Creating Hard-to-Ignore Print Ads and Brochures

I put print ads and brochures together for a reason.

I‘ve always believed the headline concept on a brochure cover should pack as much punch as an ad’s. Maybe even more, since there’s no guarantee anyone will look inside.

In either case, the verbal and visual synergy should make a strong impression on readers, impelling them to explore further, or, best case, respond immediately.

Unfortunately, most brochures settle for an uninspired title, a mere company name, or a toothless throw-away line with the expectation you’ll flip open the cover and start reading anyway. If only.

Likewise most ads, if you thumb through a magazine, have feeble headlines that fail to capture your eye or interest, looking just like ordinary, predictable, well, ads.

Don’t merely display product and list features. Show people in a dramatic way how it might make their lives better.

Examples of effective print ad headline concepts that struck me when first seen, and have been seared into my memory for many years:

Visual: A crock of steaming, delicious-looking chowder. Headline: “To a clam it’s like making the Super Bowl.”

Visual: A bottle of Chivas Regal Scotch on the ground, shattered. Headline: “Did you ever see a grown man cry?”

Visual: A muddy-looking cup of joe sitting on a breakfast table. Headline: “Is your coffee grounds for divorce?”?

And for Swingline Staplers: Visual: A large image of a paperclip. Headline: “Our only real competition.”

(This last was my own, selected for the book The 100 Greatest Corporate Ads.)

For brochures, headline/visual concepts should be no less compelling. In fact, any of the above concepts could be adapted for a brochure cover.

What also works is a partial headline on the cover that teases the reader to look inside to the see rest. Here’s how a popular collection of travel guides executed this strategy:

Cover: “Presenting a Series of Guides So Breathtaking…” Inside: “It’s an Adventure Just Reading Them.”

For the body text of an ad, remember: you’re intruding on the reader’s perusal of the magazine or newspaper. So keep it as brief, and riveting, as possible.

For brochures, you have more real estate to work with, but be no less frugal with your words, no less crafty in their deployment.

Great way to teach yourself? Read as many ads and brochures as you can get your hands on. See what intrigues, captivates, alarms, delights, inspires, surprises, motivates, and sells you.

Then adapt those techniques to your own work.

? 2024 Jerry McTigue

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Based on the book Business Blather: Stop Using Words That Sound Good But Say Nothing! Available on amazon in both print and Kindle editions.