Writing a brochure

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

Writing a brochure

Brochures are one of the most popular marketing tools to help organizations quickly draw the attention of prospective customers. Brochures can be distributed manually, via mail or email, or placed in brochure racks. Usually, brochures are printed on a single tri-fold sheet of thick glossy paper, and include pictures, photos, and other graphics.

Steps for Writing a Brochure

1. Determine the audience for your message. Your brochure may be directed toward specific groups, such as potential clients, funders, the media, or a broad audience.
   
   
   

Steps for Writing a Brochure

1. Determine the audience for your message. Your brochure may be directed toward specific groups, such as potential clients, funders, the media, or a broad audience.
   
   
   
2. Decide on the purpose of your brochure: persuading, informing, entertaining, etc.
   
   
   

Steps for Writing a Brochure

1. Determine the audience for your message. Your brochure may be directed toward specific groups, such as potential clients, funders, the media, or a broad audience.
   
   
   
2. Decide on the purpose of your brochure: persuading, informing, entertaining, etc.
   
   
   
3. Think about the message you want to convey to your readers. Since a brochure format sets a strict limit to the amount of printed information, you must choose carefully among the facts, pictures, and other data you want to include.
   
   

Steps for Writing a Brochure

1. Determine the audience for your message. Your brochure may be directed toward specific groups, such as potential clients, funders, the media, or a broad audience.
   
   
   
2. Decide on the purpose of your brochure: persuading, informing, entertaining, etc.
   
   
   
3. Think about the message you want to convey to your readers. Since a brochure format sets a strict limit to the amount of printed information, you must choose carefully among the facts, pictures, and other data you want to include.
   
   
4. Write the text for your brochure. Try to be concise and accurate. The text should be written in short sentences with positive language and active voice.

Steps for Writing a Brochure

        5.  Decide on what graphics you are going to use to enhance the brochure. Colorful, bright                    paper attracts attention and is more interesting to read. On the other hand, too many                        pictures or colors can distract your readers from perceiving your message, or make the                    brochure look too flashy.

        

Steps for Writing a Brochure

        5.  Decide on what graphics you are going to use to enhance the brochure. Colorful, bright                    paper attracts attention and is more interesting to read. On the other hand, too many                        pictures or colors can distract your readers from perceiving your message, or make the                    brochure look too flashy.

         6. Add a call to action at the end of your brochure. You can ask your readers to make a                            phone call, visit a website for more details, or purchase a sample of your product.

         

Steps for Writing a Brochure

        5.  Decide on what graphics you are going to use to enhance the brochure. Colorful, bright                    paper attracts attention and is more interesting to read. On the other hand, too many                        pictures or colors can distract your readers from perceiving your message, or make the                    brochure look too flashy.

         6. Add a call to action at the end of your brochure. You can ask your readers to make a                            phone call, visit a website for more details, or purchase a sample of your product.

         7. Proofread and edit the brochure. Check to see if you can supersede some elements with                  others, or where you can use more precise words or more expressive pictures. 

Topic Selection

Commonly, a brochure is a sales piece designed to promote a certain product or service and to provide potential customers with information. However, brochures can also be written for many other occasions. The most common purposes for brochures are listed below:

• answering frequently-asked-questions
• offering brief “how-to” information
• showing pros or cons
• explaining a procedure to a reader
• giving potential clients an entire overview of a company’s portfolio
• encouraging a client to purchase a particular product instead of another

Context, Audience, Purpose 

•  the context will usually be set out in the question 
  
  
•  the audience will usually be pretty clearly defined by how context and purpose are linked e.g. if the context is the need for healthy exercise among young people and the purpose is to promote a new sports centre, the audience will be... young people (who may or may not be interested in exercise!)
  
  
  
• the basic purpose of this text type is publicity - and this can be divided broadly into 'inform' (e.g. health information) and 'promote' (e.g. selling something)... although typically both elements are required in different proportions

Register and Tone

•  will use a semi-formal to formal register
  
  
  
•  the tone will tend to be simple and direct - i.e. to convey the sense of honest address

Conventions

•  will have an engaging title, which attracts attention
•  will identify ideas with format techniques such as sub-headings, bullet points, numbering etc
  
• * will include practical aspects of the leaflet like “contact us”, or “a phone number and/or an email address”.
  
•  will have a short introduction and a conclusion
  

NOTE: Graphic design as such is not marked

Basic Format

•  Main heading (informing), or slogan (promoting)
  
  
  
•  Use of multiple sections : identified by bullet points, lines, stars, etc
  

•  Subheadings : used to show the steps/stages of the argument
  
  
  
•  Succinct explanation : individual concepts / ideas are presented clearly and quickly
  
  
  
•  Background information : e.g. 'Contact us' + phone number / email

Approach

•  'address' - this text type uses a form of direct address to a target audience. Direct address most usually involves personal pronouns: 
  
  
•  'promotional language' – this text type encourages the target audience to agree with what is being presented, to 'buy the idea' … so to what extent does the style + rhetoric achieve this effect?
  
  
  
•  lucid step-by-step overall argument : individual points are linked together into a convincing sequence of ideas