What is bulk mailing?

Bulk mailing — also called bulk mail or commercial mail — is when a business sends a large volume of mail pieces at once to qualify for discounted postage rates.

So instead of mailing 200 postcards one by one at full First-Class price, you prepare and send thousands of pieces together under special postal guidelines, and you pay less per piece.

For small businesses, this is where direct mail becomes powerful and affordable.

Our complete bulk mailing guide will walk you through the process from inception to execution:

PART 1: Why Should I Do Bulk Mailing?

PART 2: How Does Bulk Mailing Work? What Can It Do for My Business?

PART 3: How Much Is Bulk Mail Postage?

PART 4: How to Do Bulk Mailing

Want to take a shortcut and have a real, live bulk mail expert explain everything to you in plain English? Call us at 1-800-628-1804, and one of our marketing consultants will help you build a plan that fits your goals and your budget.

NEXT: Why Should I Do Bulk Mailing?

PART 1: Why should I do bulk mailing?

Businesses and marketers should utilize bulk mailing because it offers huge postage discounts, as much as 65% (80% if you’re a nonprofit), which could total thousands in cost savings.

Since 1998, PostcardMania, as an established mail house, has mailed more than 1 billion bulk mail postcards for businesses across the country. That kind of volume translates directly into savings and efficiency for small business owners.

Because of PostcardMania’s long-standing relationship with the United States Postal Service, bulk mail costs — including USPS postcard rates — are often lower than other printers and marketing agencies, helping you secure some of the most affordable postcard postage available.

Even better, PostcardMania have an in-house USPS employee who clears mail right at our facility, which speeds-up delivery times and streamlines the entire process. When an experienced professional handles your bulk printing and mailing services, you can save per piece. When you’re mailing at scale, that adds up fast. You save money, skip the hassle of figuring out postage sizes and rates, and get expert handling from a team that does this every single day.

If you’re going to invest in bulk mail advertising, why not do it with a company built to help you save on every postcard you send?

NEXT: How does bulk mailing work?

PART 2: How does bulk mailing work?

Bulk mail works best when you leave the heavy lifting to a reputable mail house that has experience in mailing high volumes on behalf of clients. You might pay a little extra upfront, but the savings in time and postage far outweigh the cost.

The reason so many business owners and marketers outsource bulk mailing is because it has very specific USPS requirements.

Bulk mail typically:

• Is sent in large quantities (usually 200+ pieces or 50+ pounds minimum)
• Uses discounted postage categories (often USPS Marketing Mail)
• Requires specific formatting, sorting and addressing rules
• Is prepared in advance and entered into the postal system in batches

Most business postcards you receive are sent through the United States Postal Service using their Marketing Mail category — that’s bulk mail.

Is bulk mailing the same as mass mailing?

Yes, bulk mailing and mass mailing are terms that are often used interchangeably. Both refer to sending a large volume of mail at once, although ‘bulk mailing’ can also specifically refer to the postal classification or discounted mailing process used for high-volume mailings.”

How can I use bulk mail to build my business?

I built PostcardMania by mailing consistently in bulk every single week. We didn’t send one postcard at a time — we sent thousands. That consistency is what drives momentum.

Here’s why bulk mail is an excellent choice for marketers and small business owners:

1. Lower Cost Per Piece

The more you mail, the less you pay per postcard in postage. That’s what makes it scalable.

2. Predictable Lead Generation

When you mail in volume regularly, you create a steady stream of people visiting your website, calling you, and generally becoming familiar with your business instead of random, unreliable spikes of interest.

Types of Bulk Mail Businesses Use:

Most small businesses use bulk mailing for:

• Postcards
• Sales letters
• Promotional flyers
• Catalogs
• Saturation mail (like Every Door Direct Mail)

Bulk mail isn’t about blasting everyone and hoping something sticks.

It works best when:

• You target the right list
• Your design clearly communicates benefits
• You make a strong offer
• You mail consistently

Bulk mailing shouldn’t be a one-off tactic; it’s part of a bigger long-term strategy. Taking time to select the right mailing list is important for achieving the results you are looking for.

NEXT: How Much Is Bulk Mail Postage?

PART 3: How Much Is Bulk Mail Postage?

If you’re asking how much does bulk mailing cost in postage, the honest answer is:

It depends.

Bulk mail postage is almost always more affordable than mailing pieces one at a time, which is exactly why so many small businesses use it to reach more prospects without blowing their budget.

But there’s no single flat rate for every campaign.

Your postage cost depends on things like:

• the size of the mail piece,
• its weight,
• the number of pieces you’re sending,
• and how the mailing is prepared.

For example, postcards, letters, and flats all have different postage prices. Your cost can also change based on whether you’re using USPS Marketing Mail or a program like Every Door Direct Mail.

The bottom line on bulk mail postage price is:

The more organized and postal-friendly your mailing is, the more efficient your postage usually becomes. That exact amount varies from one campaign to the next.

For small business owners and marketers on a tight budget, that’s actually good news. It means bulk mail can be scaled to fit your goals, your audience, and your budget. When done right, it’s one of the most practical ways to get your message into people’s hands consistently and affordably.

If you want the exact postage for your campaign, you’ll need to look at:

• your mail piece format,
• quantity,
• and mailing method.

Or call one of our mailing experts at 1-800-628-1804 and they can give you an exact figure.

NEXT: How to Do Bulk Mailing

PART 4: How to Do Bulk Mailing

So you’ve weighed the pros and cons of bulk mailing, examined how it can work for your business, and scrutinized the costs of bulk mailing postage. If you’re made it this far, you must be ready for the nitty gritty:

How to send bulk mail.

Here’s a helpful guide we’ve put together based on our experience helping 129,865 mail over 1 billion postcards:

Step 1: Define Your Target Audience

Before you print anything, answer this:

Who is most likely to buy from you?

You can mail to:

• Your existing customers (reactivation or upsell)
• A purchased mailing list (targeted by income, home value, age, industry, etc.)
• A geographic area (saturation mail)

Step 2: Choose Your Mail Type

Most businesses use:

• Postcards (fast, visible, affordable)
• Letters in envelopes (more formal, longer message)
• Oversized postcards (stand out more in the mailbox)

Step 3: Ensure your design is eye-catching

If you want your mail piece to stand out in the mailbox, then it needs to have the following elements of a good design:

• One strong headline and a sub-headline
• List of clear benefits
• One main call to action
• Business information, like a phone number or QR code
• Clean layout (not cluttered)
• Colorful eye-catching photos

If they can’t understand who you are and what you are selling in seconds, your mailer is too complicated.

Also make sure you include one or more offers.

Examples:

• Free consultation
• Limited-time discount
• Free gift

Skip the guesswork and download a FREE report of marketing offers proven to work already.

Step 4: Print and Prepare Correctly

For bulk rates, the mail must:

• Be formatted to USPS size guidelines
• Have proper addressing
• Include an indicia (bulk postage mark)
• Be sorted and bundled correctly

Mistakes here can cost you money in postage adjustments. While you could do this yourself, it would take a lot of time. Working with a professional mail house like PostcardMania ensures that everything is done according to USPS standards and you also save yourself time and the headache of the whole process.

Step 6: Mail Consistently

Here’s what most marketers and business owners sending mail in bulk do:

They mail once.
They wait.
They judge the entire strategy off one drop.

That’s not how it works.

Bulk mail success comes from repetition. Familiarity builds trust. Trust drives response.

When we mail at PostcardMania, it’s not about one campaign. It’s about sustained visibility. Consistency beats intensity.

You don’t have to take our word for it just because we mail over 4 million postcards a week. We’ve collected over 1,000 direct mail case studies you can browse to see exactly what worked for other businesses.

Step 7: Track Everything

You must track:

• Calls (use call tracking numbers)
• Website visits (custom landing page or URL)
• Leads
• Sales
• Lifetime value

If you don’t track, you can’t measure ROI. If you can’t measure ROI, you’ll panic too early and quit. With PostcardMania, you have access to an easy-to-use dashboard called MyPostcardMania that shows you exactly when mailers arrived, how many times people scanned your QR code, and how many phone calls came in as a result of your campaign.

What Bulk Mailing Actually Costs

Costs vary by:

• Quantity mailed
• Postcard size
• Postage class
• Targeting data

The more you mail, the lower your cost per piece becomes. So the decision to launch bulk mailing is a no-brainer. You not only save money but you also create a steady stream of leads for a long period of time.

The Big Picture

Bulk mailing is not about sending a “lot of stuff.” It’s about building a lead engine and trust with the community. When you show the local area you are a credible business that has a lot to offer, you become a presence that can’t be ignored.

Call us at 1-800-628-1804, and one of our marketing consultants will help you build a plan that fits your goals and your budget.

Or email me directly at joy.gendusa@postcardmania.com.