How the P.S. tactic can improve your email marketing

Think of the P.S. (which stands for ‘postscript’) like a written whisper—and while it is reserved for the end of an email, it often draws the reader’s attention first. Because of this, it can be an effective call to action (CTA).

The beauty of this tactic lies in its subtlety. It’s one more small way to get the reader engaged with what you do or to emphasize a point, hidden at the end of an email. And when was the last time you didn’t read the P.S. of an email you’d already opened?

Ryan Lazanis from Future Firm has partnered with Karbon to deliver a private podcast series, The 7 Quick Win Marketing Tactics for Accounting Firms, providing quick and impactful tactics you can implement to grow your firm today. In the fifth episode, Ryan discusses the P.S. marketing tactic, and how it can make a free, tangible difference to email marketing for your accounting firm. 

What is the P.S. email marketing tactic?

The P.S. email marketing tactic is writing a small sentence at the end of your email, reminding the reader of a service you provide. You most likely send scores of emails every day, so dedicating a portion of those emails to an advertisement for your services will add up to be significant exposure over the weeks, months, and years. And while you shouldn’t increase your email cadence just for this tactic, it is a good way to make the most of the emails you’re already sending.  

If people are skim-reading your emails, the beginning and the end are where they are most likely to take in content. A P.S. at the end of an email is going to catch the eye of even the most voracious skim-reader. 

How to implement the P.S. email marketing tactic

Simply edit your automatic email signature to include your P.S. message below your name. Once set up, it will automatically add to every email you send. 

Consider getting your team involved to increase your CTA’s exposure. You might be running a particular campaign to launch a new service, or you simply might want to give your clients easy access for leaving feedback. Think about how many emails you send each day. Now imagine the impact you can have if each team member implements the P.S. tactic too.

Many different statistics preach the power of the P.S. Some say 79% of people read it first, others say 90% do. Either way, there is no denying its impact. 

Tips for making the most of P.S. in emails

Keep your CTA specific so you don’t dilute your message

Choose a feature of your firm you’d like to highlight. It might be a specific service you’d like to promote. Whatever the goal is, make sure to keep the CTA specific to one thing. If you pull your clients and/or prospects in multiple directions, your impact will be diluted.

Use questions to elicit an emotional response

Asking questions via a P.S. at the end of your emails can help you elicit an emotional response from readers. Think about a typical pain point your ideal client constantly faces. It’s as simple as addressing it, right at the bottom of your emails.

Let’s say your ideal client is the owner of a hairdressing salon with two to seven employees. A powerful CTA would address the stress associated with managing payroll for a team of beauticians who are each working either casually, full-time, or part-time. The P.S. CTA could be: ‘Tired of juggling complicated payroll? We can help you ease the stress. Book an appointment.’ 

Once they’ve had that emotional response, they’ll be more inclined to click the link. 

Short and sweet

This tactic is best employed with short sentences that get to the point. Keep your P.S. entries to one or two sentences.

Get personal

Because your P.S. will be automatically added to every email you send, make sure it sounds human—better yet, make sure it sounds like you. If your whole team will be adopting the P.S. email tactic, consider having each of them write their own version of it. This will ensure each P.S.

a) sounds human, and

b) sounds like the human sending the email (rather than you or someone from marketing)

Get seasonal

You can adjust your P.S. content to reflect seasonal promotions. For example, you might want to promote budgeting services before the end of the year to get people ready for the upcoming year. Or in the lead-up to tax season, you can start promoting individual tax preparation services.

Examples of effective P.S. marketing tactics

Here are a few examples of the P.S. tactic from Ryan Lazanis you could add to your emails:

• P.S. Hate your bookkeeping? Click here to schedule a meeting to see how we can automate it for you.

• P.S. We saved our clients $1M in taxes last year. Reply to this email to see how we can help lower your taxes.

• P.S. Need help hitting your financial goals? Click here to schedule a call to learn more about our coaching services.

• P.S. We have 5 spots open this month for cash flow planning services to help you manage your growth. Click here to schedule a call to reserve your spot.

After it’s all said and done

Not all marketing tactics have to be home runs. Sometimes just adding a little sentence at the end of an email is enough to increase the exposure of your services and in turn, the effectiveness of your marketing communication.

If you keep implementing small improvements like this, you’ll find they add up to make a big difference to your firm’s growth.

P.S. This tactic isn’t just for emails. Subscribe to Karbon Magazine’s Practice Excellence Weekly newsletter for more valuable tips, tools, and tactics to help you run a better accounting firm.