Add a ‘P.S.’ for more impact with marketing emails and letters

Adding a ‘P.S.’ to a direct mail letter or email is a powerful way to reinforce the impact. The P.S. is one of the most important elements in a persuasive document, so don’t underestimate its value.

‘P.S.’ or ‘PS’ comes from the Latin ‘post scriptum,’ which means “written after.” A postscript is writing added after the main body of a letter or other block of text.

Some clients of copywriters say they don’t want to include a P.S. at the end of the letter because it might make them look silly – as if they forgot to say something. But experience has proven that the P.S. works – because the eye of a reader is always drawn towards it at the end of a letter.

The best email marketers always use a P.S. in their content. Here’s a couple of them:

Image below: Email marketing expert Bob Bly uses a P.S. in almost every daily email he sends to his subscriber list.

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Sponsorship consultant Chris Baylis uses the P.S. frequently in his marketing emails, as below:

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Five ways a top copywriter uses postscripts

Copywriting expert Alan Rosenspan says he uses a postscript in 5 ways:

1. Repeating the offer and putting your contact number of website link in bold.

2. Tell them why they should respond now – even if they think they don’t need your product right away. For example, he says for Scott’s Lawn Service, his P.S. read “Even if you have no plans to improve your lawn right now, our Free Analysis will show you what you’ll need to do in the future. And there’s no cost or obligation.”

3. Use it to stress urgency. For example, “Our service will be in your area for one day only.”

4. Be personal. The P.S. sits right under the name and title of the person writing the letter. A personal P.S. can be very powerful. For example, “Alan – please don’t wait a moment longer to protect your family. Call 1-800-000-0000 now.”

5. Be creative. You can think of various other ways to write persuasive copy in the P.S., including a final bonus as an afterword if you wish.

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Unsplash.