Postcard marketing examples: how to write an offer that works

What makes a good postcard offer?

A postcard gets a few seconds of attention on the way from the mailbox to the counter. Every strong offer answers four questions in that time: what is this, why should I care, what do I do and what are the terms. Write each part as its own short line before you design anything.

What are examples of postcard offers by business type?

The examples below are illustrative wording, not recommended prices or results. Replace every amount, date and detail with information the business has verified.

How do you write a postcard headline?

Lead with the reader's situation or the benefit, not the business's news. "Spring cleanup slots open for April" is more useful than "Green Leaf Landscaping is excited to announce". Keep headlines short enough to read at arm's length, name a concrete outcome or occasion, and avoid vague superlatives such as "best in town" unless you can support them. The FTC expects advertisers to have a reasonable basis for claims before an ad runs, and that applies to a postcard as much as a website.

How should discounts and free offers be worded?

Put the terms next to the offer. The FTC guide on the word "free" says all the terms for receiving a free item should be set out clearly and conspicuously at the outset, so a reader is not misled. If the free class requires a membership, or the discount applies only to new customers, say so on the front beside the headline, not in tiny type on the back. The FTC also advises that disclosures appear near the claim they qualify rather than in fine print. Check every amount, date and eligible item against the business's records before approving the proof. Avoid invented urgency, such as a countdown that resets or a limited quantity that is not actually limited, and do not quote savings against a regular price the business has not really charged.

Where should the call to action go?

Give one response action and make it the easiest thing on the card to find. A short URL, a phone number or a QR code with a text label near the headline works on the front. Repeat it on the back beside the address area so a reader who sees that side first can still respond. Send the action to a page that repeats the postcard's offer and works on a phone. The postcard maker lets you preview how the headline and action sit together before you finalize the file.

How long should postcard copy be?

The front should carry only the headline, the benefit, the action and any essential condition. The back can hold a short paragraph of supporting detail, hours, a map note or a second image, plus the mailing area. Cut adjectives before you shrink type. If a line needs a second reading to understand, rewrite it. Ask someone unfamiliar with the business to explain the offer after a five second look; their answer shows whether the copy is doing its job.

Type size and copy length are linked. A headline that has to fit a long sentence ends up small, and small headlines lose the reader before the benefit line. If the headline will not fit at a size readable from across a kitchen counter, the fix is almost always fewer words, not a smaller font. The same applies to the conditions: write them in plain language, such as "ends March 31" rather than a string of legal qualifiers, and keep them in a size a reader can see without searching.

How do you test two versions of the offer?

Change one thing at a time, such as the headline or the offer itself, and split the mailing into two groups of similar size and audience. Give each version its own code or tagged link so responses can be counted separately. Our guide to A/B testing postcards explains how to set up the split. Before you mail, run the numbers in the break even calculator to see how many sales the campaign must produce to cover its cost.

Offer copy checklist

• A headline that names the reader's benefit or occasion.
• One concrete benefit with verified details.
• One response action on the front and repeated on the back.
• Every condition printed next to the offer.
• No claim you cannot support with evidence.
• A code or tagged link for each version you mail.

Where should you start?

Write the four part offer in a plain document, check it against the list above, and read it aloud. Then place it in a layout that fits your wider campaign planning and print the final version on standard postcards.