Couponing 101 - Writing to Companies for Coupons
Did you know that you can e-mail or write a letter to your favorite companies, and some will send you coupons? It’s a great way to get exclusive coupons that you won’t get in newspapers or online, and some will even send FREE product coupons as a thank you for reaching out to them. This article will give you some tips on what to put into your e-mail or letter to get the best chance of a positive response from these companies!
Yearly, I e-mail companies that I love and give them my feedback - I include things like how much my family enjoys their products, how long we’ve been customers, suggestions for new flavors, ect, I TELL THEM! They appreciate all feedback, because WE are the consumer - and then I ASK for coupons. Yep, I go right out and ask at the end if they have coupons they mail to loyal customers, and I provide my full mailing info as the signature in my e-mail closing. That way, if they DO provide coupons, they don’t have to do a back and forth with you to get your information.. they’ll just shoot the coupons your way.
3 Top Tips to Get Coupons
1) Make your letter/email personal. Don’t pander to them and just kiss butt and beg.. just be genuine. Use your kid’s names when talking about their favorite products, or if you use a product for a health reason, explain why you love their product for that purpose - rather than guilting them into sending coupons by using flattery or sob stories.. that isn’t the effective way to go about it. You’re more likely to catch someone’s attention and them actually want to send someone coupons who takes the time to show they put care into their letter!
2) Suggest tips from your experience with the product; Companies want to know how they can improve a product you already like to make it a product you’ll love forever. If you have suggestions for a flavor your kids keep saying “I wish they had ___” or if you think the packaging could be improved, really anything you have thought or heard your family say when using the product you’re requesting coupons for.
3) I said it above, but I’ll say it again.. Include your full, clearly-written mailing information. The easier you make it for them to send you coupons, the more likely you are to get a positive response from that company!!
4) Be ready to be turned down.. unfortunately it happens often. There are lists online of companies you can e-mail to get coupons, but most aren’t updated often when a company stops offering mailed coupons, so if you decide to use a search engine to find lists of companies, be prepared that a company that may have sent out coupons to customers 3 years ago when the list was put up, may not supply them anymore. You don’t need to reply to the rejection e-mails of course, but if you do.. DON’T give them an attitude or a guilt trip for saying no - it’s at a company’s discretion when and to whom they send coupons out to. Many companies are happy to oblige, but sometimes they’ll direct you to the Sunday paper or online sources for their coupons, meaning they no longer mail coupons out. Don’t let it deter you!
Check out Kathy’s article on 358 Companies to Contact for Coupons HERE to get you started!
..and for more ways to get coupons, check out Marie’s Couponing 101 - Getting Coupons article!
Follow those tips and send out those emails or letters, and you’ll be RUNNING to your stuffed mailbox for piles of coupons!!
There are several different ways to decide which companies to write. I have a friend who each day goes into her coupon binder and pulls out three or four coupons and writes to those manufacturers. This works well because she put those coupons in her binder for a reason – she likes those products and would like to get them for cheap or free. On a notepad she then writes down which companies she wrote and on what day. When she receives something, she also marks that down.