If you've ever put together a direct mail campaign, you know the mail is only part of the job. First, you need a list. Then you need a message, a design, a way to print it all, and confidence it will actually reach the people on that list.
I've mailed a lot of property owners over the years. Sometimes the mail brought in great leads. Other times, the results forced me to rethink the list or the offer. Either way, I didn't want to spend my time stuffing envelopes or wonder whether a mailing service had sent what I ordered.
That's why we built Stride Mailer Studio, a way to send postcards and letters online. I co-founded Stride, so you should know I have a stake in this product. Let me walk you through what it does, what it costs, and a few things I would check before mailing a single piece.
Do I need Stride CRM to use it?
No. Mailer Studio is a standalone direct mail service. You can create an account, upload a list, and order mail without subscribing to Stride CRM. If you're already a CRM customer, you can use it there too, but the mailing tool is open to everyone.
The examples in my video involve vacant land because that's my business. The same steps work if you're mailing past customers for your lawn care business, introducing a storage facility to nearby households, or sending offers to prospects in another industry.
You can send a small test or a much bigger campaign. There's no 500-piece order requirement. The minimum is $10 in total spending, so you don't have to buy hundreds of postcards just to see how the process works.
What kinds of mail can I send?
Postcards come in 4 × 6, 6 × 9, and 6 × 11 inch sizes. You can print them in black and white or full color, on one side or both. A postcard is handy when you can get the point across quickly: an offer, a reminder, or a short introduction with a clear phone number or website.
You can also send letters in envelopes. Choose black and white or color, print on one or both sides of a sheet, and include multiple pages when you need more room. A letter might make more sense if you're explaining an offer, including an agreement, or making a more personal introduction.
I wouldn't assume the biggest postcard or the fanciest design will get the best response. I've gotten deals from plain postcards that didn't even use a recipient's first name in the message. The right format helps your audience understand what you're saying and what to do next.
Here's how you send a campaign
1. Set up your return address. When you first log in, add the address you want on your mail. There's a field that can fill in and format the address for you, then verify it before you save it.
2. Upload a mailing list. Mailer Studio takes a CSV file. You tell it which columns contain the recipient's name, street address, city, state, and ZIP code. If you've uploaded a list before, you can select it again instead of starting over.
3. Check the addresses. This is one of my favorite parts. The system flags records with missing or problematic information so you can correct them or leave them out. In the video, 115 of the 937 rows on my sample list had an issue. That's a lot of postage I could have spent on mail that wasn't ready to send. If you change an address, run the check again before moving on.
4. Choose or create the mail piece. You can use an included template, make your own in the editor, or upload artwork. The editor lets you add text, images, and logos. If the message changes for each recipient, you can match fields in your design to columns in your list. A first name, reference number, or property detail can then appear on the right person's mail.
You don't have to personalize everything. If your company name is the same on every piece, you can type it once or use a default value instead of filling a whole spreadsheet column. Every extra field gives you another thing to check, so I only use the ones that earn their place.
5. Review the proof and the price. You can preview the piece with the information filled in and open a PDF to inspect it. The cost updates as you change the format, printing choices, and available postage options. You can save your campaign as a draft and come back to it. When it all looks right, you pay and launch.
Slow down at the proof. A typo in one letter is embarrassing. A typo repeated across a few thousand letters is an expensive lesson. Check several recipients, especially rows with blank fields or long names, before you approve the order.
What if I don't have a postcard design?
This is where a lot of campaigns get stuck. You have a list and know what you want to say, but you don't want to spend hours in a design program. I made a separate video showing a ChatGPT prompt I use to create a postcard design from a few answers. It asks about the size, one-sided or two-sided printing, colors, your business name, contact details, audience, and the look you want. You can also give it a logo, photo, or QR code to include.
In the video, I use it to make a two-sided land-buying postcard, then upload both images into Mailer Studio's template editor to see how they fit. The prompt itself is free and can help even if you use another mail service. The demonstration uses a paid ChatGPT account. You can copy the postcard design prompt here and try it with your own business.
The design still needs a human inspection. Read every word, check the phone number and URL, test any QR code, and make sure text stays clear of the trim and address areas. The prompt is useful because it gets you past the blank page. The final print proof is where you make sure the result can actually be mailed.
What does it cost?
The simplest option is pay-as-you-go. Choose the mail you're sending, see its cost, and pay for that campaign. You don't need a monthly CRM subscription or a long-term mail commitment. The published rate card includes printing, materials, and postage, so use that page for current prices rather than an example from an older video or blog post.
You can choose from the postage options available for your mail piece. In the video, I compare less expensive standard presort mail with First-Class Mail for a letter. Standard presort can take longer to get into the mail; First-Class costs more and may be a better fit when timing or returned undeliverable mail matters. Check the options and estimated timing on your actual order.
If you mail regularly, you can also prepay for a larger volume at a lower rate. The walkthrough shows Starter, Growth, and Scale commitments of 30,000, 60,000, and 120,000 pieces over a year, plus a custom Enterprise option. You choose the mix of mail types when you set up the package, and the rate is locked for 12 months. The video also shows an additional discount for paying by bank transfer rather than credit card.
Those savings sound great, but I'd look at my real mailing plans before buying a large package. If you're testing a new audience or offer, a small pay-as-you-go campaign may teach you more than locking in a low price on thousands of pieces you aren't ready to send.
Can I see what happened to my mail?
Mailer Studio has a dashboard for past campaigns. You can see how many pieces you've sent, split letters and postcards, choose a date range, and view a specific campaign. The walkthrough also shows mailing status, recipient details, a distribution map, and a CSV export.
That's useful when you've got several campaigns in motion, and someone asks, “Did we mail this list already?”
It can also help you spot delivery problems. Just remember: delivery status isn't a response rate. Track calls, website visits, sales, or whatever result you hoped the campaign would produce.
The mailing tool can't fix the wrong list
This is the part I'd tell you even if I didn't own the company. A smooth ordering process doesn't make every direct mail campaign a good idea.
Start with people who have a reason to care about your message. Remove duplicates. Think about what you're offering and whether the next step is obvious. Should the recipient call, text, visit your site, or scan a QR code? Give them a clear answer.
Then test and keep records. If one postcard works better than another, you'll want to know which list received each version. If the results disappoint you, changing the paper size
