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ZAP~POST is a direct mail platform which helps you get Direct Mail campaigns sent out for your business- just as easily as sending out email marketing.
ZAP~POST Is an automated Direct Mail Platform intended to provide your business with the ability to send programmatically driven direct mail campaigns composed of bespoke content for each of your customers.
With ZAP~POST you can create your direct mail campaigns, design your content and submit your data used to create the ZAPs. From there ZAP~POST take care of all of the industry standard processes such as mail cleansing and mail sorting to provide the most affordable and effective direct mail solution possible. This document will guide you through the various processes and UIs contained within the app so you can understand how it works and how you can use the platform to assist with your role.
app.zappost.com
The ZAP~POST Web App or 'ZAPP' is the app that provides most of the ZAP~POST functionality.
ZAP~POST allows you to send Direct Mail to your customers, just as easily as sending them an email. Using the ZAP~POST app you can:
Create multiple direct mail campaigns to send to your customers.
Design direct mail (Zaps) to look exactly how you want it, and personalise it for each and every recipient.
Upload your customer’s address data to create timely and relevant direct mail which will drive re-engagement. A basic overview of task roadmap in ZAP~POST:
Tracking your Zap campaigns
The design editor allows you to personalise and edit the layout of a Zap.
The ZAP~POST designer is a tool that allows you to easily create direct mail designs for specific mail campaigns. With the design tool, you can add images, text, customisations, and QR codes to your Zap designs.
You can keep your designs on-brand and within your brand guidelines by uploading your own fonts into ZAP~POST. You can also save designs for later; these will be ready to use again whenever they are needed.
Once on zappost.com, the designer can be accessed from three different pages:
Home page -
Design your Zap -
How direct mail works -
When visiting the designer for the first time, you'll have the option to select one of our premade designs, or to start from scratch.
You can filter designs by different sectors or campaign types.
To start from scratch, select the blank template
If you do choose to start from scratch, you'll then have the option to select which paperstock you would like. For more information on our paperstocks and to download a template, see our academy .
Depending on the paper stock you have chosen for your campaign, there will be a number of different lines shown on your canvas. Simply put, these lines are quality control methods that help to achieve the professional print and finish your designs deserve.
The visibility of these lines can be turned on/off using the view settings submenu.
There are 3 key printer's marks shown on the Impact, Mini and Secure paper stocks:
Bleed area - The red-shaded bleed area extends out an extra 3mm from the solid black trim line. All images or colour that print to the edge of your design should be fully extended into this area to avoid the chance of white lines appearing. This will ensure that when trimmed, your design is printed edge to edge. Make sure not to place any important content or artwork elements in this area, as it will get trimmed off.
Trim Line - The solid black trim line shows the finished size of the document. Anything placed outside of this area will be trimmed off.
Safety Line - We recommend that no text or barcodes are placed outside the red dashed safety line, as anything placed outside of this box will risk being cut off.
The grey, un-editable boxes shown on the canvas are for the postage and returns management areas. Text and barcode widgets can be placed in these areas but they will become opaque and you'll be presented with a warning. Any images placed in these areas will sit behind a white box outline of the area when printed.
Using the asset bar shown below, you can add a number of different assets to your Zap designs. ZAP~POST assets may include the following media types:
You can use the asset explorer on the right of the designer screen to select, rename, reorder and delete assets.
Assets can be duplicated by either using CTRL C and then CTRL V, or by clicking the duplicate asset icon. This is useful when you might want to preserve the formatting of an asset, rather than starting from scratch on a new asset with default formatting.
Clicking the static image icon will open the static image window.
Using the static image tool, you can click ‘upload’ to add up to 3 files at once. Accepted formats are jpeg, jpg, png, pdf and tiff. Files can be up to 5MB in size, however, tiff files can be up to 50mb.
These uploaded images are added to your static image library where you can access them at any time.
You can delete any unwanted images from your image library by selecting them and then clicking ‘delete’. You can also create folders in your static image library to organise your images.
To add an image into a Zap design, select it in the static image window then select ‘choose’. When an image has been added to the design, you can use the handles on the sides of the image to resize or rotate the image to your preferred size & position.
By clicking the text icon, a text box will be added to the centre of a Zap design. You can use the handles on the sides of the text box to resize and reposition it.
Select the box to view the text controls in the sidebar. There are two controls worth mentioning here: variables and copy fitting.
This is how you add personalisation to your Zap designs. Select from the dropdown list to choose a personalisation.
When inserted into the design, a placeholder text will appear, this will look similar to ‘<~D:firstname~>’. When you upload your recipient data to ZAP~POST, any personalisations will be replaced with the relevant field from your data.
To preview how personalisations will look, you can toggle the preview personalisation to swap out the placeholder example data. By toggling this on you can then cycle through different sets of example data.
Along with customisation and variables, you can specify the date and time format that's displayed on their designs.
If the data contains a date or time as a custom field, you can select from the below.
Date Formats: Original Formatting MM/DD/YYYY - 12/25/2023 DD/MM/YYYY - 25/12/2023 Month DD YYYY - December 25 2023 DD Month YYYY - 25 December 2023 Time Formats: Original Formatting 24 Hour - 13:00 12 Hour - 1:00pm
This is directly related to Variables. If using a personalisation that potentially has different lengths of data (eg. a first name), copy fitting will ensure that the text will be automatically resized to still fit inside your text box. There are two types of copy-fitting:
Shrink Copy to fit area - this will decrease the font size to make the text fit inside the text box if it is too long.
Grow Copy to fit area - this will increase the font size to make the text as large as it can be within the text box.
'Shrink copy to fit area' is turned on by default, but both of these settings can be toggled on and off using the toggles.
QR codes can be inserted into any design by clicking on the QR code icon. When added to your design, you have four options to select from, Standard, Phone, Email and Tracked QR.
Standard QR
There are two options when defining a URL for the QR code. You can either choose a customisation that will use a URL stored within your data, or you can manually enter a URL using the text box field in the QR Code control sidebar. You can select the barcode colour along with the background colour and set a transparency for the background.
A word of warning: QR Codes will only scan when there is enough contrast between them and the background. Make sure that your QR code is sat on a white box or on a light colour background to ensure it will work as intended. A QR code must also be at least 2cmx2cm in size to scan successfully.
Phone QR
When selecting phone, you can either use a customisation found in your data or enter a fixed number. when this is scanned on a mobile device, that users phone will automatically start a call phone call to the number entered.
Email QR
When selecting email, once again, you can use customisations or enter the email address, subject and bodt text manually. When this is scanned, that user will automatically compile an email using the stating subject and body.
Tracked QR
If you select 'Tracked QR' from the drop down, you'll be shown a list of fields to populate, this will then create a UTM tracking URL for a Google Analytics campaign.
Website URL - the full website to direct your customers to (e.g. https://www.zappost.com) Campaign ID - used to identify which adds campaign this referral references. Use utm_id to identify a specific ads campaign. Campaign Source - use utm_source to identify a search engine, newsletter name, or other source. Campaign Medium - use utm_medium to identify a medium such as emails or cost-per-click Campaign Name - used for keyword analysis. Use utm_campaign to identify a specific product promotion or strategic campaign Campaign Term - used for paid search. Use utm_term to note the keywords for this ad. Campaign Content - used for A/B testing and content targeted ads. Use utm_content to differentiate ads or links that point to the same URL.
QR Code usage can be easily tracked using ZAP~POST. By turning on the 'Add ZAP Insights' toggle switch, you can measure how many scans you receive from your Zap submission.
When you have turned on ZAP Insights for QR codes, the scans will be recorded and grouped according to the submission the Zap was a part of. You can download a CSV of which recipients have scanned a QR code using the 'QR Code Tracking' download button in the furthest right column of the table on the Zap Processing screen. You can also view the QR scan data in the graphs shown on the.
With ZAP~POST, you can upload custom fonts for use in your ZAP designs. To do so, you should first select the ‘fonts’ icon from the asset bar to navigate to the font management area. From here, you can upload fonts in either .ttf or .otf file formats. You can view, edit or remove their existing custom fonts. Any fonts uploaded will be available to use in the text editor tool.
You can select a background colour for your design. On the right hand side under assets you will see an option called background. There are multiple ways you can choose your colour, RGB value HEX value HSV value
There are two reasons you will want to save your design: 1. To be able to come back later and amend them 2. If you sign up to an account, the design will be waiting for you in the ZAP APP
Saving you design is easy, click 'file' and then 'Save' or click on the save icon in the designer.
The Auto Save feature ensures that your work is continuously saved after every change you make, providing a safety net against unexpected disruptions or crashes.
You have the flexibility to toggle the Auto Save feature on or off, based on your preference and workflow. To turn autosave on, click the toggle next to the save icon in the designer.
Autosave will be turned on by default when you create a campaign. If you have not yet saved a design for that campaign, then autosave will create a file for you. This file can be found in your saved designs folder in the Zap Designer accessed from the file dropdown menu.
When you're happy with your design, and you've saved your changes, you can create an account by clicking Sign up
For more detailed information on creating an account, see our
Logging in to the ZAPP
You have two options when logging into Zapp. You can authenticate via your ZAP~POST username and password or via your existing SMARTSlip account.
If you wish to log in via your SMARTSlip account, you will be redirected to the SMARTSlip login page. You can then provide your username and password and will be automatically returned to the ZAPP.
If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it using the link below the login area on .
Alternatively, you can visit:
The Settings page allows you to amend or edit various options within your account.
To navigate to the Settings page, click on the settings icon in the ZAP~APP navigation bar.
Once on the settings page, you have access to amend or view the below. - User Management - Add and manage users associated with the ZAP account - Default Paper Stock- Select the paper size used for ZAPs - Frequency - Set how often a GDPR purge occurs and prevent individual recipients from receiving more than one ZAP within a configurable time period - Account Details - Change company details - Notifications - Manager your notification preferences - Plan - View plan settings including used and remaining ZAPs - API Consumers - Generate and view API Keys for the ZAPI - Zap History - View a breakdown of your send history - Webhooks - Generate, view and manage your webhooks - Billing - Search for and download invoices associated with your Zap account
As part of address processing, ZAP~POST takes the records you've submitted and uploads them to the Postcode Address File aka PAF.
The UK Postcode Address File (PAF) is a database that contains all known 'delivery points' and postcodes in the United Kingdom. The 'delivery points' held on the PAF are routing instructions used by Royal Mail to sort and deliver mail quickly and accurately.
During this process, we check your submission records against PAF. Any discrepancies from the submission are then amended in the PAF - this file is owned and maintained by Royal Mail.
We’ve created the ZAP~POST Academy to help you get the most out of your ZAP~APP experience.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, reach out to us and we’ll get back to you.
Deceased and gone away checks are included as part of ZAP~POST's data cleansing process. These checks are performed against a list of 3rd party services/agencies.
The Bereavement Register MPS (Mailing Preference Service) Mortascreen
GAS (Goneaway Suppression File) Information Works Goneaway NCOA Suppress (National Change of Address)
Industry standard data cleansing processes
Data cleansing is the process of checking the accuracy of records using the Postcode Address File as well as a database of Deceased or Gone Away recipients. Data filtering, PAF check, and data cleansing are all included as part of the ZAP~POST process.
As part of the data cleansing process, we provide all clients with a 'Cleanse Report' at the end of each campaign. This report will highlight any records from the original submission that failed a PAF, deceased, or gone away check.
ZAP~POST is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. We are actively working to increase the accessibility and usability of our website and, in doing so, adhere to many of the available standards and guidelines.
This site has been built using a high standard of HTML and CSS. The site displays correctly in current browsers and using high standard HTML/CSS code means any future browsers will also display it correctly.
Whilst ZAP~POST strive to adhere to the accepted guidelines and standards for accessibility and usability, it is not always possible to do so in all areas of the website.
We are continually seeking out solutions that will bring all areas of the site up to the same level of overall web accessibility. In the meantime should you experience any difficulty in accessing the ZAP~POST website, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Using the icons at the top of the page in the header section, you can navigate to the different areas of the app.
Using the links on the tiles on the dashboard page, you can navigate to specific areas of the app you will need to visit in order to start sending Zaps.
ZAP~POST cares about its people, the people we work with and for, and for those we are never likely to meet, in this lifetime, or the next. For every 200 Zaps you send, we plant a tree. For more information on our Zap pledge, see here.
Dynamic images in ZAP~POST allow you to further personalise your direct mail by having unique images on each ZAP.
To get started, follow these steps:
In order to include dynamic images on a design, you'll need to create a new campaign and add a custom field to your template, for more help on this see our campaigns guide.
When adding a custom field, you need to ensure the below fields are completed, for more help on creating custom fields, see our custom fields guide.
Adding a dynamic image to your design couldn't be easier, choose 'Dynamic Image' from the widget toolbar.
By selecting 'Dynamic Image' a placeholder will automatically be added to the canvas. Once on the canvas you can treat it as any other image by moving and resizing as desired.
When clicking on the placeholder, you'll see the management area. Here you need to click on the 'Custom Field' drop down and select the field you would like the image to be mapped to.
Using the management area, you can adjust the exact width and height of the placeholder.
When adding a dynamic image, auto save will temporarily be disabled until a custom field has been selected.
You can proof and publish your designs if you have included a dynamic image. When going through the proofing or publishing journey, you have the option to create a proof with your own data or existing sample data, for more help on proofing, follow .
The ZAP~POST web application (or ZAPP for short)
Once you've created your account and set up your company with ZAP~POST, you will be taken to the ZAPP. This is the web application from which you can manage the creation of your Direct Mail campaigns.
Select the paper size used for ZAPs through your account
The paper stock screen (found under 'Settings') in the ZAP~APP allows you to choose which paper stock is used when printing your ZAPs.
Manage your ZAP POST API configuration and consumption
API consumers are used to connect our application to other applications. They may be required to connect one or more of our integrations or if you wish to build your own.
If you're a developer you can read the or visit
In order to get to your API Consumers you should go to Settings in the top nav bar and then to 'API Consumers' in the sub navigation on the left side of the page
Add and manager users associated with the ZAP account
User management (found under 'Settings') is where you can enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your account.
This screen also allows you to see your total number of current users, a breakdown of user roles, and a table outlining each user, email, role, and status.
View or change your account plan.
The plan page (found under 'Settings') in the ZAP~APP allows you to view your current plan type as well as upgrade. downgrade and cancel your plan.
It includes how many ZAPs are remaining on your account, how many credits have been issued, and any extra ZAPs that have been used over your initial sign-up limit.
To upgrade or downgrade your plan, click on 'Change Plan' and select the new plan you wish to change to, you'll have the option to change to a monthly or annual plan.
Name
The name of the field. This will be shown in CSV templates as column headers.
Description
This will identify the use of the field to users submitting via CSV. The CSV template will contain the description below each column header.
Mandatory
If a value must be included for the field.
Label
This will be used in the design to identify the field so that it can be replaced for submitted data.
Data Type
This must be set to URL
We’ve created the ZAP~POST Academy to help you get the most out of the ZAP~APP experience.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, reach out to us and we’ll get back to you. We also have a live chat option if you need to speak to someone right away. Our live chat is monitored 08:30am - 5:30pm BST/GMT
In order to add a new consumer you should select the 'Add New Consumer' button.
Once selected you will be to taken to the New Consumer slide out from which you can configure your preferred consumer name and enable the consumer. Whilst we will auto generate your API Credentials for you, these can be set manually to your preferred values or use the generate keys button to generate random keys.
Once you're happy with your values, you can click create consumer and the API consumer will be saved for you.
Once you have one or more API consumers configured, you'll be able to see and manage them in the API Consumers UI. You can copy the API keys, enable or daisable them, delete them, generate a new set of keys and also view the API logs associated with the consumer
Each API Consumer will keep a log of all requests and responses for auditing and troubleshooting.
Once on the logs UI you can filter by date, API Verb, HTTP Status and endpoint.
By clicking the view logs icon you can see the request endpoint, the http status, request headers, request body, response headers and response body.
Once you've chosen to either downgrade your plan or upgrade it on the next renewal date, you'll then have the option to cancel your changes.
To cancel your changes, go ahead and click 'Cancel Upgrade'.
To cancel your plan entirely, click on 'Cancel Plan', you'll see a pop up confirmation asking if you wish to proceed, plan cancellations always happen on your next renewal date.
When cancelling your plan, you'll still have full access to the ZAP~APP as well as any remaining ZAP Allowance and Cleanse Credits. If you cancel your plan and change your mind, reach out to us and we'll back you back on track.
This section of the user guide will walk you through uploading data into the ZAPP in order to get your Zap Campaigns sent out.
At this point your campaign should be set up, the design created and published, and ready for data upload.
On the 'campaigns' screen you should see an option to 'Upload CSV to send Zaps'
Once you have the CSV upload icon, you will be asked to select a send date for your campaign.
After choosing your send date, you will be asked to select a CSV. This will then go through validation; this includes checking header names, missing columns, missing mandatory data, etc. You will either receive a confirmation or failure to upload.
When initially viewing field mapping, the ZAP APP will try to automatically map fields it can identify irrelevant of casing. For example, the template header expects to see Firstname, as the CSV header is First Name it is automatically mapped.
For any fields that cannot be automatically mapped, you will be able to select the drop down under 'CSV Headers' to choose with field the ZAP APP should get the data from.
You will not be able to confirm your changes until, as a minimum, all mandatory fields are mapped.
Upon clicking confirm, the ZAP APP will continue validation, checking missing mandatory data and any validation requirements.
You will either receive a confirmation or failure to upload.
If the ZAP~APP fails to upload the CSV, you will be given two options: 1. Ignore and continue - this will process the CSV, ignoring any failed records. 2. Download and fix records - this will automatically download a failure report, highlighting which records failed and why.
After you have corrected or removed any failed records, you can upload the file again from the campaigns page.
If you find yourself wishing for Null to appear on one of more of your records due to being a Street Name or even a Surname, then The ZAP APP can handle 'Null' entries when it comes to CSV uploads.
After uploading a CSV if the ZAP APP identifies a 'Null' record then it will be highlighted after the field mapping process.
Once your CSV has uploaded successfully, you will see a confirmation of upload. Upon clicking the 'Next' link in the bottom right, you will be shown a 'Campaign confirmation'.
This will confirm: - Number of Zaps - Campaign Name - Date of Send - Estimated Arrival - Zaps Used (out of the total remaining on your account)
Clicking the 'Confirm' link will save your data and campaign.
Various integrations are available to connect your data directly with ZAP~POST, these include:
Klaviyo
Hubspot
DotDigital
Patchworks
For detailed information on our integrations, see our
The Processing Overview allows you to see all submissions, including past campaigns and any campaigns yet to be sent.
To navigate to the ZAP Processing page, click the ‘processing’ icon in the header of ZAP~POST.
From the ZAP processing page, you may see important information relating to each submission: - Date Submitted - This is the date the original submission was uploaded to the campaign - Submission ID - A unique submission ID (for future use with ZAP~API) - Count of Records - The number of records on initial upload, prior to any data cleansing results and a link to download the original submission data. - Paper Stock - The paper being used for the submission - Campaign Name - The name of the campaign the data has been submitted against - View/Edit Design - You can use this to amend which design a submission uses - Accepted Data - The number of accepted records following the PAF and Cleanse process - Failed Cleanse Records - Details of all records that fail the PAF and Cleanse process - Zaps Created - The number of Zaps to be printed and posted - Frequency Rejected - Details of any records that have been rejected due to the accounts frequency settings - Scheduled For - The date Zaps are due to send - Invoice - Downloadable PDF invoice with cost breakdowns - Download Returns - Provides a list of records for any Zaps that have been returned to sender - QR Code Tracking - A report highlighting which customers scanned a QR code and when
Users can download their original submission data by clicking the download icon in the 'Count of Records' column on the processing page
If you've already submitted data and realised you need to change your design. You can make changes to your design, save and publish your changes and select the new design from this screen.
Click on the View/Edit Design icon and select 'Change Design'
You'll then be prompted to select a new front and back panel.
Once you've selected your new design, you'll be able to specify which submission(s) you would like to update.
Once you've selected which submission is updated, click 'Save and Exit'
Take control of your inbox by selecting or deselecting the emails you want to receive.
Notifications (found under 'Settings') allows you to make changes to your notification preferences within this dedicated page.
See below for a list of available emails with a brief description of each one.
Data Submission - Confirmation of a submission upload whether that's via the app or API
Invited User - When a new user is added to your account
Campaign Creation - Confirmation a campaign has been successfully created
Cleansed Data - Confirmation when your records have been cleansed
Publish Confirmation - Confirmation of a successful design publish
Feedback Requests (Publisher) - Request for feedback when a design is published
Feedback Requests (Campaigns) - Request for feedback when a campaign is created
Notice of Upcoming Renewal - Reminder that you ZAP Plan is due for renewal
Inactivity Reminder - Reminder when there has been no activity on your ZAP account
Mailing Updates - Update informing you that your ZAPs have gone to print
Changelog Updates - News on when new exciting features are released to the ZAP app
Summary Email - A weekly email highlight the summary for that week, including sent and returned ZAPs
Plan Cancellation - A confirmation that you've opted to cancel your ZAP Plan
Change of Plan - A confirmation that you've either upgraded or downgraded your ZAP Plan
To enable or disable emails, simply check the box next to the relevant email and click save changes.
It should. To see our list of current integrations click here, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for then let us know and we might be able to help.
The paper we use for our Zaps is ethically sourced and FSC accredited. FSC stands for 'Forest Stewardship Council'. The FSC certifies forests all over the world to ensure they meet the highest environmental and social standards. Products made with wood and paper from FSC forests are marked with the 'tick tree' logo. about how we’re using ZAP~POST to change things for the better.
We use the highest quality HP Indigo colour production grade printing presses for our Zaps. Not to get too geeky about it, this print tech has unmatched colour and ink capabilities, can print on a broad range of substrates in the digital print industry and deliver the highest speeds for high print quality. Most importantly this ensures your Zaps are in the hands of your customers quickly and to a high standard- reflecting your brand in the best possible way.
Search for and download invoices associated with your Zap account
The Billing page (found under 'Settings') in the Zap App allows you view and download any invoices associated with your account.
It includes the invoice date, number, type and amounts. To download the invoice, click on the download icon.
You can expand any row within the table to see a more detailed breakdown without having to download the invoice.
Records Uploaded - The total count of records uploaded
Cleanse Credits - The amount if cleanse credits used for the submission
Records Charged - The difference between the records uploads and cleanse credits
Membership Total - The total membership fee if applicable
Zap Subtotal - Subtotal for the amount of records charged
Discount - The amount for any discount allocated to the submission
Subtotal - Total charge excluding VAT
VAT - Total VAT charged
Total - The total for the invoice
Limit individual recipients from receiving more than one ZAP.
The Send Limits screen (found under 'Settings') in the ZAP~APP allows you to determine how frequently you want your recipients to be able to receive ZAP sends.
More is not always better. In the same way as bombarding your customers with too many emails will turn them off of your brand, direct mail is no different. This allows you to prevent individual recipients from receiving more than one ZAP within a configurable time period.
There's one way to find out. Submit a csv (you can download the template from the 'Campaign' page). We'll do three checks on it and give you the results. If its over 60% undeliverable, ZAP~POST will respectfully suggest your data is not worth spending any money on. If its anything better than that, the campaign will proceed and you'll just get Zap credits for those that are undeliverable. (See Zap Credits).
Create, edit, delete webhooks.
The Webhooks page (found under 'Settings') inthe ZAP~APP allows you to create webhooks as well as edit and delete them.
A webhook is a way for an application to provide other applications with real-time information. Webhooks provide a powerful mechanism for integrating different services and enabling automation in a streamlined manner.
Any created webhooks also have the option to view the logs giving you more insight into any successes and errors.
Change your Company details
The account details screen (found under 'Settings') in the ZAP~APP allows you to view and amend your company details, logo, and sector. This screen includes an address finder for updating your company address.
The more recent the better. As the data gets older, you'll find more of your database has moved on, in one way or another. We wouldn't want to put a number on it, because it depends on too many factors as to how far back you should go. The answer is to test it. Split your segments up into lapsed age bands and do one campaign at a time. Test, test and test again, just like you will do with your email campaigns.
The answer depends on your Customer demographic. If your target Customers are Gen Z, we'd suggest 2 years would be your max. If Silver Surfers are more your bag, a lapsed customer campaign up to 5 years has been done before. The good news is ZAP~POST allows you to test these segments in small doses, so you'll know the answer without exposing yourselves to too much risk.
ZAP~POST has partnered with the best in the business to provide you with the cleanest data sets possible. There are actually three levels of process to deliver a fully cleansed data set:
1) Filtering and validation, 2) PAF (Post Code Address File) checks, to remove any unrecognisable and undeliverable addresses and 3) Deceased and gone away checks, comparing against multiple databases.
Yes. And no. ZAP~POST will enable you to download the records that failed simple validation. Same goes for addresses that were rejected in the PAF process - you can download those records too. Recipients who have moved or gone away, they cannot be shared, unless you have opted for advanced data cleansing (the difference between "Surpress" and "Flag").
ZAP~POST ethos is to make Automated or Programmatic Direct Mail really simple. Everything is built into your Zap pricing, including Data cleaning. Zap data cleaning happens as standard for every recipient, and there's a Zap credit system for those that are rejected and removed for members with a Monthly or Annual plan. Search Zap Credits for more information.
CSV data is the most reliable method of sending data in a file format. Ultimately, your Zap campaigns are powered by your Ecommerce store, your marketing automation platform or your CRM / CDP tools and they should be connected to ZAP~POST via API.
If you cannot connect via API, then export records from your Data Source, and import them into ZAPPOST.
The easiest way to connect campaigns to ZAP~POST is via Integrations.
ZAP~POST is ISO 27001 accredited. Your recipient data is transferred and 'at rest' fully encrypted. By default, all recipient data is anonymised after 180 days.
Default data retention period is 180 days post send, after which time all recipient data is anonymised. You can change the default in account settings any time.
If your data is 'clean', that's great. It won't hurt to run it through the Zap machine, and it will not cost you a bean, or a Zap. By default though, every recipient record gets put through the mill to ensure highest possible deliverability which means you get the highest possible conversion.
FSC stands for 'Forest Stewardship Council'. The FSC certifies forests all over the world to ensure they meet the highest environmental and social standards. Products made with wood and paper from FSC forests are marked with the 'tick tree' logo.
We have partnered with Veritree We were partnered with Eden Reforestation Project until the end of 2023 where, together with our sister business, Retain.me, we planted over 130,000 trees. We moved to Veritree to have greater transparency on our tree-planting efforts, both for us, and for ZAP~POST's members.
Veritree is a restoration platform for companies and planting partners looking to make, measure and communicate nature-positive impact.
Love Paper is a global campaign promoting the sustainable and attractive attributes of print, paper and paper packaging.
We give some clients credits after each campaign has been completed. Credits are given if a ZAP is not sent following the Data Cleansing process. As the data cleansing process is included in the cost of Zapping, we can't refund it. Therefore, we issue a credit in its place. ZAP credits are associated with your account rather than your plan. They will also only roll over to the next billing period - after that, they are lost.
Publish Reminder - Reminder that a design has been saved but not published
To add a webhook, simply click 'Add New Webhook'. A slide out will then appear allowing you to create your webhook. You'll have the ability to set the following values.
Name - An easily recognisable name for the webhook being created. Target URL - The URL endpoint to which events should be sent. Event Trigger - When the specific event happens in the ZAP APP, it triggers the webhook. Basic Auth Username - The username built into the HTTP protocol. Basic Auth Password - The password built into the HTTP protocol. HTTP Headers - These let you and the server pass additional information with an HTTP request or response. They're most often used for authentication purposes. Status - Determines if the webhook is active or inactive.
Once you're done, click 'Create Webhook' and your details will be saved.
When creating a webhook, you have different options for Event Trigger.
New Submission - This triggers when a new submission is uploaded to the ZAP~APP either manually or via the ZAP API. Records Rejected - This triggers during the PAF and Cleanse process and includes any records removed from the send due to failing these checks. Zap Returned - This triggers when a ZAP is returned to sender and includes the recipients details. QR Code Scanned - This triggers if your design contained a QR code, when scanned by the recipient it'll confirm who scanned it and when.
To edit a webhook, click on the edit icon on the webhooks page and you can amend any details you need.
To delete a webhook, click on the bin incon on the webhooks page, you'll see a pop up asking if you're sure you want to delete.
To view the logs for one of your webhooks, click on 'View' from the webhooks page. This will then give you an overview of all logs for that webhook with a quick visual of the Status Code for each event.
You can filter this page based on Target URL, Status Code, From and To Dates and Time.
To see the request and response for each log, click on the view logs icon.
When viewing a log, you'll be able to see the request header, a webhook request header is part of the HTTP request sent to a specified URL endpoint when an event triggers the webhook. These headers contain data about the request and help ensure that the receiving server can interpret the incoming data correctly and securely.
You'll also be able to view the request body, a webhook request body contains the actual data payload sent from the source application to the receiving server when an event triggers the webhook. This payload includes detailed information about the event and any relevant data associated with it.
You're also able to view the webhook response header, A webhook response header is part of the HTTP response sent by the server that receives a webhook request. These headers provide information about the response and can include status information, content type, and other metadata.
A webhook response body is the data returned by the server receiving a webhook request. It provides feedback about the result of the webhook processing.
The Postcode Address File (PAF) is a database that contains all known "delivery points" and postcodes in the United Kingdom. The PAF is a collection of over 29 million Royal Mail postal addresses and 1.8 million postcodes. If you want to get into the weeds, check wikipedia
In the UK, ultimately 'Postie' always delivers, regardless of which carrier is used. ZAP~POST will use any carrier based on factors at that time, including price, performance and network availability.
We'll get to daily sends soon enough, but if you want to do a solo send, yes, just let us know the date you want a campaign to land and we'll advise the best send date.
When you're ready, choose a send date in the app, or via the API. You can expect your Zaps to start landing two or three days after the send date. If your preferred send date is not in the app, start a webchat, or send an email to [email protected] to request one.
Zap pricing is based on second class mail. If you want to go first class, great, but we'll need to give you some first class pricing :) First class pricing is not available on the website so please get in touch.
There's your time and effort to consider here, not just the ZAP~POST cost. Zap advice is go for a minimum of 1,000 recipients for a trial, and try two different messages or offers, so you have enough data to make an informed decision about your programmatic direct mail future.
Some times, 'less is more'. Not when it comes to Zaps. There are two postcards: "Impact" and "A5". Impact Zaps are huge, premium postcards. If there's a crowd on the doormat, or on the kitchen table, a Zap stands out from the crowd. Impact cards are printed on 350gsm high quality FSC paper stock.
A5 Postcards are just that, 148mm x 210mm. They are printed on premium 250gsm FSC coated stock.
Because your data has been cleaned before posting, you can expect a tiny percentage of returns. Zaps come back to Zap HQ to be processed and you can always download the latests returns from the app.
The kitchen sink. The price of a zap includes print and post, but it goes way beyond that. Data filtering, PAF check and data cleanse is included. Portal access to upload and your creatives and add any dynamic codes, QRs and barcodes. Any available data integrations are included too, and we're adding more all the time. Returns management is also in the price.
Currently, the UK is our main standard mailing location. However, we also have the ability to send ZAP~POST campaigns in the US, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Italy via our in-country specially selected print & mailing partners. Specifications, pricing and turnaround vary on a country-by-country basis so if you do have an interest in mailing your customers in these locations,
Track the performance your Zap campaigns and gain valuable insights.
Once a submission has been created, the next step track how well it performs. To access the Insights area of the Zap App, select the ‘insights’ icon in the ZAP~POST header
When have been turned on for a campaign, you will be able to track the performance of your QR codes from the insights screen.
First click the 'Insights' icon in the app header. You will then reach the page shown below, which shows two graphs. The graph on the left shows a breakdown of how many QR codes have been scanned for each campaign you are currently running. The graph on the right shows the total number of QR scans across all of your Zap campaigns on a per monthly basis.
You can also download csv files of the date using the download button at the top right of each graph. Finally, you can change the date range shown on the graph by using the date filters at the top of the page.
Getting started with ZAP~POST
In order to sign up to ZAP~POST, you will need to provide an email address and a password.
If you have any issue with this process you can either utilise the chat widget to communicate with the team or email '[email protected]' using the subject line 'Support Required'.
The Content Portal accepts PDF, .JPG and .PNG. Our advice is to use .JPG for images and .PNG where the image is mainly text.
Each image must be not more than 5mb. You can upload multiple images per side or panel.
Yes, upload any fonts you have permission or licence to use as long as they are .ttf and .otf formats.
ZAP~POST takes care of everything to do with printing - the only thing you need to make sure of is that the images are full bleed - in other words, they cover the white image canvas entirely, if that is your design intention.
Yes, we have in-house design services at ZAP~POST - use the chat window, or drop an email to [email protected] to find out more. You can buy Design time in 2, 5 or 10 hour chunks.
You can add your agency as a user so they can upload directly to the Design tool in the app. That way you and your agency can work collaboratively to create the results you want, first time.
ZAP~POST has seen all kinds of campaigns and the craziest artwork deliver some really stellar results. The first place to look is the Designer, where there are plenty of pre-designed templates to inspire you. The Zap team can definitely guide you but you know your brand better than we ever will. See some past campaigns and their Return on Investment in impact stories. If you'd like a pack of samples, let us know and will zap them over to you.
QR codes are your fabulously flexible friend :) . A top tip is 'go deep, or go home'. A QR can be dynamically created to create a personalised experience for each recipient. QR code best uses in a Zap include linking straight to a customer's basket, wish list, email subscribe page and a personalised page of product recommendations.
Logos, images, text, custom fields and trackable codes; all this and more can be part of your designs. It’s also easy to create your Zaps for each campaign with our intuitive drag & drop editor.
The most effective Zaps have a clear call to action (CTA) and use good branded imagery and messaging. Check this article on Effective Content in the Academy. To get inspired, have a look at what our other clients have been doing with their Zaps.
If you want to keep things simple, Zap advice is to generate a one time, single use code with an expiry date no more than 30 days from the intended send date. Discounts can be either Percentage off, or an absolute value, on a minimum spend. Both work. If you're unsure which works best, the easy answer is to test both, and see which one is the winner - split testing is easy - start a chat session to down below to find out how.
If ZAP~POST had a middle name, it would be 'Personalisation'. Our strong advice is every recipient of every campaign should receive a personalised Zap. Honestly, if its just generic one-size-fits-all content, you can get it done cheaper elsewhere, but don't expect the same level of results.
Unique QR Code generation is part and parcel, out-of-the-box functionality. Select the QR code, add variables, and add tracking too, so you have a dynamically created, personalised and trackable QR code for every Recipient. If you need help setting it up, hit the chat button below, or drop an email to [email protected]
You can download a proof of every campaign at any point. Once downloaded, you can print it locally on any device. If you want a printer's proof from ZAP~POST, you can request one, but of course it will delay your campaign going live. We recommend adding yourself and one or two colleagues as 'seeds' in your recipient data so you get the actual printed version through your own letterbox.
No, we offer four templates; Two Postcards: The original Zap IMPACT and a standard A5 postcard., an A4 letter, sent out in a C5 window envelope and a One Piece Mailer ("OPM"). The OPM is A4, folded to A5 and self sealed, with the address on front - no envelope required. See all Direct Mail Templates.
Request a sample pack via the form at the bottom of this page
Yes! QR codes in ZAP~POST are automatically set to trackable. We can provide insights into which of your customers are scanning the codes and when.
Upon successful completion of the form, you will be sent an automated email asking you to activate your account by proving ownership of the email account provided. As this email has an expiration period, you should activate your account as soon as possible.
Once you have followed the link, you will be successfully signed up to the app and will be able to log in to continue your sign-up process.
If you are late when attempting to activate your account, you will be presented with an error and the option to generate another email to try again.
With your account setup completed, the next step is to set up your business on ZAP~POST. To complete this step, you must fill in your company name, contact phone number, and company address. You can also upload a logo for your company.
The next step of the account creation process is inviting your colleagues to your company account. You can invite up to 10 people at this stage of the process by entering their email address and then selecting their roles/access within ZAP~POST.
The roles available are:
Admin - Admins can access all features, settings, and user permissions.
Billing - Provides access to billing information on the portal.
CP Editor - Users can edit and save content in the content portal editor.
CP Publisher - Users can publish content in the content portal editor.
Reporting - Provides access to reporting screens for Zaps, including existing campaigns.
Data - Users can upload and download data to the Zap account.
This step can be skipped if you do not wish to invite any users at this stage.
The next step is for you to select which Zap plan you are signing up for.
There are four categories of plans to choose from:
With monthly plans, you will pay for a set number of Zaps which must be used in the following month. Data cleansing and returns management are included as standard in all of our plans. With a monthly plan, any unused Zap credits will not be rolled over to the following month for use. Any Zap credits which have been earned from data cleanses will be available to use in the following month. With a monthly plan, you can cancel with 30 days' notice.
With annual plans, you will pay for a set number of Zaps which can be used at any time in the following year. Data cleansing and returns management are included as standard. Any Zap credits which have been earned from data cleanses will be available to use in the following month from which they were earned. With an annual plan, you can cancel with 30 days' notice.
With trial plans, you will pay for a set number of Zaps which can only be used within the trial period (3 months). Trial plans have access to the same rates which annual users enjoy. Data cleansing and returns management are included as standard. Any Zap credits which have been earned from data cleanses will be available to use in the following month from which they were earned (provided the client upgrade to either a monthly or annual plan following the trial period). With a trial plan, there is no need to cancel following the trial period.
With PAYG plans, you only pay for the Zaps you use with no monthly cost. Data cleansing and returns management are included as standard in all of our plans. With a PAYG plan, you can at any time.
Zaps come in a number of different formats. On this screen, you will choose the material and size of paper which is used to send out your Zaps. This choice can be changed from within the app once signup is complete.
This is the final stage of the setup process.
On this screen, you will be shown a summary of all of the choices you have made during the setup process. At this stage, if you wish to change anything you have done so far, you can click on the edit button next to the relevant information. You can also book a call with our team from this screen by clicking on the link under the summary box. When you are happy with all the choices you have made, click the checkbox to agree to the Terms and Conditions and then click ‘Get Zapping!’ to proceed to the dashboard with your newly-created ZAP~POST account.
This page is intended to break down and ZAP~POST Specific language or direct mail jargon to help users understand the different services and processes that make up the product
Autosave
A feature that automatically saves a user's work at regular intervals.
Bleed Area
An area that extends 3mm from the solid black trime line.
Campaign
A ZAP~POST Campaign is made up of a name, fields, paper stock, content and submissions. It can be reused multiple times for multiple Direct Mail Sends
Campaign Template
zappost.com
ZAP~POST is the UK’s leading Direct Mail platform, created for marketing teams and agencies to design, automate, and send high-impact, data-driven campaigns that are printed and mailed in the post. Our seamless integrations, smart personalisation tools, and tracking features make it easy to connect with customers through highly targeted print.
Our website contains all the answers to your questions on ‘who we are’ and these documentation guides aim to solve any further technical topic you may wish to learn about.
Our removes barriers to campaign creation, allowing you to start designing immediately.
No sign-ups required upfront
Choose from expertly-crafted templates for all industries
Or start building from scratch
Full customisation options including fonts, colours, QR codes and variable data
Our Drop-in Designer lets you create, customise, and preview campaigns in minutes. Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to print, getting started has never been easier.
Allows a user to create their own campaign template rather than using a default option
Client
A company or organisation using the services of ZAP~POST
Client Admin
A person with enhanced permissions within a company or organisation using the ZAP~APP
Client User
A person within a company or organisation using the ZAP~APP
Copy Fitting
Adjusting the length of text to fit within a predefned space.
Custom Field
A user defined field within a ZAP campaign adhering to a users specific needs.
Data Cleanse
A process of detecting and correcting (or removing) corrupt or inaccurate records
Deceased
Cleansing that checks the recipient against a database to identify someone that has died
Direct Mail
Direct Mail is commercial literature sent to existing or prospective customers through the post.
Field Mapping
The process of linking data fields to a Campaign Template field.
Fold Lines
The line on which foldable paper stocks are folded.
Goneaway
Cleansing that checks addresses against a database to identify end users that have moved and no longer live at the address
Insights
Insights provide meaningful patterns or trends for sent campaigns.
Internal Admin / ZAP Admin
An employee within ZAP~POST with access to the ZAP~APP
Margin
Shows the area in which content can be placed.
Mail Sort
Refers to the methods by which postal systems determine how and where to route mail for delivery
MFA (Multifactor Authentication)
An authentication system that requires more than one distinct authentication factor for successful authentication.
Paper Stock
The size of paper used when printing ZAPs
Postage Area
The postage area is an area locked for editing that contains the recipients address and mail sorting information.
Print Partner
A relationship with a trusted company that can print and mail your ZAPs
Proofing
The process of reviewing and correcting a design.
Publishing
The process of signing off a design ready for print.
Returned ZAPs
ZAPs that have been returned by the receiver or Royal Mail
Safety Line
An area in which anything inside is guaranteed to be printed.
Scheduled Send
A future date in which a clients campaign is due to be mailed
Seeds
As a part of an advertising direct mail send there are a number of extra recipients added into the data. These extra recipients are known as ‘seeds’. These recipients are added for a number of different reasons: quality assurance, meeting mailing provider specifications, and to track delivery dates.
Submission
A submission is a collection of records that is submitted against a campaign. The submission will contain data specific to the campaign and will be paired with a Scheduled Send. If the records are Data Cleansed and Mail Sorted successfully they'll go into the Scheduled Send as intended.
Submission Records
A submission record contains the data for an individual the client is targeting for a direct mail campaign
Trim Line
The line on which the paper stock is cut once printed.
Umbraco
Umbraco is an open-source content management system (CMS) that allows you to build responsive websites and data-driven apps which can be accessed from any device or browser.
Variable(s)
A data type can could be different for each recipient.
ZAP
A single piece of direct mail send via ZAP~POST to an individual
ZAP Credits
The currency used within the ZAPP to manage sends and refunds
ZAP Overage
Allows a client to send more ZAPs than their plan originally allowed
ZAPI
The ZAP~POST API or ZAPI is the public facing API which can be used to provide automated submissions to the ZAP~POST platform.
ZAPP / ZAP APP
The ZAP~POST Web App or 'ZAPP' is the app that provides most of the ZAP~POST functionality. This is the application that allows users to sign up to the platform, manage their campaigns, content and submissions.
ZAP~POST
ZAP~POST Is an automated Direct Mail Platform intended to provide clients with the ability to send programmatically driven direct mail campaigns composed of bespoke content for each of their customers
Guided tours to help you navigate the ZAPP
The tours have been designed to help you through the app for the first time or if you just need a reminder of how things work.
The following tours are available: Dashboard Campaign Management New Campaign Wizard Designer Processing Account Settings
These tours are available by visiting the relevant page, clicking on the user drop down and selecting 'Tour Page'
If you would like to take all of the available tours in one, you can always choose 'Take Zapp Tour'
Campaigns in ZAP~POST allow you to send personalized direct mail to individual customers based on real-time events or actions.
To get started, follow these steps:
To navigate to the campaigns overview page, click the ‘campaigns’ icon in the header of ZAP~POST.
On the campaign overview page, you can create new campaigns, edit existing ones, or view archived campaigns. Make sure to configure the campaign settings appropriately.
To create a new campaign, click the ‘add new campaign’ link at the top right of the campaign overview page, this will launch the campaign creation wizard.
The first screen of the wizard requires you to choose a paper stock.
You have the option to select which paperstock you would like. For more information on our paperstocks and to download a template, see our academy .
After you have selected your paper stock, you can either choose to 'Use Template' or to 'Start From Scratch':
If you choose to use a template, you will see the screen below. The templates shown will be based on your chosen sector. If you change the sector in the dropdown, you can then see the templates available for different sectors. When you have made a selection, you will have two options: 1. Next Step - Navigates to naming you campaign 2. Edit Fields - Gives you ability to edit the campaign fields
If you choose to start from scratch, you will see the screen below. On this screen, there is a table of all of the mandatory data fields which a campaign must have in order to send out Zaps. By using the 'add new custom field' button at the bottom of this table, you can add new custom fields to one of your campaigns. This will require you to correctly set up the depending on what data you want to put into your campaign. When you have made a selection, click the ‘next step’ button which will appear at the bottom right of the screen.
After choosing 'start from scratch' for your campaign, you will now be able to create and edit the custom fields. These custom fields allow you to choose data specific for your campaigns and customer data to be displayed on your Direct Mail campaigns.
When selecting 'add new custom field', you will be able to create the following:
Further options on the field creation wizard include the data type. All data types are listed below, including variable fields based on each data type.
The final customisation option when creating a new field for your template is 'Validation Expressions'. This can be used to define a collection of regular expressions (should the field require its own unique validation).
More information on regular expressions can be found here:
When you have finished setting up your field, please click the 'save changes' button in the bottom right of the page followed by the 'submit' button.
The following screen is where you will give your campaign a name. When you are finished naming your campaign, click the ‘next step’ button again.
This will take you to the final screen of the campaign creation wizard where you have two options.
You can press the ‘save and download CSV' button which will save the campaign and download the CSV template which you will need later to upload data into ZAP~POST.
You can press ‘save and exit’ which will save the campaign and take you back to the campaign overview page.
You can still download the campaign CSV template from the campaign overview page at a later time.
The final step is confirmation that you can use on of our integration partners.
When sending a Zap Campaign, there is a set of required data that every campaign must have in order to send out a Zap. There are a few bits of validation around the Default Data which are important to note when trying to troubleshoot issues with data uploading via CSV or ingestion via the API.
There are four possible campaign statuses in ZAP~POST. These can be seen in the column marked ‘status’ on the table of your campaigns on the campaign management page.
Example Value
An example of a typical value that may be submitted
Text
Min Length
The minimum length the provided text value can be
Max Length
The maximum length the provided text value can be
Example Value
An example of a typical value that may be submitted
Date
Date Format
The format the date must be provided in
Example Value
An example of a typical value that may be submitted
Time
Time Format
The format the time must be provided in
Example Value
An example of a typical value that may be submitted
Datetime
Date and Time Format
The format the datetime must be provided in
Example Value
An example of a typical value that may be submitted
Yes
Up to 35 Characters in combination with Surname
Surname
Yes
Up to 35 Characters in combination with First name
Company Name
No
Up to 40 Characters
Address1
Yes
Up to 35 Characters
Address2
No
Up to 35 Characters
Address3
No
Up to 35 Characters
City
No
Up to 35 Characters
Postcode
Yes
Up to 15 Characters
Country
Yes
Only UK Currently
Currency
No
Language
No
Name
The name of the field. This will be shown in CSV templates as column headers.
Description
This will identify the use of the field to users submitting via CSV. The CSV template will contain the description below each column header.
Mandatory
If a value must be included for the field.
Label
This will be used in the design to identify the field so that it can be replaced for submitted data.
Number
Min Value
The minimum number allowed
Max Value
The maximum number allowed
Decimal Places
The number of decimal places expected
Customer ID
Yes
No
Salutation
No
Waiting
The campaign requires either a design to be published or data to be uploaded.
On Hold
The account has billing issues which need to be resolved before proceeding. Users should get in touch with their ZAP~POST client manager or contact [email protected]
Active
The campaign has had Zaps sent from it and is ready to send more
Archived
This will move the campaign to the ‘archived campaigns’ area which can be accessed by clicking the link on the campaign management page. This allows users to file away old campaigns, ready to be used again at a later time if needed.
Firstname
The design editor allows you to personalise and edit the layout of your Zaps.
Once a campaign has been created, the next step is to create a design. There are various ways to get to the ZAP~POST designer: - By selecting the ‘design’ icon in the ZAP~POST header - Or via the dashboard.
Users may also get to the designer by clicking the design button next to the specific campaign on the campaign overview page.
The ZAP~POST designer is a tool that allows you to easily create direct mail designs for specific mail campaigns. With the design tool, you can add images, text, customisations, and QR codes to your Zap designs. You can keep your designs on-brand and within your brand guidelines by uploading your own fonts into ZAP~POST. You can also save designs for later; these will be ready to use again whenever they are needed.
When you load a campaign in the designer, you will see a canvas area which matches the chosen for that campaign.
Depending on the paper stock you have chosen for your campaign, there will be a number of different lines shown on your canvas. Simply put, these lines are quality control methods that help to achieve the professional print and finish your designs deserve.
The visibility of these lines can be turned on/off using the view settings submenu.
There are 3 key printer's marks shown on the Impact, Mini and Secure paper stocks:
Bleed area - The red-shaded bleed area extends out an extra 3mm from the solid black trim line. All images or colour that print to the edge of your design should be fully extended into this area to avoid the chance of white lines appearing. This will ensure that when trimmed, your design is printed edge to edge. Make sure not to place any important content or artwork elements in this area, as it will get trimmed off.
Trim Line - The solid black trim line shows the finished size of the document. Anything placed outside of this area will be trimmed off.
Safety Line - We recommend that no text or barcodes are placed outside the red dashed safety line
The grey, un-editable boxes shown on the canvas are for the postage and returns management areas. Text and barcode widgets can be placed in these areas but they will become opaque and you'll be presented with a warning. Any images placed in these areas will sit behind a white box outline of the area when printed.
Using the asset bar shown below, you can add a number of different assets to your Zap designs. ZAP~POST Assets may include the following media types:
Assets can be duplicated by either using CTRL C and then CTRL V, or by clicking the duplicate asset icon. This is useful when you might want to preserve the formatting of an asset, rather than starting from scratch on a new asset with default formatting.
Clicking the static image icon will open the static image window.
Using the static image tool, you can click ‘upload’ to add up to 3 files at once. Accepted formats are jpeg, jpg, png, pdf and tiff. Files can be up to 5MB in size, however, tiff files can be up to 50mb.
These uploaded images are added to your static image library where you can access them at any time.
You can delete any unwanted images from your image library by selecting them and then clicking ‘delete’. You can also create folders in your static image library to organise your images.
To add an image into a Zap design, select it in the static image window then select ‘choose’. When an image has been added to the design, you can use the handles on the sides of the image to resize or rotate the image to your preferred size & position.
By clicking the text icon, a text box will be added to the centre of a Zap design. You can use the handles on the sides of the text box to resize and reposition it. Select the box to view the text controls in the sidebar. There are two controls worth mentioning here: variables and copy fitting.
This is how you add personalisation to your Zap designs. Select from the dropdown list to choose a personalisation.
When inserted into the design, a placeholder text will appear, this will look similar to ‘<~D:firstname~>’. When you upload your recipient data to ZAP~POST, any personalisations will be replaced with the relevant field from your data.
To preview how personalisations will look, you can toggle the preview personalisation to swap out the placeholder example data. By toggling this on you can then cycle through different sets of example data.
Along with customisation and variables, clients can specify the date and time format that's displayed on their designs.
If the data contains a date or time as a custom field, clients can select from the below.
Date Formats: Original Formatting MM/DD/YYYY - 12/25/2023 DD/MM/YYYY - 25/12/2023 Month DD YYYY - December 25 2023 DD Month YYYY - 25 December 2023 Time Formats: Original Formatting 24 Hour - 13:00 12 Hour - 1:00pm
This is directly related to Variables. If using a personalisation that potentially has different lengths of data (eg. a first name), copy fitting will ensure that the text will be automatically resized to still fit inside your text box. There are two types of copy-fitting:
Shrink Copy to fit area - this will decrease the font size to make the text fit inside the text box if it is too long.
Grow Copy to fit area - this will increase the font size to make the text as large as it can be within the text box.
'Shrink copy to fit area' is turned on by default, but both of these settings can be toggled on and off using the toggles.
QR codes can be inserted into any design by clicking on the QR code icon. When added to your design, you have four options to select from, Standard, Phone, Email and Tracked QR.
There are two options when defining a URL for the QR code. You can either choose a customisation that will use a URL stored within your data, or you can manually enter a URL using the text box field in the QR Code control sidebar. You can select the barcode colour along with the background colour and set a transparency for the background.
A word of warning: QR Codes will only scan when there is enough contrast between them and the background. Make sure that your QR code is sat on a white box or on a light colour background to ensure it will work as intended. A QR code must also be at least 2cmx2cm in size to scan successfully.
When selecting phone, you can either use a custimation found in your data or enter a fixed number. when this is scanned on a mobile device, that users phone will automatically start a call phone call to the number entered.
When selecting email, once again, you can use customisations or enter the email address, subject and bodt text manually. When this is scanned, that user will automatically compile an email using the stating subject and body.
If you select 'Tracked QR' from the drop down, you'll be shown a list of fields to populate, this will then create a UTM tracking URL for a Google Analytics campaign.
Website URL - the full website to direct your customers to (e.g. https://www.zappost.com) Campaign ID - used to identify which adds campaign this referral references. Use utm_id to identify a specific ads campaign. Campaign Source - use utm_source to identify a search engine, newsletter name, or other source. Campaign Medium - use utm_medium to identify a medium such as emails or cost-per-click Campaign Name - used for keyword analysis. Use utm_campaign to identify a specific product promotion or strategic campaign Campaign Term - used for paid search. Use utm_term to note the keywords for this ad. Campaign Content - used for A/B testing and content targeted ads. Use utm_content to differentiate ads or links that point to the same URL.
QR Code usage can be easily tracked using ZAP~POST. By turning on the 'Add ZAP Insights' toggle switch, you can measure how many scans you receive from your Zap submission.
When you have turned on ZAP Insights for QR codes, the scans will be recorded and grouped according to the submission the Zap was a part of. You can download a CSV of which recipients have scanned a QR code using the 'QR Code Tracking' download button in the furthest right column of the table on the Zap Processing screen. You can also view the QR scan data in the graphs shown on the.
With ZAP~POST, you can upload custom fonts for use in your ZAP designs. To do so, you should first select the ‘fonts’ icon from the asset bar to navigate to the font management area. From here, you can upload fonts in either .ttf or .otf file formats. You can view, edit or remove their existing custom fonts. Any fonts uploaded will be available to use in the text editor tool.
You can select a background colour for your design. On the right hand side under assets you will see an option called background. There are multiple ways you can choose your colour, RGB value HEX value HSV value
There are two reasons you will want to save your designs:
To be able to publish it to be the live design for your campaign
To use the design again in the future without having to start again from scratch.
Saving your designs is easy. Click ‘file’, then click on ‘save’. If you are saving your design for the first time, a window titled ‘your saved designs’ will launch. You will then need to give your design a name before hitting ‘save’ on the window. If you have already saved your design previously, then clicking save will overwrite the existing save with the design shown in the design area. If you want to change the name of the design or create a new copy, click ‘file’ and then click ‘save as’. Give your design a new name by filling in the bottom text box in the window, then click 'save'.
To open a previously saved design, click ‘file’ and then click ‘open’. This will launch the window of your saved designs where you can click on the design you wish to load into the panel. Once you have clicked the thumbnail of the design you want to load, click ‘choose’ to load it into the panel.
To make finding your saved designs easier, you can also create folders within the ‘your saved designs’ explorer.
Saved designs are specific to either the front or back of your Zaps, but can be used across multiple campaign types. If a saved design uses a variable that is not available in a different campaign type, you will be warned of this when you load the saved design into the new campaign. You will then need to change the variable before you can proceed to save or publish the design.
The Auto Save feature ensures that your work is continuously saved after every change you make, providing a safety net against unexpected disruptions or crashes.
You have the flexibility to toggle the Auto Save feature on or off, based on your preference and workflow. To turn autosave on, click the toggle next to the save icon in the designer.
Autosave will be turned on by default when you create a campaign. If you have not yet saved a design for that campaign, then autosave will create a file for you. This file can be found in your saved designs folder in the Zap Designer accessed from the file dropdown menu.
Before you start sending out your campaign, you may wish to generate a proof to check that your design works how you intend it to. The proofing process will create a pdf using either your data or a sample set of data, which you can then download to your computer to check if it is up to standard.
To begin the proofing process, click the proofing icon. This will take you to the first step of the proofing wizard. You can leave this wizard at any time by clicking the ‘back to content portal’ link at the top left.
The first step of the wizard requires you to select the saved design you wish to use for the proofing process. You will do this for the front of your Zap, and then repeat the process on the next step for the back of your Zap. If you need to go back and change your selected designs, you can do this by clicking ‘back’ in the bottom left corner of the screen.
With the designs for the proof chosen, you will now be presented with two options:
Use example data
Use your own data
If you choose to use the example data to generate your proof, any variable and address info in your designs will be completed using a predefined data set. This enables you to get a proof generated even if you don’t have any data yet ready to try your design with. The predefined data set consists of 20 example customers resulting in a pdf of 20 Zaps (front & back).
If you prefer utilising your own data to create your proof, simply upload a CSV file for your campaign through our user-friendly proofing wizard. Please note that the maximum limit for records on the uploaded CSV is 50. Once uploaded, we'll generate up to 50 Zaps for you, incorporating your design and data.
The final step of the wizard is to click ‘generate proof’ and then wait for your proof to be made. Once it is ready, a download link will appear which you can click to download your Zap proof file.
In order to start uploading data to your campaign, you must first publish one of your saved designs.
The content must be published before the data! This is because we have to maintain a copy of the content as it was at the point the data was submitted. This allows the clients free reign to update their content whenever they want without disrupting the submissions they have already created with the intention of using the previous artwork. This has caused some confusion previously so it's an important note to be aware of.
To publish a design for a campaign, make sure the campaign you wish to publish for is selected within the designer. With the campaign selected, click the ‘publish’ button to show the publishing options:
Publish - clicking this will launch the publish wizard
View published design - clicking this will launch a pop up showing you what the current published design is for this campaign.
Share published artwork - clicking this will copy a link to your clipboard. Anyone who clicks this link will have pdf of the published design for this campaign downloaded to their machine.
Publishing Wizard
On the first screen of the wizard, choose the saved design you wish to publish for the front of your Zap campaign then click ‘next step’. On the following screen, choose the saved design you wish to publish for the back of your Zap campaign. With both sides of your Zap chosen, you will now need to create a proof which you will be required to sign off on in order to publish.
The proof generation process is exactly the same as the
With the saved designs for the campaign chosen, you will now be presented with two options to generate the proof:
Use example data
Use your own data
If you choose to use the example data to generate your proof, any variable and address info in your designs will be completed using a predefined data set. This enables you to get a proof generated even if you don’t have any data yet ready to try your design with. The predefined data set consists of 20 example customers resulting in a pdf of 20 Zaps (front & back).
If you want to use your own data to generate your proof, you can do this by uploading a CSV for your campaign to the proofing wizard. We will generate up to 50 Zaps for you using your design and data. If you upload a CSV with more than 50 records, then we will take the first 50 records from the CSV and use those to create your proof.
The next step of the wizard is to click ‘generate proof’ and then wait for your proof to be made. Once it is ready, a download link will appear which you can click to download your Zap proof file.
After you have downloaded the proof file and checked it is all ok, you will be able to click ‘next’ and proceed to the final sign-off and publish page. Here, you will see a summary of what you are publishing: the materials, the data source, the campaign you are publishing for, and the saved designs you are using. If you are happy with all of this, click ‘sign & publish’ to publish the designs for the campaign. You should now be taken back to the designer where you will see a notification to let you know your design has been published.
After publishing your designs, you are now ready to upload data to your campaign and start sending Zaps.
You may download Adobe InDesign files for each of the Paper stock options here:
- 240mm x 155mm postcard, 350gsm, FSC paper
Zap A5 Postcard - 210mm x 148mm postcard, 250gsm, FSC paper
Zap A5 OPM - 336mm x 210mm, tri fold, 350gsm, FSC paper
- A4, tri-fold, in a white windowed envelope, 90gsm, FSC paper.
The InDesign files are designed to provide you with the creative guidelines to produce imagery and content for your Zap campaign. You can use these file to create designs in InDesign and export them into the Zap App or you can design your Zap directly inside the Zap App.
Important things to remember:
Add any variable text, or dynamic content like variable images or QR codes directly in the ZAP App, as opposed to saved into the images you export out of InDesign.
Best practices:
300dpi/ppi print resolution
Images in CMYK colour space (not RGB) as .jpgs with no compression
Ensure images extend to the red bleed line to allow for trimming.
Keep important text or detail inside the safe zone, denoted by the red dashed line
When exporting jpg images from our templates, use settings as shown: (Note - ‘Use Document Bleed Settings is ticked on)
With annual and monthly plans to choose from, the cost of a Zap depends on how many you want to send. More Zaps = bigger discounts. Our pricing can be found here
Quicker than you can say ‘Zap me baby one more time’... But in all seriousness you can be up and Zapping in minutes. Select your campaign, customise your design and with your integration(s) connected - we’ll take care of the rest.
A credit given should a zap not be sent following the “data cleanse process” of all ZAP~POST addresses provided.
Data cleansing is usually subsidised by ZAP~POST. Most companies charge a separate fee for data-cleansing services. As ZAP~POST doesn't charge for it, we can't refund it, but we issue credits instead.
Zap Credits roll over to your next billing period. Use them or lose them.
Zap Credits are associated to an Account not a plan.
The kitchen sink. The price of a zap includes print and post, but it goes way beyond that. Data filtering, PAF check and data cleanse is included. Portal access to upload and your creatives and add any dynamic codes, QRs and barcodes. Any available data integrations are included too, and we're adding more all the time. Returns management is also in the price.
Economies of scale. The more we send, so the price goes down. Think of it as the opposite to easyjet - surge pricing in reverse.
Zapology: Less is more. Be relevant, personal, and timely. Your goal is to drive users back to your website where products and services will always be up to date. Remember the NEXT Directory?
With a rolling monthly contract, you can stop your account anytime. You will be able to keep on Zapping until your next billing date, and after that you’ll need to restart your plan to send more Zaps.