Informed Delivery Direct Mail: 2026 How to Add a Digital Layer to Every Mail Piece You Send

Most direct mail campaigns get one shot at attention: the moment your piece lands in someone's hands. Informed Delivery direct mail changes that equation entirely.

USPS Informed Delivery is a free service that sends subscribers a daily email and app notification showing grayscale scans of their incoming mail. Over 60 million users check these previews every morning - often hours before their physical mail arrives. For marketers running informed delivery direct mail campaigns, that means your mail piece now gets two impressions instead of one, and you can attach a full-color ad image and clickable URL alongside the scanned preview.

The result? Recipients see your brand in their inbox, click through to your landing page, and then receive the physical piece later that day. That's an omnichannel touchpoint most digital-only campaigns can't replicate.

At Mail Processing Associates, we've been running USPS informed delivery campaigns for clients across nonprofits, healthcare, and financial services since the program launched. Here's everything you need to know to add this capability to your next mailing.

Informed Delivery in 2026: What Changed

Informed Delivery keeps growing, and the 2026 USPS program year brought both a larger audience and a restructured promotion. Here are the current numbers worth planning around.

The 2026 promotion structure made Informed Delivery a stackable add-on incentive rather than a standalone discount. Mailers who file an Informed Delivery campaign earn a 0.5% eDoc incentive on the qualifying mailing, and that add-on stacks: combining First-Class Mail Advertising, Informed Delivery, and the Sustainability promotion can reach roughly 7.5% off postage on a single qualifying job. (Full add-on stacking across every 2026 promotion category can go higher; see the promotion table below.)

The May 2026 eDoc Specifications (and Why They Matter)

Informed Delivery campaigns are filed alongside the electronic documentation (eDoc) that accompanies a presorted mailing, so the underlying postal specs matter to anyone running campaigns at scale. USPS posted Mail.dat and Mail.XML Technical Specifications R64.0.0.0 on May 20, 2026 - the eDoc specifications that support the July 2026 price-change release. If you file your own eDoc, plan to be on a compliant version before the July rate change; if MPA runs your mailing, we handle the eDoc version and the Informed Delivery campaign as part of the job.

Submitting via eDoc vs the Mailer Campaign Portal

There are two ways to attach an Informed Delivery campaign to a mailing, and the right one depends on whether you are filing eDoc:

• Mailer Campaign Portal (MCP): a USPS web tool where you upload your ride-along image, target URL, and mailing date window by hand. It is the simplest path for a one-off or low-volume campaign and does not require filing eDoc.
• eDoc (PostalOne! Mail.dat / Mail.XML): the campaign is embedded directly in the electronic documentation submitted with a presorted, automation-rate mailing. This is how production mail houses file at scale, it ties the campaign to the same IMb data already in the job, and it removes the manual portal step.

This is where a managed provider earns its keep: MPA files the eDoc and runs the Informed Delivery campaign as part of your mailing, so you are not logging into the portal or matching image specs to mail dates yourself. The campaign rides along with the same job that already carries your presort and IMb data.

What Is USPS Informed Delivery?

Informed Delivery is a free, opt-in USPS service that provides digital previews of incoming letter-sized mail to registered users. Subscribers receive a daily digest email (typically around 8:00 AM local time) and can also check previews via the USPS mobile app or the Informed Delivery dashboard on usps.com.

Here's what matters for marketers planning informed delivery direct mail campaigns:

• 60+ million registered users as of 2026, with steady growth year over year
• Daily engagement: Users open their Informed Delivery emails at rates far exceeding typical marketing email benchmarks
• Nationwide coverage: Available in all 50 states for any mail processed through USPS automation
• No cost to recipients: Free to sign up and use, which keeps the user base growing

The default experience shows a grayscale scan of the front of each incoming mail piece. Without a mailer campaign, that's all the recipient sees - just a scan. But when you run an Informed Delivery campaign, you replace or supplement that grayscale image with a full-color "ride-along" image and a clickable call-to-action URL.

That's where the real informed delivery marketing value sits.

Who Uses Informed Delivery?

The user base skews toward engaged, digitally active consumers who actively manage their mail. Research from USPS shows Informed Delivery users are:

• More likely to interact with direct mail pieces they receive
• Higher household income on average than non-subscribers
• More responsive to integrated digital + physical campaigns
• Checking their preview notifications daily (not weekly or monthly)

This is a self-selected audience of people who care about their mail. For direct mail services campaigns, that's exactly the audience you want to reach.

How Informed Delivery Direct Mail Campaigns Work

Running an informed delivery direct mail campaign involves three components that work together to create a digital extension of your physical mail piece.

1. The Ride-Along Image

This is a full-color image that appears alongside or in place of the grayscale mail scan in the recipient's daily digest email and app. Think of it as a digital billboard that accompanies your physical mail.

The ride-along image should be a polished, branded creative - not just a scan of your mail piece. Most mailers use it to reinforce the offer, highlight a deadline, or show a product image that wouldn't fit on the mail piece itself.

2. The Target URL

Every Informed Delivery campaign includes a clickable URL that takes the recipient to a landing page, website, or specific offer page. This is your direct response mechanism - the bridge between the digital preview and an online conversion.

Best practice: Use a dedicated landing page with UTM parameters so you can track Informed Delivery traffic separately from your other channels. Something like yoursite.com/spring-offer?utm_source=informed_delivery&utm_medium=usps.

3. The Representative Image (Optional)

For flat-sized mail (packages, large envelopes), USPS doesn't generate an automatic grayscale scan. You can upload a representative image so your piece still appears in the daily digest instead of showing a generic "You have a package" placeholder.

Campaign Types

USPS offers two main campaign structures for informed delivery marketing:

Standard Campaigns: Your ride-along image and URL display for all Informed Delivery users who are scheduled to receive your mail piece. This is the most common setup and the one most mailers should start with.

Interactive Campaigns: These go a step further by allowing A/B testing of ride-along images, tracking open and click-through rates at the individual level, and integrating with your existing marketing automation. Interactive campaigns require working with a USPS-approved Informed Delivery campaign provider.

Ride-Along Images: Creative Best Practices

The ride-along image is your single biggest opportunity with informed delivery direct mail. Get this right and you effectively double the impact of every piece you send.

What Works

• Bold, simple visuals: The image displays at roughly 680 x 340 pixels in the email. Fine text and complex layouts get lost. Use large headlines, a single strong image, and one clear call to action.
• Complement, don't duplicate: Your ride-along should add information or urgency that the physical mail piece doesn't have room for. If your postcard says "Save 20% this month," the ride-along might show a countdown timer graphic or highlight a specific product.
• Include your logo prominently: Recipients see dozens of mail previews daily. Brand recognition in the ride-along image helps your piece stand out from the rest.
• Match your landing page: The visual style of your ride-along should align with the landing page behind your target URL. Consistency builds trust and reduces bounce rates.

What to Avoid

• Text-heavy designs: This isn't a letter - it's a banner ad. Keep text to a headline and a single line of supporting copy.
• Low-contrast colors: The ride-along sits in an email environment with a white background. Light colors and thin fonts disappear.
• Generic stock images: Use real product photography, branded graphics, or custom illustrations. Stock images blend in with everything else in the inbox.

2026 USPS Promotion Calendar and Informed Delivery Savings

This is where informed delivery direct mail gets financially compelling. USPS runs annual postal promotions that offer postage discounts for mailers who incorporate specific technologies or formats. Informed Delivery has been a key component of these promotions for several years running.

2026 Informed Delivery Promotion Structure

Starting in 2026, USPS restructured its promotion program. Informed Delivery is now an add-on discount that layers on top of base promotional discounts:

Promotion Component	Discount	Details
Base promotion (e.g., Tactile/Sensory, Emerging Tech)	5%	Primary discount for qualifying mail features
Informed Delivery add-on	1%	Additional discount for including an ID campaign
Additional add-ons (Sustainability, Accessibility)	1% each	Stack with base + ID for more savings
Maximum combined discount	Up to 12%	All qualifying add-ons combined

2026 USPS Postage Rates with Informed Delivery Savings

Here's what the savings look like applied to current postage rates for USPS informed delivery campaigns:

Mail Class	Standard Rate	With 6% Promo (Base + ID)	Savings Per Piece	Savings on 10,000 Pieces
EDDM Retail	$0.260	$0.232	$0.015	$150
EDDM BMEU	$0.259	$0.227	$0.015	$145
Marketing Mail Letters	$0.467	$0.435	$0.026	$258
First-Class Postcards	$0.560	$0.526	$0.034	$336

On a 50,000-piece Marketing Mail campaign, a 6% combined discount saves over $1,200 in postage alone. That's real money that drops straight to your bottom line - or lets you mail more pieces within the same budget.

Promotion Windows

USPS promotion periods typically run in defined windows throughout the year. Registration deadlines fall weeks before the promotion start date, so planning ahead is essential. Check the USPS PostalPro promotions page for current dates and registration requirements.

MPA handles promotion registration and compliance for all qualifying client mailings. If your job qualifies, we'll make sure you capture every available discount.

Setting Up Your First Informed Delivery Direct Mail Campaign

Getting started with informed delivery direct mail is straightforward, but there are specific steps and lead times you need to plan for.

Step 1: Register on the USPS Business Gateway

All Informed Delivery campaigns are managed through the USPS Business Customer Gateway (gateway.usps.com). You'll need:

• A USPS Business Customer Gateway account
• A valid Mailer ID (MID) or Customer Registration ID (CRID)
• Campaign creative assets (ride-along image, target URL)

If you work with a mail service provider like MPA, we handle the gateway registration and campaign submission on your behalf.

Step 2: Prepare Your Creative Assets

Ride-along image specifications:

• Format: JPEG or PNG
• Dimensions: 680 x 340 pixels (2:1 aspect ratio)
• File size: Under 200KB
• Color mode: RGB (this is digital, not print)

Target URL requirements:

• Must be a live, publicly accessible URL
• HTTPS preferred for security and trust
• Should load quickly on mobile devices (most Informed Delivery opens happen on phones)

Step 3: Submit Your Campaign

Campaigns must be submitted through the USPS Mail.dat or Mail.XML process, or through an approved Informed Delivery service provider. Submission timelines:

• Standard campaigns: Submit at least 3 business days before your mail enters the USPS system
• Interactive campaigns: Submit at least 5 business days before mail entry

Step 4: Monitor Results

After your campaign runs, USPS provides basic reporting through the Business Customer Gateway:

• Number of Informed Delivery users who received your preview
• Click-through rate on your target URL
• Comparison against USPS benchmarks for your mail class

For deeper analytics, pair Informed Delivery tracking with your landing page analytics (Google Analytics, etc.) using the UTM parameters from your target URL.

Informed Delivery and Direct Mail ROI

Adding Informed Delivery to your direct mail printing services campaign creates measurable ROI improvements across multiple dimensions.

Double the Impressions

Every Informed Delivery user on your mailing list sees your brand twice: once in the digital preview and once when the physical piece arrives. Industry data shows this dual-exposure approach increases brand recall by 30-40% compared to physical-only mail.

Drive Online Conversions from Offline Mail

The clickable target URL transforms a traditional mail piece into a direct-response digital channel. Mailers report click-through rates of 5-12% on Informed Delivery ride-along images - significantly higher than typical display ad benchmarks.

For organizations tracking direct mail ROI statistics, Informed Delivery adds a clean digital conversion pathway that's easy to attribute and measure.

Accelerate Response Time

Recipients who click through from an informed delivery direct mail campaign often convert before the physical piece even arrives. This compressed response window means faster campaign results and shorter time-to-revenue.

Boost Overall Campaign Performance

USPS reports that Informed Delivery campaigns see a 2-3x lift in overall campaign response rates compared to identical campaigns without the digital component. When you combine the postal discount savings with improved response rates, the ROI math becomes very favorable.

Cost-Benefit Summary

Investment	Return
Creative production (ride-along image)	$200-500 one-time
Campaign setup and submission	Included with MPA's mailing services
Postal promotion discount (6% on 50K pieces)	$1,200+ savings
Additional conversions from click-throughs	Varies by offer and industry

The creative investment pays for itself on the postage savings alone, before you count a single additional conversion.

Design Specs and Technical Requirements

Here's a consolidated reference for everything you need to prepare for an informed delivery direct mail campaign.

Mail Piece Requirements

Informed Delivery campaigns work with these USPS mail classes:

• First-Class Mail (letters, postcards, flats)
• USPS Marketing Mail (letters, flats)
• EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail)
• Nonprofit Mail

Your mail piece must be processed through USPS automation equipment (which it will be if you're using a professional mail house). Hand-stamped or manually processed mail typically doesn't trigger Informed Delivery scans.

IMb (Intelligent Mail Barcode) Requirement

Every piece in your mailing must carry a valid Intelligent Mail barcode. The IMb is what links your physical mail piece to the Informed Delivery digital campaign. Without it, there's no way for USPS to match your ride-along image to the correct recipient.

MPA applies IMb barcodes to every piece we process as part of standard USPS compliance. If you're working with another printer, confirm they're generating unique IMb codes for each mail piece.

Image Specifications Summary

Element	Specification
Ride-along image size	680 x 340 px
Aspect ratio	2:1
File format	JPEG or PNG
Max file size	200 KB
Color mode	RGB
Representative image (flats)	680 x 680 px

Ride-Along vs. Representative Image: Which One You Need

Informed Delivery uses two different supplemental images, and they are not interchangeable. The ride-along is the marketing asset every campaign should add; the representative image is a fallback that is required for flats and catalogs that USPS cannot scan. This table is the quick reference.

In short: add a ride-along image to every campaign for the color, the click, and the CTA. Add a representative image on top when you are mailing a flat or catalog, so the piece still shows up in the digest instead of a blank placeholder.

Integration with Variable Data Printing

Informed Delivery pairs well with variable data printing services. While the ride-along image is the same for all recipients in a standard campaign, you can segment your mailing into multiple campaigns with different ride-along images targeting different audience segments.

For example, a healthcare organization might run three Informed Delivery campaigns within one mailing: one ride-along for existing patients, another for prospects, and a third for referring physicians. Each gets a different image and landing page URL.

MPA's Xerox Iridesse and Versant presses handle variable data natively, making it simple to coordinate segmented physical pieces with segmented informed delivery direct mail campaigns.

Best Practices by Mail Type

Different mail formats pair with Informed Delivery in different ways. Here's how to optimize your informed delivery marketing by mail type.

Postcards

Postcards are the simplest informed delivery direct mail use case. The grayscale scan of your postcard front appears automatically, and your ride-along image supplements it with a color version or alternate creative.

Tip: Since recipients will see both the scan and the ride-along, make the ride-along different enough to add value. A scan of your postcard front plus a ride-along that's identical adds nothing. Instead, use the ride-along to highlight a different angle - a product close-up, a testimonial, or a deadline reminder.

Letters in Envelopes

This is where Informed Delivery shines brightest. USPS only scans the outside of the envelope, so recipients see a generic-looking envelope in their preview. Your ride-along image reveals what's inside before they open it, creating anticipation and urgency.

For direct mail campaigns using letters, the ride-along becomes your outer envelope teaser copy - but in full color with a clickable link.

EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail)

EDDM pieces qualify for Informed Delivery campaigns, and the combination is powerful. EDDM already reaches every address on a carrier route, and Informed Delivery adds a digital touchpoint for the subset of those households that are subscribers.

Read our Every Door Direct Mail guide for more on planning routes and formats.

Nonprofit and Fundraising Mail

Nonprofit mailers see some of the strongest informed delivery direct mail results. Donation appeals that include a ride-along image with a "Donate Now" button and a direct link to an online giving page consistently outperform mail-only approaches.

The postage savings from USPS promotions are especially valuable for nonprofits operating on tight marketing budgets. A 6% discount on a 100,000-piece fundraising appeal saves thousands of dollars.

Informed Delivery vs. Email Marketing

Some marketers ask: if Informed Delivery sends a digital preview, why not just send an email instead? The two channels serve fundamentally different purposes.

Factor	Informed Delivery	Email Marketing
Open rates	65-70% (USPS reported)	20-25% (industry average)
Spam filtering	None (USPS delivers directly)	15-20% of emails filtered
Physical reinforcement	Yes (paired with mail piece)	No
Creative control	Ride-along image + URL	Full HTML/CSS
Cost	Included with postage	Separate platform cost
Audience	USPS ID subscribers on your list	Your email list

The smart play is using both. Informed Delivery extends your direct mail investment into the digital space, while email marketing handles the ongoing relationship. They complement each other rather than competing. For a detailed comparison of these channels, see our analysis of direct mail vs email marketing.

Frequently Asked Questions About Informed Delivery Direct Mail

What does Informed Delivery cost for mailers? +

There is no fee from USPS to run an Informed Delivery campaign. The only costs are creative production (designing your ride-along image) and any setup fees from your mail service provider. At MPA, Informed Delivery campaign setup is included with our standard mailing services at no extra charge.

Do all mail recipients see my Informed Delivery campaign? +

No. Only recipients who have registered for Informed Delivery (approximately 60+ million users) will see the digital preview and ride-along image. Non-subscribers still receive the physical mail piece as usual.

Can I use Informed Delivery with EDDM mailings? +

Yes. EDDM pieces qualify for Informed Delivery campaigns. Since EDDM doesn't use individual recipient addresses, the campaign targets all Informed Delivery subscribers on the selected carrier routes.

How do I track Informed Delivery campaign performance? +

USPS provides basic metrics through the Business Customer Gateway: delivery notifications sent, ride-along image impressions, and click-through rates. For conversion tracking, use UTM-tagged landing page URLs and monitor through your web analytics platform.

What size should my ride-along image be? +

The recommended size is 680 x 340 pixels (2:1 aspect ratio), in JPEG or PNG format, under 200KB. Use RGB color mode since this is a digital-only asset.

Can I run A/B tests with Informed Delivery? +

Yes, through Interactive Campaigns. You can test different ride-along images and target URLs to see which creative drives higher engagement. Interactive campaigns require working with a USPS-approved campaign provider.

Does Informed Delivery work with First-Class Mail? +

Yes. Informed Delivery works with First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail, EDDM, and Nonprofit mail. Any letter-sized piece processed through USPS automation is eligible.

How far in advance do I need to submit my Informed Delivery campaign? +

Standard campaigns should be submitted at least 3 business days before your mail enters the USPS system. Interactive campaigns need at least 5 business days. Plan your creative timeline accordingly.

What are the exact Informed Delivery image dimensions? +

The ride-along image is 300 x 200 pixels (also accepted at 680 x 340 pixels, a 2:1 ratio), full color, JPEG or PNG, RGB, under 200KB. The representative image, used for flats and catalogs that do not scan, is 680 x 680 pixels (1:1 square), same format and file-size limits.

What is the difference between a ride-along image and a representative image? +

The ride-along image is the full-color, clickable marketing image (300 x 200 px) that appears below the grayscale scan with a call to action and target URL. It is optional but it is the entire point of running a campaign. The representative image (680 x 680 px) replaces the scan slot and is required for flats, large envelopes, and catalogs that USPS cannot automatically scan, so the piece still appears in the daily digest.

Should I submit through the Mailer Campaign Portal or eDoc? +

The Mailer Campaign Portal (MCP) is a USPS web tool where you upload the ride-along image, URL, and mail dates by hand. It suits one-off or low-volume campaigns and does not require eDoc. eDoc submission embeds the campaign directly in the Mail.dat or Mail.XML electronic documentation filed with a presorted, automation-rate mailing, which is how production mail houses file at scale and ties the campaign to the job's existing IMb data. When MPA runs your mailing, we file the eDoc and the campaign together.

How much does an Informed Delivery campaign cost in 2026? +

USPS charges no fee to run an Informed Delivery campaign. The only real cost is creative production for the ride-along image, typically about $200 to $500 one-time. In 2026, filing a campaign also earns a 0.5% eDoc incentive that can stack with other promotions, so the campaign often pays for itself in postage savings. At MPA, campaign setup and submission are included with our standard mailing services at no extra charge.

Is my mail eligible for Informed Delivery, including flats? +

Any letter-sized piece processed through USPS automation with a valid Intelligent Mail barcode is eligible, including First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail, EDDM, and Nonprofit mail. Flats, large envelopes, and catalogs are eligible too, but because USPS does not auto-scan them, they require a representative image (680 x 680 px) so the piece appears in the digest instead of a blank placeholder.