Visualize your prospect standing on a fence, undecided about your offer.
As you stand on your lawn, you wonder, “How can I get them on my side?”
Because ultimately, your prospect wants to go where the grass is greenest. And you want to prove your side is best.
Well, a strong P.S. can magnetically snatch your prospect off that darn fence.
Today, we’ll explore seven ways to use a P.S. to strengthen your sales message.
So let’s begin!
1. Boost Urgency
Sometimes, your prospect needs extra motivation to take action. In short, a reason to act now. Without a sense of urgency, your offer may become an afterthought. But with one, your offer becomes a priority.
As Ted Nicholas once said, “Everyone tends to procrastinate, so you must do all that is possible to overcome buyers’ inertia.”
So how can you stimulate urgency?
By using scarcity as a tactic in your P.S.
Think of it as a boost of adrenaline that fires up your prospect’s engine.
In fact, research shows that the use of scarcity influences decision-making.
Generally, you can highlight scarcity in two ways:
- Limited time
- Limited quantity
Here’s a P.S. example from Jay Abraham that uses limited quantity to boost urgency:
“To ‘incentivize’ you lavishly to sign up now, if you are one of the first 200 to register, I will include as an added FREE bonus, a completely new massive, comprehensive, 469 page, totally mind-blowing ‘super manual’ on joint venture strategies.”
Notice how Jay offered a bonus, but with a catch…
You had to be one of the first 200 who signed up.
2. Repeat the Offer
Want to nail your offer onto your target’s mind? Then consider repeating the offer in your P.S. By doing so, you reinforce its details, reminding your prospect why the offer is so compelling.
But there’s also an added benefit to repeating your offer…
For skimmers who first glance at the P.S., you can entice them into reading your sales message.
As Dan Kennedy put it:
“By properly summarizing the offer or promise in your P.S., you can inspire the recipient to dig in and read the entire letter, or simply add an extra incentive to respond.”
3. Introduce an Exciting Bonus
By introducing a bonus in your P.S., you add an extra dose of value to your offer. Because at this point, you’ve already mentioned your price — so the bonus helps trivialize it. While at the same time elevating the prospect’s excitement for your offer.
But as Joseph Sugarman recommends, “make sure the bonus you offer is something the same audience would want.”
Here’s an example of this type of P.S. from Eugene Schwartz:
“P.S. Bonus extra — free… Personal Business the most valuable book ever published. It’s yours absolutely free — just for trying Boardroom Reports… whether you stay with us or not, no obligation. We think you’ll like Personal Business — and Boardroom Reports very much.”
4. Highlight Tax-Deductibility Benefit
If your prospects purchase your offer, can they write it off? If the answer is “yes,” consider mentioning that benefit in your P.S. By doing so, you give prospects added incentive to go with your offer.
Here’s how Ted Nicholas put it:
“Everyone, especially business owners and executives, enjoy taking a tax deduction and thus have the government subsidize their purchase. Tax deductibility also provides additional justification to make a purchase.”
Want to see this type of P.S. in action?
Check out this example from The Wall Street Journal:
“It’s important to note that The Journal’s subscription price may be tax deductible. Ask your tax advisor.”
5. Emphasize Money-Back Guarantee
When your prospect reads your sales message, they’re giving you their precious time, a limited resource. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Time is money.”
But when your prospect decides to accept your offer, they’re giving you not only their valued time, but also their trust.
Therefore, you could argue that trust is money. Because without trust, there’s no sale.
So, how do you reward your prospect’s trust?
By emphasizing your money-back guarantee in your P.S.
Think of your money-back guarantee as a comforting security blanket for your prospect.
In fact, research shows that a money-back guarantee can trigger a “positive emotional response.” The result?
Your prospect is less likely to have buyer’s remorse. Why?
Because you’re showing you’re so confident in your offer, you’ll risk them asking for their money back.
6. Create an Open Loop
Ever watch Days of Our Lives? Or any soap opera or Netflix binge-worthy show?
Typically at the end of every episode, you’ll encounter a cliffhanger.
And right before the closing credits, you’ll see these taunting words flash on the screen: “To be continued…”
And you just HAVE to know what happens next. Like an itch on that unreachable spot on your back, it just HAS to be scratched.
Well, what those scriptwriters do is create an open loop that only the next episode can close.
In short, curiosity hijacks viewers. You just have to see what comes next.
That said, you can harness the power of open loops in your P.S.
Here’s an example from Gary Halbert:
“There is another ‘mystery reason’ why I can sell these Rolls Royces so cheaply, but I would prefer not to reveal it until we talk on the phone. Thank you.”
Notice how Gary created an open loop. The only way to close it? The prospect had to call Gary’s client.
So, how can you apply open loops to B2B? Like Gary Halbert, you can entice the prospect to call you.
Or you can create an open loop in your P.S. that only an accepted offer can close.
7. Insert Testimonial
Before walking a new path, we usually search for feedback from those who already crossed it. We like to make sure there aren’t any unexpected pitfalls along the way.
And it’s no different for your prospect as they consider your offer. So the question is, how can you alleviate those fears?
Well, one way is by inserting a powerful testimonial in your P.S.
The impact?
You’re proving that others benefited from investing in your offer. Essentially, you’re providing prospects a track record of success.
Here’s how Clayton Makepeace once explained it:
“Select one of your strongest short testimonials — one in which the customer relates specifically how you helped him or her — and use it as a credibility-boosting P.S.”
Where the Grass Is Greener
A strong P.S. can enhance the appeal of your offer. It can make it more attractive while plucking out weeds of concern.
The effect?
Your prospect can arrive at this rewarding conclusion: the grass is greener on your side of the fence.
