Arbitron Inc., a provider of radio ratings data, conducted a test using a probability based address sample to recruit the general population, age 12 and older, to complete a one week web-based diary of their radio listening. Since web-based surveys historically have had lower response rates, there were several treatments in place to increase the response rate. In order to find the optimal mailing strategy for recruitment, the mailing experiment included several treatments such as advanced notice postcards, pre-recorded telephone messages, and an alternative package design. The purpose of an alternative package design was to establish whether a focus on completing a survey as an act of civic duty would appeal to households rather than the current approach of direct mail marketing materials such as flashy bulk packages, brochures, and non-monetary gifts. A personalization approach was tested which included a name on the letters or a generic “Arbitron Ratings Household” greeting. Also, packages were mailed each postal day, so an optimal day of week for mailing was identified. Finally, additional treatments were in place to increase response rates such as incentive choice (online Amazon Gift card or mailed Visa Gift Card), flexibility in survey start date, and an alternative mode option (mobile). In this presentation, we will present the results from the web-diary initiatives. We will also determine the combined impact of the non-deliverable rate and response rate of the personalized letters. Since the experiment included first-class as well as standard mail packages, we will determine the impact of postage on response rates. Finally, we will present the optimal mailing strategy for mail-based recruitment for an online survey.