HOW MANY PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS SHOULD I ORDER?

Audience

How many and what kind of people are you trying to reach?  For potential clients everywhere, bigger quantities are better to spread the word.  For promotion within an industry, your audience is limited, and therefore, you need fewer products.

Duration of Campaign

Marketing for a single event, especially one that you want to promote with a dated product, is well-promoted with one order, so you don't wind up with extra, unusable product.  Single-use and disposable items such as packets of sunscreen and perishable food are good for this type of promotion.  On the other hand, long term campaigns that focus more on brand recognition than events would do well with large orders.  Excess product can be stored for future use, and you save on shipping costs for additional orders.