How using a PS in your Newsletters can get More Results

This Content Marketing Trick is one that is so simple yet often overlooked.

Remember when people wrote letters by hand and sent them through the postal service? If they made a mistake, they had to either erase or start over. And if they got through the entire letter and realized that they forgot something, they would add a “postscript”, or P.S. to the end. Times sure have changed.

Or have they? If you’ve perused any online sales letters, sales pages, or even emails or newsletters lately, you’ve probably seen several that have a P.S. attached to the end. Seems rather odd that a carefully planned sales letter would have an afterthought attached to the end, doesn’t it?

But most copywriting experts agree that a P.S. is one of the most important parts of any sales letter. And that’s not just a hunch – it has been confirmed over and over through split testing.

There is Power in these 2 letters:  P.S.

The reason is deceptively simple: It’s because of its location.

Think about it. Have you ever looked at a sales letter (an email with an offer or promotion in it or even a sales page on your website) that interested you, but not had the time or energy to read through the entire thing? What do you do? Chances are, you skim through it, or just skip straight to the end to see what is offered and how much it will cost. And you’re certainly not the only one who does that. The internet and email and demands on our time every day, have a way of perpetuating short attention spans, and with so many websites out there competing for users’ attention, they’re usually looking to cut to the chase.

Since effective copywriting involves working with the reader’s natural tendencies, it doesn’t really make sense to try to keep the reader from skipping to the end of your sales letter. It’s much better to put something there that will draw them in and make them want to go back and read more. And that is where the P.S. comes in.

Make it noticeable, and it’s almost guaranteed that it will get read.

How to Use the P.S. to Your Advantage in your Marketing Copy.

So now you know why the P.S. is so important. The next step is deciding what to put in it. It definitely should NOT be an afterthought.

That’s actually what the term “postscript” means, it is an afterthought but that’s not what it should be in a sales letter or email. It’s got to be something that will grab the reader’s attention and entice them to learn more.

One tactic, that many marketers use, is creating a sense of urgency. A limited offer. They mention that the asking price is only good for a limited time, or that the buyer will receive certain bonuses that may not be available later on. This encourages the reader to go back and see what else you have to say, or possibly even to go ahead and click the link on the P.S. to move forward and sign up or make the purchase.

Another strategy that is often used is reiterating key benefits of the product. You may have laid them out in the body of the letter already, but by mentioning them again in the P.S., you make sure that the skimmers see them.

A carefully crafted P.S. on a sales page can keep your visitors on your website longer, and ultimately result in greater conversions. Try adding one (or tweaking the one you’ve got) and see if it boosts your sales!

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