Guide · Updated 2026-09-14 · USPS rates effective July 12, 2026
EDDM vs. targeted direct mail: which one should you use?
EDDM reaches every door on a carrier route at the lowest USPS postage rate with no list; targeted direct mail reaches selected households at a higher postage rate plus a list. Which one wins depends on how many people on the street are your customer. Here is how to decide.
The question comes up on almost every first call: should we mail everyone in the area, or just the households that fit? The answer is arithmetic. EDDM costs less per piece and needs no list, but you pay to reach every household including the ones that will never buy. Targeted mail costs more per piece and needs a list, but every piece goes to a household that fits. The break-even point is the share of households on a route who are realistic prospects.
The two side by side
Postage is the part that is public: EDDM Retail is $0.26 per piece and Marketing Mail automation 5-digit is $0.395 at the July 2026 USPS rates, so a targeted piece starts about fifteen cents behind before the list is added. Printing is quoted per job, and the list is priced per record. What the table cannot show is the denominator: EDDM pays for every household on the route, targeted mail pays only for the ones you chose.
| EDDM | Targeted (Marketing Mail) | |
|---|---|---|
| USPS postage per piece | $0.26 (EDDM Retail) | $0.395 (automation 5-digit) |
| Piece | 6×11 postcard | 5×8.25 or 6×11 postcard |
| List | None | Priced per record, quoted with the mailing |
| Who receives it | Every address on the route | Households you select |
| Personalization | None (Local Postal Customer) | Name, street, offer, map per piece |
| Minimum | 200 per mailing | 200 for Marketing Mail; none First-Class |
| Quoted | Per routes and city | Per list and city |
The break-even rule
If more than about 60% of the households on a route are realistic prospects, EDDM wins on cost per prospect reached. If fewer than about 40% are, targeted mail wins, because you stop paying to reach people who cannot buy. Between those numbers it depends on how much the personalization is worth to you. In practice: restaurants, dentists, gyms, car washes, pharmacies, churches, grand openings and most home services in a uniform neighborhood are EDDM businesses; pool builders, wealth managers, luxury remodelers, B2B services, senior living and anything sold to a slice of the population are targeted-list businesses.
Where EDDM is clearly better
- Grand openings and saturation announcements around a location
- Menus, coupons and offers that suit nearly every household
- Dense, uniform neighborhoods where the route is the market
- Small budgets, where a list would be a large share of the spend
- Businesses without a list and without time to build one
Where targeted mail is clearly better
- Customers defined by home value, age, income, family, or business type
- Offers that need a name on them: real estate farming, financial services, healthcare
- The 5×8.25 postcard, or any piece that is not a flat
- New mover programs, which are by definition a list
- Anything mailed First-Class for speed, forwarding or returns
- Multi-drop programs where the same households should see all three pieces
Using both
Most local businesses end up with both: EDDM to the routes within a mile or two of the location, where nearly everyone is a prospect, and a targeted list for the ring beyond it, where only some are. A dental practice mails EDDM to the six routes around the office every eight weeks and a targeted list of families with children in the next ring in between. A roofer mails EDDM around every completed job and a homeowner list by home age across the county. The two mailings can drop together, and they are quoted together.
Answers
Questions this guide answers
Is EDDM cheaper than direct mail?
Per piece, yes: EDDM postage is $0.26 against $0.395 for Marketing Mail at the July 2026 USPS rates, and there is no list to buy. Per prospect reached, EDDM is cheaper only when most households on the route are realistic customers; otherwise a targeted list costs more per piece and less per real prospect.
What is the difference between EDDM and direct mail?
EDDM delivers to every address on selected carrier routes with no names, no list and no permit, at a flat USPS retail rate. Targeted direct mail goes to specific households or businesses from a list, addressed by name, at Marketing Mail or First-Class postage, in any format.
Can EDDM be personalized?
No. EDDM pieces are addressed to "Local Postal Customer" and every household on the route receives the same piece. Personalization by name, street or offer requires a targeted mailing from a list.
Which is better for a new business?
Usually EDDM for the first mailings: it saturates the neighborhood around the location cheaply, needs no list and announces the opening to everyone. Add a targeted list or a new mover program once the business knows which households respond.