Why one mailing is rarely the whole test
USPS’s 2025 survey found that households read 51% of the advertising pieces they received and discarded 39% unread. About half of the advertising pieces that arrive are read, so any single piece is missed more often than not. A second and third piece in the same area reach more of the households that missed the first, and reach the ones who were not ready to buy the first time. That is reasoning from the survey, not a measured lift.
A schedule you can test
| Business | Starting rhythm | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Service with a seasonal peak (landscaping, HVAC, roofing) | A drop 4 to 6 weeks before the season, then one at the start of it | Reach people before the problem, then at it |
| Restaurant or retail with a rotating offer | Every 4 to 8 weeks, new offer each time | Keeps the piece fresh to the same homes |
| Professional service people buy rarely (dentist, realtor) | Every 2 to 3 months to the same routes | You want to be the name they know when they need you |
| New location | Three drops in the first 8 to 10 weeks | Awareness is the goal |
Most of our EDDM customers mail quarterly or monthly.
What a year costs
One mailing to 1,000 homes with our 6.25″ × 9″ piece prices at $526.88 ($0.53 per home). Four mailings a year to the same routes is four of those; six is six. The cheaper way to buy more exposure is to repeat a smaller set of routes that already pay back, not to add routes that have not been tested.
Test it
USPS recommends A/B testing to see what resonates. With EDDM: send version A to one set of routes and version B to a similar set, give each its own phone number or offer code, and keep the winner for the next drop. See how to track results. Stay inside the 5,000-per-ZIP-per-day limit on each drop day.