Brochure Writing

How print copy differs from web copy

• The space is fixed. Word count is set by the design, not the topic, so the discipline is compression rather than completeness.
• There is no next click. Every objection the piece needs to answer must be answered inside it.
• The order is fixed. A reader sees panels in sequence, so the argument has to build rather than branch.
• It is often read alongside a conversation, which means it should support a person selling rather than replace one.
• It has a longer life. Print collateral is reprinted, not edited, so avoid anything that dates within the print run.

A structure that works

This maps onto a standard six-panel tri-fold and adapts to most formats.

1. 1Cover: what you do and for whom, in under ten words. Not a slogan, a category.
2. 2Panel one: the problem, described so the right reader recognises themselves in it.
3. 3Panel two: what you do about it, in concrete steps.
4. 4Panel three: proof. Numbers, named clients, or a worked example.
5. 5Panel four: what it costs, or what determines the cost.
6. 6Back panel: one action and the contact details, uncluttered.

Working with your designer

Copy and design go wrong when they are sequenced badly. Copy written before the layout exists overruns; copy written to fill a finished layout says whatever fits.

The arrangement that works is to agree the panel structure and an approximate word count per panel first, then write to it, then adjust once the design is drafted. We will work either way, but tell us which stage the design is at, because it changes how we write.

Company profiles and tender documents

Company profiles are the most requested piece in this category, and they usually fail for a specific reason: they describe the company rather than answering the question the reader has, which is whether you can be trusted with this particular thing.

For tender and partnership submissions the structure is frequently mandated, and following it exactly matters more than writing well. Evaluators score against a rubric, section by section, and a beautifully written response that does not map to their headings scores badly. Send us the requirements document and we will write to its structure.

Where the format is open, the strongest company profiles lead with capability evidence rather than history. Founding dates and values statements are what everyone includes; project scale, named clients you have permission to name, retention figures and specific accreditations are what differentiate.

What to send us

Collateral is only as good as the proof it contains, and the proof has to come from you.

• The design, or the intended format and approximate word count per panel.
• Who the piece is for, specifically. "Prospective clients" is not a reader; "procurement leads at mid-size manufacturers" is.
• What you want them to do after reading it.
• Numbers you can share: project values, volumes, years operating, retention, headcount.
• Client names you have written permission to use, and any you specifically cannot.
• Accreditations, certifications and memberships, with reference numbers where they have them.

Formats we cover

The £149 rate covers a single piece in any of these formats. Multi-piece campaigns are scoped together and priced as one job.

• Tri-fold and bi-fold brochures, print or digital.
• Company profiles for tender, partnership and investor use.
• One-page sales sheets and product one-pagers.
• Capability statements, including formats mandated by procurement portals.
• Case study sheets, which need permission and numbers rather than adjectives.
• Event and exhibition collateral, where the reader is standing up and distracted.