2023 USPS Promotions and Incentives
The 2023 USPS promotions provide marketers and mailers with the opportunity to use your envelope or mailpiece to increase engagement with customers. Promotions range from using dynamic color and new print techniques to integrating mobile technology.
- Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Engagement Promotion
- Informed Delivery Promotion
- Emerging and Advanced Technology Promotion
- Personalized Color Transpromo Promotion
- Reply Mail IMbA™
- Retargeting Promotion
The information you find here is informational. Exact specifications may be found here. You must contact the USPS for approval and exact program specifications.
New for 2023
There are a few changes that the USPS has made for the 2023 promotional year. There are two new promotions, the Reply Mail IMbA and the Retargeting promotions. Another change is that the once standalone promotion, Mobile Shopping, has been absorbed under the umbrella of the Emerging and Advanced Technology promotion.
USPS Updates to the Sample Submission Process
The USPS has removed the requirement to provide samples for all promotions EXCEPT for the Tactile, Sensory, and Interactive (TSI) promotion. For the TSI promotion, participants are still required to send a sample to the promotions program office for pre-approval and a final version of the piece after mailing. More information can be found here on the USPS Promotions page.
2023 USPS Promotions and Incentives, Simplified
Tension is offering easy-to-read overviews of the USPS promotions, available to you. Sign up for our updates here. All final approvals and official information come from the USPS. This material has been designed for reference.
Two-Page Overview of the 2023 USPS Promotions
Do you need a quick overview of the promotions and important dates for each? View and download our two page overview below.
Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Engagement Promotion
Neuromarketing research suggests that when marketing materials engage a reader’s senses, brand recognition and message recall can increase. This USPS promotion encourages mailers to use the latest printing and production advancements to get mail noticed and opened.
To be approved, your mailpiece has to feature at least one of the following approved techniques:
- Specialty inks
- Specialty papers
- Interactive elements
Participants in this promotion are eligible for a 4% discount. The mailing is sent through USPS Marketing Mail®. More information about requirements and eligibility can be found here.
Important Dates
Registration Date: January 9, 2023 – July 31, 2023
Promotion Date: February 1, 2023 – July 31, 2023
Related Tension Products
Learn more about our new Trailing Edge envelopes, envelopes with special finishes and embossed envelopes (options include both textured paper and foil embossing) – they all qualify for discounts under the Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Mailpiece Engagement promotion.
Or, learn more about the unique and USPS-approved Trailing Edge envelopes in this blog.
Informed Delivery Promotion
The Informed Delivery promotion encourages business mailers to sign up for and launch an Informed Delivery campaign.
This promotion offers a 4% discount on eligible mail. More information about this First-Class Mail® and USPS Marketing Mail promotion coming soon.
Important Dates
Registration Date: June 15, 2023 – December 31, 2023
Promotion Date: August 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
Related Blog Posts
Have you checked our blog for Informed Delivery articles? There’s a wealth of information in this one.
Emerging and Advanced Technology Promotion
Marketers can amplify direct mail results when incorporating technology into their mailings. With this promotion, customers can explore technologies that are included or embedded into paper and linked to a mobile phone or other device.
Your direct mail mailpiece needs to integrate one of the following approved technologies to be eligible for this program:
- “Enhanced” Augmented Reality (AR)
- Basic Integration with Voice Assistants
- Advanced Integration with Voice Assistants
- Near Field Communication (NFC)
- Virtual Reality (VR)
- Mixed Reality (MR)
- Video in Print (ViP)
Mailers are eligible for a 3% or 4% discount. More information about this First-Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail promotion can be found here.
The tiered discounts are listed as:
3% Discount: Emerging and Advanced Technologies: “Enhanced” Augmented Reality, Basic Integration with Voice Assistant, Mobile Shopping
4% Discount: Enhanced Emerging Technologies: Advanced Integration with Voice Assistant, Video in Print Technology, Near Field Communication, Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality
Important Dates
Registration Date: March 15, 2023 – November 30, 2023
Promotion Date: May 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023
Related Tension Products
Make your mailpiece come alive with enhanced augmented reality (AR), and enjoy discounts from the USPS.
Personalized Color Transpromo Promotion
Your monthly statements represent a regular appointment between you and your customer. It is a time to connect, a reminder to make a payment or even an opportunity to offer a new special deal. This promotion is intended to encourage producers of bills and statements to produce and mail statements that create a greater connection and response from consumers by using personalized color transpromotional messages on bills and statements. More information about this First-Class Mail promotion and how to become eligible for the 3% discount can be found here.
The tiered discounts are listed as:
3% Discount: Personalized Full Color Marketing and Consumer Messages
4% Discount: Meeting PCT requirements and including a reply mechanism
Important Dates
Registration Date: January 9, 2023 – July 31, 2023
Promotion Date: February 1, 2023 – July 31, 2023
Related Blog Post
The envelope can offer nice real estate for marketing messages, and a transactional mailpiece is an ideal platform to communicate each month with your customers. Get to know how the 40/40/20 Marketing Rule can boost your transpromo messaging in this post.
Reply Mail IMbA™
The Reply Mail IMbA™ promotion is new for 2023 and encourages reply mail customers to adopt IMbA static or serialized barcodes. The USPS has released their guide for the Reply Mail IMbA promotion and it can be found here.
The tiered discounts are listed as:
3% Discount: Mailpieces with a Static IMbA
4% Discount: Mailpieces with a Serialized IMbA
Important Dates
Registration Date: May 15, 2023 – December 31, 2023
Promotion Date: July 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
Retargeting Promotion
Another new promotion for 2023, is the Retargeting Promotion that Incentivizes marketers to send out a postcard to a recent website or mobile app visitor that did not make a trackable conversion. The USPS has released their guide for this promotion which can be found here.
Mailers have the opportunity to earn a 5% discount for this promotion on qualifying mailpieces.
Important Dates
Registration Date: July 15, 2023 – November 30, 2023
Promotion Date: September 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023
Additional Information and Contact Information
Your Tension Associate is available to provide additional information about creating an envelope that will be eligible for these incentives. Additional program requirements and documents can also be found at the USPS website:
- Postal Pro: postalpro.usps.com/promotions
- Program Registration: gateway.usps.com
You may also get additional information from PostalOne! by email or phone at: MSSC@USPS.gov or 1-877-672-0007.
