There’s not much political value we can take from Mad Men. From its Lucky Strike smoking, inebriated working, sexist actions – they don’t line up with our morals. However, there is a simple and buried line in the show that has value to political campaigns everywhere.

Peter Campbell is pitching Don Draper on an ad he’s just written. The creative is clever and poetic. While Peter is impressed with his idea, Don Draper cuts it down in five memorable words, “Don’t write for other writers.”

Running for office or working on a campaign? Here’s why that statement is of  value.

The Hard Truth: We’re Nerds

We consider ourselves in the glorified category of nerds. We watch MSNBC, listen to NPR, and read a combination of Politico, Roll Call, and Daily Kos in the morning. Politics and political issues are very much of part of our life. If you’re reading this, chances are good the same is for you. We are not normal.

While we get excited talking about levy campaigns and tax reform, most people don’t. Voters are busy going about their daily lives – earning a living, spending time with their family, and so on. They simply don’t care about every single issue on a candidate’s platform no matter how much we want them to do, and chances are extremely low that the average person is going to read every issue of your campaign’s platform.

When you craft your campaign communications – stump speech, mail, or digital advertising – you need to ask yourself, “Am I writing for Don – the insider – or his wife, Betty – the typical voter?”

Your campaign worked hard to raise funds, and it’s up to you to be a good steward of these hard-earned dollars. In political mail, like many of life’s purchases, there are tricks to saving money. Many of these tips are known by seasoned campaign veterans; others are known by few. The next time you’re getting quotes from a mail consultant, make sure to inquire about any number of these—the savings could be in the thousands.

Less Time on Press Time

The production price on a piece of mail is more than just the material it’s printed on—it’s the press time that costs a campaign money. For a printer to produce a flight of mail, whether it’s 1,000 or 100,000 pieces, the press time is a valuable commodity. To reduce your cost per piece, ask about gang-running your pieces of mail together. By issuing a gang-run, you’re printing multiple pieces at a time as opposed to buying the press time for just one piece of mail. While there are limitations to printing all your mail in fewer runs, it’s worth asking about because your campaign can save thousands.

Cheaper Postage

Most candidates and political campaigns already enjoy the savings of sending out mail presort standard. This mail rate is a reduction from sending out a first-class stamp. However, even greater savings exist. Your issue organization or state party may be recognized as a nonprofit institution. If so, these organizations receive even a lower postal rate. Check with your mail consultant to see if your campaign qualifies for these rates. If so, you could mail more for less.

Think Smaller

A successful mail campaign uses a variety of mail formats to avoid a staleness in the mailboxes. Often the larger formats and those with intricacies such as a fold or a perforated card can drive up the costs. Unless the mail has a specific purpose that requires a mailed-back portion—such as a voter registration or an absentee voter application—try to avoid these formats to keep costs manageable. Using flat mailers that are smaller than a full sheet of paper will save you money on both the production and postage.