Free Tool

Direct Mail ROI Calculator

Enter your campaign details to see projected cost, responses, revenue, and ROI. Then see what changes when you use AI-personalized postcards.

Your campaign details

10010,000
$100$10,000

Generic mail assumptions

$0.25$1.50

Typical all-in price for stock-design postcards, print plus postage.

0.3%2%

Cold prospect postcards typically pull 0.5 to 1 percent; 2 percent is a strong campaign.

CurbMailers assumptions

1%10%

Projected 2 to 3x lift over generic, based on personalization research. Above 4% is exceptional-campaign territory: trigger-targeted home-services mail has reported 3 to 8 percent. Cards are $2 each, all-in, with volume discounts.

Same route, personalized

+7 jobs, +$6.4K net

before any rebooking in later seasons

Generic direct mail

$0.75/card at 0.7% response

$375

Campaign cost

3

Expected leads

$3.0K

Expected revenue

700%

ROI

Cost per lead

$125.00

CurbMailers, their own house on the card

$2.00/card at 2.0% projected response

$1.0K

Campaign cost

10

Expected leads

$10.0K

Expected revenue

900%

ROI

Cost per lead

$100.00

vs $125.00 for generic mail

Where these numbers come from: cold prospect postcards typically pull 0.5 to 2 percent (practitioner data across home services; the ANA's 2023 survey reports higher all-format averages from a small self-reported sample). Personalization research supports a meaningful lift: the classic RIT study measured 135 percent higher response from adding the recipient's name and color alone, and our cards show their actual house. The CurbMailers rate here is a projection, not a guarantee, and every campaign reports its real per-address results on a live dashboard. Estimates only; actual results vary by market, list, and offer.

How to read your results

Cold postcards: 0.5-2%

Generic postcards to cold neighborhood lists typically pull 0.5 to 1 percent, with 2 percent marking a strong campaign. That's 5-10 responses from 1,000 mailers. The 4-9% figures quoted around the industry come from brands mailing their own customer lists.

Personalization: 2-3x projected lift

People notice their own home. The classic RIT personalization study measured 135 percent higher response from adding just the recipient's name and color; our cards go further and show their actual house. We design for a 2-3x lift over generic and report your real tracked rate; results are never guaranteed.

Cost per lead is what matters

Compare your cost per lead, not just campaign cost. A higher response rate means fewer postcards needed to fill your calendar, lowering your effective cost per job.

Direct mail ROI: frequently asked questions

What is a good response rate for direct mail?

Cold prospect postcards typically pull 0.5-2%; the higher industry averages you see quoted come from brands mailing their own customer lists. Personalization research supports a meaningful lift over generic creative, and CurbMailers designs for a 2-3x lift by putting the recipient's own house on the card. Every campaign reports its real tracked response rate; results are never guaranteed.

How do you calculate direct mail ROI?

ROI = ((Expected Revenue - Campaign Cost) / Campaign Cost) × 100. Expected Revenue = Postcards × Response Rate × Average Job Value. The calculator above does this automatically.

What does it cost to send direct mail postcards?

Standard postcards cost $0.40-$1.00 per piece all-in (design, print, postage). CurbMailers campaigns are $2+ per mailer, fully managed, with list building, AI creative, mailing, and per-postcard tracking included.

How many postcards should I send per campaign?

Most home service campaigns target 500-2,000 addresses. Sending multiple drops to the same list over 4-6 week intervals significantly improves results compared to a single large send.

Start your first AI-personalized campaign

Turn your calculator projection into a real campaign. Contact CurbMailers and we'll help you plan the next direct mail drop.