What Is EDDM?

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a USPS program that lets you mail a postcard to every household and business on specific mail carrier routes, without needing a mailing list, postage permit, or customer addresses.

You pick the ZIP codes and routes you want to reach. USPS delivers your postcards to every door on those routes. That's it.

For small businesses that serve a local geographic area, such as HVAC companies, real estate agents, restaurants, and contractors, EDDM is one of the most efficient ways to build name recognition and generate new customers.

How the Process Works (Step by Step)

Step 1: Pick Your Routes

EDDM starts with geography. You're not mailing to a list of names. You're covering every address on specific carrier routes.

On the USPS EDDM mapping tool (or through your print provider), you can filter routes by ZIP code, household count, average household income, and residential vs. business mix. A typical carrier route covers 200–600 addresses.

Most small businesses start with routes within 5–10 miles of their location and expand from there based on results.

Step 2: Design Your Postcard

EDDM postcards follow USPS size requirements. The three most common sizes are:

  • 6.25" × 9": Compact and cost-effective. Works well for simple offers.
  • 6" × 11": The most popular size. More visual real estate, still affordable.
  • 8.5" × 11": Full-sheet. Maximum impact, highest per-piece cost.

Your postcard needs to include an EDDM-compliant indicia (the postage marking) and meet USPS specifications for paper weight and coating.

The design itself should lead with a benefit headline, not your company name. You have about 3 seconds before the reader tosses it. Use that time to answer: "What's in this for me?"

Step 3: Print and Prepare

Your print provider handles the production: printing on USPS-approved paper, cutting to size, adding the indicia, banding bundles by route, and filling out the required USPS documentation.

This is where working with an experienced EDDM printer matters. The bundling and paperwork requirements have to be exactly right or the Post Office won't accept the job.

Step 4: Drop at the Post Office

Unlike standard direct mail, EDDM goes to your local post office, not a mail processing facility. You (or your print provider) drop off the bundled postcards, pay postage at the time of drop, and USPS delivers on their standard schedule.

Current EDDM postage rate: $0.247 per piece.

Step 5: Track Your Results

The simplest tracking method: a dedicated phone number or promo code. Mention it in your offer ("Call 555-1234 to book") and count how many calls reference the postcard.

More sophisticated approaches use QR codes that link to a tracked landing page, allowing you to see scans by route.

What EDDM Costs

EDDM costs break down into two buckets: printing and postage.

Printing

Print costs vary by size and quantity:

  • 6.25×9 postcards: approximately $41–$120 per 500 pieces (varies by quantity)
  • 6×11 postcards: approximately $85–$200 per 500 pieces
  • 8.5×11 postcards: approximately $115–$250 per 500 pieces

Per-piece cost drops significantly at higher quantities. A 5,000-piece run typically costs 30–40% less per piece than a 500-piece run.

Postage

EDDM postage is flat: $0.247 per piece, regardless of postcard size. On a 1,000-piece run, that's $247 in postage.

Total Budget Example

A 1,000-piece 6×11 campaign to two carrier routes:

  • Printing: ~$120
  • Postage: $247
  • Total: ~$367

If that campaign generates even two new customers worth $300 each, you've covered your cost. Most businesses see 3–8x return on their first EDDM campaign when the design and offer are dialed in.

EDDM Response Rates: What to Expect

Average direct mail response rates run 4.4% according to the Data & Marketing Association, compared to 0.12% for email. That means for every 1,000 postcards delivered, you might expect 40–50 people to respond in some way (call, visit, search your name, scan a QR code).

Response rates are higher when:

  • The offer is specific and time-bound
  • The design leads with a clear headline (not a company name)
  • The recipient demographic matches your service (homeowners for HVAC, for example)
  • You mail consistently: three mailings to the same routes typically outperform one mailing three times the size

Who EDDM Works Best For

EDDM is most cost-effective for businesses that:

  • Serve a local geographic area
  • Have customers with lifetime values above $200
  • Benefit from broad brand awareness (not just one-time transactions)
  • Want to reach homeowners specifically (EDDM skews toward residential routes)

Industries with consistently strong EDDM results: real estate, HVAC, landscaping, pest control, home services, restaurants, dental, chiropractic, and veterinary practices.

The Free Campaign Review at L&B

Every EDDM order at L&B Printing includes a free design review. Before we go to print, we review your artwork for response optimization: headline strength, offer clarity, CTA visibility, and USPS compliance. If something will hurt your results, we'll tell you.

It's not a checkbox. We've been doing this since 1974. We know what makes a postcard work.

"I closed $16,500 from my first mailing. Now I run it every quarter." Terri Granholm, RE/MAX agent, Somerville NJ

Ready to start? Browse our EDDM postcard options →