Latest / The Copywriting Podcast with Fexingo: Sales Letters, Headlines, and Persuasive Writing / How a Handwritten Margin Note Doubled Response
Transcript
- Lucas: So a few years back, I stumbled onto a test from the early 80s — a financial newsletter publisher, ran a split-run direct mail campaign. Same letter, same envelope, same offer. The only difference? In version B, someone had taken a blue ballpoint pen and scribbled a two-word note in the top margin: 'Larry, read this.' Luna: Wait — just two words in the margin? No other changes? Lucas: Nothing else. Same letterhead, same copy, same reply card. And version B pulled more than double the response — 112 percent lift, to be exact. The control was a perfectly typed, professionally formatted letter. The test looked like someone had handwritten a quick reminder to a colleague. Luna: That is wild. So the illusion of a personal note — even though it was obviously printed on every piece — made people feel like the letter was meant for them. Lucas: Exactly. And this is the kind of thing that, if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used — a headline tweak, a subject line change, a new way to structure a testimonial — a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going. Buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep the podcast ad-free and focused on the nitty-gritty tests like this one. Lucas: So back to that margin note. The publisher later said they'd tested dozens of variations — different colors, different wording, different placement. But the original 'Larry, read this' in blue ink, in the top right margin, was the winner every single time. Luna: Why 'Larry' specifically? Was that the recipient's name? Lucas: It could be — but in this test, the letter was addressed to a specific person. So 'Larry' matched the salutation. The key was that the note referenced the recipient by name, as if the sender had just scribbled a reminder. It created what copywriters call a 'simulated personal touch.' Luna: Right. It breaks through the 'this is mass-produced' filter. Your brain sees handwriting and thinks, 'Oh, a real person touched this.' Lucas: Exactly. And there's a specific reason blue ink worked better than black or red. Black felt too formal — like a secretary's note. Red felt urgent, almost alarming. Blue was casual, warm, trustworthy. Luna: So the color itself carried meaning. That's something you could test in an email — maybe a different font color for the PS or a handwritten-style signature. Lucas: Totally. And the placement mattered too. Top margin, right side — that's where you'd naturally jot a note before handing a document to someone. Bottom margin felt like an afterthought. Left margin felt like corrections. Luna: So it's not just the note — it's the whole choreography of how handwriting appears on a page. Lucas: Precisely. And this test has been replicated in digital. I've seen case studies where adding a handwritten-style postscript to an email — something like 'P.S. Jen, I thought of you when I wrote this' — lifted click-through rates by 30 to 50 percent. Luna: But here's the thing — if everyone starts doing it, won't it lose its power? Lucas: That's the risk. The margin note worked in the 80s because it was novel. Today, people are more skeptical. But the principle behind it — signaling personal attention — still works if done authentically. Luna: What do you mean by 'authentically'? Lucas: The note has to feel like a real person wrote it for a real reason. If it's just 'Hey, check this out' slapped on every piece, it feels gimmicky. But if the note references something specific — 'Saw your comment on last week's post, thought you'd like this' — that's genuine personalization. Luna: So the copy has to earn the right to be handwritten, in a sense. Lucas: Yes. And there's another layer: the handwriting itself. In the original test, they used a real pen, scanned it, and printed it. It looked slightly irregular — not perfect. That imperfection was crucial. Luna: Because perfect handwriting looks fake? Lucas: Exactly. If it's too neat, your brain flags it as mass-produced. The slight wobble, the varying pressure — those are the signals of authenticity. Luna: So for digital, you'd want a handwriting font that's a bit messy, not a cursive font that looks like it came from a wedding invitation. Lucas: Right. And you'd probably want to vary it — not use the same exact note on every email. Some tools now let you generate unique handwriting per recipient, which is wild. Luna: But let's talk about the flip side. Did the publisher ever test a version where the margin note was too long? Lucas: They did. A three-sentence note in the margin bombed. It looked like someone was writing a letter inside the margin — too much effort, felt forced. The beauty of 'Larry, read this' is its brevity. It's a nudge, not a paragraph. Luna: So the lesson is: keep it short, keep it specific, keep it in the right spot. Lucas: And test it. Because what worked in direct mail doesn't always translate. I've seen email tests where a handwritten PS in the body actually decreased clicks — maybe because it looked too salesy in a digital context. Luna: So you've got to test the medium. What about landing pages? Could a handwritten note on a hero image work? Lucas: It could, but you have to be careful. On a landing page, the handwritten element might conflict with the design. I've seen it work when the note is small, off to the side, like a sticky note. But if it's too prominent, it can look cheesy. Luna: So the margin note effect is really about the element of surprise — you're reading a clean, typed document, and then your eye catches this little scribble. Lucas: That's exactly the mechanism. It's a pattern interrupt. Your brain is in 'scanning mode' for a typed letter, and the handwriting forces you to slow down and read it. Luna: And once you've read that note, you're more engaged with the rest of the copy. Lucas: Exactly. It's a hook. And it works because it feels like a secret — like someone slipped you a note that wasn't meant for everyone. Luna: So the takeaway for copywriters today: look for opportunities to add a personal, handwritten element — but make sure it feels natural, not manufactured. Lucas: And test the details — color, placement, length, even the handwriting style. The difference between a 10 percent lift and a 112 percent lift might be the shade of blue ink. Luna: I love that. It's such a simple change, but it taps into a deep psychological need for connection. Lucas: It does. And that's the core of persuasive writing — making the reader feel seen. The margin note is just one tool, but the principle applies everywhere.