To Fold or Not to Fold
When you read a newsletter, you are looking at a "flat" piece, which means the only fold occurs lengthwise or at the spine. Folding the newsletter again width-wise creates a smaller mail piece, approximately "letter" size, and a smaller postage rate. It makes sense to send a folded "letter" rather than a more expensive "flat," right? Well, that depends on your goals. The Newsletter Factory seminar division regularly mailed 3.5 million pieces of mail. When we tested ways to reduce our mailing costs, we found that folding our newsletter resulted not only in a lower postage rate, but also in a lower response rate. In fact, we found that we lost more money in seminar sign-ups than we saved in postage. A "flat" piece has less barriers in place between the reader and the information contained within: Articles, graphics, and addresses are immediately visible. A "flat" piece is also larger than an ordinary letter-sized mail pieces and will stand out more.
Look at your goals for your publication and decide whether folding is worth it. Generally speaking, if you are mailing to people who know you (an internal newsletter or a newsletter for established members of an organization), folding the mailpiece is fine: People who are expecting a document from you will be looking for it and will take the time to open it. On the other hand, if you are mailing to people who aren't expecting the document (prospective clients or members), you want your document to be as visible as possible. In this case, a "flat" piece, which is open and larger than ordinary letter-sized mailpieces, will have higher readership potential.
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