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
Leverage sampling privilege with a holiday mass mailing
Sep 1, 2026
These mass mailings are some work, especially the first time you do one. But the rewards can be very large.
Having a Marketing Mail permit can save and make you money
Aug 1, 2026
The Marketing mail permit has a lot of advantages. You can send your circulation renewal notices by Marketing mail, per a USPS ruling which declared that the notices were not actually invoices, but ...
Chipping away at the rate increase
Jul 1, 2026
The rate increase this month will have the one of the largest impacts on community newspapers of any since the Postal Service abandoned the CPI rate cap in 2021.
The July postal rate increase: Worse than we thought
Jun 1, 2026
Because the Postal Service chose to increase certain rates more than the overall class percentage, decrease discounts and also roll the container charges for bundles, trays, sacks and pallets into the ...
It is time for Plan B
May 1, 2026
With every other challenge in the world facing them, publishers understandably are not worried about the one thing that is MOSTLY going OK. Hosts of isolated problems aside, the mail mostly does get delivered. What ...
Barcoded and machinable: That’s where you want to be for best rates
Apr 1, 2026
If you look closely at the rate table for out-of-county flats, which includes newspapers, you will see columns for machinable and barcoded flats. You might ask, “What is the difference between machinable ...
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 ...
