P.S. In An Email: How To Use Correctly

If you love romantic dramas, you must have heard of Richard LaGravenese's 'P.S. I love You.' 

The film, which came long before cold emails or email marketing gained popularity in the marketing industry, perfectly captures the significance of thoughtful notes in modern-day communication.

So, what is an email PS? Why is it crucial? And most importantly, how can you use it to make your email marketing initiatives more effective? Read on for answers to these and several other related questions.

What is the Meaning of PS?

The word PS is an abbreviation for postscript. Postscript comes from a Latin phrase, post scriptum, which loosely translates to 'written after.' Therefore, P.S. In an email is a note containing additional information at the end of the mail. 

Usually, the message in the email PS doesn't relate to the main topic. For instance, you might email an invoice to your clients and include a PS to inform them that you have an end-year party you'd love them to attend.

PS notes were very common in the days of handwritten or typed letters. They'd help people add information they remembered after signing off or include clever afterthoughts.

The advent of the internet made it possible to edit letters and add extra information even after signing off. With it came emails, which took over as the most popular correspondence medium, and a wave of new communication etiquette. 

However, even with these developments, PS survived unscathed. Businesses and individuals still use P.S. emails as they did in the days of handwritten letters.

According to Shaun Usher, an author of Letters of Note for The Wall Street Journal, 'The P.S. is the most charming part of a letter. It's the wink you give as you walk away.' This statement affirms that PS emails are here to stay.

How is PS used?

Before the internet, PS helped add extra information after signing off a letter. However, as technology made it possible to edit letters even after signing off, people started using PS for other reasons.

The most common reason several people use email PS today is to add enticement. Usually, emails are formal and, if not, too generic.

'I hope this finds you well…'

'I am writing to you with regards to….'

'Thank you for reviewing my application…'

Do these phrases sound familiar? If you've been working in the corporate world for some time, you must have gotten tired of reading them in your emails. The chances are that you usually skim through them or skip to the most crucial parts.

A P.S. in an email can help you break this monotony, making your emails more enticing. You can use it to direct your recipient's attention to more interesting information before they read the entire email.

Another reason you can use P.S. in an email is to create space for unrelated information. You can use a postscript if you're writing a professional email on a serious subject but want to include an unrelated light note. 

Doing so can help you make both messages prominent without creating separate emails.

For example, suppose you're writing a follow-up email summarizing your team's previous meeting. You can add a PS congratulating a particular team member on their recent graduation.

PS emails have several other use cases. We'll provide more examples later in this article.

How to Use P.S. in an Email Correctly

PS emails have increasingly gained popularity over the last few years. Several businesses have adopted them as part of their email marketing strategies, especially when sending cold emails. 

As a result, some marketers have started fronting PS marketing as an independent sub-branch of email marketing. So, what are the standard etiquettes you should observe when using PS emails? How can you use PS to make your emails more effective? 

Below is a step-by-step guide:

1. Decide When To Utilize PS 

As highlighted above, email PS notes have several use cases. Therefore, before including them in your email, you should decide when, why, and how to use them. Below are a few questions to help you make these decisions:

• Does the email PS complement your message? Email PS notes have various use cases but usually denote a casual tone. Therefore, if your message needs to be more formal, such as when announcing an outbreak of a deadly virus, it might be inappropriate to add a casual note.

• Is the message relevant to all the recipients? - Ensure everybody receiving your PS email relates to it. For example, including a sales-specific PS in a broadcast you're sending to all departments would be inconsiderate.

• What's your relationship with the recipient? - Because P.S. emails are typically casual notes, it would only be sensible to send them to people with whom you already have a cordial relationship or aim to create one. For example, when emailing a sales pitch to one of your prospective clients, you can add a PS inviting them to sample your products and interact with the product development team.

• What are the recipient's most recent events? - Imagine broadcasting a PS email congratulating a team member on their safe delivery when another team member recently lost a child. That would be inconsiderate. Right? That's why conducting background research on what's happening in your recipient's life beforehand is crucial.

2. Choose The Punctuation Of Your PS

If there's a word that several people disagree on its correct spelling, it's PS. Should you capitalize it? Which abbreviations should you use - PS email without periods or P.S. email with periods? 

And finally, should you add a colon or other trailing punctuation before including your message?

Following the Cambridge Dictionary is usually the rule of thumb during such uncertainties. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the correct American format is 'P.S.' with periods after each letter. In contrast, the Chicago Manual of Style advocates PS without periods.

Confusing. Right?

So, what's the verdict? There's no straightforward answer. Unless your company has a specific style guide, you can use any of the following formats:

• PS
• PS:
• P.S.
• P.S:

Whatever option you choose, use it consistently throughout all your PS emails. 

3. Take Into Consideration The Purpose Of Your Message

After deciding when to use a P.S. email and selecting appropriate punctuation, the next step is to consider the purpose of your message. 

Why do you want to send the PS? Or what reaction do you want it to elicit from your recipients? These questions can help you write more effective PS emails. 

For example, when using PS notes to create urgency in your email, you can write it in bold fonts and capital letters, use short sentences, and include catchy phrases. 

If you want to add a PS to make your email more enticing, you can use flowery language and infuse emojis or pictures (if your company style guide allows).

Here are a few other common reasons you might create a P.S. email:

• Reiterating the main point
• Elaborating on essential aspects of the email
• Incentivizing recipients to take specific actions
• Highlighting a deadline
• Creating rapport with a recipient 
• Making cold emails more lively 

4. Create The Message

The next step is to write your PS email message. Postscripts are usually brief and direct to the point. Below are a few tips to help you create an effective P.S. email:

• Make it clear: While you may want to use flowery language to give the P.S. email an informal feel, it helps to ensure the receiver understands the message immediately. Avoid any ambiguity that might lead to misinterpretation of the note.

• Keep it simple: Use simple language for easy communication. Unless you're certain that a recipient knows particular fancy terms, avoid them.

• Prioritize accuracy over click-bait titles: We understand the allure of quoting facts and figures to make PS emails more attractive. While we aren't against this, we recommend fact-checking your information to avoid misleading recipients. This consideration is crucial in cold emailing, where simple negligence might damage your reputation with prospects.

• Ensure the message is complete: Unless you deliberately want to catch the recipient's attention and prepare them for your upcoming offers or products, ensure the P.S. email has all the necessary information or a link where the reader can get full details. If you habitually send P.S. emails as incomplete teasers, your recipients might stop taking them seriously.

• Be courteous: While P.S. emails give you the freedom to be informal, they're still part of the main email. Therefore, use decent and friendly language as you would in regular email communications.

5. Proofread and Revise

As outlined above, you should treat a P.S. email with the same seriousness as regular emails. In some cases, recipients read the P.S. note before the main email. 

Therefore, a well-written postscript can help you make an excellent first impression and persuade the recipient to read other sections. Comparatively, a P.S. full of grammatical errors might scare away prospects, limiting your chances of pushing them down your sales funnel.

Review your P.S. email before clicking the send button to ensure it's free of grammatical and flow errors. The following are a few other factors to consider during proofreading:

• Ensure the P.S. email has a consistent font unless you intentionally used different fonts to highlight specific sections.
• Read the P.S. aloud to ensure it flows perfectly and fits your preferred tone.
• Backtrack to identify spelling errors.
• Ensure you've used punctuation and contractions properly.
• Verify your word choice to ensure it meets your brand voice.
• Click active hyperlinks to confirm they lead to the correct destinations.
• Reduce buzzwords and sophisticated jargon that do not enhance your message.
• Ensure you've used the recipients' or their companies' correct names and titles.
• Ask somebody else to review it.

Benefits of Using PS in an Email Correctly

Using a PS in an email has several benefits. Examples include:

Emphasizes Your Message

A PS offers a perfect opportunity to highlight the most essential aspects of your email. Recipients often remember the contents of a PS more than the main email. 

And reasonably so — the P.S. is usually short and more lively. Therefore, if you have some crucial information you think might get lost in the clutter of a lengthy email, you can use a P.S. to emphasize them.

Organically Include an Offer/Deal

Another way to use a PS is to add a final bonus offer to your email recipients. If you're sending a cold email, this can effectively get your prospects' attention. An example might be giving a discount or offering as a reward for reading your entire email.

Adds Personality

Postscripts are typically more casual than regular emails. They can help you position your business as a client-friendly firm, encouraging a culture of open communication with your clients.

So they are a way of telling the recipient that they are, after all, dealing with a fellow human being. 

Examples of Ps in an Email

Below are a few samples for your inspiration:

Example One:

Dear John,

We'd like to inform you that your medical checkup is due tomorrow. Please confirm your availability with our reception desk. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark Twain

P.S.: We will offer free meals throughout the week as part of our customer service initiatives.

Example 2

Dear valued customer,

Cornerstone KE is having a flash sale of all our furniture. Visit our stores for quality furniture at 50% off the regular price.

Sincerely,

Antony Gormley

PS: You'll enjoy free transport for all your purchases.

Example 3

Dear Mr. Oliver,

We are writing to remind you that your loan is overdue. Come to our offices before this Friday at 2 p.m. Otherwise, we'll send agents to seize your collateral. 

Sincerely,

Microfinance Loaners LTD

PS. The loan was due on 14/06/2023.

Example 4

Dear Mary,

We would love to thank you for staying loyal to our company for the last ten years. Thank you for always trusting us to handle your HVAC systems. We appreciate your business.

Best wishes,

Ohio HVAC LTD

P.S.: Enjoy free HVAC maintenance throughout the next two months. Use the code MARY76.

Example 5

Dear Stacy,

Hello, this is Philemon. I wanted to thank you for supporting us during our dad's burial. Thank you for staying with the kids as we sorted out other logistics.

Thanks,

Philemon

P.S.: Jayden asks when they can visit again.

Conclusion

With email marketing becoming an integral part of today's marketing strategies, businesses must pay attention to P.S. emails. A well-written P.S. can make your emails more lively, enabling you to connect with your clients and enhancing your conversation rates. 

We hope this article helps you understand how to correctly use PS in an email. Check out our blog for exclusive coverage of all the cold email writing hacks and how to improve your digital marketing. 

Thanks for reading to the end.