Latest / The Copywriting Podcast with Fexingo: Sales Letters, Headlines, and Persuasive Writing / How a One-Sentence Handwritten PS Lifted Response by 41 Percent
Transcript
- Lucas: If these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used—maybe a headline tweak, a new subject line—well, today's episode might give you the easiest win you'll test all year. We're talking about the postscript. The PS. Luna: The part of the letter that everyone reads first, or at least second after the headline. Lucas: Exactly. And there's a specific test I want to walk through. It's from a classic direct mail campaign for a nonprofit—I believe it was a children's hospital fundraising letter. They sent two versions of the same one-page appeal. Both had the same body copy, same ask, same envelope. The only difference was the postscript. Luna: One had a typed PS, the other had a handwritten PS? Lucas: Actually both had a PS. But one was typed—just a sentence at the bottom, same font as the rest. The other had a handwritten PS, scribbled in blue ink, maybe two lines. And the handwritten version lifted response by 41 percent. Not a typo. Luna: Forty-one percent? That's massive. And the content of the PS—was it different? Lucas: Nearly identical. Both said something like 'Even a small gift of $25 can help provide a warm blanket for a child in need.' Same number, same emotional appeal. The only variable was the medium—hand versus machine. And the lift was entirely attributable to that perceived personal touch. Luna: So it's not about the words. It's about the sense that a real person took an extra moment. That's almost a trust signal. Lucas: That's exactly what it is. And there's a psychology principle at play here called the 'recency effect'—the last thing you read tends to stick. But more than that, a PS gives permission to skim. People know they can read the PS first, get the gist, and if they're interested, go back to the body. It's a shortcut. Luna: And handwriting adds a layer of perceived effort. It says, 'I cared enough to write this by hand, even though it was a mass mailing.' It's a contradiction that works—because it feels personal. Lucas: Right. And this isn't just a direct mail artifact. I've seen the same principle tested in email. I talked to a copywriter friend who runs a B2B SaaS newsletter. In 2025, he added a handwritten-style PS to his weekly email—not an image, just a line in cursive font at the bottom. He tested it against a version with no PS. The PS version had a 22 percent higher click-through rate on the main CTA. Luna: Wow. So the digital version works too? Lucas: It does, but the key is that it has to look personal. If it's obviously a script font from the template, it loses its power. The best performers are actual handwritten notes—either scanned or using a service like Handwrytten. But even a well-chosen cursive font beat the plain text control. Luna: I can see why. It's like a little nudge right before they leave. 'Hey, don't forget.' It's a last chance to persuade. Lucas: Exactly. And psychologically, it's also a way to overcome the 'skimming' habit. Most people don't read every word. They scan headlines, bullet points, and the PS. So if you put your strongest call to action or your most emotional appeal in the PS, you're more likely to hit them. Luna: But wait—does it work for B2B as well? Or is it more of a consumer/emotional thing? Lucas: Good question. The B2B test I mentioned was B2B—SaaS selling to marketing teams. The PS was a simple 'P.S. If you're too busy to read this now, just reply to this email and I'll send you a one-page summary.' That personal offer—handwritten style—drove replies up 40 percent. Luna: So it's not just emotional. It's also an invitation for a conversation. Lucas: Right. The PS can serve a lot of functions. It can create urgency: 'P.S. This offer expires Friday.' It can add social proof: 'P.S. Over 1,000 marketers already signed up.' It can overcome an objection: 'P.S. If you're worried about setup, we'll do it for you.' But the handwriting layer amplifies all of that. Luna: I want to bring up another test from a catalog company. They added a handwritten 'Thank you!' on the order form. Lift was something like 12 percent. Not as big, but still significant. Lucas: That's a great example. And it's consistent with the principle: the more personal the touch, the more trust you build. Now, of course, you can't handwrite every PS in a mass campaign. But you can simulate it effectively. The key is to make it look like a real person wrote it—slight variations, imperfect spacing, maybe a different color ink. Luna: Which brings up the question: does a typed PS still work? I mean, compared to no PS at all? Lucas: Yes, a typed PS can still boost response, but the lift is smaller—maybe 10-15 percent in most tests. The handwritten version doubles or triples that. So if you're going to use a PS, take the extra step to make it look personal. It's a low-cost change with a high return. Luna: And for email, what's the best way to do it? Plain text with a cursive font? Or an image of handwriting? Lucas: I'd go with an image for maximum authenticity, but you have to make sure it's properly tagged with alt text and loads quickly. Plain text cursive font also works, but some email clients render it differently. My advice: test both. But the principle is the same—make it look human. Luna: One more thing—does the length of the PS matter? The classic one-sentence PS seems to work best. Lucas: Short is usually better. Two to three lines max. The PS is a nudge, not a new argument. Keep it focused on one thing: a call to action, a reminder, a testimonial. If you try to cram too much, you lose the recency effect. Luna: I've also seen PS that are a question. Like 'P.S. Can you think of a child who would love a warm blanket?' That engages the reader emotionally and personally. Lucas: That's a powerful variant. The question PS invites a yes in their head. And if you can get a mental yes, you're closer to a real yes. The handwritten version of that question would be even stronger. Luna: So, to summarize: always include a PS, make it handwritten if possible, keep it short, and focus on one clear call to action. Lucas: That's the takeaway. And I'd add: test it. Even if you're just changing from a typed PS to a handwritten one, do an A/B split. The results might surprise you. The 41 percent lift I mentioned—that's not an outlier. It's replicated across dozens of tests. Luna: Before we wrap, I want to mention something. We do these episodes every week, and we keep them ad-free intentionally. It's a choice we made because we think the content should speak for itself. If you've found value in these conversations and want to support that independence, there's a simple way. It's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just an option if the show has helped you. Lucas: Yeah, I appreciate that. And speaking of helping—the PS tactic is one you can implement today. Write your next email, add a handwritten-style PS, and see what happens. Luna: I'm going to test it on my next newsletter. I'll let you know how it goes. Lucas: Please do. And that's what we love about this show—learning together. For now, go write that PS.