Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM): a plain-English guide for local businesses

What EDDM is

Every Door Direct Mail is a USPS service that delivers a printed piece to every address on the carrier routes you choose. You do not need names or a mailing list. That makes it the simplest way for a local business to reach the households around it.

The size rules

EDDM pieces are flats. A piece qualifies if it is more than 11.5 inches long, or more than 6.125 inches high, or more than 0.25 inch thick. It cannot be larger than 15 x 12 inches or thicker than 0.75 inch. Common sizes are 6.25 x 9, 6.25 x 11 and 8.5 x 11 inches. Check current rules on usps.com before you design, because USPS updates them.

EDDM Retail vs EDDM BMEU

• EDDM Retail: drop off at your local post office with no permit. Limited to 5,000 pieces per ZIP Code per day per mailer at the time of writing.
• EDDM BMEU: through a business mail entry unit with a permit. Suited to larger campaigns and to mailing through a print shop's mailing department.

Picking routes

Use the USPS EDDM online tool to map carrier routes around an address. Each route shows household counts and basic demographics such as age and income bands. Choose routes where your customers live, and remember you mail every address on a route, residential, business or both depending on what you select.

Planning the cost

Your campaign cost is printing, plus any mailing preparation, plus USPS postage. Postage is paid to USPS at the current EDDM price, which changes, so look it up on usps.com. Ask us for a quote on print and preparation together.

What makes EDDM work

• One clear offer, not five
• A big headline readable in two seconds
• A reason to act now: a date or a limited offer
• Your phone number and web address large
• Repeat mailings to the same routes