Royal Mail business postage prices are set to increase again in December 2026. But does that mean your next direct mail campaign has to cost more? Not necessarily!
With revised Business Mail increases averaging approximately 19.4% from 7 December 2026, businesses sending letters, postcards and other postal communications have another reason to review their mailing costs.
At Selectabase, we help businesses across the UK reduce unnecessary printing, data and postage costs without compromising the quality of their campaigns.
Whether you’re sending 500 letters or 100,000, there are several simple ways to make your mailing budget go further.
1. Clean Your Mailing List Before You Send
One of the easiest ways to waste money on direct mail is to send letters to addresses that are no longer relevant.
Over time, people move house, businesses relocate, records become outdated and duplicate addresses build up.
If you’re sending 10,000 letters and just 5% of your mailing list is unsuitable, that’s potentially 500 letters you’re paying to print and post unnecessarily.
At a total mailing cost of £1 per letter, that’s £500 wasted before your campaign has even started.
Selectabase offers mailing list cleaning services to help identify duplicate, outdated and potentially undeliverable records.
A cleaner list means less wasted postage and more of your budget spent reaching relevant recipients.
2. Check Consumer Mailing Lists Against Deceased and Gone Away Registers
If you’re sending marketing letters to residential addresses, it’s particularly important to ensure your information is up to date.
Sending letters to people who have moved away is a waste of money.
Sending marketing material addressed to someone who has passed away can also cause unnecessary distress to their family.
Before launching your next consumer direct mail campaign, consider screening your database against appropriate suppression files, including:
- Deceased registers – Identify records associated with individuals who have passed away.
- Gone away registers – Help identify people who are no longer associated with a particular address.
- Duplicate checks – Avoid sending multiple copies unnecessarily.
- Address validation – Identify formatting issues and improve address accuracy.
Selectabase can help with these checks, reducing wasted mail and improving the quality of your campaign.
3. Buy a Fresh, Targeted Mailing List From Selectabase
Sometimes the problem isn’t your printing or postage costs.
It’s the quality of the audience you’re targeting.
If your marketing database is several years old, there’s a good chance that some of the information is no longer relevant.
Rather than repeatedly mailing an outdated list, consider purchasing a fresh, targeted database.
Selectabase provides UK business and consumer mailing lists, with consumer and B2B data options powered by Experian UK.
Our regularly updated data allows you to target audiences using criteria such as:
- Postcode, county or geographical radius
- Age and household demographics
- Industry sector and SIC classification
- Business employee size
- Company turnover
- Other available business or consumer targeting criteria
Our team can help identify the right audience, provide availability counts and discuss suitable selections before you purchase.
The aim is simple – send fewer irrelevant letters and more letters to people or businesses who are likely to be interested in your offer.
4. Reduce the Number of Pages You’re Sending
Here’s a question worth asking before your next mailing:
Do you really need to send 20 pages when a single A4 letter could achieve the same result?
We’ve seen plenty of mailing campaigns where the contents could potentially be simplified.
A large pack containing multiple pages, brochures and additional inserts can increase printing, paper, enclosing and postage costs.
Depending on the final weight and dimensions, it could also move your mailing into a more expensive postal category.
Instead, consider sending a concise, professionally written letter explaining the key information, with a link or QR code directing recipients to further details on your website.
For example:
- A financial adviser could send a one-page seminar invitation rather than a lengthy information pack.
- An estate agent could use an A5 postcard to promote a free valuation.
- A business could send a short introductory letter with a website link instead of a full brochure.
- A school could send an open day invitation with a QR code linking to its digital prospectus.
Naturally, some communications require detailed printed information, and that’s absolutely fine.
But if your mailing can be simplified without losing its impact, the savings could be considerable.
5. Review Your Mailing Format and Postage Service
Not all direct mail costs the same to print and post.
A simple A4 letter in a standard envelope may qualify for a different postage rate from a bulky brochure or heavier mailing pack.
Similarly, your choice of postal service can affect the overall price.
Before committing to your next campaign, consider:
- Could your mailing be sent as a standard letter rather than a large letter?
- Would an A5 postcard work better than an envelope?
- Do you need first-class delivery, or would second-class or an eligible economy service be suitable?
- Could a lighter paper stock reduce the overall mailing weight?
- Would a different envelope or print specification reduce costs?
- Could your mailing qualify for additional bulk postage discounts?
Small changes can make a meaningful difference when multiplied across thousands of items.
At Selectabase, our team can review your requirements and recommend suitable printing and postage options.
6. Consider Outsourcing Your Printing and Postage
If you’re currently printing letters internally, purchasing envelopes, using a franking machine and preparing mailings yourself, you could be spending more than necessary.
It’s easy to focus entirely on the price of postage while overlooking the other costs involved.
These can include paper, printer consumables, staff time, equipment maintenance, envelope enclosing and the administration involved in preparing mail.
By outsourcing your direct mail campaign to Selectabase, you can have everything handled by one experienced team.
We offer:
- Professional letter and postcard printing
- Personalised names and addresses
- Envelope enclosing and fulfilment
- Targeted mailing data
- Mailing list cleaning
- Competitive bulk postage options
- One-off and regular mailing campaigns
Whether you need to send a few hundred letters or tens of thousands, we can provide a tailored quotation.
And we’ll aim to beat your current print and post costs wherever possible.
7. Compare Your Current Mailing Costs With Selectabase
At Selectabase, we’re happy to review your current mailing specification and provide a free, no-obligation comparison.
Simply tell us:
- How many letters or postcards you send
- What you’re currently sending
- Whether your mailing is single or double-sided
- How many pages or inserts are included
- Which postage service you’re using
- Whether you already have a mailing list
We’ll review the requirements and aim to provide a competitive alternative.
You don’t need to change the design or format of your campaign unless there’s a genuine opportunity to save money.
Why Direct Mail Is Still Worth Investing In
With postage prices increasing, some businesses may be tempted to reduce their direct mail activity.
But direct mail continues to offer something that digital advertising and email marketing cannot always replicate.
A physical letter lands directly at someone’s home or business address.
It doesn’t disappear into a crowded email inbox, rely on an advertising algorithm or compete with hundreds of social media posts.
Recipients physically encounter the mailing, even if they ultimately decide not to read it.
A well-targeted, professionally presented letter can help your business stand out and create a more personal introduction.
Direct mail has also benefited from renewed interest among marketers looking for ways to complement increasingly crowded digital channels.
Of course, no marketing channel guarantees a response.
But when the audience, message and timing are right, direct mail can remain a valuable part of a wider marketing strategy.
The key isn’t necessarily to send more letters.
It’s to send the right letters, to the right people, at the right price.
Don’t Let Rising Postage Prices Eat Into Your Marketing Budget
Royal Mail’s December 2026 postage increases mean businesses need to pay closer attention to how their mailings are planned and produced.
But there are still plenty of opportunities to control costs.
Cleaning your mailing list, removing deceased and gone away records, choosing a fresh targeted audience, simplifying your printed materials and reviewing your postage options can all help.
And you don’t need to manage everything yourself.
At Selectabase, we provide a complete direct mail service, from targeted marketing data and list cleaning through to printing, enclosing and postage.
Whether you’re planning a one-off campaign or regular monthly mailings, we’d love the opportunity to review your requirements.
Get a Free Print and Post Cost Comparison
Already using another mailing house? Let us see if we can save you money!
Send us your current mailing specification, quantities and pricing, and our experienced team will aim to beat your existing print and post costs.
There are no obligations and no lengthy sales presentations – just straightforward advice and a competitive quotation.
Email your requirements: [email protected]
Call our team: 01304 383838
Explore our services: Selectabase Print and PostSelectabase – Targeted Data, Printing, Mailing and Postage. All Under One Roof
