Last updated October 20, 2026
Summary
- Letterbox Drops are flyers delivered by hand to residential letterboxes by flyer distributors, a different channel from Australia Post's Unaddressed Mail
- Flyer distributors do the work, managed by a local agency or a national platform with local teams
- You can target by suburb, postcode, demographic, and custom area, with third-party demographic data available
- GPS and app check-ins verify delivery, and QR codes or promo codes track response
Most Australians check their letterbox every day, and a flyer that lands there has far less competition for attention than an ad in a feed. That is the job Letterbox Drops do: printed flyers delivered by hand to residential letterboxes, in the neighbourhoods you choose.
This guide covers what a letterbox drop is, who delivers it, how a campaign runs from brief to letterbox, and how to target and track it.
What is a letterbox drop in Australia?
A letterbox drop is hand-delivered flyer distribution to residential letterboxes. With Oppizi Letterbox Drops, flyer distributors walk planned routes and place your flyers into letterboxes, one by one. It is a different channel from Unaddressed Mail, which Australia Post delivers with the regular post.
One thing to clarify upfront: Letterbox Drops are not door-to-door sales. Nobody knocks or pitches. Your flyer lands in the letterbox, and the household engages on its own terms. For how the postal channels compare, see direct mail vs Unaddressed Mail.
Who does letterboxing in Australia?
Letterboxing is done by flyer distributors: people who walk planned routes and place flyers in letterboxes. They usually work through either a local distribution agency covering a specific area, or a national platform that manages local teams in each market.
Oppizi works with local flyer distributors managed by our Australian team, and has distributed more than 76 million pieces across Australia since 2014. To compare providers side by side, see our guide to the top flyer distributors in Australia.
How do Letterbox Drops work?
A campaign follows the same sequence from brief to delivery.
1. Choose your areas
You start by selecting where your flyers should land: by suburb, postcode, demographic, or a custom area drawn on a map.
2. Add demographic targeting
Third-party demographic data can be layered onto your geographic selection. Instead of reaching every household in an area, you reach the households that match your customer profile, filtered by household income, family composition, or property type.
3. Design and print your flyer
Common Australian flyer formats include:
- A6 (105 x 148 mm): compact and cost-effective for simple offers
- A5 (148 x 210 mm): more space for detail, popular for retail promotions
- DL (99 x 210 mm): a long, slim format for menus and price lists
- Tear Away: includes a detachable coupon or voucher
You can design in-house, or use Oppizi's Creative Studio and our team of designers to build print-ready artwork with trackable QR codes built in.
4. Plan the routes
Once targeting and creative are locked, routes are planned in Oppizi OS so flyer distributors cover your areas efficiently, without doubling back or missing streets.
5. Deliver and verify
Vetted flyer distributors walk the planned routes and place your flyers in letterboxes. Every mission is verified by GPS and app check-in, so you can see which streets were covered and when.
What a campaign costs depends on volume, area, format, and targeting. For a full breakdown, see how much a trackable flyer campaign costs in Australia.
How many flyers do you need for a letterbox drop?
Start with the number of households in the areas you choose: one flyer per letterbox you want to reach. From there, three things shape the volume:
- Coverage: whether you want every letterbox in an area, or only the households that match your demographic filters
- Frequency: a single drop, or repeat drops in the same suburbs to build recognition
- Test and scale: a single-suburb test first, then more areas once the response holds up
Your provider can count the letterboxes in your selection before you print, so the run matches the areas exactly.
How do you target the right households?
Targeting is where Letterbox Drops stand apart. Addressed Mail in Australia is built from the customer data you own, and nothing else. Letterbox Drops can add third-party demographic data on top of your geographic selection.
Suburb and postcode targeting
The foundation is geographic. Pick the locations around your business based on store proximity, competitor locations, or expansion plans.
Custom area targeting
Administrative boundaries rarely match your real catchment. Custom area targeting lets you draw the exact streets you want to cover.
Third-party demographic targeting
You can filter by household income, family composition, property type, and other demographic markers, so your flyers reach the households most likely to respond.
One limit: lookalike modelling is not available for Australian Letterbox Drops.
What is best for a letterbox drop?
The campaigns that perform best share a few habits:
- A clear, single offer: one reason to act, stated in the headline
- A format that fits the message: DL for menus and price lists, A5 when you need room to explain
- Respect for opt-out signs: flyer distributors should skip any letterbox with a "No Junk Mail" or "No Advertising Material" sign. For the full rules, see our guide to distributing flyers legally
- Tracking built in: a QR code, unique URL, or promo code on every flyer
Do Letterbox Drops still work?
Yes. The letterbox competes differently from the feed. A flyer sits on the kitchen bench, gets seen by more than one person in the household, and does not disappear into an algorithm.
The key is making every campaign trackable. QR codes, unique URLs, and promo codes let you measure response and attribute conversions, so a letterbox drop becomes a measurable acquisition channel. Oppizi has tracked more than 1 million conversions in Australia.
How do you track a letterbox drop campaign?
Measurement happens at two levels: delivery verification and response tracking.
- GPS tracking: confirms flyer distributors walked the planned routes
- App check-ins: verify the start, progress, and completion of each mission
- Unique QR codes or URLs: track response from the households you reached
- Promo codes: attribute conversions directly to the campaign
Reporting shows delivery completion and ties it to response data when you have built tracking into your flyer.
How do you run your first letterbox drop with Oppizi?
Oppizi OS handles targeting, route planning, flyer distributor management, and reporting in one place, and our Australian team manages local operations. You bring the brief and the artwork. We handle the logistics, verification, and reporting.
Ready to plan a campaign? Get started with Oppizi Letterbox Drops.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does a letterbox drop take from brief to delivery?
Timelines depend on print lead times, the size of your target area, and how quickly artwork is approved. Most campaigns move from brief to letterbox within two to three weeks. Ask your provider for a schedule when you request a quote, and allow more time for national campaigns or seasonal peaks.
- What is the minimum quantity for a letterbox drop in Australia?
Minimum quantities vary by provider. Many campaigns start with a single-suburb test before scaling up, which keeps the first order small while you check response. Ask each provider for its minimum, and whether the price per flyer changes at higher volumes, before you compare quotes.
- Can I run a letterbox drop in just one suburb?
Yes. A letterbox drop can cover a single suburb, a group of suburbs, or a custom area drawn around your business. A single-suburb test is a common first campaign, because it shows how your offer performs before you commit to a wider rollout across more areas.
- How are Letterbox Drops different from Unaddressed Mail?
Letterbox Drops are delivered by hand by flyer distributors walking planned routes, and can be targeted with demographic data. Unaddressed Mail is delivered by Australia Post with the regular post, to both residential and business addresses. Choose by the targeting you need and how you want delivery verified.
- Can I repeat a letterbox drop in the same area?
Yes. Many brands run recurring drops in the same suburbs to build frequency and reinforce their message over time. Tracking each drop with its own QR code or promo code shows whether repeat campaigns are lifting response, so you can decide how often to return to an area.
