When the post drops through the letterbox, most people can’t resist taking a look. That simple, everyday action is what makes direct mail so powerful: it gets noticed, handled, and when designed well, opened and read. Unlike an email that can be swiped away in seconds, direct mail sits on the kitchen table, lingers on the desk, and demands attention.

For businesses, that presents a huge opportunity. But success isn’t just about sending something, it’s about sending something that looks, feels, and reads right. In this blog, we’ll explore what direct mail is, the potential it holds, and how to design direct mail that gets opened and read.

• What is Direct Mail?

• The Potential of Direct Mail

• Why Invest in Direct Mail Design & Content?

• How to Design Direct Mail That Gets Opened and Read

• The Role of Data & Fulfilment in Direct Mail

• Measuring Success

• Ready to Create Direct Mail That Works?

What is Direct Mail?

Direct mail is a form of physical marketing where businesses send letters, brochures, postcards, catalogues, or product samples directly to customers’ homes or offices. Unlike digital ads, direct mail is tangible – something customers can hold, keep, or even display on the fridge.

With the help of a direct mailing house like Direct Mail Systems (DMS), direct mail campaigns can go beyond envelopes: they include printing, enclosing, poly wrapping, sample management, and data processing. This makes direct mail a versatile channel that blends creativity with precision targeting.

The Potential of Direct Mail

Despite assumptions that digital dominates, direct mail is thriving. One of its greatest strengths lies in the fact that it is tangible. When someone receives a letter, postcard, or brochure, it occupies physical space in their home or office, so unlike a fleeting digital ad that vanishes with a click, a mailer can be picked up multiple times, passed to a colleague, or pinned to the fridge as a reminder.

Research shows that 95% of mail is engaged with in some way, and 87% of people consider mail believable compared to just 48% for email. This credibility makes it particularly effective for companies that want to build trust, especially in sectors such as finance, retail, healthcare, or charities where reassurance and legitimacy matter.

Research also shows that direct mail enjoys open rates of 80–90%, compared to 20–30% for email, meaning businesses have a much higher chance of capturing attention and sparking action when using this traditional marketing method.

Why Invest in Direct Mail Design & Content?

The success of direct mail isn’t just about delivery, it’s about design, content, and timing. All of these aspects need to be relevant and tailored to the target audience in mind. Firstly, first impressions do matter – from the envelope or packaging, if it isn’t appealing, it won’t get opened.

Secondly, it’s worth investing in the content of the direct mail. This is because this is the part of the mailer that will drive action. Once opened, the copy and visuals must engage quickly, highlighting the value for the reader. The design is also just as important as the content, and it acts as brand reinforcement. A professional, well-designed mail piece builds brand credibility and trust.

In other words, investing in design and content turns a piece of paper into a revenue-generating touchpoint - so it’s important you get it right!

How to Design Direct Mail That Gets Opened and Read

Here are some proven design strategies to ensure your direct mail gets opened and read: 

Use an Eye-Catching Format

Using bold colours, textured stock, or teaser messages like “Exclusive Offer Inside” can spark curiosity for many recipients leading to better engagement. Research has also found that using oversized envelopes can achieve higher response rates than standard letter sizes, due to standing out from other mailers. 

Personalise the Message

Personalised direct mail has been shown to lift response rates by up to 135%. An impressive figure and something that can easily be implemented by including the use of names, locations, or purchase history of the recipient, to make every piece feel tailored. 

Focus on Clear Value

A compelling direct mail piece that gets opened and read, begins with a strong, benefit-led headline that quickly tells the reader why it matters. The copy should stay concise, with one clear call-to-action that directs them to respond. Adding QR codes, personalised links, or promo codes makes it simple to act and allows results to be tracked.

Make it Visually Easy to Read

Clean, well-structured design encourages engagement with your direct mailer. Ample white space, clear headings, and consistent branding make the piece approachable, while strong imagery helps draw attention to the most important messages. The right balance of words and visuals ensures the mail is easy to scan and memorable. We recommend:

• Using white space, large headings, and bullet points.
• Sticking to brand colours and consistent typography.
• Including high-quality images to draw the eye.

The Role of Data & Fulfilment in Direct Mail

A campaign is only as strong as the data behind it. It’s all well and good having a well designed direct mailer,but if your customer data isn’t accurate or up to date, the right people will never receive it. Clean, segmented data ensures you’re targeting the right households with the right message, so it’s worthwhile investing in a data cleaning and management service, like that offered by DMS:

• Data cleansing and suppression
• Segmentation and targeting
• GDPR-compliant handling

Measuring Success

So you have your well-designed mailer, your data is cleaned and accurate, now you just need to know how to measure your campaign once it’s live. Unlike a digital campaign, there are no visible tracking links, so you’ll need to include a way of measuring success on your mailer. Common methods are through the call-to-action (CTA), such as unique QR codes, personalised URLs (PURLs), and coupon codes which all act to track recipient behaviour.

Ready to Create Direct Mail That Works?

Direct mail offers businesses a rare opportunity to deliver something personal, tactile, and trusted, in a way that digital alone cannot achieve. By investing in great design, clear content, and precise data management, you can create campaigns that don’t just get delivered but get opened, read, and acted upon.

At Direct Mail Systems, we combine decades of experience in direct mail fulfilment, sample management, and data handling to help clients maximise results from every campaign.

Ready to design direct mail that delivers real results? Get in touch with our expert team today by clicking here to start planning your next campaign.