National Newspaper Association Foundation
Promoting news literacy, protecting the First Amendment
and enhancing the capabilities of community newspapers
Postal Tips
Consulting assistance is an NNA-member benefit. Membership also includes a subscription to Publishers’ Auxiliary, featuring the monthly column, Postal Tips. We can help with:
- Interpretations of postal rules
- Understanding how to enter mail properly
- Assess steps you may be able to improve slow service
- Know whether you are eligible for Periodicals permits
- And unsnarl a host of other conundrums that arise when newspapers (and their shoppers/TMCs) are in the mail
What the USPS considers advertising content
Mar 1, 2026
In keeping with this month’s Pub Aux theme, I’m going to discuss what content the Postal Service considers to be advertising for the purpose of computing postal rates on out-of-county Periodical ...
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Feb 1, 2026
Several changes are coming to the U.S. Postal Service in 2026 that will affect you as a Periodical mailer. Some could cost you more money; some might actually save you some money.
A meeting with the PMG
Jan 1, 2026
The NNA team emphasized our reliance on the Postal Service and our entwined history in promoting an informed citizenry, and we expressed our appreciation for the willingness of Postal Service staff to ...
USPS’s Regional Transportation Optimization means fewer truck routes carrying the mail
Dec 1, 2025
So here, for those staring down the barrel of an alarmingly-expanding delivery time, is a snapshot of what’s happening — and what publishers might be able to do about it. As always, the impacts ...
Delivery problems: What you can do, and what NNA does
Nov 1, 2025
Changes to the delivery network, USPS staffing problems and policy changes have all resulted in worse delivery times, particularly for out-of-county mail. The recent changes that add another day to the ...
Postal Tips: Addressing addresses and formats
Oct 1, 2025
How your mail is prepared affects both the cost and the timely delivery of your mailing. Better–prepared mailings with higher quality addresses require less work for USPS, and cost less in postage.
Postal Tips: How to measure advertising content in your mailings
Sep 1, 2025
The Postal Service assesses different rates based upon advertising and non-advertising content. That lower non-advertising content rate is a recognition of the public service aspect of the news and information ...
Postal Tips: The case might represent the first instance in decades of USPS’s being held accountable for failures
Aug 1, 2025
Lower courts dismissed her civil rights claim, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said USPS was liable for refusing mail delivery. The Postal Service is appealing.
Postal Tips: The July rate increase is here
Jul 1, 2025
July 13 will usher in the ‘Mount Everest’ of postal rate increases, representing the highest peak of increases experienced to date. These increases are hitting Periodicals especially hard, ...
