In today’s fast-evolving marketing landscape, businesses continuously seek new ways to engage customers and stand out from the competition. Direct Mail continues to be a vital and effective way to reach target audiences. This year, the United States Postal Service (USPS) offered a series of Mailing Promotions to encourage marketers, printers, and mailers to leverage innovative print techniques and integrated technologies in their mailing campaigns. The promotions were very well received by postal customers.
In 2025, USPS will continue its promotions program that promises to enhance customer engagement, optimize advertising efforts, and provide significant cost savings for participants.
The Purpose of USPS Mailing Promotions
USPS Mailing Promotions are designed to encourage businesses to integrate cutting-edge technology and creative print enhancements into their direct mail strategies. These promotions offer incentives for using certain technologies or techniques that can boost the overall effectiveness of a mailing campaign, ultimately leading to higher engagement rates and improved results.
For 2025, the USPS has introduced a variety of mailing promotions that target different aspects of the mailing process, from technology integration to sensory engagement. By offering these incentives, the USPS is fostering a more competitive and innovative direct mail landscape, pushing marketers and mailers to explore new avenues for reaching their audiences in a meaningful way. Hot tip – you can stack the discounts for more savings!
The 2025 USPS Mailing Promotions Overview
The 2025 USPS Mailing Promotions provide marketers with numerous opportunities to enhance their direct mail pieces. Each promotion is designed to capitalize on a specific technique or technology, which can make a piece of mail more interactive, memorable, or trackable. Let’s take a closer look at the key promotions for the upcoming year:
1. Integrated Technology
When: All Year Long
How Much: 3%
The Integrated Technology promotion encourages businesses to incorporate digital elements into their physical mail. This can include technologies such as Near Field Communication (NFC), augmented reality (AR), or QR codes. These features allow mail recipients to interact with the piece in unique ways, driving them to engage further with a brand’s website, app, or other digital content. With QR codes, there’s also the ability to personalize your user-experience with pURLs, providing engagement data on your audience. By blending the physical and digital worlds, this promotion can create a seamless customer journey that enhances engagement and leads to higher conversion rates.
2. Tactile, Sensory, and Interactive Mail
When: February – July
How Much: 4%
This promotion focuses on the sensory experience of receiving mail. It encourages businesses to use unique textures, scents, or even sounds to engage recipients on a sensory level. By incorporating elements that appeal to the sense of touch, sound or smell, marketers can create a more memorable experience for their audience. In addition to tactile and sensory techniques, this promotion also supports interactive features that require recipients to actively engage with the mail piece, such as foldable designs or pop-ups.
3. Continuous Contact
When: April – December
How Much: 3%
This promotion emphasizes the importance of staying in touch with customers over an extended period of time. Businesses that commit to sending multiple mailings to the same recipient over a set period can qualify for this promotion. The idea behind Continuous Contact is that repeated exposure to a brand or message can reinforce its impact, making customers more likely to take action. By offering discounts on postage for multiple mailings, USPS encourages businesses to create sustained, ongoing engagement with their audiences.
4. First-Class Mail Advertising
When: September – December
How Much: 3%
With this promotion, USPS is offering a discount on First-Class Mail pieces that are used for advertising purposes. This can be an attractive option for businesses looking to send time-sensitive offers or important marketing messages that require quicker delivery. First-Class Mail offers faster delivery times compared to Standard Mail, which can be a crucial factor for certain campaigns, such as seasonal promotions or event-based marketing.
5. Reply Mail IMbA
When: July – December
How Much: Up to 6%
Reply Mail is an effective way to encourage customer interaction, whether it’s for surveys, feedback, or promotional responses. The Reply Mail IMbA (Intelligent Mail Barcode Accounting) promotion provides discounts for businesses that use automated systems to manage and track reply mail. By streamlining the process, businesses can make it easier for customers to respond to their mailings, increasing participation and improving overall campaign performance.
Maximize Your Discounts with These Add-Ons
In addition to the main promotions, USPS also offers Add-On Discounts in 2025 for participants that go above and beyond with their mailings. Two key Add-On options can further increase the discount a business receives:
6. Informed Delivery
When: All Year Long
How Much: An extra 1%
Informed Delivery is a free USPS service that allows mail recipients to preview incoming mail via email or through a mobile app. This service has been growing in popularity, and businesses that include digital content associated with their mailings—such as a special offer or link to a landing page—can qualify for additional discounts. By leveraging Informed Delivery, businesses not only provide an added convenience to customers but also increase the likelihood of engagement before the physical mailpiece is even in the recipient’s hands.
7. Sustainability
When: All Year Long
How Much: An extra 1%
Sustainability is an increasingly important consideration for both businesses and consumers. By adopting environmentally friendly practices in their mailing campaigns, businesses can qualify for additional USPS discounts. This might include using eco-friendly materials, minimizing waste, or adhering to USPS guidelines for sustainable printing practices. Beyond the potential cost savings, incorporating sustainability into mailings can help build trust and loyalty with environmentally conscious consumers.
How to Participate in USPS Mailing Promotions
Participating in USPS Mailing Promotions is a straightforward process that begins with submitting electronic samples of your mail piece for pre-approval. This can be done through the USPS Mailing Promotions Portal, which is accessible via the Business Customer Gateway. By submitting a sample in advance, businesses can ensure that their mail piece qualifies for the desired promotion and discount. Once approved, the participant can begin incorporating the necessary features into their mailings and reap the rewards of discounted postage and enhanced engagement. Don’t forget the discounts can stack together for additional savings!
In Conclusion
The 2025 USPS Mailing Promotions provide an excellent opportunity to enhance direct mail campaigns with innovative techniques and technologies. By participating in these promotions, marketers, printers, and mailers can not only save on postage costs but also create more engaging, memorable, and impactful mail pieces. Whether through the use of integrated technology, sensory elements, or sustainability practices, businesses can stand out from the competition and drive meaningful results in the year ahead.
By taking full advantage of these promotions and add-ons, participants can improve their mailing strategy and deliver a more compelling customer experience. Direct mail remains a powerful tool, and with USPS’s support, it’s easier than ever to make an impression that lasts.
If you have any questions, MOSAIC’s in-house postal experts can help. Please let us know how we can be of service.