Every door direct mail (EDDM), explained
Every door direct mail (EDDM) is a USPS program that lets you mail a postcard to every home on a carrier route, with no mailing list to buy. This page covers what EDDM actually is, what EDDM postcards cost, and how a shared EDDM card lands your business in front of nearby homes for less than mailing one on your own. No jargon, just how the mail works.
Why direct mail confuses most local owners
Most owners know a postcard in the mailbox can work, but the setup sounds like a headache. Do you need a list of names? What does the postage cost? How do you even pick which streets get the card? The old picture of direct mail, buying a list, matching addresses, and paying full first-class postage per piece, is enough to make anyone put it off for another quarter.
Then there is the cost worry. A solo mailer means you pay for the design, the printing, and the postage on every single card, all by yourself. For a small home-service business, printing thousands of cards to blanket a town can feel like a big swing with no way to know if it landed.
EDDM was built to take the list problem off the table, and a shared card takes a big bite out of the cost problem. The rest of this page walks through both, so you can decide whether mailing your neighborhood is worth it without wading through USPS paperwork first.
What PostBoard does with EDDM
One business per category
The shared 9x12 EDDM postcard mails to thousands of local homes with 16 slots and one rule: one business per category. You are the only one in your trade on the card, so a competitor can never sit beside you. Curious how that exclusivity holds up? Read how shared mailer category exclusivity works.
Free professional design
Design is included, not an add-on. We lay out your tile, help you land a clear offer, and send a proof to approve before anything prints. You do not need a designer or a template to get a clean card in front of homes.
QR and call tracking
Every card carries a unique QR code and a tracking number, so you can see scans and calls tied to the drop. We do not guarantee a specific number of calls, but you will know what actually happened instead of guessing.
Lower cost per household
Because the postage and printing are split across every business on the shared card, your cost per home is well below a solo EDDM mailer. You reach the same routes for less, without printing a full card on your own.
Weighing mail against online ads for a home-service business? Read our take on direct mail vs digital for home services, and see current slot pricing on the homepage pricing.
How PostBoard's shared EDDM works
Claim your category
Lock your trade for the next drop. Once it is yours, no other business in your category can be on that card, so you own that slot for the mailing.
We design your tile and offer
Free professional design. We help you shape a clear offer that gives homeowners a reason to act, and you approve the proof before anything goes to print.
We print and mail the routes
The card prints on heavy stock, and USPS delivers it through EDDM to every home on the carrier routes we select across your service area. No list needed.
You track the results
Watch QR scans and tracked calls come in after the drop. You see what the mailer produced, and we use that to sharpen the offer on the next one.
Every door direct mail (EDDM) questions, answered
Every door direct mail, or EDDM, is a USPS program that lets a business mail a postcard to every address on one or more carrier routes. You pick the routes on a map, and the mail carrier drops your card at every home on that route as part of their normal delivery. You do not need names or a mailing list, because you are mailing the route, not a person.
No. That is the main point of EDDM. Regular direct mail needs a list of names and addresses, which you have to buy or build. EDDM skips that step. You choose carrier routes by neighborhood, and every address on the route gets a card, so there is no list to rent and no per-name cost.
EDDM has three parts: USPS EDDM Retail postage, which is a low per-piece rate, plus printing and design. On a solo mailer you pay for all three yourself. On a shared card you split the postage and printing across every business on the card, so your cost per household drops. We break the numbers down in our guide on what EDDM postcards cost.
For local home services, mail still earns attention because a physical card lands on the counter and gets seen without a login or an ad account. We do not guarantee a specific number of calls, because that depends on your offer, your timing, and your reputation. What we can promise is that a QR code and a tracking number show you what actually happened, so you are not guessing.
A solo EDDM mailer is one business paying for the whole card and all the postage. A shared EDDM card splits that cost across several local businesses, with one business per category, so a competitor is never beside you. You get a lower cost per household, free professional design, and the same QR plus call tracking, without printing a full card on your own.
See if a shared EDDM card fits your streets
Tell us your trade and the neighborhoods you want to reach, and we will confirm your category is open and walk you through the routes and the numbers. No mailing list required on your end. Phone: (978) 408-1068.
Book a 15-minute call