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A postscript is a short note added after your signature, marked P.S., for one point that stands apart from the main letter. Use it for a brief afterthought, a reminder, or a warm closing line, never for the main request or for news the reader must not miss.
The postscript began as a practical fix. In the days of handwritten letters, a writer who remembered something after signing could not easily rewrite the page, so the note went after the signature. Typed and printed letters removed that need, yet the postscript survived, because readers notice it. Eyes jump to the note after the signature almost as surely as they read the first line. That attention is the reason to use one, and the reason to use it sparingly.
Place it after your closing and signature, with a blank line between the signature and the P.S. line. Write "P.S." followed by the note itself, on one or two lines if you can. If you need a second afterthought, mark it "P.P.S.", but treat that as a warning sign: two postscripts usually mean the letter needed one more draft, not one more note. In a printed letter, keep the same typeface and size as the body; a postscript in a different style looks like an error, not an emphasis.
Form matters less than placement. Some writers put a colon after P.S., some do not. Either is accepted. What matters is that the note sits clearly outside the body of the letter, so the reader knows it is separate. Do not bury a postscript in the middle of the closing paragraph, and do not sign the letter again after it. The signature comes once, before the P.S.
| Good use | Example shape | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| A warm personal line | "P.S. Give my love to your mother." | Ends a formal letter on a human note |
| A gentle reminder | "P.S. The form is due Friday." | Repeats the key date without rewriting the letter |
| A brief afterthought | "P.S. I ran into Sam last week." | Adds news that does not fit the main subject |
| A second, smaller ask | "P.S. If you have a spare copy, I would love one." | Keeps the main request clean and uncluttered |
| A sales or fundraising nudge | "P.S. Gifts received this month are matched." | Restates the strongest reason to act, in one line |
Fundraisers and marketers have long known that the postscript is one of the most-read parts of a letter. Readers who skim the middle will often read the first paragraph, the closing, and the P.S. If you have one point that must survive skimming, the postscript is a fair place for it, provided the body already makes the full case. A postscript that repeats the main ask in shorter form can rescue a letter that a busy reader only half-reads.
Never put the main request in a postscript. If the reader needs to do something, that belongs in the body, where the reasons and details support it. A request that appears only after the signature looks like an afterthought, and readers treat it as one. The same applies to bad news, legal points, deadlines that decide the matter, and corrections to facts stated in the letter. If a fact in the body is wrong, fix the body; a P.S. that contradicts the letter above it confuses the reader and weakens both.
Also avoid apologies in a postscript. "P.S. Sorry again about last time" reopens a wound the letter just closed. Avoid new subjects that need explanation: a postscript that raises a fresh topic with no detail leaves the reader with a question and no answer. And avoid stacking postscripts. A letter with three P.S. lines reads as disorganized, however good each line is on its own. If you have that much more to say, revise the letter.
It can, if it is short and dignified. A formal letter to a company, a school, or a government office can carry a brief P.S. that repeats a reference number or a deadline. What looks out of place in formal mail is a chatty or joking postscript that clashes with the tone above it. Match the note to the letter: a formal letter gets a factual P.S., a personal letter gets a warm one. In very formal legal or official correspondence, many writers skip the postscript entirely and put every point in the body, where it can be cited cleanly. That is a sound choice when the letter may be filed or quoted later.
One more practical point: a postscript counts as part of the letter for printing. When you send a letter through LetterAgent, the letter is printed single-sided on 8.5 by 11 inch paper exactly as quoted, so include the P.S. in the text you provide, after your signature, and check the page count with the quote. A postscript that pushes the letter onto an extra page is still fine, but it should be a choice, not a surprise.
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