The secret to postcard design is well-written and well laid-out copy. You can have the coolest images and the most attention-grabbing colors, but if people have no idea who or what you’re advertising, then it’s all useless. So, here are my three secrets for effective, well-written postcard copy:

Good Postcard Design Tips

1. Keep it Short

Postcard Design Rule #1: Postcards are small. There isn’t a lot of space on a 6”x 4.25” card. As a result, your copy has to be brief, to the point and catchy. Try to keep it under 100 words (at most!) and don’t get too descriptive. If you start writing a soliloquy about an upcoming sale or promotion, you’ll end up advertising to the inside wall of a recycling bin. Instead, write in clipped, terse prose. Every sentence has a purpose. No flowery language. No descriptive phrases. Just direct information. Just like that.

2. Good Copy = Designed Copy

An essential part of postcard design is how well you design your copy. Don’t lay out a postcard in a traditional paragraph format. Instead, use attention-grabbing headlines and other devices like sub-headings, bullets or arrows to highlight the key points and grab the reader’s attention.

Remember, people are going to be glancing at your postcard design for a few seconds, tops. You don’t have time to lure them into your 12 pt. font paragraph about your great deals. If you keep your word count to a minimum, you shouldn’t have to wrestle too much with the copy layout.

3. Stress the Benefits, Not the Features

This is just a basic copywriting rule, but one that becomes essential when you’re dealing with the limited amount of space afforded to you in postcard design. For example, let’s say you’re selling massage therapy services, don’t highlight “30 minute massages by a trained, Swedish therapist.” Instead, highlight “Unwind on your lunch hour.”

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