Frequently Asked Questions

Door hanger marketing is a form of direct advertising where promotional materials featuring a die-cut hole are hung directly on residential door handles. Unlike mail that competes with bills and junk mail in a mailbox, door hangers are placed on the front door where they must be physically handled by the homeowner.

This method guarantees visibility—the homeowner cannot enter their home without seeing and touching your advertisement. Door hangers are used by businesses of all sizes, from local restaurants and home service companies to major franchises and political campaigns.

Door hangers have a die-cut hole that allows them to hang securely on door handles. They stay in place until removed by the homeowner, ensuring your message is seen.

Flyers are flat sheets without a hanging mechanism. They’re typically tucked into door frames, placed under mats, or handed out directly. Flyers can blow away, fall down, or be overlooked more easily than door hangers.

Door hangers generally achieve higher visibility because they cannot be ignored—the homeowner must physically remove them to open their door.

Yes, door hanger distribution is legal throughout the United States. Placing materials on a door handle without knocking or direct interaction is generally not considered solicitation under most local ordinances.

However, some HOAs, gated communities, or apartment complexes may have their own policies. We’re familiar with local regulations and work within community guidelines. Political door hangers have additional First Amendment protections.

The most effective door hangers share these characteristics:

• Clear headline: Your main message should be readable in 2-3 seconds
• Compelling offer: Give people a reason to act (discount, free estimate, limited time)
• Strong call-to-action: Tell them exactly what to do next
• Contact information: Phone number, website, or QR code prominently displayed
• Professional design: Quality printing and clean layout build trust
• Targeted distribution: Reaching the right neighborhoods matters more than total quantity

Every effective door hanger should include:

Essential elements:
• Your business name and logo
• A compelling headline or offer
• Phone number (make it large and easy to read)
• Website URL
• Clear call-to-action

Recommended additions:
• QR code linking to your website or special offer
• Customer reviews or ratings
• License numbers (for contractors)
• “Serving [Your Area]” for local relevance
• Expiration date on offers to create urgency

Response rates vary significantly by industry and offer quality:

Typical response rates by industry:
• Restaurants/Food: 3-8%
• Home Services (HVAC, Plumbing): 1-3%
• Real Estate: 0.5-2%
• Fitness/Gyms: 2-5%
• Political Campaigns: 5-15% (for voter contact goals)

For comparison, direct mail typically achieves 0.5-1% response rates, and digital display ads average 0.1% click-through rates. A “good” response rate depends on your customer lifetime value—even 1% can be highly profitable for high-ticket services like HVAC or roofing.

Door hangers can be an environmentally responsible advertising choice when produced thoughtfully:

Eco-friendly options:
• Printed on recycled cardstock
• FSC-certified paper from sustainable forests
• Soy-based or vegetable-based inks
• Recyclable materials

The key is targeting—reaching the right audience reduces waste. A well-targeted door hanger campaign can be more efficient than mass advertising methods.

Effective targeting depends on your business type and ideal customer profile:

Consider these factors:
• Service radius: How far will customers travel or how far will you service?
• Demographics: Income levels, homeowner vs. renter, family size
• Housing type: Single-family homes, townhouses, apartments
• Home age: Older homes may need more repairs/updates
• Competition: Areas underserved by competitors

We can help analyze your target market and recommend neighborhoods based on our experience with similar businesses. Starting with areas closest to your location often yields the best initial results.

For a first campaign, we typically recommend 2,500-5,000 pieces. This quantity allows you to:

• Test your offer and design effectiveness
• Reach enough households to generate measurable results
• Stay within a reasonable budget while learning
• Cover a meaningful geographic area

Starting too small (under 1,000) often doesn’t generate enough response to evaluate success. Starting too large without testing can waste budget on an unproven offer. Once you’ve identified what works, scaling up to 10,000+ pieces maximizes your per-piece value.

Direct to Door Marketing is America’s largest door hanger and flyer distribution company, founded in 1995. We have delivered over 500 million pieces nationwide through our network of 15,790+ distributors covering 99% of U.S. cities—including rural areas that other services cannot reach.

We specialize in residential door hanger distribution with photo-verified delivery through our proprietary AI Management Platform. Our headquarters and call center are located in Santa Monica, California, with satellite offices in most major U.S. cities.

Getting started is simple. Contact us for a free quote by calling 866-643-4037 or using our online quote form. We’ll discuss your target areas, quantity needs, timeline, and campaign goals.

During business hours (9am-6pm PST), you’ll receive a detailed written quote within 15-20 minutes. After hours, our AI assistant Rosie can answer questions and quotes are delivered first thing the next business day.

The minimum order is 1,000 pieces. This allows us to efficiently coordinate distribution while still serving smaller local campaigns. Volume discounts are available for larger orders, with significant per-piece savings starting at 5,000 pieces and above.

Direct to Door Marketing was founded in 1995—over 30 years ago. We’ve delivered over 500 million pieces nationwide and built the largest door hanger distribution network in America with 15,790+ distributors covering 99% of U.S. cities.

Door hanger distribution pricing varies based on quantity, location, printing specifications, and timeline. Larger campaigns have significantly lower per-piece costs.

Bundled printing and distribution package estimates:

• 1,000 pieces: $695 | • 1,500 pieces: $875 | • 2,000 pieces: $975 | • 2,500 pieces: $1,125 | • 5,000 pieces: $1,850 | • 10,000 pieces: $3,500

These are estimates—a written quote is required for final pricing. Contact us at 866-643-4037 for a custom quote, typically delivered within 15-20 minutes during business hours.

Yes, significant volume discounts are available. The more pieces in your campaign, the lower your per-piece cost. Larger campaigns benefit from economies of scale in both printing and distribution logistics. Recurring campaigns may also qualify for additional discounts.

We accept credit card, ACH, wire transfer, check, cashier’s check, Zelle, and Venmo. For urgent timelines, ACH or overnighted check is best. We send a secure payment link or provide ACH and wire details based on your preference.

Most door hanger campaigns are completed within 5-10 business days after materials arrive at our distribution center. Turnaround depends on quantity and geographic spread—a focused campaign in one neighborhood completes faster than distribution across multiple cities.

Rush delivery options are available for time-sensitive promotions at additional cost.

Door hangers are placed on front doors when accessible. For homes with fenced yards, we follow your preference: gate placement or skip entirely. Your instructions are added to the job notes and communicated to all distributors working on your campaign.

We respect posted requests. Door hanger placement without knocking is typically not considered solicitation under most local ordinances, but we follow your specific instructions. You can choose to have us skip homes with “No Soliciting” signs or include them—we apply your preference consistently throughout the campaign.

We pause distribution during heavy weather conditions to protect your materials and ensure quality delivery. Distribution resumes as soon as conditions improve. For time-sensitive campaigns, we can discuss weather backup dates during the planning phase.

Every door hanger campaign is tracked through our proprietary AI Management Platform, which provides real-time delivery verification with photo documentation. Our supervisors drive around checking on distributors throughout the day, taking photos of your door hangers on doors.

Clients receive email and text updates with photos showing their materials on actual doors in their target neighborhoods. This provides transparent proof of delivery that sets us apart from competitors.

Please read this carefully. Regardless of the size of your job, there is no set number of pictures our supervisors take during distribution.

The supervisor spends all day driving around, checking on distributors and ensuring quality. They take pictures when they can of your door hangers on doors—sometimes 100, sometimes 500, or even thousands depending on the campaign.

We provide nationwide coverage in 99% of U.S. cities and towns through our network of 15,790+ distributors. This includes major metropolitan areas, suburbs, small towns, and rural communities that other distribution companies cannot reach. We can distribute door hangers anywhere in the continental United States.

Yes. We offer targeted door hanger distribution based on housing type (single-family homes, townhouses, apartment complexes), income levels, homeowner vs. renter status, and specific zip codes or neighborhoods.

This strategic targeting helps maximize your campaign’s effectiveness by reaching the most relevant audience for your business.

We provide both printing and distribution services. Our full-service approach includes professional design assistance, high-quality printing on durable cardstock (14pt or 16pt recommended), and verified distribution—simplifying your campaign logistics with a single vendor.

You can also provide your own pre-printed materials if preferred.

Yes, we work extensively with political campaigns nationwide. We have supported hundreds of winning campaigns at every level—from local school boards to congressional races.

Door hangers are highly effective for voter outreach because they guarantee visibility and can be precisely targeted by precinct, district, or demographic. We can create district plans and timing strategies optimized for political campaigns.

Yes, we distribute to apartment complexes, condominiums, and multi-family housing. Access policies vary by property—some allow door-to-door distribution while others require materials to be left at a central location or distributed only to accessible units.

We’re experienced in navigating property management requirements and will work within each community’s guidelines. For campaigns specifically targeting apartments, we can advise on the most effective approach for your target areas.

The best timing depends on your industry:

• HVAC: Spring (AC tune-ups) and Fall (heating prep)
• Landscaping: Early Spring and Late Summer
• Restaurants: Year-round, with focus on holidays and events
• Real Estate: Spring through early Fall (peak moving season)
• Tax Services: January through March
• Political: 4-6 weeks before election day

Door hangers can be effective year-round. The key is aligning your offer with seasonal needs and avoiding extreme weather that might damage materials.

The standard 4.25″ x 11″ door hanger size works effectively for most campaigns, fitting securely on both traditional doorknobs and modern lever handles. We also accommodate custom sizes and die-cut shapes for specialized campaigns.

Thicker cardstock (14pt or 16pt) is recommended for durability, especially in variable weather conditions.

No. No reputable advertising or marketing company can guarantee what response you will receive or what ROI you should expect. Variables like your offer, pricing, design, brand credibility, timing, and competition all affect response rates.

What we can guarantee is that we will place your door hangers on doors in the areas you select. That is the service we provide.

Top-performing industries include home services (HVAC, plumbing, roofing, landscaping), restaurants and food delivery, real estate agencies, fitness centers, medical and dental practices, political campaigns, automotive services, and retail stores.

Some past client case studies have shown strong ROI, though results vary significantly based on offer quality, market conditions, and many other factors.

Door hangers offer several advantages over EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) and traditional direct mail:

• Faster delivery: 5-10 days vs. 10-21+ days for mail
• Guaranteed visibility: Door placement instead of mailbox clutter
• Photo verification: Proof of delivery that mail cannot provide
• Better targeting: More precise than postal carrier routes

Industry data suggests door hangers may achieve higher response rates than direct mail due to guaranteed visibility. Door hangers must be physically handled, ensuring your message is seen.

*Response rate comparisons are based on general industry data. Actual results vary by campaign.

Yes. We can share relevant case studies and examples by industry or city. Our case studies page features campaign examples from restaurants, HVAC companies, real estate agents, political campaigns, and more.

*Case studies represent specific past campaigns. Results are not typical or guaranteed.

There are several effective ways to track door hanger response:

• Unique phone number: Use a dedicated tracking number for your door hanger
• Promo codes: Include a specific code customers must mention
• QR codes: Link to a trackable landing page
• Unique URL: Create a campaign-specific web address
• “How did you hear about us?”: Train staff to ask and record responses

We recommend using at least two tracking methods to capture both phone and online responses. This data helps optimize future campaigns.

Most responses come within the first 7-14 days after distribution, with the strongest response in the first 3-5 days. However, the response timeline varies by industry:

• Restaurants/Food: Same day to 1 week
• Home Services: 1-4 weeks (often saved until needed)
• Real Estate: 1-8 weeks (longer decision cycle)
• Political: Immediate awareness, voting day action

Many people save door hangers for future reference, so you may continue receiving calls weeks or even months later. Including an expiration date on offers can create urgency for faster response.

*Response timelines are estimates based on general industry patterns. Your results may vary.

Yes. We advise on target areas, quantity, timing, and offers based on over 30 years of experience. Whether you’re a first-time door hanger advertiser or running your 50th campaign, we can help optimize your approach for maximum impact.