Timing your send: the cadence that actually moves pipeline
When to hit them with the postcard, what email to send before, and how to follow up without being annoying.
A postcard out of nowhere works. A postcard sequenced with email + LinkedIn works way better. Here's the cadence we've seen win.
Day 0: warm them up
Send a short LinkedIn DM or email referencing the same specific thing the postcard will. Don't pitch yet. "Hey, saw the launch — congrats — wanted to send you something IRL, what's the best address?" If they reply, great, you saved $1.50 of postage and got opt-in.
If they don't reply, mail the card anyway. The DM primed them.
Day 4-6: the postcard lands
First class arrives in 3-5 business days. The Friday-after-Wednesday-DM has been our highest-response window. They've had time to forget the DM, then the postcard re-anchors it.
Tip
Holiday weeks are gold. People are at home, mail piles up, postcards stand out against the bills. We've seen 2-3× response rates the week after Thanksgiving and right after New Year.
Day 8-10: the soft follow-up
Once you're confident the card landed, send a short email. "Did the card make it? Wasn't sure if your office address was current. Anyway, the thing I mentioned..."
This pulls the conversation back online. About a third of people who got the postcard will respond to this follow-up even if they didn't reply to the postcard itself.
Day 15+: leave them alone
If they haven't engaged by day 15, drop them from this sequence. Don't send a second postcard. Move them to a quarterly check-in cadence and try again in 90 days with a different specific reference.
The postcard's power is that it's rare. Sending two in a month makes you the new junk mail.