What do time and an outer envelope have in common? Everything when it comes to direct mail.

As you may know, there’s a proven three minute and 33 second (3:33) rule in direct mail. The clock starts ticking as soon as your mailpiece hits the mailbox, and here’s how it breaks down:

• You have 3 seconds to stand out in the mail stack or get thrown out in the trash.
• You have 30 seconds to engage your recipient enough to open the envelope and save it to read later.
• You have 3 minutes for reading and response time from that envelope’s contents.

So where’s the pressure to beat the clock (by actually adding time)? On the outer envelope. Your outer envelope needs to give recipients a compelling reason to take notice, take an opener, and take a moment to read and respond to inside contents. Here are some ways to make the most of that outer envelope’s first impression:

Have style. Experiment with unique envelope sizes, bold colors and/or graphic elements that set your envelope apart from typical mailpieces. How about creative windows that peek at the inside content?

Add messages. Speak directly to your recipient on the outer envelope, with an offer that motivates them to look inside…Save $100 by December 31—details inside.

Be interactive. Think outside the #10 with interactive envelope elements, such as a tear-open strip (Tear-ific^®) or peel-off reminder (Peel n’ view^®) and surprise window. The more recipients have to do with your outer envelope, the more time they’ll likely spend with it.

Have a creative, can’t-wait-to-be-opened envelope tip to share? Please comment below. 

Looking for samples of some unique outer envelopes? Request your complimentary samples of our Tear-ific^® and  Peel n’ view^® products.