# Welcome to Poplar Welcome to **Poplar**, your tech-enabled direct mail partner.\ We make it easy to launch **personalized, data-driven campaigns** that print, ship, and land in homes fast. This guide will help you set up your account, create your first campaign, and start tracking results in just a few steps. Whether you’re a marketer or developer, you’ll find everything you need to get your mail moving. ## Getting Started {% embed url="" %}

		Cover image
Build Your First Campaign	A guide through campaign settings, capabilities, and how to set up in minutes.	/files/9a5iW4GwUGR1Tx7YwGod	/pages/kmkwDLVjWXErNIRFoqid
Creative Templates	Download a full suite of Adobe, HTML, & PNG/JPG Templates - complete with best practice suggestions.	/files/KlhhJLuaKiiKyig8uEIF	/pages/FkV9UXelsxNK420lzv4X
Send Samples	Send yourself a physical sample of your mail piece pre-launch.	/files/dF3pbPzoMYMwsR4U7quv	/pages/hfJGfNTjOas2DF7F8Kt4

## How Poplar Works Whether you’re a **marketing manager**, **CRM specialist**, or **agency onboarding client accounts**, the Poplar platform provides an easy and seamless way to introduce Direct Mail into your marketing stack. ### One Time Sends vs. Triggered Campaigns A **One Time Send** or **batched mailing** is launched to a single static audience list; great for sales events, product launches, seasonal promos, or prospecting lists. Simply upload a CSV of recipients to your Audiences, create a campaign and upload creative, then head to the One Time Sends tab of your campaign to select your audience to launch in minutes. **Triggered** sends are **programmatic** - launched automatically when customers take specific actions in your CRM or ESP (just like an email trigger).\ Common examples: * Abandoned cart reminders * Post-purchase thank-yous * Win-back or re-engagement campaigns [Integrate](https://docs.heypoplar.com/integrations/) Poplar with your CRM/ESP to start sending automatically. All flows and dynamic segmentation is managed outside of Poplar, from within your CRM or ESP. ### In-home Timeline A campaign can be created, and creative artwork uploaded in under 5 minutes. To then launch, you want to either initiate a One Time Send (also takes a matter of minutes) or set your triggered integration live. Once launched, your mailers will move from processing to production before being handed off to USPS for shipping. Poplar offers two shipping speeds: **First Class** and **Standard**.

Poplar is optimized for speed, so mailers are sent to production almost immediately and begin printing within 24 hours. From your campaign's **History** section, you can click into individual mailers and scroll down to the **Event Log** to see a live timeline of the production and mailing process. {% hint style="warning" %} **We receive our mailing status scan data directly from USPS.** It is important to note that because of the nature of USPS data collection and tracking, a small percentage of mailers may not receive **Delivery** scans - this is normal and we still assume successful delivery. \ \ *For additional info or questions, please reach out to ****.* {% endhint %} ### Attribution & Reporting Poplar uses **last-touch order matching** to calculate attribution. When you share transactional data with the platform (via Shopify, Orders API, or CSV upload), Poplar matches mail recipients to resulting orders so you can measure campaign impact and ROI. For incremental metrics, make sure you always set a **Holdout** percentage when creating your campaign. {% hint style="warning" %} **Poplar does not track promo code redemptions or QR code scans,** we consider order matching to paint a more accurate picture of campaign success. Most code redemptions and QR code scans can be tracked using the platform that generated them. {% endhint %} ## Account & Team Management When creating your Organization, you'll be lead through a number of steps prompting you to enter info such as address and phone number, team member invites, payment plan selection, and more. Once you've completed onboarding, you can later access all of these settings by clicking your account icon in the bottom left:

Multiple organizations can be created and navigated between via **Switch Organization** - our agency clients will find this particularly useful. ## Data Privacy Compliance Poplar has built in features to make data privacy compliance easy for our clients. Poplar is set up to process both right to delete and right to access request types. This is separate from an opt out which is handled more as a default audience. 1. **Data Subject Request API** 1. We have 2 endpoints, an [opt-out/do not mail endpoint](https://developers.heypoplar.com/endpoints/do-not-mail) that will add submissions directly to a global opt out list for your account as well as a [data subject request (DSR) endpoint](https://developers.heypoplar.com/endpoints/data-subject-requests) that can process the right to delete and right to access requests programmatically. [View API Documentation](https://developers.heypoplar.com/) 2. **In Platform CSV Upload** 1. You can upload a CSV of deletion or access requests as well as review historical requests directly from the UI: 2. Formatting the CSV should be a single type of request per submission and use the standard audience fields. I.e. email, address\_1, address\_2, city, state, postal\_code. ### Share Local Media & Poplar Joint Clients If you work across SLM, Poplar opt outs will apply to all of your client data across our business lines. #### Additional Notes: 1. Data deletions submitted should generally occur within 24 hours. 2. Please submit all types of PII that you have when submitting opt outs or running a data deletion we do not have any type of global user profiles so if you submit an email it will only run a deletion on any records containing that email (we don’t automatically associate an email with addresses on an order for example) Data deletions and opt outs only apply to an individual client's data, if you found this article as a consumer wishing to opt out of mailings please contact the Brand directly via their website. To opt out of Share Local Media Shared Envelopes you can go to # Creative Templates Poplar offers five mail formats: Bi-folds (long and short), Tri-fold, three different sized Postcards, and Letters available in Black & White or Color.

## Template Downloads The .zip files below contain **InDesign, Illustrator, HTML, PDF,** and **PNG/JPG** templates. The templates are pre-formatted to include 0.125in bleed (*except for letters*) on all four sides along with trim, safe zone, and address block indicators. {% hint style="info" %} **Our address block is applied to the creative after uploading so please remove the placeholder beforehand.** {% endhint %} **Designers** :sparkles:\ For additional guidance on export instructions, print best practices, and troubleshooting please review our **Creative Guides** section! ### **Postcards** {% file src="/files/b71wUJxJTSxW1Ye1cm0U" %} {% file src="/files/StBeuebDybOhlfcfp2F3" %} {% file src="/files/L2hvPj3HelaReXNnVGdU" %} ### Bi-folds & Tri-fold The majority of Bi-fold and Tri-folds will be folded and held together with a tabbed clasp by default. However, when mailing high volume batches adhesive may be used to optimize production time. {% file src="/files/oMD9aRDInxJfAceKLCZ5" %} {% file src="/files/3o3Mdsjpd3QbLnAUqGVO" %} {% file src="/files/BlCQRlyZRZmDBMrKg1z6" %} ### Letter Our letter format is an excellent option if you'd like to target recipients with a longer or move private message. They're also preferable when mailing to commercial addresses, as other formats could be subject to a lower delivery rate if the commercial address is not accepting promotional mail. {% file src="/files/ElRaVKrEIWUcCmLVTioF" %} {% file src="/files/8bdJLgD4pfsZDoQmc6il" %} ## Template Specs **Static** template files should be used for creative designs that do not utilize personalization or variable content: * Adobe InDesign * Adobe Illustrator * **PDF/X-4 or PDF/X1-a** * PNG/JPG For guidance on exporting and print best practices, please see our [**Static: PDF & PNG/JGP**](/creative-guides/static-pdf-and-png-jpg) Guide. **Dynamic** HTML template files must be used for creative designs that utilize personalization or variable content such as first name, rolling expiration date, unique promo code, etc. If no one on your team has sufficient knowledge of HTML /CSS, our team is happy to help! Just follow the instructions on this form to submit your design to be translated into HTML: {% embed url="" %} For guidance on coding, merge tags and print best practices, please see our [**Dynamic: HTML/CSS**](/creative-guides/dynamic-html-css) Guide. ### Dimensions, Bleed & Safe Zone Postcards, Bi-folds & Tri-folds are always printed at larger dimensions, then trimmed down to final size to ensure no gaps or unprinted areas appear on the final product. Before uploading to the platform, **your files must include a 0.125" bleed on all four sides.**

Bi-folds are available in two different formats, **Short 17 x 5.5 (folds left to right)** and **Long 8.5 x 11 (folds top to bottom)**, each panel on both formats are the same size - just folded in a different direction. Both templates are pre-formatted to include a 0.125" at each edge. **Letters** are printed straight on to 8.5 x 11 standard print paper and do **NOT** need a bleed, as they are not trimmed down after print. A **Safe Zone** is also specified to prevent any text or important copy from running too close to the edge of the mail piece. **Mail pieces should always be designed edge-to-edge (no white bleed) at and contain high-resolution images at 300ppi/dpi for best possible print quality.** {% hint style="info" %} ***Example***\ If you're designing a 4" x 6" postcard, add an extra 0.125" to all four sides to bring the total file dimensions to 4.25" x 6.25". The safe zone should be *inset* from the 4"x 6" trim by 0.125" on all four sides so all text, logos, terms & conditions, etc. should appear within 3.75" x 5.75". {% endhint %}

Postcard Dimensions at Upload	After Trim	Safe Zone
4.25" x 6.25" or 1275 x 1875px	4" x 6"	3.75" x 5.75"
6.25" x 9.25" or 1875 x 2775px	6" x 9"	5.75" x 8.75"
6.25" x 11.25" or 1875 x 3375px	6" x 11"	5.75" x 10.75"

Bi-fold Dimensions at Upload	After Trim	Safe Zone
17.25" x 5.75" or 5175 x 1725px	17" x 5.5"	16.75" x 5.25"
8.75" x 11.25" or 2625 x 3375px	8.5" x 11"	8.25" x 10.75"

Tri-fold Dimensions at Upload	After Trim	Safe Zone
16.625" x 8.75" or 4988 x 2625px	16.375" x 8.5"	16.75" x 5.25"

{% hint style="danger" %} Our address block is **auto-applied** during upload to the platform, please **delete the placeholder** before upload and **DO NOT include a white block in your back artwork.** We take care of that for you. {% endhint %} ### Address Block The highlighted orange address block placeholder in the template files indicate where the platform will auto-apply the address block upon upload. **It is very important to delete this placeholder entirely - do not leave a white box in its place.** For best results, provide creative with background or design that runs fully behind this block.

Make sure to never place critical text in this area, as the address block will be layered on top prior to printing the piece. The printed color of the address block is white/paper color with text and postage indicia rendered in black - this area is not customizable. {% hint style="warning" %} The address block is not consistently proportionate across postcard formats, so it is very important to follow the template for the corresponding postcard size. **Example**\ The address block for the 4x6 postcard takes up significantly more space on the back than it does on a 6x9 postcard, so if you're sizing down a design the back will have to be redesigned. {% endhint %} # Design Best Practices Best practice recommendations for content placement and attention-grabbing designs. For guidance on exporting, print settings and troubleshooting please see our Creative Guides! ## Print Standards For the crispest, most vibrant and complete imagery, ensure the following: * **Crop & Bleed:** All artwork should include minimum .125" bleed (all sides), **with no crop and bleed marks present** on the final artwork. * **Color:** All brand colors should be CMYK. RGB colors will be more muted/dull when converted. * **Sizing & Format:** Ensure sizing is accurate to format, saved as an Adobe \[PDF/X-4:2008]. \ *See* [*Static: PDF & PNG/JPG*](/creative-guides/static-pdf-and-png-jpg) * **Vector Logos:** All logos should be SVG vector format for best results. Type should be live or **outlined.** * **Mailing Elements:** Remove Address Box placeholder prior to upload. * **High-res Images:** High-res images, minimum 300dpi. CMYK color mode.

## Design Principles Great direct mail design doesn’t just look good - it drives action.\ Use these five design principles to create mailers that are clear, consistent, and conversion-ready: ### Hierarchy **Guide the reader’s eye.**\ Use size, weight, color, and visual treatment to make your most important information, like the offer or CTA, stand out first. Secondary details should support, not compete, for attention. ### Contrast **Create visual energy.**\ Strong contrast between colors, fonts, and elements makes your piece easier to read and more engaging. Contrast directs attention where it matters most and ensures every detail is legible at a glance.

### Balance **Design with harmony in mind.**\ Distribute imagery, copy, and whitespace evenly so the layout feels intentional and uncluttered. A well-balanced composition draws attention to your hero message without overwhelming the recipient. ### **Repetition** **Tell one cohesive story.**\ Keep your brand elements (color palette, typography, logo placement) consistent across the front and back of your mailer. Repetition builds familiarity, reinforces your offer, and helps the design feel unified. ### **Alignment** **Polish the details.**\ Ensure all text, images, and icons line up cleanly. Consistent alignment adds a professional finish and prevents small visual errors from distracting from your message. *** ## Common Elements Each element of your mailer plays a role in capturing attention and driving action.\ Use the following guidelines to make sure your creative feels cohesive, trustworthy, and conversion-focused.

### Imagery Choose imagery that instantly communicates your value. Opt for bright, eye-catching visuals that support your offer and avoid overly dark or muted tones. When showcasing multiple products, use a clean grid layout to maintain balance and clarity. ### CTA/Offer Copy Your call-to-action is the heartbeat of the piece. Ensure your offer appears **clearly on both sides** of the mailer and use visual emphasis (such as bold type, colored strips, or badges) to make it pop. Keep it simple, action-oriented, and unmistakable. ### Expiration Date While we understand the need to create urgency - it's important to stay realistic about your expiration date. Because of the nature of Direct Mail, we recommend **at least** a 30 day expiration date from launch. This is because many people do not check their mailboxes everyday and once they do, they likely don't go through it and convert for another couple days. ### Testimonials Social proof builds instant trust. Incorporate authentic customer testimonials to validate your brand promise. If available, add recognizable media features or awards - they lend credibility with new audiences and reinforce confidence among returning customers. ### QR Code/URL Make it effortless to take the next step. Include a short, trackable URL or a **QR code** placed prominently on the front and back. When possible, remove any white background around the QR code so it blends seamlessly into your design while staying scannable. ### Brand Prominence Your brand should be unmistakable at a glance. Include **vector logos** on both sides of the mailer for clarity and consistency. Maintain enough whitespace around your logo to ensure it stands out and reinforces recognition over time. ### Copy & Icons Keep copy concise and conversational - never dense or intimidating.\ Highlight your core value proposition in clear, digestible language, and use **icons or visual cues** to break up longer text sections. Icons add rhythm and visual interest, making your message more approachable and scannable. # Campaign Setup Most of your ongoing work in Poplar happens on the Campaigns page. This is where you create, edit, launch, and monitor all of your direct mail campaigns. The **Campaigns** page is your command center in Poplar. From here, you can create, edit, and track every direct mail campaign. At the top of the page, you’ll find an overview of your total mailed volume, total spend, and a date filter to explore performance by timeframe. You can also sort campaigns by in-home date, recent updates, or budget, and export a CSV for reporting.

Click the **New Campaign** button in the top right to create a new campaign, or click into an existing campaign to see the **Overview, Results, Creative, One Time Sends, and Suppressions**. ## Campaign Settings If your Poplar account is brand new, the only thing you'll see on the Campaign's page is the option to **Create New Campaign.** ### Name, Description & Purpose The campaign name should be unique and reflect your use case - adding the date of creation is recommended, if you plan on having multiple campaigns of the same nature. The description should contain any key information such as trigger filters, notes on audience suppression, or anything relevant worth communicating to team members. Setting a campaign purpose helps communicate even more context across team members. It also gives the Poplar team insight into campaign goals and use cases so we can better assist with strategy and results analysis.

## Additional Settings ### Address Enrichment (Email Retargeting) Poplar's Address Enrichment feature matches *email addresses to physical addresses*. If you plan on passing only email addresses via trigger or when uploading a CSV list to be matched, ***Enable Address Enrichment*** when your campaign is created, or click the **Settings** tab in an existing campaign to adjust the settings. If you already have full address data for your target audience, leave this setting **Disabled.**

**Running the match process costs an extra $0.07 per piece.** You will only be charged if an append is successful, and will not be charged if a match can't be found. Under the campaign's History tab, the system will return `append failed` if it is unable to identify an address to match. If it's successful it'll change the status to `mailing_queued`. Matched address data is **not** available for download and will be redacted from CSV mailing records downloaded from the History. The email addresses that found a match will be visible for tracking and attribution reports. ### Holdout **Enable** a specified holdout percentage to compare conversions between mailed and unmailed groups and easily analyze **incremental lift.** Given that mailings are triggered or launched individually and in real time, the holdout percentage is approximate. The holdout percentage you set is just the odds that any individual mailing will move to the holdout group.

We strongly recommend taking a holdout for campaigns sending at least \~5,000 pieces per month. If you're mailing at lower volumes, the holdout size is generally too small to get a high level of confidence in it, in which case this setting can be left **Disabled.** **We do not recommend manually taking a holdout from your audience segment, outside of the platform.** It is best practice to set a holdout inside the platform to ensure the highest level of randomization, and allow for in-platform reporting of lift metrics. **Holdouts are taken after Address Enrichment so matched addresses can be checked against your opt out list.** Any holdout requests are still charged for address enrichment, but the base print and mail fee is not charged when the mailing is in the holdout group. ### Budget For triggered campaigns, you have the option to specify a daily and/or weekly budget cap. Budget caps are approximate and your actual costs may end up lower or higher.

The reason for this is because you are only charged after specific events occur in the mailing stream. This means if more data appends succeed than expected, or if more mailing addresses you've provided fail to validate, you may see the actual costs come in above or below your budget. {% hint style="warning" %} **Budget settings are ignored for One Time Sends.** The cost of the send will be charged to your account credits, and the card on file if the balance exceeds your account credits. {% endhint %} ## Advanced Settings ### Address Strictness Address Strictness can be set on a campaign-level, which will override the global strictness set under Account Settings - this is what determines the [**Address Validation**](/getting-started/audiences/address-validation) process. Varying rules are applied when uploading address data and when sending mailings to gauge the highest possible deliverability.

### Attribution Window You can set a custom attribution window when you create a new campaign. By default, Poplar uses a 90-day attribution window. This is the period of time for which you wish to credit a customer's transaction to the mailing. **We recommend a minimum of 30 days** to see the full scope of your results.

If you're sharing transactional data with Poplar, you **may** begin to see some results before your attribution window has fully passed. Since these number are considered incomplete, we suggest waiting until the attribution window has fully passed before evaluating the performance of your campaign. ### National Change of Address Forwarding (NCOA) NCOA is a dataset of change-of-addresses filed by individuals and/or businesses with the USPS. The database is maintained by the USPS and we are required by the USPS run a check for every mail piece we send. [Learn more](https://postalpro.usps.com/mailing-and-shipping-services/NCOALink)

## Suppression Settings From the Suppressions tab you can control all campaign-level suppressions such as: * **Audience Suppressions:** Select existing audiences to suppress. * **Zip Code Allowlist:** Enter specific zip codes you want to mail to from your existing audience data. * **State Allowlist:** Select specific states to allow or suppress (based on shipping or serviced areas). * **Saved Location Options:** Apply saved location settings for brick & mortar locations. * **Geofence Suppressions:** For even more custom Geolocation suppressions, set up an inclusion or exclusion geofenced area for an existing audience list. {% hint style="warning" %} Poplar **cannot** generate address data for custom locations based on the Geolocation or Geofence settings - you must already have mailing data for these to apply. \ \ For custom mailing lists reach out to **** with the details of your campaign and target demographic, and an account manager will assist you with next steps. {% endhint %} # Overview Inside each campaign, the Overview tab shows a summary of performance: mailed counts, spend, and delivery status breakdowns with an adjustable date filter. Click into a campaign to see its **Overview** page. At the very top you'll see other tabs for **Results, Creative, One Time Sends, Exceptions** (if you have any stalled mailers due to budget caps or insufficient funds), and **Settings.**

Right below have the **Mailed** number which includes all requests that have or will likely move to production within the selected date range, total **Spend** which includes any requests that have or will incur a cost as it moves through the system (i.e. production and/or data appends), and **Last Mailed** date.

For easy visuals there is also a bar graph logging Mailings Created and a pie chart of Mailing Statuses - this is especially useful for detecting a high number of suppressions or delayed mailings. All data and graphs are controlled by the adjustable calendar. Click the three dots to the right of the calendar to **Pause** and **Archive** a campaign. {% hint style="success" %} **Campaign Active** indicates a campaign is *available* for launch. **A campaign will not start mailing unless it is hooked up to a live trigger or specifically launched via One Time Send.** {% endhint %} ## Campaign Details Below the graphs you'll find the Campaign details which includes your **Campaign ID** (for third-party integrations) along with a summary of the current campaign settings such as Address Enrichment, Holdouts, daily and weekly budgets.

To make adjustments to any of these, head to the **Settings** tab at the top. ## History Keep scrolling down to find your campaign **History.** Here you will see all mailers, their status, and you can click into individual mailers to see creative on an individual level, as well as an **Event Log** to track the mailer through the mail stream in real time. These updates we receive directly from USPS scan data.

You can filter mailers by status and download a CSV of the History. Us the date picker at the top of the page to apply specific dates. When testing third-party integrations for triggered campaigns, you should see successful test requests come through the History section as well. You can click into each request to see the creative populate with the data sent over in your Request Details. This is how you confirm a successful integration before setting your campaign live to production. ## Exceptions If you see an Exceptions tab appear at the top, this indicates there are mailers that did not process due to insufficient funds, daily/weekly budget exceeded, or insufficient [Promotion](/advanced-features/promotions) codes. Once funds or codes have been added, mailers can be retried.

# Results Share transactional data with Poplar for real-time attribution reports. If you're sharing transactional data with the platform, the Results page will show a detailed attribution analysis divided by each creative mailed. See our [Transactions](/platform-basics/transactional-data) documentation on how to share Order data with the platform and read your attribution reports. If the campaign has been in-home for the 30-90 day attribution window, this section breaks down campaign's success and is especially useful if comparing against a holdout group or A/B testing different creatives.

Visible attribution metrics can be adjusted using the columns filter to the right. Descriptions of each metric appear when hovering your mouse over the information circle. Use the **Matchback View** to adjust the dashboard to **First Time Orders.** {% hint style="info" %} Metrics for First Time Orders can only be calculated if you're passing "new\_buyer" as true/false under your order "metadata." If you have the [Poplar Shopify App](/integrations/supported-platforms/shopify) installed, this data is passed automatically. {% endhint %} ## **Download Raw Matches** A record of raw matches can be downloaded can be downloaded on a campaign and account-wide level. Poplar reporting follows a last-touch attribution model across campaigns, so it could be that the mail piece was not the last one that the specific customer received. Use the **order\_id** column to trace an attribution back to a specific order. ### **Data Key** Below is a guide to the columns you will receive in your CSV download: | **match\_id** | ID unique to that match | | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **campaign\_id** | ID of the campaign | | **campaign\_name** | Name of campaign | | **campaign\_type** | Type of Campaign (Poplar, Shared, Solo, etc.) | | **creative\_id** | Unique ID for the creative that matched | | **mh\_id** | Unique ID of the mailing/holdout record that matched | | **external\_order\_id** | External order ID for the match | | **customer\_id** | External Customer ID for the match/order | | **order\_date** | Date the order was placed | | **order\_total** | Total amount of the order | | **cost\_per\_piece** | Cost of the individual mailer | | **status** | Mailed or holdout | | **send\_date** | Date the mailer was launched | | **attribution\_start\_date** | Date the first mailing was delivered, used as the in-home date for attribution | | **envelope\_type** | Type of envelope, applicable to shared mail campaigns only | | **test\_cell** | Grouping of mailings, only used in certain cases | | **customer\_first\_order\_within\_campaign** | True/False based on if it is this customer IDs first order attributed to this campaign | | **is\_first\_time\_order** | True/False based on if this order is considered a New Buyer | | **id\_match** | True/False based on if this order matched on Customer ID between mailing list and transaction file | | **email\_match** | True/False based on if this order matched on email between mailing list and transaction file | | **bill\_match** | True/False based on if this order matched on billing address between mailing list and transaction file | | **ship\_match** | True/False based on if this order matched on shipping address between mailing list and transaction file | | **manual\_send\_id** | ID of the manual send in Poplar | | **manual\_send\_name** | Name of the manual send in Poplar | | **metadata** | Any metadata from that order | # Creative Upload, Edit and manage A/B Tests from within the Creative tab. After setting up your campaign, it's time to upload your creative files. These are essential for activating your campaign and testing integrations.

## **Accepted Formats** Poplar accepts a wide variety of file types for upload. Please download our [Creative Templates](/getting-started/creative-templates) prior to designing, and make sure to reference our **Creative Guides** to avoid any last-minute issues or errors. * **Static:** PDF, PNG/JPEG (Not suitable for personalization) * **Dynamic:** HTML/CSS (Required for 1:1 personalization - recipient first name, unique promo or QR codes, etc.) ### **Before Uploading** * [ ] Ensure files are separated into **Front** and **Back**. The "Back" should be the side where the address block will be applied. * [ ] Designs are full coverage without white edges, crop marks, or address placeholders. * [ ] Incorporate a 0.125in bleed on all sides. This means dimensions should be 4.25 x 6.25, 6.25 x 9.25, or 6.25 x 11.25 for postcards. * [ ] Use high-quality images at 300 DPI/PPI and ensure static creatives are in **PDF/x-1a** or **PDF/X-4** format. For more detailed guidelines and export instructions, check our [Static](/creative-guides/static-pdf-and-png-jpg) and [Dynamic](/creative-guides/dynamic-html-css) creative guides. If you're not familiar with HTML/CSS but wish to use dynamic merge tags, Poplar provides complimentary translation services to convert static designs to dynamic HTML. Learn more and submit your request here: {% embed url="" %} ## Upload Creative Start by clicking into your campaign and navigating to the **Creative** tab, then click **New Creative** in the top right to begin: {% stepper %} {% step %} ### Creative Selection First you'll select your format and give your creative a unique name, followed by Postage Type (shipping speed) and Paper Type. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Upload Creative Drag and drop your separate front & back files (single file for letter creatives) into the uploader. Each file must be one of the listed supportive formats and under 7MB. If you receive an error, please reference our [Print Troubleshooting](/creative-guides/print-troubleshooting) and **Creative Guides.** {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Set Merge Tags (HTML Only) If you are uploading a dynamic creative that contains custom or promotion merge tags, you will be prompted to set a **Default** value (appears in the event of blank data) or select a Promotion list to link to the creative. {% hint style="warning" %} Name, city, and state are **NOT** considered custom merge tags and you will not be prompted to set a default value, because this data is pulled directly from the required mailing data. Reach out to **** with any questions or concerns. {% endhint %} {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Review & Finalize: View PDF The final step in the upload process is reviewing the PDF proof of the final product after trim, with the address block and default merge tag data applied. **ALWAYS** closely review your proof by downloading it and opening the file outside of the browser, here are a few key things to look for: * **Spelling errors, typos, blurry images or text, missing promo codes or QR codes** * **Make sure the address block is on the correct side and not covering any important text or images** * **Double check expiration dates are *****at least***** 30 days from the launch date** * **No text is being cut off or running too close to the edge**

{% endstep %} {% endstepper %} ## Creative Overview Click into your creative to see an overview featuring a flippable **Creative Preview** and to access functions such as **Edit Creative, Set as Default,** and **Deactivate. Below those options you'll see:** * **Download Proofs:** Download separate front & back, or a complete PDF proof. * **Uploaded Artwork:** Download the files that were originally uploaded to make edits or adjustments. * **Send a Sample:** Send a sample of this creative to a requested address and quantity.

{% hint style="warning" %} **Edit Creative** only allows you to **rename** the creative or **change the shipping speed** pre-launch. To make edits to the creative design, you'll have to **Deactivate** the old creative and upload a new one. {% endhint %} ### Creative Details Towards the bottom of the page you'll see a list of all merge tags present in the creative, any promotions the creative is connected to, and a summary of the creative settings along with the date created.

### Data Guides These are useful downloads for CSV audience file templates and JSON templates for integrations and API requests as they contain all the required column headers and data points for your campaign and creative.

## A/B Testing A/B Tests can be set up and run between any number of creatives within a campaign. Based on your goals, you can choose to optimize on overall conversion, CAC, or ROAS. Common test variables include: * **Size or Format**: 4 x 6 vs. 6 x 9 Postcard * **Promotional Offer**: "Free Shipping" vs "$10 OFF" vs "20% OFF" * **Call to Action**: Website URL vs. QR Code *... and so much more!* To reach statistical significance truly get a "good read" between multiple creative designs we recommend upwards of **\~10k *****per design*** to see an effectively measurable difference between the creatives. ### Test Setup **Upload all your creatives to the same campaign**. If you upload 2 creatives to test, each creative will have a 50% chance in the rotation and if you upload 3 creatives, each one will will have a 33.33% chance, and so on. You'll be able to track the performance of each creative from the [Results](/getting-started/campaign-setup/results) page after launch.

#### One Time Sends For [One Time Sends](/platform-basics/one-time-sends) you'll want to manually select all creatives you'd like to include in the test when prompted during launch. #### Triggered Campaigns When setting up a Poplar Mail trigger via platform integration, you have the option to specify a creative\_id along with campaign\_id in the JSON payload. If creative\_id is **NOT** specified in your webhook trigger, the platform will automatically randomize all active creatives under the campaign - this is how to A/B test when activating your trigger. {% hint style="warning" %} If creative\_id isn't specified and one of your creatives is set as the **Default**, then only the default creative will trigger. {% endhint %} # Billing During the account onboarding process, credit card details are requested to keep on file. If your account is being funded via invoice prepayment, this step may be skipped. ## Payment Methods A credit card is the primary means of payment for Poplar, but please reach out to your account manager if you plan to mail large volumes consistently and wish to prepay via ACH, wire, or check.

### Adding Credits via Credit Card On the billing page, you can top up your credit balance. As you mail, we will deduct it from this credit balance. We will email a notification if your balance drops to $20 and again a $0. If your balance is insufficient when generating a mailing, it will be paused. You have up to 30 days to top up your account and manually mail the piece. If your balance is insufficient when creating a **One Time Send** with an uploaded list, you will be prompted to pay for the cost of the send via your card on file. If you have enabled invoicing, we will not be able to charge the card automatically, and you will need to add the credits manually if there is not enough credit balance. ### Auto Recharge When Auto Recharge is **enabled**, the card on file will automatically be charged an amount of your choosing when the account balance drops below the set balance threshold. Changes to the balance threshold and recharge amount will affect the next time a mailing is triggered or once the account balance exceeds the threshold amount. If you need to refill your account balance immediately, you may do so manually by clicking Add Credit via Card. {% hint style="warning" %} To avoid multiple small charges to the card on file (this risks a fraud alert from your bank), set a **low** balance threshold and a **high** recharge amount if you are mailing high triggered volume. {% endhint %} ### Invoicing If you have opted into Invoicing, we will never charge your credit card on file. To add credits, you can request an invoice and pay via wire/ACH. Alternatively, you can add credits manually via card on the billing page. For invoice clients, there is no way to utilize the auto-refill feature. *** ## Pricing & Minimums The [Pricing](https://app.heypoplar.com/billing/pricing) tab under **Billing** shows a price-per-piece breakdown of every format and shipping option Poplar offers, including the additional rate for **Address Enrichment** and **Lookalike Prospecting**. Poplar has **no minimums**. If you are using appends, the data fee and printing/mailing cost are calculated separately. Use our [Price Calculator](https://poplar-price-calc.lovable.app/) to calculate the price of your campaign depending on our circulation, shipping speed, plan, and options data costs. # Audiences Store your mailing and/or suppression lists easily in one place. The Audiences page provides an easy way to store addresses for mailing and suppression. This is especially helpful if you want to suppress a list for an individual campaign, separate from the global Do Not Mail List. Upload a CSV file comprised of either mailing addresses, or email addresses if you opt to use the address enrichment feature.

## Required Fields Below is an example of the required and optional fields for full address data, and emails for address enrichment. The column headers don't need to match perfectly as you'll be prompted to map the required headers upon upload, and ignore any irrelevant columns that may be present in your file. {% hint style="info" %} **Suppressions** are matched against either address OR email, so if you are running campaigns using [Address Enrichment](/getting-started/audiences/address-enrichment), a list of emails can be used for suppression. {% endhint %} ### **Mailing Address Data** Custom **merge tag** columns can be stored for creative, we recommend downloading your creative's CSV [Data Guide](/getting-started/campaign-setup/creative#data-guides) for a quick, easy and accurate file template. | full\_name |

required
max character count: 40

| | ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | company | *optional* | | address\_1 | **required** | | address\_2 | *optional* | | city | **required** | | state | **required** | | postal\_code | **required** | | email | *optional* | | identifier | *optional* | ### **Emails for Address Enrichment** | email | **required** | | ---------- | ------------ | | full\_name | *optional* | | identifier | *optional* | ### Merge Tag Columns When uploading an audience file that contains extra columns with merge tag data, map any and all of those columns as **Merge Tag**:

In the [One Time Send](/platform-basics/one-time-sends) flow during launch, you'll have the option to map these values to their respective merge tags. ## Do Not Mail List Maintain your Do Not Mail list by manually uploading a CSV list or integrating with our [Do Not Mail API](/api/endpoints/do-not-mail). Members of this list are **automatically suppressed across all campaigns.**

## Customers (Orders API) If you're sharing transactional data with Poplar via [Shopify](https://apps.shopify.com/poplar-1) or integration with our [Orders API](/api/endpoints/orders)**,** a list of all your customers will automatically populate this audience which can be optionally selected if you'd like to suppress customers who've already purchased.

{% hint style="warning" %} If you notice duplicate addresses in the list, this is because both **shipping** and **billing** address are captured through Shopify. {% endhint %} ## File Upload The platform is built to handle file sizes up to **250MB** for both Audiences and Transactional uploads. After mapping and submitting your file, depending on the size you could see it queued or processing and upon completion you'll receive a success email. If there are any formatting errors you'll see the option to download an Error Report (also arrives via email): {% tabs %} {% tab title="Uploaded" %}

{% endtab %} {% tab title="Queued" %}

{% endtab %} {% tab title="Processing" %}

{% endtab %} {% tab title="Error Report" %}

{% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Error Report This file will contain the reason the row was rejected with the corresponding line in your file so it is easy to find.

### Invalid Addresses Even if you don't have any formatting errors and you receive an email saying 100% of your records uploaded successfully, your audience could still contain Invalid Addresses flagged by USPS. Invalid Addresses would include invalid city/zip code combination, missing secondary information such as Apartment or Unit number, USPS has marked the address inactive, etc.

{% hint style="warning" %} We do NOT recommend Google Maps as a valid source to verify invalid addresses, as their data is not linked to the USPS database. {% endhint %} # Address Validation Before launch, the platform will scan the validity of your address data (based on USPS flags) and return the number of mailable addresses, along with a CSV file listing all the invalid addresses. Common reasons an address may be labeled invalid include: * The address has been flagged as vacant or inactive by USPS * The address has an invalid primary number * The address has missing or invalid secondary information (*ie: apt. or suite #*) * The city/state/postal code combination is invalid * The address belongs to a commercial mail receiving agency ## Address Strictness Address Strictness can be set on an account-wide level from your Account Settings and a campaign level when creating a new campaign. **This setting controls the level of address validation required to mail**. To assure the highest likelihood of deliverability to we recommend the **Normal** setting. When mailing to commercial addresses, you may want to try adjusting to **Relaxed** depending on the confidence in your data.


Normal	Checks the existence of an address but ignore other data such as the USPS "in-service" flag.
Relaxed	Skips most address validation checks and should only be used for thoroughly vetted data or transactional mailings, where there is a high degree of confidence in the dataset.

After uploading your Audience File, Poplar performs a set of validations to ensure complete and deliverable addresses. The platform will assess the Total Records which is the number of correctly formatting fields in the file.

Any problematic addresses related to validation and delivery will show an alert you can mouse over to see the reason for the alert. When launching to your Audience via [One Time Send](/platform-basics/one-time-sends), you'll be shown the total mailable number based on your selected strictness:

## National Change of Address (NCOA) Forwarding NCOA is a dataset of change-of-addresses filed by individuals and/or businesses with the USPS. The database is maintained by the USPS and we are required by the USPS run a check for every mail piece we send. [Learn more](https://postalpro.usps.com/mailing-and-shipping-services/NCOALink)

**How is NCOA accounted for when using Geolocations, Geofences, and Zip & State suppressions?** Our location and area-based checks are performed on the *original* address that you provide. These checks are run **prior** to NCOA, meaning if your recipient has moved, we do not account for the move in our checks. However, if you are concerned about potentially mailing someone who has moved outside your delivery area(s), you can append the phrase " **or Current Resident"** to your recipient name field. This allows you to skip NCOA, meaning your mailer ultimately lands at the original address. # Address Enrichment Use our Address Enrichment feature to match a list of emails to mailing addresses for Email Retargeting. **A Hybrid Approach to Omni-channel Marketing -** Email retargeting integrates digital touchpoints with physical outreach, optimizing the customer journey through a combination of online behaviors and offline engagements. Customer email data can be leveraged in a number of ways through online interactions; Poplar enables you to incorporate Direct Mail into your email marketing flows for enhanced and seamless targeted offline campaigns. ## Use Cases * **Abandoned Cart:** Target customers earlier in the checkout process, where only email is collected before mailing address is entered. * **Subscribers and Unsubscribers:** Send a promotional mail piece to welcome new subscribers, or retain unsubscribers with a physical mail offer - chances are they're still interested in your product, just not interested in receiving emails. * **Leads:** Any instance where you're able to collect email leads (site views, sign-ups, etc.) Direct Mail can also be utilized to boost engagement. ### How it Works Poplar's Address Enrichment feature is able to match emails to physical mailing address at a 50-80%+ success rate. Our internal tests have generally found that older demographics tend to yield a higher match rate than younger ones. Thanks to the strict accuracy filters we've put in place, there should be a high yield of accurately matched addresses. If applicable, **Enable** Address Enrichment when your campaign is created, or Edit an existing campaign to adjust the setting.

When making an API request or prepping an audience file, only the **email** field is required; Poplar will initiate an address search as described in the image below. You will only be charged if an append is successful and will not be charged if a match can't be found. Holdout groups are included in the data charge since an email has to find a match in order to be eligible for the holdout group, but the cost of production will not be applied. The system will return `append failed` if it is unable to identify an address to match. If it's successful, it'll change the status to `mailing_queued`.

Your account will be charged the full amount (100% match rate) and will be automatically refunded the remainder after the email appends process is complete. The refund will be credited to your Poplar account (or the original payment method upon request). **Example** > *If you have $100 in your account and push through three $50 One Time Sends quickly, Poplar will think there is enough there is enough money for all three. By the time the first two are done processing, the third mailing will be suppressed due to lack of funds.* #### Rules and Limitations * You must agree to the Share Local Media [Supplemental Terms of Use](https://heypoplar.com/legal/terms-of-use-email-append) and reach out via our chat portal to request access to the Address Enrichment feature (for new accounts only). * Emails submitted must be customer emails; you should **NOT** submit emails you have obtained in other ways. * Emails must belong to US residents only, Poplar does not ship outside the US. * Recipient addresses for append will always be addressed to "Current Resident." Any personalization of the mail piece should not include any PII (personally identifiable information) for that specific customer. * When downloading mailing history for Address Enrichment campaigns, address data will be redacted from the file. * **The use of name merge tags is restricted for recipient privacy purposes.** # Static: PDF & PNG/JPG Welcome to the Static Creative Guide! Here you can find export instructions, print best practices, and much more ## Adobe Creative Suite (*InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop*) If you’re using a professional Adobe tool, we strongly recommend exporting your creative as a **Print-Ready PDF** using the correct **\[PDF/X-4:2008]** standard. Download design files from [Templates & Specs](https://docs.heypoplar.com/creative-design/templates-and-specs). ### File Requirements * **File type**: PDF/X-1a:2003 or PDF/X-4:2008 (***Required***) * **Color mode**: CMYK (*PDF/X-4 supports ICC profiles for broader color control*) * **Resolution**: 300 PPI * **Font embedding**: All fonts must be embedded or outlined * **Size limit**: Under 5MB (*per side*) * **Trim Size + Bleed**: * 4" x 6" → **4.25" x 6.25"** * 6" x 9" → **6.25" x 9.25"** * 6" x 11" → **6.25" x 11.25"** {% hint style="warning" %} Bleed must be included in the final export; do not add white borders or crop marks. Our address block is auto-applied, so **do not include one** in the back artwork. {% endhint %}

### About PDF/X Standards * **PDF/X-1a**: Requires flattened transparencies and CMYK-only color * **PDF/X-4** (*Recommended*): Supports ICC color profiles and native transparency for better print quality ## Adobe InDesign Setup 1. Create a new document with **0.125” bleed** on all sides 2. File → Export → Format: Adobe PDF (Print) 3. Preset: **PDF/X-4:2008** 4. Marks & Bleeds → **✓ Use Document Bleed Settings** 5. Export {% hint style="warning" %} If you skip the bleed settings, your export will default to the artboard/canvas size and trigger an upload error. {% endhint %} ## Adobe Illustrator Setup 1. Create your document with 0.125” bleed 2. File → Save As → Adobe PDF (Print) 3. Preset: **PDF/X-4:2008** 4. Bleeds → **✓ Use Document Bleed Settings** 5. Make sure **no printer marks** are checked 6. Delete (not just hide) trim/safe zone layers 7. Save PDF

## Canva, Figma, or Other Tools If you're using Canva, Figma, or another non-Adobe tool, we recommend exporting your artwork as **high-resolution PNGs** with built-in bleed. {% hint style="warning" %} Creative **MUST** be exported in pixels — **NOT** inches {% endhint %} ### File Requirements * **File type**: PNG or JPG * **Resolution**: 300 PPI * **Color mode**: RGB accepted, but may shift during CMYK printing * **Bleed**: Must be added manually in the overall pixel dimensions *(see final dimensions below)* * **Size limit**: Under 5MB * **Front and Back creatives must be exported separately** ### Dimensions with Bleed (in Pixels) | 4” x 6” | 1275 × 1875 | | ----------------- | ----------- | | 6” x 9” | 1875 × 2775 | | 6” x 11” | 1875 × 3375 | | Bifold Short-Fold | 1725 × 5175 | | Bifold Long-Fold | 3375 × 2625 | | Trifold | 2625 × 4987 | | 8.5” x 11” Letter | 3300 × 2550 | ### Canva Export Instructions 1. Set document dimensions using the **pixel values** above 2. Share → Download 3. File type: **PNG** 4. Download **Front** and **Back** separately

## QR Code Best Practices * **Minimum size**: 0.75" wide * **Test your QR Code**: Always scan the PDF export to ensure the QR works * **Adobe InDesign** has a built-in vector QR generator * **All caps** in QR code content results in a **smaller QR code**

## ✅ Final Checklist (All Tools) * [ ] Includes proper **bleed and safe area** * [ ] File is **under 5MB** * [ ] **CMYK-compatible** color or ICC profile (Adobe) * [ ] Fonts **outlined or embedded** * [ ] File dimensions match one of the standard formats (see [Templates & Specs](/getting-started/campaign-setup/creative)) * [ ] **No crop marks** or printer marks included # Dynamic: HTML/CSS Leverage customer data in your CRM/ESP for a 1:1 personalized creative design. **Dynamic** HTML template files must be used for creative designs that utilize personalization or variable content such as first name, rolling expiration date, unique promo code, etc. If no one on your team has sufficient knowledge of HTML /CSS, our team is happy to help! Just follow the instructions on this form to submit your design to be translated into HTML: {% embed url="" %} ## Merge Tags & Personalization One unique feature of the Poplar platform is the capability to print dynamic mailers. You can **personalize** your postcards or letters just like you can in an email with any information you have on your customers like **first name**, **past products purchased**, and **unique promo codes**. This personalization allows you to create designs that are statistically more likely to get the recipient’s attention since they’re tailored to each individual.

If no one on your team has sufficient knowledge of HTML /CSS, our team is happy to help! Just follow the instructions on this form to submit your design to be translated into HTML: {% embed url="" %} Poplar offers a variety of *flexible* and **creative** ways to **customize mailers** based on different types of collected audience data. Personalizations can be broken down into four merge tag categories: **Default, Promotion, Location-based, and Custom** - all of which can be dynamically optimized by the use of Shopify’s [**Liquid Template**](https://shopify.github.io/liquid/) language. {% hint style="warning" %} The address block is not considered variable or personalized, since it is always auto-applied by the platform during the upload process. {% endhint %} ## **Default Merge Tags (Recipient)** Poplar will automatically populate default merge tags based on recipient data received via CSV upload or trigger integration. In your HTML creative, default merge tags are always preceded by `recipient.` to access the core recipient data in your mail file or API request. The platform will **NOT** prompt you to set default values for `recipient.` merge tags. This means that in the event of a blank value or mismatched data, your creative will print with a blank. {% hint style="info" %} Double check all column headers and Test all triggers before launch to ensure there are no merge tag data discrepancies. {% endhint %} Missing first name data will populate as **Current Resident** and will appear on your creative as such - if you are using the `{{recipient.first_name}}` merge tag, make sure first name is provided for every recipient. | *Column Header or Key* | *Merge Tag* | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------ | | **full\_name** | {{recipient.**full\_name**}} | | **first\_name** | {{recipient.**first\_name**}} | | **last\_name** | {{recipient.**last\_name**}} | | **address\_1** | {{recipient.**address\_1**}} | | **address\_2** | {{recipient.**address\_2**}} | | **city** | {{recipient.**city**}} | | **state** | {{recipient.**state**}} | | **postal\_code** | {{recipient.**postal\_code**}} | | **email** | {{recipient.**email**}} | | **identifier** | {{recipient.**identifier**}} | ## Promotions Merge Tag If you've created a Promotion and uploaded a list of unique codes, use a `{{promotion.promo-code}}` merge tag to pull in each code. Upon uploading creative, the platform will detect promotion. and prompt you to select your Promotion from a dropdown.

### Unique QR Codes **Promotions** can also be helpful for featuring unique QR codes. Poplar has the ability to render a unique QR code image (containing a URL or code), but it does **not** generate them or track scans. A third party tool should be used to generate list of unique URLs or UTM codes - these programs typically also track scans for additional conversion metrics. The static part of the URL can be coded into the creative with a promotions merge tag where the unique UTM will appear: `https://www.heypoplar.com/?utm_source=qr&utm_content={{promotion.qr_utms}}` Next you'll want to upload the list of your unique UTMs as a Promotion list so they can be pulled into the QR code URL to generate the image:

{% hint style="warning" %} **The length of your URL affects the density of the QR code**, therefore we recommend using a **shortened version of your URL** to avoid scanning issues when printed. {% endhint %} **Background Image Example** ``` ...

``` **Image Source Example** ```

``` ## Location Based Merge Tags Location based merge tags populate with data pulled from Saved Locations within your Poplar account. They are considered default merge tags, meaning the platform will **NOT** prompt you to set a default value to appear in the event of missing data. Location based merge tags provide a flexible and easy way to customize creative based on Geolocation settings. | *Saved Location Field* | *Merge Tag* | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | | **Location Name** | {{location.**name**}} | | **Address 1** | {{location.**address\_1**}} | | **Address 2** | {{location.**address\_2**}} | | **City** | {{location.**city**}} | | **State** | {{location.**state**}} or {{location.**state\_name**}} | | **Postal Code** | {{location.**postal\_code**}} | | **Merge field 1** | {{location.**merge\_field\_1**}} | | **Merge field 2** | {{location.**merge\_field\_2**}} | | **Merge field 3** | {{location.**merge\_field\_3**}} | There must be at least one (1) saved location under the geo-locations tab & the saved locations suppression must be **toggled on** under the campaign Suppressions tab **before** you upload an HTML creative including {{location.merge\_tag}}. Click [Saved Locations](https://docs.heypoplar.com/creative-guides/docs.heypoplar.com/article/243-saved-locations) to learn more. Dynamic creatives (*designs featuring variable or personalized data*) using Merge Tags or Liquid Template logic, must be uploaded in HTML file format. This article mentions common and general merge tag use cases used within our Poplar platform. If you want to learn **how to add merge tags** to your creative please check out [**How to Convert a Static Design HTML**](https://heypoplar.com/articles/how-to-convert-a-static-design-to-html). *** ## HTML/CSS Best Practices Translating a static PDF design may sound intimidating, especially if you have little to no prior coding knowledge. Fortunately the process is usually as simple as: 1. Pulling certain aspects of your static design together 2. Re-saving them as one element 3. Embedding the URL within an `.html` file. There are a few key tools and elements to have in place before you begin: * Your original InDesign or Illustrator files * All image assets and fonts * Poplar’s HTML template files *(*[*found here*](/getting-started/creative-templates)*)* * A text editor such as [Sublime](https://www.sublimetext.com/) or [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) * A tool to preview your design as you code such as a browser window or [Codepen.io](https://codepen.io/) {% hint style="warning" %} Since Poplar is converting an HTML file to PDF, the capabilities and best practices differ slightly from a web page which uses a multitude of behind-the-scenes tools and software to render in a browser. {% endhint %} A browser can be used to preview your code design, but keep in mind certain elements, such as merge tags, may appear differently in the browser than they do when converted to PDF in the platform - this is why viewing the PDF proof generated by the platform is the best, most accurate way to check your work. When formatting your HTML design, all CSS styling should appear within the `