Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Earn money getting paid to deliver leaflets, flyers and papers
Joanna Robinson
16th Aug 2019
Many people choose a paper round as their first job – and there’s nothing to stop you making a bit of money getting paid to deliver as an adult. If you’re after a simple job to make some extra cash, start distributing leaflets, papers and brochures.
In a world dominated by online advertising, all sorts of businesses still need people for so-called door drop marketing. That means companies will pay you to deliver publications for them. You may be dealing with any printed materials such as leaflets, flyers, newspapers, magazines, catalogues, brochures or directories.
It doesn’t take much to get started if you’d like to get paid to deliver leaflets. And, as well as becoming an additional source of income, it’s a good way of staying active, fit and sociable.
Find out more about getting paid to deliver printed literature…
- What do I need to make money from deliveries?
- How do I find work delivering literature?
- Can I make decent money delivering publications?
- What to look out for with delivery jobs
What do I need to make money from deliveries?
You won’t really need any entry qualifications to get paid to deliver leaflets. In fact, it’s a fairly straightforward job that pretty much anyone can take up, although a reasonable level of physical fitness will certainly help.
If you have restricted mobility or trouble lifting things, your options will be more limited. That’s not to say you’ll be ruled out from getting paid to deliver leaflets, though.
You’ll just need to make a realistic assessment of the demands of the job and your own capabilities before deciding whether it’s feasible to take on the role.
You might find that a car or other motorised transport may be a requirement – or a big help – but, depending on the work, other options may be suitable.
Getting a classic newspaper-round pushbike would be ideal for distributing materials. Or perhaps consider getting a hand cart.
If none of these are an option, that’s fine too. As long as you have a good pair of walking boots and a sturdy backpack, you’re good to go get paid to deliver leaflets.
How do I find work delivering literature?
There’s a number of ways to find delivery work; some of them obvious, others requiring a little bit of initiative. Think about some of these options:
Job centres
It’s the obvious place to start looking for a job – and firms offering work may well think so too! Pop in to check if there’s any work available to get paid to deliver printed materials.
Local newspapers
Check out the jobs pages of local newspapers. Some of these are online, but with many small, free papers you may be better off checking out the print versions.
Also think about contacting the papers directly. You may be able to easily secure a newspaper round, or the paper may be able to put you in touch with the distribution agent.
Classified ad sites
The internet is full of classified ad websites. Check out Gumtree and Craigslist, as they may well be a great resource for finding casual work.
Local shop windows
More traditional firms may prefer a more traditional classified ad – look out for card adverts in the window of your local shop or post office.
Job websites and email alerts
Recruitment websites such as indeed.co.uk carry delivery jobs. You can easily set up an email alert on sites like that to find out when new vacancies arise in the field of work you’re interested in.
Approach local businesses yourself
For a more proactive approach, go out there and ask. Try popping into local taxi firms, takeaways and other businesses to check if they need any help with distribution.
Leaflet production and distribution firms
There’re large companies specialising in leaflet production and/or distribution, such as Letterbox Distribution or Dor2Dor.
Try contacting such firms directly to enquire about work opportunities.
Can I make decent money delivering publications?
Getting paid to deliver literature is a low-skill job with few requirements. As such, it’s unlikely to be highly lucrative.
Expect to be paid by how many items you drop off or by the number of rounds you undertake. If a company is prepared to pay for your time, minimum wage laws may come into play. Try these top tips for boosting your delivery income:
Bulkier items should pay more
You may find higher wages on offer for delivering bulkier items, such as catalogues. Of course, those are heavy and your expenses are then likely to increase as you’ll probably need motorised transport.
Look for papers with leaflets
If you choose a paper round, you can usually expect a bit more money if the paper also contains separate advertising leaflets. In that case, try to find papers that you know use these (usually the freebies).
Haggle!
Inevitably, some companies will pay you more than others. Therefore, perhaps brush up on your haggling skills before negotiating your wages.
Double up your deliveries
Be smart about your work. If you manage to get two rounds in the same area, you may be able to do all the delivering at the same time. This means getting paid twice, from two separate companies.
Get the kids to help
Why not start your children in the world of work by getting them to help out on the round? You can spend time with them, keep an eye on them… and let them help with the leg-work.
New parents may even want to consider bringing the baby along – that Bugaboo pram looks like it can carry a lot of leaflets!
What to look out for with delivery jobs
Try to avoid leafleting schemes where you earn by commission only. In those cases, the company will have to make money from something you delivered.
There’d be no guarantee of this happening and, in any case, it could be difficult for you to prove.
As such, this leaves the serious risk that you’ll spend hours dropping off literature, only to get nothing in return.
You also need to be careful as some leafleting schemes are scams, so do your best to determine whether the company you’re thinking of working for is reputable.
Be especially cautious if it’s an online company without proper contact details. If it only has a mobile phone number or no proper address listed (perhaps just a PO box), for example, it’s not a great sign.
A quick Google search may help you get an idea about a firm’s reputation. Look for things such as media stories and people’s opinions on forums.
You can get a lot of information on a business for free from the government’s website using details held by Companies House.
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lucky you.im Still waiting to be paid,and they ignore my emails
Hi all,I delivered for Mailbox Nationwide last month.I have just been paid on time and directly into my bank.
Really pleased and will be doing it again.
I did some work for mailbox nationwide…It took me 20 hours and i was promised £80 (not a lot but it is to me)After receiving no money i contacted hem the lady said she would pass it on to accounts all other correspondance has been ignored since….
I’ve just done some work through Mail Nationwide and it was ok. My payment came through a few days later than they originally said but otherwise it was fine.
I too have been working for Mailbox and they have always paid me, sometimes on time, sometimes a few days after, but I have always found them to be good.
Just been emailed by Mailbox Nationwide after signing up a few weeks ago, offering me work next week. This will be the first work I do for them, and therefore, and a bit weary as to if it’s a scam. Anybody else done some work for them? And if so, did they pay okay and on time?
no they don’t… i have been waiting nearly 2 months and not a penny
I’m looking for delivering liflets aroud kirkstall area . I’m almost 14 years old.
THANK YOU.
I’m looking for delivering liflets UBT I’m 13 ALMOST 14 !
please could you send me some links to visit,either to work from home or delivery jobs. i am a reliable person and have got transport. from part time to full time it all suits to me
Hi my name is charlene o’gorman. I live on the redditch road in kings norton birmingham, im a mother of two and I am interested in a job delivering leaflets, I don’t have a drivers license but i’m a reliable enthusiastic person. This job would be perfect for especially as I have children.
The best thing to do, Charlene, is to get in touch with the businesses we’ve mentioned in this article and tell them where you live. They will let you know if they have work in that area. Try all of them because at least one is bound to need someone where you are.
Nice to know…
I am feeling somewhat disheartened. Having watched ‘Working Lunch’ today, there was an article about teleworking with a few tips. Straight on to the internet went I to try and find some homeworking jobs. But low and behold, all I found was the usual, get rich quick schemes and Multi marketing rubbish. There has to be some real homeworking jobs out there which pay you for a job done. Any suggestions anybody?
Yes, you’re right, there are loads of homeworking scams around. However, if you look through our Make Money section you will see all kinds of things you can do to boost your income at home. It depends on your skills and time but it can be anything from making things to sell at markets and car boots to doing online surveys, running an online business or childminding. There are lots of things you can do but you may need to do two or three of them in order to make the kind of money you would like to.
Hi im fully interested in distributing leaflets n other stuff as well. Please let me know the procedure how can I get the job n how n when can I start?.