Advertising Mail with Response - combine your response and main stage campaign and earn savings

Be more direct with a call to action - make the most of your spend by including a free response mechanism for your customers
Economical and made to measure - if you pre-book and predict your response rate, you’ll see the savings.

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Advertising Mail™ with Response price calculator

The calculator will show you the total cost of your mailing and the cost per thousand items. Please make sure you complete all fields before calculating.

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Create PPIs

If you have an account with us you can create ready-to-print PPIs online or download files to provide to your designer or printer

Create a PPI design

Why Advertising Mail™ with Response?

It’s the little extras that count

With so much hanging on creating the perfect Direct Mail package, we don’t want you to have to worry about whether or not you should include a prepaid response mechanism. At Royal Mail, we know that your mail item will be made up of parts and that the reply mechanism is probably the most important for fulfilling your objectives.

Making your campaign work with response

You’ve worked hard at being clear about what you’d like your prospects to do next, and we’ve gone the extra mile to get that message to them in precisely the format you’ve decided is best. Now you wait, knowing that reply card or a tear off slip that you’re hoping will be returned is much more likely to come back if your customers know that to them, it’s completely free to post.

So, if you want to include a response item, such as a reply paid postcard to accompany your mailing, you can do it cost-effectively and not lose money on prepaid postage that doesn’t get used.

Forward planning wins the day

You get to forecast what the percentage usage of that response item will be and that helps us estimate the figure for rates of postal returns over the next year – and decide what to charge you.

What makes Advertising Mail™ with Response special is that we make a financial allowance for you to include a response item in the mailing and we base this on an estimate of the returns expected. You pay up front based on the estimate and will get a credit if the response mechanism doesn’t get used.

Choose your options

Advertising Mail™ with Response is the perfect mailing solution if you want to add a response mechanism and save money. And you can tailor Advertising Mail™ with Response to meet your needs by choosing from the following options:

Letter or large letter
1st Class or 2nd Class or Economy delivery speeds
Range of volumes starting from 1,000 letters or large letters
Range of options to prepare and present your mail

To use Advertising Mail™ with Response you'll need to meet a few important criteria. These include assuring us that your mailing is a largely uniform message to all addressees and that your data meets our specifications - and we'll want to see a sample of your mail piece together with a copy of your OBA sales order.

Formats

Different types of formats you can use:

Format	Dimensions	Weight limit	Examples
Letter	Up to 240mm x 165mm x 5mm	Up to 100g	Letter folded in envelope
Large letter	Up to 353mm x 250mm x 25mm	Up to 750g	Direct mail letter /small brochure unfolded in envelope
Large letter if machine-readable	Up to 345mm x 245mm x 25mm	Up to 750g	Letter unfolded in envelope

Delivery speeds

We have a range of delivery speeds. Our standard delivery speeds for unsorted mail are:

1st Class: next working day
2nd Class: within three working days

If you are able to sort your items, below are your options:

1st Class: next working day
2nd Class: delivery aim within two working days after the day of posting
Economy Class: delivery aim within four working days after the day of posting
Economy Class Deferred: we will deliver the items within four working days after a date you determine.

Working days are Monday-Saturday.

Volumes

You must have a minimum of 1,000 letters or large letters.

If you want to sort your mail, then you must have a minimum of 4,000 letters or 1,000 large letters.

Preparing and presenting your mail:

Making your mail machine-readable: Save money by preparing your mail so that addresses can be read by Royal Mail’s machines, though no sorting is required on your end. You can either use an approved OCR font or barcodes. You will need to get accredited and ensure that 90% of your addresses and postcodes are accurate.

Sorting your mail: Earn savings by sorting your mail and ensuring your addresses are accurate. There are two levels of sortation:

Low Sort (up to 88 ways) if your mail is machine-readable
High Sort (up to 1,525 ways) which doesn’t require you to make your mail machine-readable.

Types of containers to present your mail
Depending on the type of mail you send, you could use one of the following containers:

Trays
Bags
ALPS (auto-levelling parcels sleeved York)
Unbagged (shrink wrapped)

Find out more about getting started in our User guide. If you would like to talk to someone about your needs, then you’ll find contact details in our How to Order section.

How to order

To use Advertising Mail™ with Response, you'll need to have an account with Royal Mail and meet a few important criteria. These include assuring us that your mailing is a largely uniform message to all addressees and that your data meets our specifications - and we'll want to see a sample of your mail piece together with a copy of your Online Business Account sales order.

We'll make getting started easy. With a standard option from 1,000+ items and no sorting or address preparation necessary, you can be set up no time. However, if you can pre-sort your mail, you'll be able to select highly competitive discounted options too.

Need to set up an account?

If you don’t already have one, you can contact our Business Centre on 08457 950 950*

Many of our customers have Account Managers

If your business has a Royal Mail Account Manager, contact yours and find out more about how Advertising Mail can work for you.

Already have an account?

If you already have an account, contact a member of our business team on 08457 950 950*. They will tell you how to add the Advertising Mail™ options you want. It will speed things up if you can have your Royal Mail account number to hand when you ring us.

Once you have decided which options meet your sortation and speed requirements; you've read and agreed the terms and conditions - and our sales team have set you up with a unique reference, you can log in to your Online Business Account (OBA), locate your reference number - and get started on your mailing.

Finally, you’ll need to ensure that your campaign references have been set up before you’re ready to post.

*Lines are open 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday.
How to book

Frequently asked questions

What is the OCR or Barcode option?
What types of containers can I use?
How does a mailing qualify for Advertising Mail with Response?
Is a special PPI required for any of the services?
What are the mandatory requirements for using Advertising Mail with Response?
What if you fail to make a booking prior to mailing?
What levels of response can you choose?
Can you change the response rate?
Can you choose different response rates for different types of activity?
How much does it cost to set up an Advertising Mail with Response licence?
How much does it cost to set up an Advertising Mail Response contract?
What is the duration of the Advertising Mail with Response contract?
Is an Advertising Mail with Response service subject to VAT?
Can a company hold more than one licence?

Search help for more answers...

What is the OCR or Barcode option?

There are two ways to make your mail machine-readable: using an OCR font or applying a barcode.

OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition and makes it easier for our sorting machines to read the address on your letters or large letters. Using OCR means you will have to print the addresses on your items according to our OCR guidelines - using certain approved fonts. You also need to leave areas of your envelope clear to enable us to apply code marks to your item. There is an OCR option for letters or large letters. A detailed specification for the OCR variants is contained in the User Guide.

A barcode on an item enables our sorting machines to process your mail quickly and efficiently because barcodes contain detailed information on the delivery address of each item. If you or your mailing agent can apply a barcode to your letters, you can achieve the maximum savings. The process of applying and constructing barcodes can be quite technical, so a detailed specification for the application of barcodes is contained in the User Guide.

If you do not have the ability or technical capability to apply a Barcode or make the item meet OCR requirements, then use our Standard or High Sort option. For the High Sort option, you will have to meet 90% address accuracy against our Postal Address File (PAF) and be able to sort your mail up to 1,525 ways, as specified in the Royal Mail Selection Files.
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What types of containers can I use?

Depending upon the format, size and if you can make your mail machine-readable or sort it, you can present your items in trays, bags or ALPS (auto-levelling packet sleeved York). In some instances, you are able to present your mail unbagged.

Format	Sorting options	Containers you can use
Letters	Standard – no sorting or machine- readable	-bags -trays Machine-readable
	Machine-readable	-trays
	Low sort	-bags -trays
	High Sort	-bags -trays -unbagged
Large letters up to 10mm in thickness	Standard – no sorting or machine- readable	-bags -trays
	Machine-readable (not including the Plus option)	-trays
	Low Sort	-bags -trays
	High Sort	-bags -trays -unbagged
Large letters > 10mm in thickness	Standard – no sorting or machine- readable
	Machine-readable (not including the Plus option)	-bags -ALPs
	Low Sort	-bags -ALPs
	High Sort	-bags -ALPs -unbagged

How does a mailing qualify for Advertising Mail with Response?

Your mailing must be advertising mail. We define advertising mail as ‘Mailings which comprise a largely uniform message to all addresses, with the purpose of promoting the sale or use of products or services, or to encourage contribution to, or support of cause. Your mailing can be letter or large letter format only and must also include a response device.

See if your mailing qualifies for Advertising Mail with Response.

As with all our Advertising Mail products, find out more in the User guide.
Get prices for Advertising Mail with Response.
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Is a special PPI required for any of the services?

No, there isn’t a special one - you should use Royal Mail’s standard PPI designs.
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What are the mandatory requirements for using Advertising Mail with Response?

You must have an active Advertising Mail with Response contract.
Only one Response contract can be used for each Advertising Mail with Response level chosen.
The mailing must consist solely of advertising material.
The mailing must be booked in advance.
The mailing must include a response item which meets the Response Plus specification.
The mailing must meet the minimum service requirements.
The OBA (Online Business Account) order must carry the booking reference for the mailing.
Read about minimum service requirements and mailing volumes.
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What if you fail to make a booking prior to mailing?

The mailing can be refused. You will then have the option of having the mail delivered through another service.

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What levels of response can you choose?

You can select a rate between 1% and 10% depending on your likely rate for postal returns across the next year. This must be specified when you purchase your new Advertising Mail with Response Licence. However, you can purchase any number of licences should you need different response rates for different campaigns.
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Can you change the response rate?

The rate is fixed for the life of the 12-month contract. However, you can set up any number of Advertising Mail with Response licences with varying response rates.
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Can you choose different response rates for different types of activity?

Yes. For example, you could have different response rates for customer acquisition and customer retention activities, provided you set up multiple licences and a different response rate for each licence.
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How much does it cost to set up an Advertising Mail with Response licence?

The first year a licence is free to set up. However, additional response licences and renewed licences are charged at the current Response Service prices.
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How much does it cost to set up an Advertising Mail Response contract?

The first year of contract is free to set up.However, additional response licences and renewed contracts are charged at the current Response Service prices.
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What is the duration of the Advertising Mail with Response contract?

Each contract is active for 12 months, after which you can opt to renew.
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Is an Advertising Mail with Response service subject to VAT?

Yes – As from 31st Jan 2011, VAT will be added to the prices shown at the standard rate and this includes the cost of any new or additional Response Licences you purchase. Many business customers can reclaim VAT. If your business is registered for VAT, and sells taxable goods or services, then as a general rule, you will be able to recover the VAT in the normal way on your VAT return. For professional advice, talk to your Finance department, accountant or tax advisor. You can also find more information on VAT at HMRC.
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Can a company hold more than one licence?

Yes, but you will need to pay a fee for each of them.
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Advertising Mail™ with Response

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