Free tool for postcard ad sellers
Show them the ad pays for itself.
Enter the ad price and what one new customer is worth to the business. Get a clean, one-page payback sheet with your brand and colors to send with your pitch. Your name on it, never ours.
- Your logo and colors
- One-page PDF
- Free
Your brand
Your name, logo, and colors only, never ours. Saved on this device for next time.
Optional. Shows under your name.
Logo
Drop your logo here
Optional. A transparent PNG looks best.
Brand colors
Optional.
The advertiser
Who you're pitching, and what one new customer is worth to them.
Shows as “Prepared for.”
Pick one or type your own.
Reads as “customers” on the sheet.
What one new customer is worth to them: their average first sale or first-year value. Ask them, so the pitch is about their numbers.
Your card
The ad spot and who it reaches.
Optional. Town or neighborhood.
How to use it
Answer “will this pay off?” before they ask.
Every local business owner does the same math in their head. The payback sheet does it for them, with their own numbers.
Ask one question
On the call or at the counter, ask what a new customer is usually worth to them. Their answer goes into the sheet.
Send it with your pitch
Email the PDF right after the conversation, or print a few for walk-ins. It answers "will this pay off?" before they ask.
Pair it with your routes
Attach the mailing area report from the route planner, so they see who gets the card and why it's worth the spot.
The math
Three numbers that close the sale.
The sheet is simple arithmetic on the numbers you enter. It never promises a response rate, and it says so.
- Customers to break even
- Ad price divided by what one customer is worth, rounded up. $500 ÷ $450 means 2 customers cover the ad.
- Cost per home reached
- Ad price divided by homes on the card. A $500 spot on a 5,000-home card is 10 cents a home.
- 1 in how many homes
- Homes divided by the break-even number. At 2 customers from 5,000 homes, it takes 1 in 2,500 to pay off.
FAQ
Payback sheet questions
How do you figure out if a postcard ad will pay for itself?
Divide the price of the ad by what one new customer is worth to the business, then round up. A $500 spot for a business whose average new customer is worth $450 pays for itself with 2 customers. Every customer after that is profit from the same one-time ad.
What number should I use for what one customer is worth?
Ask the business. Use their average first sale, or their first-year value if customers come back (a dentist's new patient, a lawn care customer who stays all season). Using their own number makes the pitch about their business, not yours.
Is the payback sheet a prediction of results?
No. It is simple math on the numbers you enter: how many customers cover the ad, the cost per home reached, and what more customers would be worth. It does not predict a response rate, and the sheet says so at the bottom.
Will my advertisers see 9x12 Method on the sheet?
No. The sheet carries only your business name or logo, your colors, and your contact details. There is no 9x12 Method branding anywhere on it, including the file properties.
Does it work for community cards?
Yes. Pick the community card preset ($250 spot, 2,500 homes) or type your own spot price and home count. It works for any shared postcard, co-op mailer, or single ad.
Is it free?
Yes. Enter your name and email the first time you download, and every sheet after that is instant. Your brand details are saved on your device, so the next sheet only needs the advertiser.