The Copy Dock

This may sound like one of those silver-bullet-secrets-of-the-copywriting-gods type things, but it’s not. This one’s just good old-fashioned common sense.

Because yes, there really is one line that can turbocharge the results of your direct mail.

And it’s the PS.

Like many direct response copywriters, I often write the PS first. The reason is simple - all the research conducted on the way people read direct mail letters shows that 80% to 90% of direct mail recipients flip straight to the end of the letter and read the PS first.

So your PS is probably the single most important line in any direct mail pack you send out. And as such, it requires special attention. Fortunately, not that complicated attention though.

Anyone can write a good PS.

But there are certain things a good PS must always contain, and certain things it must never contain…

PS Rule No. 1 - Always reference:

• Your company
• The product or service you want your customer to buy
• The price
• The main benefit to your customer
• Your offer
• A deadline after which your mail offer will expire

All pretty straightforward so far, and, as I promised, common sense too.

Now for the not-so-common-sense bit. Postscripts were invented back in the day when people wrote letters by hand, and sometimes needed to include information they'd forgotten while writing their letter.

We don’t live in those times anymore. Your PS is not for information you ‘forgot’ to mention. It’s your first and best shot at making your pitch to your customer or prospect.

And so, onto…

PS Rule No. 2 - Never Include:

• Any kind of ancillary or miscellaneous information not covered in your letter.
• Anything you’d like to mention that didn’t seem to fit anywhere else.
• Any kind of instruction to read an enclosed leaflet or brochure.
• Any suggestion that your customer should do anything but a). read your letter, b). fill out your response form and order by post, or c). call and place an order by phone.

Always remember, the job of your PS is to tell your customer who you are, what you’re offering, how much it costs, what the core benefit is, and why they should buy now. Nothing else.

The Exception 

There is only one exception to Rule No. 2. And it’s this: if breaking Rule No. 2 is more important to your business than actually making sales… then by all means, break Rule No. 2.

But if it isn’t… don’t.

And that, in a nutshell, is how to turbocharge your next direct mail campaign with one line. And the real beauty of it is that it costs the same to write a good PS as it does a bad one, so the boost in responses and ROI you’ll get from applying these rules is free. 

Good luck!

Jules