Brochure Copywriter Blog 2009
October 2009
Long time no update
I haven't updated this particular blog for a long time, as I've been mostly concentrating on my Freelance Copywriter blog and my Copywriting Services London blog.
That's not to say, of course, that I haven't been writing brochures. After general website copy and search engine optimisation copywriting, brochures is probably the most common writing project for me these days.
There's just not much to say about it that I haven't already said. Except, perhaps, to observe that printed brochures are still very much alive and kicking and that I doubt if the day will ever come when they are completely superseded by digital information.
That said, one development in recent years has been to devolve the printing and distribution costs to customers, by inviting them to download a brochure from the company's website.
I can't help thinking, though, that any potential savings are likely to be more than offset by the loss of impact of a ready-made physical brochure, not to mention the minor irritation of the customer having to do the company's work for them.
March 2009
Site update - new page
I've reorganised the my work section and added a new page. Direct mail samples will now be on one page and brochures and newsletters will now be on another. I've also added new samples to the various sections, including ads and brochures.
For details, see:
my new brochures and newsletter copywriting samples
my direct mail copywriting samples
my press ads, posters and radio commercials
December 2008
Thank you letters for spam emails - part 3
Dear xxxx,
Thank you for offering to give me 20% of the £50 million fortune belonging to the unfortunate late Mr Kadogo. How amazing that of all the people you could have picked to help you make that transaction you chose me!
Well, I did as you said. I sent you all the bank details, and I paid the £10,000 processing fee. Now I'm just waiting for my share of the fortune to come through. I do hope it's soon, as there seems to be some error with my bank account - they've just told me that it's massively overdrawn. These banks are always getting it wrong - just as soon as I receive my share of Mr Kadogo's fortune I'm moving to a different bank!
Yours etc,
Thank you letters for spam emails - part 2
Dear xxxx,
Thank you for your email offering to let me 'Watch it grow an inch every day.' I took your advice and you're not wrong.
Sorry for the belated reply. I appreciate it's been a long time now. However, as you can imagine, I had my hands full for the first couple of months. Then, I was about to write to you, when I had a nasty accident, tripping over myself. So that took a few days to get over.
Unfortunately, I can now no longer find trousers to fit me. It's also getting hard to reach the keyboard on the computer. So this may be my last communication.
So long! (As I often find myself saying nowadays...)
Thank you letters for spam emails - part 1
I was always brought up to be polite and it was regularly drummed into me as a child that if someone writes to you, you must write back. Especially if their communication included a postal order, book token or whatever for your birthday or Christmas.
Actually, in my case, Christmas Day and my Birthday were but three days apart, so quite often I would receive, to my disappointment, one present to cover both form various godparents, grandparents and the like. But that's another story.
Anyway, very few people write thank-you letters these days. However, the volume of communications full of various goodies (or at least promising them) we receive nowadays has actually increased dramatically.
And it suddenly struck me. What if we wrote thank-you letters for spam emails?
Examples soon...
Site update
I've added a couple of Star Alliance network brochures to my DM and brochure copywriting samples page. Also updated the "Who I've worked for" page and made a couple of changes to the Brochure Copywriting page.
Brochure copywriting - how long should it be? Part 2
Whether it's a two sider or 64 pages, you need to structure your copywriting carefully.
Each page or spread should have a headline and, unless the copy is very short, subheads.
There should be a clear call to action at the end. And, with longer brochures, at regular intervals throughout. You may even want to have a contact phone number and web address at the bottom of each spread.
With longer brochures, have a contents section at the front. With really long ones, an index at the back is a good idea too. As is a summary. You can find some examples of brochures I've written on my direct mail and brochures page
If your brochure is really long, or if you're issuing a series of brochures, you may want to consider having a short, separate overview brochure or flyer as well.
As ever, make sure the copy is clear, informative and interesting. Remember what your audience are looking for. Testimonials and case histories are often a good idea.
Product specs can be important too. Is it powerful enough? Will it fit through my front door? Is it compatible with what I've already got?
But don't be worried about the length of the copy. As long as you're saying what needs to be said, it's the right length.