The P.S. It’s one of the most powerful copywriting tools in your arsenal and yet very few people know how to use it effectively and to its full potential. Here are a few ways to make sure your P.S. doesn’t read like an afterthought.
DO: Restate the Benefits as a Summary
This is particularly useful if you have a LONG sales letter, or a very detailed explanation of what people get when they order. Reminding the reader of by restating the benefits in a simple checklist-style summary is a great way to end your sales letter with a “big picture” of everything that’s included.
DO: Give People an Extra Way to Contact You
Include a toll-free number or an email address (that you answer often – not just a default customer service link) to show people that a real person is behind the letter, and stands behind the product or service.
DO: Include a Firm Deadline – and Stick To It!
Just saying “Urgent”, “Hurry” or “Limited Time Offer” won’t cut it anymore, because there are some websites out there with limited time offers that have lasted for years! Give people a specific deadline and stick to it – “If you order by midnight, July 21st, you’ll be able to lock in your low rate of $29/month for this exceptional offer. But don’t be surprised if you come back to this site on the 22nd to see that the price has DOUBLED – because it absolutely will.”
DON’T: Use Your P.S. as a Dumping Ground
The P.S. is not the place to throw everything else that you didn’t include in your main page. This includes side stuff like your newest product release, a new video you created, your press release or anything else. You’ve gotten the reader this far – don’t jerk the rug out from under them by surprising them with something completely new and different!
DON’T: Turn Your P.S. into a Paragraph
After they read the headline, many people will scroll right down to the P.S. to see what sort of bonuses, extras, or discount pricing is included. As tempting as it may sound, resist the urge to turn your P.S. into a long-winded paragraph about how much they’ll save and how much better their life will be. The P.S. is designed to be quick, easily scanned and actionable. Everything else, if it’s truly important – needs to go in the body of the sales letter.
DON’T: Add a Bunch of Extra P.S.’es
I’ve seen a lot of sites do this simply because some “guru” did it, and everyone else assumes it must work. It doesn’t. Adding anything beyond a P.S. or a P.P.S. just clutters your pages with a heap of afterthoughts, and causes your reader to lose interest very quickly. It also makes you look disorganized and desperate to make the sale. If you can’t say what you need to say in one or two P.S. notes, consider revising your sales copy to include those benefits further up in the body text.
By keeping these points in mind, you should have plenty of ammunition to deliver a powerful, promising P.S. that propels your prospect to purchase. :
P.S., Don’t forget to add your comments below and share some of the other things you love (or hate!) about the P.S. in copywriting.
