Postscripts have been a very effective tool in direct mail marketing industry for many years. More often than not, the call to action is repeated in the postscript along with a special incentive.

A postscript (from post scriptum, a Latin expression meaning “after writing” and abbreviated P.S. or p.s.) is a sentence, paragraph, or occasionally many paragraphs added, often hastily and incidentally, after the signature of a letter or (sometimes) the main body of an essay or book.

After the headline, the “P.S.” is the second most frequently read part of the letter. A P.S. always gets read and it encourages the customer to act now.

While a postscript isn’t mandatory, it grabs attention in commercial e-mails, too. Often, readers will read the subject line and the hook, scan the key elements and go directly to the P.S. The P.S. should restate your hook and highlight your offer.

Postscripts have all the fun.

All the best,

John Bradley Jackson
© Copyright 2007 All rights reserved.

P. S. I will send a free copy of my book “First, Best, or Different” to the first person who comments on this blog.

P. P. S. The first two people who commented already have the book, so the book is still available.

About the author
11 Comments
  1. How right you are, John. Thanks for your continuing insight. Since I am fortunate to already have a copy of your book, I’d like to pass it on to the NEXT person who comments on this blog. Happy New Year!

  2. Liz,

    Thanks for reading my blog. The book goes to the next comment (as you suggest).

    Happy New Year!

    JBJ

  3. Andrew,

    OK, we let the next person get the book.

    JBJ

  4. I love this, it’s something I’ve been telling to my salespeople… send your letter, but handwrite a “PS” note at the bottom!

    I just recently found your blog as I’m looking for a few great sites to send to my team. Does this mean I get a copy of “First, Best, or Different”?

    If so, YAY!!

  5. Heather,

    Welcome to my blog. Postscripts work and they are seldom used (that is why they work).

    JBJ

    P. S. Heather wins the free book!

  6. Hi John

    It seems an “ethical bribe” works pretty well too 🙂

    Great content on your blog by the way!

    Cheers
    Stephen Spry

  7. Stephen,

    Tell me about an ethical bribe….what does that mean?

    JBJ

  8. It’s an exceptional offer – something with a high perceived value to the user – made to encourage some sort of action – usually the “sign up for my list and grab my free report” thing (although I wouldn’t call that exceptional LOL)

    The “ethical bribe” in this case….
    “I will send a free copy of my book “First, Best, or Different” to the first person who comments on this blog.”

    And it worked! It got people to comment!

    I often wonder why blogs with good content don’t get a lot more comments from people… maybe the content is so spot on that most just sit there and say “uh huh… yep that’s good”, nod approvingly and don’t feel the urge to type anything because there’s nothing to add 🙂

    Well there IS something to add! Say it’s good stuff if you believe it, or else the blog owner might decide it’s all a waste of time and stop posting. It IS discouraging, when… although you seem to be getting good traffic to your site… no-one says anything!

    Cheers
    Stephen

  9. Stephen,

    Yes, few readers actually comment on blogs (mine is no exception).

    My assumption is that they are too busy or they don’t want to publish their thoughts in a public forum such as a blog.

    I frequently get private emails instead of blog comments—go figure.

    Nonetheless, thanks for you participation.

    Thanks,

    JBJ

  10. This is right on. I’ve even read articles in the DM News saying the PS is the most looked at part in a letter. I agree with you – a powerful motivating headline should grab attention first so they will go on to read the PS. I’ve wrote many ads for clients and utilized the PS to drive in main points, the offer, and deadline and it always increases sales when done right!

    Andrew Sundstrom
    Author, Speaker, Consultant
    AndrewSundstrom.com

Leave Comment

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

clear formSubmit

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.