Solution #37: Dressing Up Your Direct Mail with Post Scripts

If you don't regularly include postscripts (P.S.) in your direct mail letters, you're missing a crucial opportunity to capture your audience's attention and pull readers into your copy.

According to Ray Jutkins, a direct mail copywriting specialist and frequent contributor to the National Mail Order Association, 79% of the people who open your direct mail package will read the P.S. first.  If written well, that P.S. will inspire them to read more.

The length of your postscript depends on the content and length of the letter it follows, but it can be as simple as a sentence or two or, in some cases, as long as a few paragraphs.  Here are a few things you can do with a P.S.:

·         reiterate the top benefits of your product or service

·         remind people how to respond

·         repeat your offer's deadline date

·         remind readers about a special gift they will get if they respond

·         emphasize the financial aspect of your offer: the potential money saved or earned

Jutkins also suggests summarizing your entire sales message in your P.S. in a single paragraph, but he cautions against ever introducing any new information in your P.S.  Including new information in the P.S. that readers can't find further elaboration on in your letter will confuse and frustrate them, and frustrated readers don't usually become eager buyers.

P.S. If you have multiple points you want to emphasize in your P.S., don't hesitate to break them up into two postscripts: a P.S. and a P.P.S.  Multiple postscripts allow you to emphasize multiple points and draw more attention to the P.S. area.

Do you have a better suggestion to offer or a challenge you'd like help with?  Say it here.  Your comments are always welcome.