𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗮 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

A handwritten letter presented a practical problem. Once the writer reached the end, adding a forgotten thought meant squeezing it into a margin or beginning again. The postscript offered an easy solution: one last message after the signature.

In direct-response copy, that afterthought became a deliberate opportunity. Readers who skim a letter may still examine the ending. A carefully chosen P.S. can return their attention to the most important reason to act.

You can use a postscript to restate the unique selling proposition, address an objection, provide relevant proof, remind the reader about the next step, or insert other elements like a bonus or scarcity statement.

That’s a lot of options and the danger is treating it like a junk drawer.

Imagine a sales letter selling a writing workshop. Its strongest advantage is that students receive personal critiques of their drafts. Yet the P.S. mentions a free checklist and a discount that never ends. The closing lines advertise the least distinctive parts of the offer.

Try a postscript that brings the central advantage back into focus: “P.S. Every participant receives feedback on two complete drafts. You’ll know what to revise before sending your work to a client.” This is appropriate only when that feedback is genuinely included.

Now perform a simple test. Read the headline and the P.S. without reading anything between them. Do they make a coherent promise together? Does the ending reinforce what makes this offer worth considering?

The postscript is your final editorial choice. Give it a job worthy of that position, or leave it out entirely.

RW
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