The Power Of The P.S.

Remember when people wrote letters by hand and sent them through the postal service? I sure do. As a matter of fact, I used to love getting letters from friends I made at summer camp or my grandmother and grandfather.

via GIPHY

And I always answered with that same channel of communication – snail mail.

If they or I made a mistake while writing, we had to either erase or start over. And if we got through the entire letter and realized that we forgot something, we would simply add a postscript, or P.S. to the end.

TIMES SURE HAVE CHANGES

I don’t know about you, but I seldom get a handwritten letter anymore. Maybe, and just maybe during the holidays, but that is pretty much it. I do send handwritten notes because I like to make that personal connection with the person I’m writing to.

I do read lots of sales letters online – a lot. I read them because I am always seeking to further my education and enhance my life with great courses, services and products.

If you’ve perused any online sales letters lately, you’ve probably seen several that have a P.S. attached to the end. In fact, probably most of them have the postscript.

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.

It works for large and small companies alike as well as business-to-business and business-to-consumer. The P.S. does not discriminate.

And the reason is deceptively simple: just like any real estate, it’s because of its location, location, location.

Think about it. Have you ever looked at a sales letter 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 the offer and how much it will cost. And you’re certainly not the only one who does that.

THE DEATH OF THE ATTENTION SPAN

The internet has a way of perpetuating short attention spans, and with so many companies out there competing for users’ attention, they’re usually looking to cut straight 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 him or her in and make them want to go back and read more.

And that is where the P.S. comes in. Make it noticeable and make it remarkable. This will almost guarantee that it will get read.

HOW TO USE THE P.S. TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

So now you know why the P.S. is so important. The next step is deciding what to put in it.

Well, the paradoxical truth is it definitely should NOT be an afterthought.

In essence, that’s what the term “postscript” means, but that’s not what it should be in a sales letter. It’s got to be something that will grab the reader’s attention and entice him or her to learn more.

One tactic that many smart marketers and companies use is creating a sense of urgency.

They may 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.

Another option is restating the call to action – one more time! It could be opting in for a free report or registering for an online event such as a webinar. This encourages the reader to go back and see what else you have to say, or possibly even to go ahead and make the purchase or your desired outcome.

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. Done correctly the reader will go back to the body of the letter for the details.

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

P.S. Postscripts are not only for sales letters. Use them in your content writing as well. You will find it is just enough to boost your reader’s spirit or to get another fan to pass along your advice.

About Stacey Riska

Stacey Riska, aka “Small Business Stacey” is a serial entrepreneur who is passionate about saving small business and rebuilding Main Street. She helps small and local business owners become a #SmallBizMarketingWiz by teaching them marketing strategies that get MORE: MORE leads, MORE customers/clients, MORE sales, and MORE money. Stacey is the founder of Small Biz Marketing Specialist, THE go-to place for marketing tips, techniques and strategies that get results. Stacey is also the creator of the Daily Deals for Massive Profits Training Program, an online video training program that teaches small and local business owners how to use daily deal sites like Groupon to skyrocket their business growth and get massive profits. In this program she teaches from experience, as it was the key strategy that transformed her coffee and smoothie business from being $500K in debt to a 7-figure profitable business. When not saving the small business world, she enjoys sipping red wine, eating chocolate (who doesn’t!) and spending time with her amazing husband.