Latest / The Copywriting Podcast with Fexingo: Sales Letters, Headlines, and Persuasive Writing / How a Typed P.S. Beat a Handwritten One in Direct Mail
Transcript
- Lucas: If you've ever been told that a handwritten touch always beats a typed one in direct mail, I've got a split test from 1998 that might change your mind. Luna: Oh, I love a good rule-breaking test. What was the offer? Lucas: It was a membership pitch for Boardroom — the newsletter that published insider business intelligence. The control package had a classic handwritten P.S. in blue ballpoint, something like 'I saved my best tip for last — turn the page.' The challenger replaced that with a typed P.S. in plain black Courier font. No signature, no personalization. Luna: And the typed version won? Lucas: By 29 percent on response. Which sounds counterintuitive until you look at what the product actually was: actionable, authoritative information. Boardroom wasn't selling a relationship — they were selling secrets. A typed P.S. felt more official, more like a bulletin from headquarters. The handwritten one felt like a note from a buddy, which actually reduced the perceived urgency. Luna: So the reader's brain went: this is important enough to type, not just a quick scribble. Lucas: Exactly. And I think there's a modern echo in email marketing. A plain-text email from a CEO often outperforms a beautifully designed HTML template when the message is high-stakes. Luna: Right — it signals that a real person actually wrote it. But in this case, the typed version wasn't trying to look personal, it was trying to look official. Lucas: That's the nuance. The control tried to mimic a personal note. The challenger leaned into the brand's authority. And for a product like Boardroom — which was all about giving you an edge — authority beat familiarity. Luna: What was the exact wording of the typed P.S.? Lucas: The archival record shows it said: 'P.S. One more thing — inside this issue you'll find a report that a dozen Fortune 500 companies paid five figures for. You get it as a member. — The Editors.' No name, just 'The Editors.' That's a completely different psychological frame. Luna: So the handwritten one probably said something like 'Luna, I wanted you to see this first' — much warmer. Lucas: Right. And that warmth actually hurt because it made the offer feel less exclusive. If a friend gives you a tip, it's casual. If 'The Editors' give you a tip, it's a briefing. Luna: I want to test this on my own landing page. The CTA button says 'Get the Report' — maybe I'll change it to 'Download Official Brief' just to see. Lucas: That is exactly the kind of small shift that can produce a double-digit lift. The lesson isn't that handwritten is dead — it's that you have to match the medium to the message. Luna: When would you still use a handwritten P.S.? Lucas: When you're selling a relationship — a coaching program, a high-touch service, a membership that's built on personal access. Or if you already have an existing relationship with the prospect. Then handwriting signals care, not casualness. Luna: But for a cold list, selling information or authority, typed wins. Lucas: That's the pattern I see in the data. There was another test from the same era — Phillips Publishing — where they tried a handwritten envelope versus a typed envelope. The typed envelope actually drew more opens because it looked like a business document, which people are less likely to trash without peeking inside. Luna: Wait — so the handwriting on the outside also hurt? Lucas: It did when the recipient didn't recognize the sender. Handwriting on the envelope triggers 'junk mail' suspicion for a lot of people now, but even in the late 90s, a typed envelope from an unfamiliar source had a higher perceived signal to noise ratio. Luna: That's fascinating because today we're told handwriting cuts through digital noise. But in physical mail, it might just look like a bill or a charity plea. Lucas: Right. And this is why I love revisiting old split tests — the context changes, but the underlying psychology doesn't. People make split-second judgments about trust and relevance based on surface cues like font, ink color, signature style. Luna: You mentioned Courier font. Was that intentional or just what they had? Lucas: It was intentional. Courier looks like it came from a typewriter, which in 1998 still carried connotations of 'newsroom' and 'authority.' It wasn't a fancy serif or a clean sans-serif — it was workhorse. That choice alone probably contributed to the 29 percent lift. Luna: So the entire P.S. — font, wording, signature — was a unified signal of authority. Lucas: Exactly. And the handwritten one was a unified signal of familiarity. Both are valid strategies, but you have to pick the one that aligns with your product's core promise. Luna: I also wonder if the placement mattered. The P.S. was at the very end of the letter, right? Lucas: Yes, standard position. But here's the thing — in direct mail, the P.S. is often the second-most-read element after the headline. People flip to the end before they read the body. So the P.S. isn't an afterthought, it's a headline in disguise. Luna: That makes the 29 percent even more dramatic. It's not a marginal change — it's a fundamental choice about who you are to the reader. Lucas: And I think marketers today make the same mistake. They default to 'personalization' without asking whether the prospect actually wants a personal relationship with the brand at that stage. Luna: We've been talking a lot about testing — and actually, if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used in your own work, that's the whole point of this show. Lucas: Yeah, and I'll be honest — a handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's literally what funds us making this many episodes ad-free. Luna: It's a small group, but it keeps us independent. No sponsors to please, no clickbait pressure. Just the actual data. Lucas: Exactly. And speaking of data — let's go back to that Boardroom test, because there's one more layer to it. The typed P.S. didn't just change the font; it changed the promise. The handwritten one was a teaser. The typed one was a proof point with a dollar figure. Luna: The 'five figures' line. That's the real driver. Lucas: I think so. The handwritten one said 'turn the page.' The typed one said 'here's why this is valuable.' It gave permission to act. Luna: So maybe the font change was just the visible tip. The real shift was from vague to specific. Lucas: That's a good point. And it's a reminder that what looks like a surface-level A/B test often reveals a deeper strategic difference. The font was the variable, but the actual cause was the message. Luna: I guess the takeaway is: test the whole package, not just the color of the button. Lucas: Exactly. And if you ever find yourself debating whether to handwrite or type that P.S., ask one question: 'What does this reader need to feel right now — a friend or an authority?' The answer will tell you which one to use. Luna: I'm going to go back through my old email sequences and see where I assumed personal was best, but maybe official would have worked better. Lucas: And if you find a winner, let us know. We might do a follow-up. Luna: Alright, that's the show. See you next time. Lucas: Take care.