# Adding Mailing Date & Response Date
These two fields help you control timing and urgency in your direct mail campaigns:
* **Mailing Date** → When your mail piece is scheduled to be sent
* **Respond By Date** → The deadline shown on the mail piece for the recipient to take action
### Mailing Date (What it is)
The Mailing Date is the date your mail piece is officially processed and sent out.
#### What it does:
* Determines when your postcard or letter enters the mail stream
* Helps align campaign timing and scheduling
#### Simple definition:
**Mailing Date** = the day your mail goes out
### Respond By Date (What it is)
The Respond By Date is the date displayed on the mail piece telling recipients when they should respond by.
#### Key details:
* Default is set to 30 days
* Used to create urgency and improve response rates
#### Simple definition:
Respond By Date = the deadline for the recipient to respond
#### **Example:**
* **Mailing Date** = January 31, 2025
* **Respond By Date** = March 01, 2025\
Then the recipient sees a 30-day window to respond to your offer or message.\
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#### **How to Add These Fields to Your Template**
Follow these steps to insert the fields into your mail piece:
1. Go to Template Builder
2. Select the template you want to edit
3. Open the Fields section
4. Find Mailing Date or Respond By Date under Miscellaneous Fields
5. Copy the field
6. Paste it into your template where you want it displayed
Once added, these fields will automatically populate based on each individual order.
#### Notes
* Respond By Date is defaulted to 30 days.
* Both fields are dynamic and update automatically per order
* These are commonly used in headers, footers, or call-to-action sections of mail pieces
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