How to Get Your Postcards Mailbox‑Ready

1. Focus on what’s important. If the goal of your postcard is to encourage people to buy a specific product or use your service, you’ll want to use a visual that makes your main subject stand out. Are you using a photo and planning on taking it yourself? Be sure to adjust your camera’s depth of field or hold your smartphone steady to get a clear close-up.

2. Leave space between elements. White space, also known as negative space, is any area of a design that isn’t taken up by text, photos, or any other element. And leaving some empty space in your design will help focus people’s attention on what they need to know.

3. Use a neutral background. A busy background can make your text and design elements hard to see. People will decide if they’re interested in learning more about you in just a quick glance, so don’t make them work to figure out what you’re offering.

4. Be thoughtful about where you place copy. If you’re adding a headline or any other copy to the front of your postcard, you can make it easier to read by grouping together different types of copy. For example, choose one square for your logo, contact details, and website URL, while your headline or special offer (i.e., “Get $10 off any order of $30 or more”) go in a separate section.

Choose images that will stand out in any mailbox

A beautiful visual is at the heart of any successful postcard. But apart from looking good, your image should help you quickly tell a story.

Mailchimp postcards are 4.25 x 6 inches and printed on UV-coated digital gloss paper stock, making it easy to get straight to the point with your marketing message and design. Your visuals need to be greater than 1875 x 1350px so they don’t look pixelated when printed, and you’ll be able to see if any images you already have stored in our content manager are the right size to work with postcards.

Keep the focus on your subject

To keep the story your visual is telling focused, we suggest choosing an image that features 1 thing you want people to buy or do. So instead of promoting 5 different handbags you sell, talk about 1 specific style. And just like with Facebook ads, lifestyle images that show someone using your product tend to get the best results.

Zooming in on your product also gives your customers a detailed view to help them make up their mind about buying. But if you forget to zoom in when you’re taking a photo, editing tools like Photoshop and mobile apps like Snapseed let you quickly crop your images.

When to use illustration

If you’re not promoting a specific product or offer, a beautiful illustration can definitely make a great visual for your postcard. It can also add a warm, playful touch to a welcome or thank-you postcard you want to send to your contacts.

At Mailchimp, we use illustrations on the postcards we send to our customers—like a free sample you can sign up to receive—to create a memorable brand moment.

If you’re looking for a fun way to engage your audience and illustration happens to fit your brand, go ahead and use one to design your postcard.

How to write compelling copy

The secret to writing copy that will keep your postcard out of the junk pile is getting these key things right:

• An irresistible offer
• An informative and exciting headline
• A clear call to action (CTA)

But you’ll also want to consider how your copy and visual will work together. Does your copy make sense when paired with your image? Is it clear what your audience should do next?

Tip: Consider where in the world people will be reading your postcard. Will your audience understand any idioms or playful language you’re using?

Make it easy for people to see your message

Whether or not you add text to the front of your postcard is totally up to you, since you have space on the back to get your message across. But including copy on both the front and back can help you tell a more complete story.

When adding text to your visual, keep these things in mind:

• Put your main offer and most important details on the front
• Use as few words as possible, and try not to crowd any white space
• Make sure your text isn’t on top of or covering your image

Tip: Our built-in photo editor makes adding text to your images quick and easy. You can even crop and resize, adjust levels, and add filters like a pro.

On the back, you can include more details about a sale, product, or any other message you want to get across. This is a good place to mention the benefits of your offer and even restate important info you’ve added to the front, like your CTA. Just remember to keep the copy on the back of your postcard

• easy to read
• clear and concise
• on brand

Make sure you’re ready to send

In addition to reading over your copy for errors and checking that your image meets your standards, you’ll want to use our postcard preview tool to get an idea of how your postcard will look when it sends. We’ll show you where the printer will trim your postcard, so you can make sure the key elements of your design won’t be removed.