LetterAgent
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Neighbourhood Mail is Canada Post's unaddressed advertising mail. Businesses print one flyer or mailer and Canada Post delivers it to every household on the postal routes they pick, with no mailing list and no names on the pieces. It is the Canadian parallel to Every Door Direct Mail in the US, and it suits local awareness campaigns: grand openings, sales, services.
| Neighbourhood Mail | Addressed direct mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs a mailing list | No. You pick routes, not people. | Yes, one name and address per piece. |
| Address on the piece | Generic words like "householder" or "occupant" only; no destination address. | Full name and address. |
| Targeting | Geography and demographics: building type, household characteristics, income bands. | Your own customer data. |
| Minimum volume | Complete coverage of at least one full delivery route. | Varies; small runs possible. |
| Best for | Mass local awareness: "we exist, we are near you." | Personal offers to known customers. |
Through Canada Post's planning tools, especially the Precision Targeter. You draw your area on a map or pick postal codes, then layer on demographic filters built from Statistics Canada data: dwelling type, household makeup, income ranges, and similar characteristics. The tool tells you how many pieces you need to cover the routes you chose and which depot will handle them. You never see a single recipient's name, because there are no recipients, only routes.
This is the whole appeal for a local business. A dental clinic, a pizza shop, or a home-services company rarely knows the names of everyone within a ten-minute drive, but it knows exactly where they live. Neighbourhood Mail turns that geography into a mailing list without buying anyone's data.
Postcards, flyers, self-mailers, brochures, catalogues, and even product samples. The pieces must be unaddressed, though they can carry generic wording like "householder," "occupant," or "business owner." The mailings must be prepared in Canada for delivery in Canada, and they must meet the program's preparation rules. Oversized pieces, like magazine-style catalogues, fall into an oversized category with its own handling.
Two details catch first-timers. First, the route-coverage minimum: you cannot send fifty flyers to fifty hand-picked houses. You take a whole route, or a whole category on a route (houses, apartments, farms, businesses), or you do not play. Second, timing: you can pay for a specified delivery start date so the flyers land the week of your sale and not two weeks early. Without it, delivery timing is approximate.
Per-piece pricing is low compared with addressed mail, which is the point of the product: no list costs, no personalization, no envelope. But the budget has more lines than the postage rate. Printing the pieces, designing them, and getting them to the right depot all cost money, and Canada Post adds a transportation charge when you do not drop the mailing at the depot closest to the delivery area. For a small local run, those logistics can rival the postage itself, which is why many businesses use a mail house or a print partner to handle the whole drop.
When you need to reach specific people rather than specific streets. Renewal notices, appointment reminders, invoices, and anything confidential need addressed mail, not a flyer to every door. It is also the wrong tool for one-to-one letters: Neighbourhood Mail is bulk marketing by design, and Canada Post does not let you send a single personalized letter through it. For that, you want addressed letter mail, which is what services like LetterAgent handle: one letter, one named recipient, printed and mailed for you.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
Need help? Ask your assistant: it can check a job's status any time. If it ever can't handle something: hello@getletteragent.com