A Deep Dive on 2023 USPS Promotions: Tactile, Sensory and Interactive

Are you looking at your mailing schedule for 2023 and thinking, “How can I offset some of the postage increases?!”?  If so, you are not alone. Mailers are feeling the effects of the twice-a-year postage increases and taking a hard look at their budgets to try to find ways to continue mailing.

The USPS has been trying to incentivize mailers to hang in there by offering postal promotions designed to enhance the mail experience and keep both mailers and mail recipients engaged with the mail.

The first big promotion for nonprofit mailers is the Tactile, Sensory and Interactive promotion, starting on February 1!  This promotion gives up to a 5% postage discount to mailers who use specialty inks and finishes or who engage the recipient by interacting with them.

Let’s take a quick look at what will qualify for this promotion:

What Qualifies:

• Specialty inks (those that respond to temperature, liquids, UV light or change color when viewed at different angles)
• Holographic foil
• Metallic ink (real metallic ink that contains flecks of metal in them, not just a metallic color)
• Scented papers or envelopes
• Embossing to add texture (linen embossed paper is NOT allowed)
• Paper that includes sound chips or speakers
• Textured finishes (they must be out of the ordinary finishes, linen finishes are listed as NOT qualifying)
• Interactive elements (affixed and clean release cards, 3D elements like pop-ups and infinite folds)
• Trailing Edge envelopes
• Papers with specialty coatings (aqueous coatings, varnishes)
• Envelopes with zipper pulls or those that require tearing the envelope open (Snap Packs are specifically NOT allowed)

We have also had success with getting some gloss and matte coated papers approved. This is not specifically listed in the rule book as part of the qualifying items, but we have submitted things like calendars that have been approved.

What does NOT Qualify:

• Stickers and Labels (unless they are using metallic ink or specialty foils)
• Linen Embossed Stocks
• Laminated Postcards
• Simple folds (half, tri-fold, gate-fold, Iron Cross, Accordion folds)
• Anything on the reply or reply envelope  (must be a component that stays with the recipient)
• Order Forms
• Snap Packs, tear stubs and perforated stubs (where you are tearing off the short end of an envelope)

The list of what qualifies and what does not is not inclusive of all possibilities. If you are using something that you think fits the “spirit” of the promotion – to enhance the mail using sensory or interactive elements – try it!

Send in a sample to the USPS and see if they approve it. There is no harm in sending it in! This is how the promotion list will grow and expand – as they get additional entries, the list will be better defined.

How to Enter:

• Register for the promotion in the USPS Business Customer Gateway. You need to do this once per year, per promotion.
• Enroll the specific mailing into the Mailing Promotions Portal (this is new this year).
• Create a service request in the Mailing Promotions Portal (this is the request for the USPS to evaluate your submission). The Portal will give you a letter to print out and enclose with the physical sample you want to be evaluated.  This letter will include the address you need in order to submit the sample.
• Mail in the mailpiece or the specific component you want to be evaluated.  Make sure you send via USPS as it is mailing to a PO Box. FedEx and UPS don’t typically deliver to PO Boxes.

Within a few days, you should have an answer regarding if the piece has been approved or not.

Things to Remember:

• The spirit of the promotion is to “enhance” the mail in new ways. Meaning, commonly used finishes and interactive components most likely will not be allowed.
• And finally, these discounts are not guaranteed. We recommend that you do not add them to your budget. Consider them BONUS savings.

We recently hosted a webinar with Moore that outlines this promotion as well as the rest of the year with examples and information to help. On the PS website, we also have a copy of the USPS Promotions calendar, the slide deck from our webinar and the Postal Rate Chart from the most recent January 2023 increase.

We would love to help you make the most of these postal promotions! The PS team is ready and able to help you find what qualifies, submit mail pieces for consideration and manage the mailings and promotions for your organization.