Brochure Copy

Start with a selling idea

The front cover of your brochure should identify and attract your potential customers, while filtering out unlikely prospects. It's a lot like an ad, and requires the same level of thought.

Position your product or service

Are you the fastest? The cheapest? The smallest? The largest? Your brochure copy should quickly position your product or service in relation to its competition. This becomes even more important if you have several brochures covering a line of products and services. Then, the copy must position each product or service against the competition and within the line.

Focus, focus, focus

The closer your brochure copy gets to offering one solution to one problem for one person, the more compelling it will be.

Be conversational

Your brochure copy should talk to your readers, not at them. Corporate-speak, acronyms, and jargon make people's eyes glaze over. While hot industry buzzwords can be positive in small doses, they also date your brochure.

Quantify your superlatives

Brochure copy almost always benefits from specifics. For instance, calling a soap "the purest" doesn't match the memorability or believability of Ivory's "99-44/100% Pure."

Caption all photos

Research shows that captions are some of the most-read copy blocks in any brochure. Use them to deliver enticing, solidly persuasive stand-alone chunks of information.

Consider including prices if:

  • Your brochure is used to help close sales
  • The purchase decision is made quickly
  • Your prices are fixed, like a restaurant menu
  • Your product or service range is small
  • Lower prices are a competitive advantage

    Consider not including prices if:

  • Your brochure is used to help attract inquiries
  • The purchase decision takes a long time
  • Your prices are variable, like custom quotes
  • Your product or service range is large
  • Your prices are higher than the competition

    Ask for action

    A brochure is a sales tool. Whatever the next step is in your sales process, your brochure should end by asking the reader to take that step.

    Outsource the copywriting

    Bring in a professional freelance writer, and your brochure copy gets written to meet your needs and fit your deadline. And, the investment may be less than you think, considering the valuable corporate asset created! My rates page will give you a rough idea of my fees.