Practical guides for people who sell ad spots on community postcards.https://www.9x12tools.com/en-usTue, 08 Sep 2026 00:27:30 GMThttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/never-paste-your-stripe-secret-key-into-a-postcard-toolhttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/never-paste-your-stripe-secret-key-into-a-postcard-toolA secret key is unrestricted access to your entire Stripe account. What it can actually do, why Stripe stopped recommending them, and the two questions to ask any tool that takes payments for you.Mon, 31 Aug 2026 22:00:00 GMTrunning-the-businesstoolsDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/stop-selling-start-curatinghttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/stop-selling-start-curatingAd space gets sold. Membership gets applied for. The eight plays that move an operator from chasing advertisers to fielding people who ask to be on the next card.Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:00:00 GMTselling-spotsrunning-the-businessretentionDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-list-builds-itself-how-lead-scoring-workshttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-list-builds-itself-how-lead-scoring-worksSave your EDDM routes and the businesses in your mail area are already found, scored and ordered. Here is exactly where they come from, what the grade means, and where it should be overruled.Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMTlead-generationselling-spotstoolsDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/what-operators-actually-need-firsthttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/what-operators-actually-need-firstWe spent nearly two years building campaign sites for 9x12 operators. The site was never the bottleneck — and a landing page that can't take a payment is about fifth on the list of what you need.Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTrunning-the-businessgetting-startedselling-spotsDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/how-to-run-a-postcard-business-from-anywhere-even-out-of-statehttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/how-to-run-a-postcard-business-from-anywhere-even-out-of-stateEvery piece of a 9x12 postcard business can be done remotely: prospecting, selling, design, printing, even the post office drop. Here's the full remote stack, with costs.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 16:00:00 GMTrunning-the-businessDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-simple-postcard-side-hustle-thats-making-people-4k-12k-monthlyhttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-simple-postcard-side-hustle-thats-making-people-4k-12k-monthlyWhere the $4k–$12k figures come from, checked line by line: $5,724 gross on a full card, $2,509 in costs, and an honest account of what running one, two or three cards takes.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:00:00 GMTgetting-startedDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-secret-to-handling-odd-eddm-bundle-sizes-finally-explainedhttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-secret-to-handling-odd-eddm-bundle-sizes-finally-explainedEDDM routes are never round numbers. Here's exactly how to bundle a 512-piece route, what goes on the facing slip, and how to avoid getting turned away at the counter.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMTeddmprinting-and-mailingDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/how-to-make-your-9x12-postcard-business-income-way-more-consistenthttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/how-to-make-your-9x12-postcard-business-income-way-more-consistentThe feast-and-famine cycle in a 9x12 business isn't a sales problem — it's a calendar problem. Here's how operators smooth $4,000 drops into predictable monthly income.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTretentionrunning-the-businessDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/what-it-costs-to-print-and-mail-a-9x12-postcardhttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/what-it-costs-to-print-and-mail-a-9x12-postcardA 5,000-piece 9x12 EDDM drop runs about $2,500 all-in — roughly 50¢ per home. Here's every line item from published rates, and what full-service fulfillment is really worth.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTprinting-and-mailingpricingDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/how-much-to-charge-per-ad-spothttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/how-much-to-charge-per-ad-spotThe median community card ad spot sells for $477 per mailing. Here's the full distribution from 76 live operator sites across 81 markets — and how to price your first card without guessing.Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:00:00 GMTpricingselling-spotsDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/what-is-eddmhttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/what-is-eddmEDDM lets you mail an entire postal route without buying a single address. It's also the reason community cards are 9x12 in the first place. Here's how it actually works.Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMTeddmgetting-startedDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/how-to-sell-ad-space-on-postcardshttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/how-to-sell-ad-space-on-postcardsYou don't need to be a salesperson to fill a community card. You need a list, a reason to call, a price you can defend, and a follow-up system. Here's the whole thing.Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTselling-spotsgetting-startedDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/make-1500-today-local-side-hustlehttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/make-1500-today-local-side-hustleThree ad spots at the $477 median is $1,431 collected. Here is the arithmetic, the script, and an honest account of how many calls it takes to get three yeses.Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMTgetting-startedDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/instagram-boost-that-fills-9x12-cards-7-dollars-a-dayhttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/instagram-boost-that-fills-9x12-cards-7-dollars-a-dayA $49 boost aimed at the ZIPs your card mails to, with a video of the printed piece. Here is the setup — targeting, creative, caption — and why contractors tend to reply first.Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMTlead-generationDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-objection-that-kills-most-postcard-deals-and-how-to-crush-ithttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-objection-that-kills-most-postcard-deals-and-how-to-crush-itEvery community card operator hears it: 'Direct mail doesn't work.' Here's how experienced operators are turning that objection into a closed deal.Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTselling-spotsfollow-upDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-follow-up-formula-how-operators-are-closing-spots-on-the-second-third-and-fifth-touchhttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-follow-up-formula-how-operators-are-closing-spots-on-the-second-third-and-fifth-touchMost community card spots don't sell on the first conversation. Here's what operators are doing to close prospects who said maybe -- or nothing at all.Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMTselling-spotsfollow-upDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/facebook-groups-that-fill-your-9x12-card-with-inbound-leadshttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/facebook-groups-that-fill-your-9x12-card-with-inbound-leadsMost operators cold-call and email hoping someone bites. A different approach -- posting in local Facebook groups with the right visuals -- is generating 25+ inbound leads from a few posts.Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTselling-spotslead-generationDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/how-to-get-9x12-advertisers-to-renew-every-monthhttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/how-to-get-9x12-advertisers-to-renew-every-monthMost operators focus on filling slots. The real money is in keeping them filled. Here's how to set up renewals from day 1 so the ask almost makes itself.Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTretentionselling-spotsDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/spotleads-the-prospecting-tool-9x12-operators-neededhttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/spotleads-the-prospecting-tool-9x12-operators-neededI built SpotLeads because operators were spending 3+ hours manually building prospect lists. Here's what it does and why it matters.Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTlead-generationtoolsDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/first-50-prospects-a-day-outreach-planhttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/first-50-prospects-a-day-outreach-planA beginner-friendly daily workflow for 9x12 operators to build a clean list, reach out, and follow up until your card is sold.Wed, 28 Jan 2026 23:20:00 GMTselling-spotslead-generationDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-3-touch-follow-up-system-for-postcard-leadshttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/the-3-touch-follow-up-system-for-postcard-leadsMost 9x12 cards don't fail because of routes or design--they fail because operators don't follow up. Here's a simple 3-touch system to turn warm replies into paid placements.Wed, 28 Jan 2026 23:20:00 GMTselling-spotsfollow-upDustin Myershttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/from-150-postcards-to-10k-deals-a-montana-marketing-success-storyhttps://www.9x12tools.com/blog/from-150-postcards-to-10k-deals-a-montana-marketing-success-storyHow a Montana marketing duo turned $150 community card spots into a thriving digital agency — and why the 'small' approach sometimes wins bigger.Fri, 12 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMToperator-storiesDustin Myers