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Postcard content checklist

Gather and approve the words, facts, dates, images and response details a useful postcard needs before layout.

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Prepare before layout

The five content blocks to approve

A postcard becomes easier to design when every block has a clear purpose and owner.

Front Visual And Headline

Front visual and headline should establish the subject and give recipients of a mailed promotion, invitation, thank-you or short announcement a reason to continue. Keep it separate enough to review and update without disturbing unrelated content.

Short Supporting Message

Short supporting message should supply the context needed to interpret the main message accurately. Keep it separate enough to review and update without disturbing unrelated content.

Recipient Or Address Area

Recipient or address area should state the practical facts that can change a reader’s decision. Keep it separate enough to review and update without disturbing unrelated content.

Sender Identity

Sender identity should explain the next step in words and provide a dependable route to take it. Keep it separate enough to review and update without disturbing unrelated content.

Response Details And Any Conditions

Response details and any conditions should identify the responsible source so the publication can be trusted and updated. Keep it separate enough to review and update without disturbing unrelated content.

Practical workflow

Work through the publication in a fixed order

Separate content, structure and proofing decisions so a late correction does not undo earlier work.

Collect authoritative details

Mail dates, promotional codes, contact details and address conventions should be checked before personalisation or bulk production. Copy facts from an approved source rather than an old PDF or a previous issue whose accuracy is unknown. Preserve meaningful punctuation, units and conditions. If a number, date or name can change the reader’s decision, flag it for a second check and record who approved it.

Edit for the actual space

Draft the longest realistic version of names, descriptions and calls to action before fixing the layout. Use large, concise display text on the front and a calm reading size for the message, address and conditions on the reverse. Shortening should improve clarity, not hide required conditions. Keep headings descriptive and write link or response text that explains the destination. When text must continue elsewhere, use an explicit continuation rather than leaving the reader to guess.

Run a content-only proof

Read the words without evaluating colour or visual style. Check the sequence front visual and headline, short supporting message, recipient or address area, sender identity and response details and any conditions, then verify spelling, names, dates, contact routes and any source notes. Ask a reviewer unfamiliar with the project to state the main message and next action. If that answer differs from the brief—to deliver one memorable front message and a practical reverse-side response—revise the content before investing in visual polish.

Use before sign-off

A short working checklist

Content sign-off checklist

  1. Every section has an owner and an approved source.
  2. Names, dates, numbers, URLs and contact routes have been checked separately.
  3. Headings describe their sections instead of using vague labels.
  4. Required conditions are readable and attached to the relevant claim or action.
  5. The final wording avoids treating the reverse as leftover space and discovering too late that postal marks collide with the message.
  6. The approved copy is saved with the publication version used for layout.
Keep the source and proof together. Megal Publisher can keep the page objects editable in an .mpub project. Preserve the source facts and the approved output as separate records so later changes can be checked.

Continue the workflow

Related postcard guides

Move to the next production decision or compare the same task for another publication format.

Data for a postcard

Continue this postcard project with checks for accurate repeated information.

Foundational references: Microsoft Publisher alternative · Direct PUB import evidence · Megal Publisher instruction manual.

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