Latest / The Copywriting Podcast with Fexingo: Sales Letters, Headlines, and Persuasive Writing / How One P.S. Tripled a Fundraising Campaign
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this fundraising letter that went out a few years ago — a really well-written appeal from a mid-sized nonprofit. Clean copy, strong story, clear ask, the whole thing. It pulled a response rate of about 1.2 percent. Luna: Which is actually decent for a cold mailing, right? Lucas: It's solid. But then the director of development does something strange. She adds one sentence at the very bottom of the letter, under the signature, as a P.S. And that single sentence triples the response rate to 3.6 percent. Luna: Wait — triples? What did the P.S. say? Lucas: It said: 'P.S. — If you send your gift today, a group of our board members has agreed to match every dollar you give, dollar for dollar, up to fifty thousand dollars.' Luna: Okay, so it's a matching gift. But that's not really a copy secret — that's just an offer. Lucas: But here's the thing — that matching gift was already mentioned in the body of the letter. It was on page two, in the third paragraph. The P.S. didn't add new information. It just repeated the most persuasive element of the offer, in a different position, at the very end. Luna: So you're saying the same words, in a different spot, tripled the result? Lucas: Exactly. And that's the real power of the P.S. It's not about saying something new. It's about saying the most important thing again, in a place where the reader's eye naturally lands last. Luna: Why does the eye go there first? I mean, it's at the bottom of the page. Lucas: Decades of direct-mail testing. Researchers found that when people open a letter, they don't read it top to bottom. They glance at the salutation, then their eye skips to the bottom — to the signature and the P.S. — to get a sense of who it's from and what the big takeaway is. Then they go back and read the body. Luna: So the P.S. is really the headline of the letter, in terms of reading order. Lucas: Exactly right. It's the second thing most people read, after the headline on the envelope. And since it's the last thing they read before deciding whether to act, it's the last chance to persuade. Copywriters call it the 'closing argument.' Luna: I've seen this in emails too. I get a lot of nonprofit emails, and the P.S. is often the only part I read. Lucas: And that's the modern equivalent. In email, the P.S. sits right above the signature block. Some A/B tests show that adding a P.S. to an email can lift click-through rates by 30 to 50 percent. Not always, but often enough that it's worth testing. Luna: What's the psychology behind it? Why does it work? Lucas: Several reasons. One is the 'recency effect' from memory psychology: people remember the last thing they see or hear best. So a strong P.S. is the thing they carry away. Another is that a P.S. feels like a personal afterthought — like the writer just remembered something important and had to add it. That makes it seem more genuine, less scripted. Luna: Interesting. So it's almost like a whisper — like, 'hey, one more thing'. Lucas: Exactly. And because it's physically separated from the main letter, it also breaks the pattern. The reader's eye is used to blocks of text, and then suddenly there's a short, bold phrase. It draws attention. Luna: So what are the best uses for a P.S. in a sales letter or fundraising appeal? Lucas: Three main ones. First: restate the offer. If you have a discount, a bonus, a matching gift — put it in the P.S. Even if it's in the body, repeat it. Second: create urgency. 'P.S. — This offer expires Friday.' Third: reinforce the emotional payoff. 'P.S. — Your gift today will put a warm meal on the table for a child tonight.' Luna: That third one is powerful because it's not a logical argument — it's a mental image. Lucas: Right. And images stick. The P.S. is the perfect place for that one vivid picture that sums up the entire appeal. Luna: Do you have a favorite example from direct-mail history? Lucas: One that's often cited is from a fundraising letter for a children's hospital. The body was long, detailed, clinical. The P.S. simply said: 'P.S. — Tommy is seven years old. He's waiting for his heart surgery. He doesn't know it, but you're his best hope.' That letter raised something like six times the average gift. Luna: Wow. So specific. A name, an age, a waiting room. Lucas: Exactly. The specificity makes it real. Compare that to a generic P.S. like 'Your donation makes a difference.' That doesn't land. Luna: I notice you're saying P.S. — is that how it should always be written, with periods? Lucas: In direct mail, traditionally yes, with periods. In email, it's often written as 'PS' without periods. But honestly, what matters is the content, not the punctuation. Test both if you want. Luna: And what about a P.P.S. — is that ever a good idea? Lucas: Use it sparingly. A P.P.S. can work if you have a truly separate, urgent point — like a deadline extension or a special bonus. But if you find yourself needing a P.P.S., it might mean your P.S. wasn't strong enough. Keep it to one. Luna: I've also seen P.S. used in subject lines — like 'P.S. — don't miss this.' Does that work? Lucas: It can, but it's riskier. Some readers find it gimmicky. Better to save the P.S. for the body where it feels more natural. Luna: So let's say I'm writing a fundraising email today. What's a concrete rule of thumb? Lucas: Write your P.S. before you write the body. Because if you can't boil your appeal down to one sentence that captures the urgency and the emotional payoff, you probably need to sharpen your main message. Then put that sentence in the P.S. first, and build the rest of the letter around it. Luna: That's interesting — write the ending first. Lucas: It's like writing a strong conclusion before you write the essay. Forces clarity. And then you test it against a version without a P.S. and see what happens. I've run that test maybe a dozen times, and the P.S. version wins every single time. Luna: Okay, so I'm convinced. But I'm thinking about our listeners — we've been doing this show for a while, and if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used, that's exactly why we keep making them. We don't run ads on this podcast — it stays ad-free because a small group of listeners chips in each month through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's not a big thing, but it's what keeps the lights on and lets us dig into these deep-dive episodes without interruption. So if you've ever gotten value from a tip like the P.S. technique, that's the place to help keep it going. Lucas: Yeah, and it genuinely makes a difference. We hear from listeners who say they've used something from the show and seen a lift — that's why we do it. And the support lets us keep experimenting with new angles. Luna: Alright, back to the P.S. — one more thing I want to ask. What about length? How long should a P.S. be? Lucas: As short as possible while still conveying your key point. Ideally one to three sentences. If it runs longer than that, it loses the 'afterthought' feel and starts to look like a second letter. Luna: So a paragraph-length P.S. is too long. Lucas: Way too long. Think of it as a telegram. The P.S. is the one thing you'd say if you could only say one thing. That's the discipline. Luna: I love that framing. One more question: what about using a P.S. in a B2B sales letter? Lucas: Absolutely works. I've seen a B2B software company use a P.S. that said 'P.S. — This special pricing is only available until the end of the quarter, and only for the first fifty customers.' That added a ton of urgency and drove conversions. B2B buyers are still humans. Luna: Right, they respond to the same psychological triggers. Lucas: Exactly. So whether you're selling to consumers or businesses, the P.S. is a tool that costs nothing and can double or triple your results. And the best part is, you can test it today — just add a P.S. to your next email or letter and see what happens. Luna: I think the thing I'll remember is: the P.S. isn't an afterthought — it's the thought. The most important thought, placed where the eye lands last. Lucas: That's a great way to put it. The P.S. is the final argument, the last whisper, the nudge that turns a maybe into a yes. And it's been working since the days of handwritten letters. Some tools never go out of style.