Meaning & use
mailshot
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablebusiness
A batch of the same advertising letters or emails sent to many people at once.
Grammar: Has a plural: we sent out two mailshots.
Patterns
- a mailshot to someone
- a mailshot about something
The shop sent a mailshot to all its customers about the winter sale.
We received a mailshot offering cheap insurance.
The charity's spring mailshot raised more money than expected.
Word forms
| plural | mailshots |
|---|
Common combinations
- send out a mailshot
- They send out a mailshot every month.
- a postal mailshot
- A postal mailshot reached ten thousand homes.
- email mailshot
- The email mailshot gave a discount code.
- a mailshot campaign
- The mailshot campaign boosted membership.
- respond to a mailshot
- Few people respond to a mailshot these days.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mass mailing
- Mass mailing is the neutral and especially American term, whereas mailshot is more British.
- direct mail
- Direct mail names the whole marketing method, while a mailshot is one specific batch.
- junk mail
- Junk mail is a negative term for unwanted post, while mailshot is neutral.
- circular
- A circular is a printed notice sent to many people, and often an older word than mailshot.
Word family
Commonly confused: mailshot or junk mail?
mailshot vs junk mail
Junk mail is unwanted advertising you receive, while a mailshot is the batch from the sender's point of view.
Practice
The gym sent the same discount offer to five thousand local addresses in one ___.
Choose one answer.
A mailshot is a bulk batch of the same advertising. A mailbox, mailman and mailbag are objects or people, not a campaign.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mailshot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.