2025 USPS Postage Increases and How to Mitigate Impacts
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced postage rate changes starting Sunday, July 13, 2025. These changes will affect businesses relying on direct mail and impact First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail, and Nonprofit Mail. Here are the key updates to first-class mail:
Stamped Letter: From $0.73 to $0.78.
Metered Letter: From $0.69 to $0.74.
Postcards: From $0.56 to $0.62.
Flats: From $1.50 to $1.65
These increases are generalized across the postage offering. Your existing or planned campaigns may not be affected or the impact may be less. Each campaign's postage rates are based on size, location, drop dates, etc so you should work with your direct mail provider to confirm how these increases will affect you on July 13th.
How to Offset Rising Costs
Update Mailing Lists:
Ensure your mailing lists are accurate and up-to-date. This minimizes waste from undeliverable mail and ensures your campaigns reach the right audience. Using professional data hygiene services can help remove duplicates, correct addresses, and validate recipient information. Building the perfect mailing list is crucial for success—learn more in our blog post on creating effective mailing lists.
Personalize Your Mail:
Personalization drives engagement and effectiveness. Include the recipient's name, tailor offers to their preferences, and use targeted messaging to create a stronger connection. The more relevant your mailpiece, the more likely recipients are to respond. Thoughtful design also enhances personalization—learn key design decisions for maximum impact in our blog post on direct mail personalization.
Use Bulk Discounts:
If your mailing volumes are high enough, take advantage of USPS bulk mail rates. Presorting your mail or using automated sorting tools can help you qualify for significant discounts, reducing your overall postage costs. Your mail service provider should be automatically optimizing these discounts based on project delivery details to ensure you get the best possible rates. If they’re not, it’s time to find a partner who is an expert in the USPS and postage world—like Direct One.
Optimize Design:
Evaluate your mailpiece design to minimize weight-based postage fees. Use lightweight paper and compact layouts without compromising the visual appeal or message clarity. Smaller, well-designed mailpieces can save money while maintaining impact. For insights into creating designs that balance cost-efficiency with effectiveness, check out our blog post on direct mail design.
Take Advantage of USPS Mailing Promotions:
USPS offers mailing promotions that provide discounts for incorporating certain elements like digital enhancements or tactile materials. Review our blog post on USPS postage incentives for 2025 to see how you can innovate and save with these opportunities.Don’t Overlook the Envelope
Combine Channels
Maximize your reach by integrating direct mail with digital marketing efforts. Pair mailpieces with email follow-ups, SMS notifications, or online retargeting ads to create a cohesive and impactful campaign. Recent studies show that professional marketing strategies using a multi-channel approach—starting with direct mail as the foundation and building out digital and text messaging touch points—are amplifying direct mail response rates by as much as 20%. This synergy boosts engagement and ROI while optimizing your overall marketing spend.
Stay Ahead of the Increases
At Direct One, we help businesses adapt to changes with efficient and impactful direct mail campaigns. Contact us today to learn how we can support your marketing efforts.