One significant benefit of a post card is that it doesn’t have to be opened for the sales message to be viewed. In the past, the limited amount of space on a post card compared to an enveloped direct mail marketing piece was seen as a disadvantage. By including an interactive link on the post card, that limitation disappears.

When designing the post card, consider what the viewer will see first. This is usually the side of the post card with the address, so design this carefully. Your goal is to immediately attract attention and stimulate interest – the first two steps of AIDA (attention, interest, desire and action). Use a bold visual element – a photograph that bleeds off the top and sides of the post card, combined with a provocative headline – at the top of the post card. The address panel can be placed along the bottom part of the post card. It does not have to be positioned on the right half of the card.

Use the side with the address to create enough interest to cause the reader to turn the post card over, where he will find the QR code or PURL. You can include the desire and action steps on this side of the post card, or only hint at them, leaving the reader to find additional information via the web link where there is more room to be persuasive and more opportunity to use text, photos, videos and other tools.