Getting Started · 3 min read
Understanding Postcard Mailing Timelines
Build in time for design, proofing, print production, postal preparation, and delivery.
A mailing starts before print
The timeline includes creative planning, artwork collection, proof approval, print production, addressing or route preparation, and postal entry. Leaving room for each step leads to better decisions and fewer rushed edits.
If the offer has a hard deadline, work backward from when the household needs to receive the card—not simply from the date you submit artwork.
Confirm the specific campaign schedule
Delivery timing varies with the mailing method, geography, and production plan. Ask your provider for the campaign’s expected proof and mailing milestones, then plan customer-facing deadlines accordingly.
Put the plan on one page
Write down the audience, campaign goal, offer, response method, mailing area, expected timing, and the person responsible for follow-up. This one-page brief keeps design, operations, and sales working from the same plan.
If a decision is still unclear, leave it open rather than hiding it in the artwork. It is easier to resolve a question before proof approval than after a mailpiece is in production.
A practical next-step checklist
Choose the primary offer, collect your approved logo and contact details, and decide how a response will be recorded. Then confirm the mailing area and the date by which artwork needs to be approved.
Before the mailing is scheduled, make sure the people answering the phone or form submissions can recognize the offer and explain what happens next.