UK leaflet posting rules and techniques

23rd July 2022
6 Minutes Read

Introduction

Even though leaflet posting is fundamentally a simple task there are a few techniques and general principles, rules and techniques you want to keep in mind when planning a flyer campaign in the UK.

These are especially important as designing, printing and delivering leaflets carries a cost. You want to make sure that at the end of your campaign you are getting the best results you can considering your investment.

These techniques will range from guidance on which principles you should keep in mind when designing your flyer, how you should time your campaigns to whether your delivery company should be working in bad weather.

1. Define the goal of your leaflet posting campaign
2. Keep your leaflet simple
3. Tracking
4. Mapping and targeting
5. Distributors
6. Shared vs Solo
7. Deliveries in bad weather

Define the goal of your leaflet posting campaign

Saying that you should clearly define the goal of your leafleting campaign might seem trivial at first glance.

Many people however define the goal of their leaflet posting in terms that are very vague. If you’ve stated the goal of the campaign in a form similar to ‘I want to promote my business’ or ‘I want more customers’ it is not clear enough.

A more specific goal would be ‘I want to create more mindshare in my local area’ or ‘I want more people in NW3 to know that we’ve opened a new location’.

Knowing whether you are looking for a long term goal of gaining mindshare in a specific part of London or whether you are advertising an opening of a new location in Hampstead makes a big difference.

Your graphic designer is going to know how to structure your leaflet and your distribution company will know which areas to recommend to you.

At the end of your posting campaign you will also be able to identify whether you have succeeded or not.

Try to keep your goal as clear and simple as possible and communicate it to everyone in the process.

Rule number one – keep the goal clear.

Keep your leaflet simple

When you are creating your leaflet you want to try to keep every step as simple as possible.

Your design should include one large picture or a graphic on one side and an explanation of your services or products on the other. There are not many rules when it comes to leaflet design but this would be one thing worth sticking to.

You want to make sure to ideally include one main set of services or products on your leaflet. If you offer a wider range you can always create another flyer.

The idea is that you want your flyer to be clear, simple, direct and not confusing. Your flyer should be legible from 5 feet away and very clear in terms of what you are offering.

The same principle will apply to the format you are printing on. Try to stick to A5 leaflets somewhere between 150-250gsm. Don’t get carried away with folded or otherwise exotic formats.

In most situations a simple single page A5 leaflet is all you need. It will make print, delivery and storage easier and therefore cheaper across the board.

Rule number two – keep it simple.

Tracking

When you are booking a leaflet posting campaign in the UK talk to your distribution company about the types of tracking they use.

GPS tracking is an industry standard nowadays. Each distributor carries a GPS device which records where they have delivered. At the end of each campaign you are generally given these files and you can view the trail of each delivery.

This is a useful tool as you can see that the deliveries have gone for yourself.

There is also a variety of online tracking methodologies and techniques being used now. These will vary in detail but ultimately aim to give you more information about your campaigns as they are happening.

These can be nice to have as they can give you a peace of mind by letting you know exactly how your campaign is progressing.

You want to make sure that your flyer delivery company has some form of delivery tracking in place.

Mapping and targeting

How do you decide where your flyers are going to be delivered?

Depending on the type of business you are running your distributor will use different techniques to identify the ideal areas for you.

If you are a local restaurant and you deliver food, your delivery perimeter is clearly also your flyer delivery area.

If you are targeting specific types of households with your services a good distribution company can help you find parts of London that would be suitable for you.

These could be geographically spread out or more concentrated. Ultimately what you want to do is discuss in detail the type of clientele you deal with and the nature of your business with your distribution company.

In most cases the distribution company will have a proprietary mapping system in which they can help you visualise where your flyers should be delivered to hit your goals and stay within your budget.

Distributors

The workers that will be posting your flyers have the success of your campaign in their hands. If you’ve made all your preparations carefully, the quality of delivery itself will be the last hurdle.

You want to make sure that the distribution company you are looking to work with has a good relationship with its workers.

Try to stay away from distribution companies that use agency workers or that have a very large worker turnaround.

Look for companies that try to develop long term relationships with their workers as a rule.

There are many distribution techniques and tricks that become second nature to a distributor only after a while. As such a person that has delivered flyers for a longer time will be more efficient and better.

Shared vs Solus

We’ve written much about the difference between shared and solus distribution techniques. You can read more on the topic here.

In short, shared distribution relies on your flyers being delivered together with one or two others. While solus delivery means that your flyers are the only ones being delivered.

The general rule is to use shared distribution where possible. The response rates don’t differ between these two techniques while shared distribution is considerably cheaper.

You should use solus distribution only when you don’t have another option. This will generally be the case if you are looking to deliver in an unusual area as there might be a lack of other clients to share with your flyers.

Deliveries in bad weather

The weather in the UK can be unpredictable. Rainy weather is certainly not an unusual sight.

When you are deciding on which delivery company you are going to go with for your campaigns, always ask about their rules around delivering in bad weather.

You want to make sure that if there is serious rain or adverse weather that your leaflets are not being put through the letterboxes soaked and deformed.

There are degrees of bad weather and how it can affect your flyers so discuss what the internal rules for each of your potential distribution partners are.

It is not reasonable to expect all deliveries to stop with a slight drizzle but you want to make sure that there are policies in place in case of more adverse conditions.

A good company that cares about the quality of their delivery will have a systems in place for this. They will discuss these issues with their distributors who will likely be able to exercise their own judgement as they are posting.

On top of this distributors can plan their deliveries around the weather they can expect with the use of weather radar apps like this one.

This only underlies the importance of having a high quality and reliable workforce.

If you want to know more about The Private Postman or leaflet distribution please have a look at our hompage.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have a minimum quantity for your leaflet delivery?

Yes we do. It’s 5,000 leaflets per postcode. If you have less than 5,000, you will be charged for 5,000 anyway – it’s the minimum job rate. We can print 5,000 leaflets from around £90.
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There is no ‘one size fits all’ equation to this question. Any company who tells you there is or has a ROI calculator – beware! If there was, it would be as simple as putting in £100 into the machine and out comes £120 – we would all be billionaires.
Factors of response rates depend on a multitude of factors including:
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UK leaflet posting rules and techniques

Introduction

How to make a leaflet

Best ways to advertise your business in London

Pamphlet drops and distribution

Get in Touch With Us

Request a Quote…

Thank you for your form submission, your message has been received.

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

Find Us

Legals

UK leaflet posting rules and techniques

Introduction

Other Blogs

How to make a leaflet

Best ways to advertise your business in London

Pamphlet drops and distribution

Get in Touch With Us

Request a Quote…

Thank you for your form submission, your message has been received.

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

Find Us

Legals