How to put a coupon on an EDDM postcard

Choose an offer people get in one glance

A coupon on an EDDM postcard gets about as long as the walk from the mailbox to the kitchen counter. Fixed amounts and named items read fastest: ten dollars off a drain cleaning, a free appetizer with two entrées, the first lawn mow free.

Percent-off offers work when the usual ticket is obvious to the reader. Fifteen percent off what, exactly, is a question a customer should never have to ask.

Make one offer per coupon. Two or three deals squeezed into one box blur together, and the reader keeps none of them.

Where the coupon goes on the card

Put the coupon on the side without the postal block, along the bottom or a short edge, so it can be cut off without losing the rest of the message. Repeat the phone number and business name inside the coupon itself.

Draw it like a coupon: a dashed border, a scissors mark and a short line such as Bring this card in. People recognize the shape before they read a word.

On the address side, keep the top right corner clear for the indicia and the delivery line. A coupon that runs into the postal area gives the post office a reason to refuse the mailing.

Expiry dates and fine print

Give the offer an end date, but leave time for the cards to land and for people to plan around it. Six to eight weeks after the drop date is a sensible window for most service offers.

Keep the conditions to one line: one per household, not valid with other offers, new customers only if that applies. A long block of tiny legal text makes the deal look smaller than it is.

If you plan to mail the same cards twice, print an end date that covers both drops. That keeps the spare cards from the first run usable for the second.

Know which mailing brought each customer in

Print a short tracking code on the coupon, such as the month and the ZIP code, so you can tell the June mailing from the September one. Staff only need to write the code on the ticket or the invoice.

For phone orders, ask every new caller where they heard about you and keep a tally. A coupon gives them an easy answer, because the card is in their hand.

Counting returned coupons against the pieces mailed gives you your own redemption figure. That number tells you whether the next drop is worth it, and the direct mail break-even calculator shows how many redemptions a mailing needs to pay for itself.

Sizes that leave room for a coupon

A coupon needs its own space, so the card has to fit the main message and a cut-off panel. The 6.5″ × 9″ postcard is a comfortable fit, and 2,500 cost $379 on 16pt stock with UV coating.

For two or three coupons at once, the 8.5″ × 11″ card gives you a full letter-size page at $549 for 2,500. The 4.25″ × 11″ card at $349 works for a single coupon running across one end.

All three qualify for EDDM. A 4″ × 6″ coupon card does not, so use it as a handout or a bag stuffer rather than a mailer, and check other sizes in our EDDM postcard sizes guide.

Three coupon layouts that read quickly

For a pizza shop, the top two-thirds of a 6.5″ × 9″ card holds a large photo, and a dashed box along the bottom edge carries five dollars off a large two-topping pizza, the phone number and a code.

A pest control company can run a slim coupon down the right side of a 4.25″ × 11″ card, offering the first treatment at half price for new customers. The left side lists the pests it treats and the towns it covers.

A salon can split an 8.5″ × 11″ card into three coupons, one per service, so a household can pass one to a neighbor. Our page for restaurants shows other products that pair well with a coupon mailer.

Check the cut on your proof

Before approving, print the proof at full size and cut the coupon out. Check that the phone number, the offer and the code all survive the cut, and that nothing important sits within an eighth of an inch of the trim.

Our designers build an EDDM postcard with a coupon for $89 on the 6.5″ × 9″ size, and every order gets a proof before printing. Call 512-573-1977, 7am to 7pm Eastern, to talk through the offer before design starts.

Quick answers

Can an EDDM postcard have a coupon on both sides?

Yes, as long as the top right of the address side stays clear for the indicia and the delivery line. Keeping the coupon on the other side lets people cut it off without losing the address panel.

How long should an EDDM coupon be valid?

Long enough to plan around. Six to eight weeks from the drop date suits most service offers, and a later date keeps spare cards usable for a second drop.

What size postcard works best for a coupon?

The 6.5″ × 9″ card, at $379 for 2,500. It qualifies for EDDM and leaves room for a photo plus a cut-off coupon.