How to write a product brochure

First find out how the brochure will be printed. You may need to produce text for multiples of 4 pages, for example. It's easier to plan your structure if you know about how many pages you're aiming for.

Your product brochure begins (obviously) with the front page, on which you have the name and logo of the company, the title of the product and possibly a product tagline. For example:

Monk's Fountain Pens
FP265
The finest line

When I write product catalogues I generally use the first internal page as an introductory page. So I write a bit about what the product is, and where it sits in the company's product range, how widely used it is, mention any awards it's won, and position the product (some branding info, for instance - whether it's elegance, reliability, durability or fashionability this fountain pen stands for).

The next page or pages spell out the benefits or WIIFM (what's in it for me) for the customer. Keep in mind that different readers prefer different modes of communication. You may wish to use bullets or a table structure. If you're writing for a reading or educated market, you could get away with paragraphs.

One simple trick to draw readers' attention to specific benefits is to use bold text to highlight particular words. Here's an example for the FP265 fountain pen.

• Monk's fountain pens all come with a lifetime warranty


• FP265 will never blot


• The FP265 model features stylish lines and comes in a range of colours


• Monk's unique auto-refill function means you'll never run out of ink

As you can see, you're not highlighting the product name or company name but the benefit. The reader knows what the product and company are already - they're looking for reasons to buy.

The next page or pages might be dedicated to product features, specifications, or a breakdown of the range covered by the brochure. Nice visuals and succinct wording are important here.

Pricelists may be better published as single page flyers to insert in the brochure. Because prices tend to change fairly regularly, it's a cost-saving technique to keep the pricelist separate from the main brochure so you don't have to continually reprint.

The final section of the brochure may contain your customer service promise. I often use this place to tell the customer how the company will treat them from the first point of contact to the product support stage. Eg: "You and Monk's Fountain Pens" or "Monk's Fountain Pens' pledge to you." You could even write this spiel as a 'this is how it will go' description of what will happen when the customer initiates contact.

At the end of this page - or on the final page - you need to include the call to action. I'm not an advocate of demands to call "today" or "now!" I think it's more respectful to invite your customer to make contact or - better still - offer them something in exchange for contacting the company (eg an information kit, a pricelist, a review of their situation or a report).

Don't forget - proofread your brochure and proofread your business contact details. You don't want to do a print run of 10,000 if you have the phone number or web address wrong!

So that's how to write a nice, clear product brochure for your everyday product. Feel free to post a comment if this was of use to you or if you have anything to add.