address placement
- Customizable InDesign files for easy postcard designing
- Annotated PDFs for easy guidance during the design process
- Blank InDesign templates that include the correct postcard design specifications
Check out our free postcard templates below:
Keep it Simple
Unlike a catalog with several pages to include content, a postcard has limited space for design elements and messaging.
A direct mail postcard aims to promote your message and get an immediate response. Instead of listing products or sharing details about who your company is, your postcard design needs to grab the attention of your audience and quickly reel them in.
Keep your postcard design simple and the saying "less is more" in mind. You don't want to cram your images and messaging into a 4" x 6" or even 6" x 11" postcard. Instead, your postcard design needs breathing room or negative space, and your postcard content needs to give just enough information to intrigue your audience to respond to your message.
Make a Big Impact with an Effective Headline
The headline of your postcard is the largest text on your printed material and should be on the front side. It needs to be clear yet creative and attention-grabbing. Your postcard headline needs to be what hooks your audience and intrigues them to flip over your postcard to learn more.
If you're promoting a sale, include it in your headline. For example, "50% off everything" or "buy one get one free" is much more compelling than "visit us today."
Add Emphasis with A Great Subheading
For a successful direct mail postcard, include an effective subheading on the back side of your design that emphasizes the headline on the front.
Because postcards are often delivered to your recipients' mailboxes with the mailing information side up, your subheading or subheadline must be as impactful as your headline. This will ensure that your audience will still respond positively no matter what side of your postcard is viewed first.
Use High-Quality Images
The images you choose for your postcard design should be at least 300 dpi and never scaled up more than 20% to ensure clear and crisp images when printed.
You also need to choose images that are authentic to your brand while reflecting who your audience is. This will generate a more positive experience for your audience, thus generating a better response rate.
Consider including images of people that reflect your target demographic while also evoking the emotion you want your audience to have when taking you up on your offer.
For example, if you're promoting your real estate business and your target audience is potential first-time home buyers, include an image of a happy couple who just bought their first home. If you're promoting your family-style restaurant, include a photo of a family enjoying your amazing dishes together.
Carefully Consider the Copy in Your Postcard Design
The copy of your postcard needs to give enough details to add context to your marketing message and be short and concise so there isn't too much information on your postcard.
Suppose you're reaching out to customers within your CRM or marketing automation platform, thanking them for their order. In that case, you might consider including a more personal message with the "to" and "from" lines. If you're promoting a new product, service, or sale, give a quick, detailed overview of the benefits your audience will gain if they take you up on your offer. Additionally, if you are introducing your brand to a new audience, give a brief glimpse into who your company is and what it offers.
Include a Compelling Call to Action
You want to include a single call to action or CTA that tells your audience exactly what they need to do. Your call to action aims for your audience to take action, so make sure your CTA is irresistible and direct.
"Act now before it's too late," "Learn more today," or "Start your free trial now" are all straightforward messages that evoke a sense of urgency. Be sure that your postcard design also includes a unique URL, phone number, or QR code so your audience can quickly take action and so that you can track your direct mail responses.
Personalize Your Message
It's been proven that when you personalize your marketing message to be tailor-made for each recipient, you gain 135% better results.
With Variable Data Printing, you can do just this affordably and easily.
When designing your direct mail postcard, consider leveraging data with Variable Data to print custom content like your recipients' names. "Here's an offer for you, Chris!" is far more compelling than "Here's an offer." You can print other personalized content, including images, colors, or unique QR codes.
Now that you are familiar with the many direct mail postcard sizes and have gained insight into how to design them effectively, you're ready to start your postcard campaign.
At Conquest Graphics, we offer postcard printing and direct mail marketing services. From affordable prices, high-quality materials, a design team, and free postcard design templates to an in-house mailing department for mailing your postcards using a variety of services, we are fully equipped to handle your postcard campaign from beginning to end.
Get Started on Your Postcard Campaign Today!
