Can You Make Real Money Distributing Leaflets?

Imagine this: it’s the break of dawn and you’ve just woken up. You’re dragging your slippers into the kitchen to brew a fresh pot of coffee, when you hear the familiar ring of a bicycle’s bell followed by an audible thump at your door. The paperboy is right on time, delivering you your newspaper to enjoy with your morning brew.

For some, that’s a nostalgic scene that brings back memories of the good ol’ days. But actually, distributing newspapers is still a thing today, as well as other forms of leaflet distributing. And it can be quite a rewarding business!

But can you make real money distributing leaflets? Yes, it’s possible to earn money distributing leaflets, flyers, newspapers, and other forms of printed publications. In fact, some people earn a living this way.

Let’s take a closer look to see what you can distribute, who you can work for, and how much you can earn (plus, how to earn top dollar)!

What Are Leaflets and Why Distribute Them?

Leaflets are basically any sort of printed material such as pamphlets, flyers, magazines, catalogues, newspapers, brochures – essentially any printed publication counts as a leaflet.

Distributing them as a job is akin to the stereotypical first job many had when they were younger – delivering newspapers on a paper route.

But while this form of marketing goes back quite far into the past, it has by no means been done away with. In fact, it’s booming!

Distributing leaflets is a profitable marketing strategy for businesses, to say the least. Some companies claim to make up to a 40x return on investment when they distribute flyers or other publications!

So, it’s no wonder why there are still businesses using this tried-and-true method. Which is great news for you, because that means there’s a thriving opportunity for you to earn quite a bit of money on the side!

How To Start Distributing Leaflets

Getting started distributing leaflets is pretty straightforward, although there are a few avenues you can take to get started.

Here are the three most common ways to get your foot in the door and start handing out leaflets:

• Work with your local newspaper
• Approach a business yourself
• Go through a leaflet production and distribution firm

Before you jump on any of those opportunities, though, you should know something up front: this type of job requires a lot of physical activity. There’s most likely going to be a lot of walking involved, and you’ll have to be lugging around a lot of paper each time you go on your route.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at each different way to distribute flyers.  

Work with your local newspaper

As we mentioned earlier, one form of this job is going on the old school paper route and handing out newspapers – and that gig is still available today.

A good place to start would be to check the classifieds of your local newspaper or local job hiring sites to see if your local newspaper company is actively searching for a distributor.

And if you can’t find anything, don’t fret! You could still have success if you simply approach the newspaper company yourself!

When you go in to talk to the hiring manager (or whoever else is in charge), just make sure you are dressed in appropriate attire. Treat it like a job interview – because it might just turn into one! It also wouldn’t hurt to bring in a copy of your resume, either.

One perk to working with your local paper company is that most towns and cities, both big and small, have local papers. So, it’s easier to find this type of job even in more rural areas.

One downside, however, is that newspaper sales are declining (and quickly, at that). Meaning that this avenue could start seeing some decline in hiring and ultimately fizzle out altogether. So, while it might be a great choice right now, it might not be around for the long haul.

Approach a business yourself

Approaching a business yourself is the genuine entrepreneurial way to go about distributing leaflets.

If you have no problem approaching people and selling them with new ideas, you’ll most likely find success walking into a local business and asking if they need help distributing flyers, coupons, or things like that.

This would be the best way to go if you want to make the most money, because you can set your own rates, and there’s no third party to take the lion’s share of the earnings.

The only downside to this would be that you have to be bold enough to approach the businesses and get your customers, which some people might struggle with.

Go through a leaflet production and distribution firm

If neither of the other two ways really suits your fancy, then you’ll be pleased to know that there are leaflet production and distribution firms.

Essentially, they’re the ones who deal with the “business” side of things, leaving you to just worry about the delivering aspect.

For example, one company is called Dor-2-Dor. Their distributors – called Adult Post People – have to be between the ages of 21-80 years old and be able to walk a minimum of 5-6 hours per week.

They give you work in your local area (or a bit further out if you have a car), and supply you with enough work to keep you busy for 2-3 days per week.

Most people working for them distribute between 150-250 houses per hour. They give you the work and allot you 7 days to complete the distribution. Then, you get paid!

This structure is similar to the other companies out there. This avenue is probably the best one if you’re looking for an easy and quick way to earn money as a true side hustle.

How Much Can You Make?

How much money you can make is dependent on which route you take to get the job. It also varies depending on your availability, how many publications you can distribute, and what you’re distributing.

For example, you’ll probably get paid more if you’re distributing heavy books as opposed to single page flyers.

You can also earn extra money with bonuses, which are commonly based on how many papers you can distribute per shift.

Some distributors report making from £600-£2,000 per month. While other companies, like Dor-2-Dor, state that their distributors make up to £180 per month, plus fuel allowance if they use a car.

Because this type of job requires a lot of walking, you could combine this work with an app that pays you to walk! That way, you could earn more money for the same amount of work.

What Are The Startup Costs?

Companies like Dor-2-Dor do not have any startup costs, mainly because they say that their leaflets loads are lightweight and easy to carry. 

If you are just working with a business, your startup costs might depend on what you’re distributing. If it’s heavy, you may need to invest in a newspaper cart to roll with you or a good backpack to hold everything. 

Both of which could be cheap (around $20), or they could get very pricey if you need a big one. Some larger, high quality backpacks can cost well over $100!

The business may also require you to get something to prevent the leaflets from getting wet, like a plastic cover, for when it starts raining. Those will generally run you about $20 for a pack of 50 covers.

Overall, though, there really shouldn’t be any startup costs. If you go through a company, they should pay any upfront costs and provide any necessary tools you might need to be successful.

Most local newspapers should also provide an over-the-shoulder bag to carry the papers in if needed. 

Pros and Cons

While this might seem like an ideal job, there’s positive and negative aspects to it. Let’s take a look at each to help you better decide if this is the right side gig for you.

Pros

• Great way to stay active while getting paid
• Can combine with other money-making ventures to maximize your earning potential
• Can potentially become a full-time job, especially if you start your own business

Cons

• Has some potential startup costs
• Requires a decent amount of physical activity
• Might be difficult to find somewhere that’s hiring at first

Conclusion

All in all, distributing leaflets can be a great way to earn some extra cash, especially if you’re a business-minded person.

Not to mention, there are lots of ways you can get creative and combine different side gigs to maximize how much you earn in the same period of time with little to no extra effort.

You could even turn this into a full-time job – and a successful one at that – especially if you started your own business.

For some people, this type of job might not be a good fit. And for others, it might be the ideal side hustle. Whichever you are, hopefully this article helped you decide whether or not to try your hand at distributing leaflets!