What Should a Brochure Include?

Brochures have long been a fundamental part of marketing strategies across various industries. In an increasingly digital world, the tactile experience of holding a well-crafted brochure still holds immense value. Whether you’re distributing brochures at a bustling trade show, mailing them to prospective clients, or placing them in high-traffic areas, a brochure serves as a portable, professional, and powerful tool to communicate your brand’s message. So, what should a brochure include to make it truly effective?

A brochure can act as your silent salesperson—communicating essential information about your products or services, showcasing your unique selling points, and guiding potential customers toward the next step in their journey. For a brochure to be successful, it must be thoughtfully designed, with every element carefully selected for maximum impact. But what should a brochure include to ensure it serves as an effective tool for your business?

At Everything Tradeshows, we understand the importance of a well-designed brochure. We’ve seen how a high-quality brochure, when aligned with a stunning trade show booth, can strengthen your brand experience and keep your company top of mind long after the event ends. This guide will walk you through what a brochure must include, as well as additional elements that can elevate your brochure to new heights.

The Core Elements of What a Brochure Should Include

To answer the question what should a brochure include, we need to explore the core components of any successful brochure. These elements provide clarity and direction, ensuring your brochure engages potential customers and motivates them to take action. Below are the key components that brochures should include:

What a Brochure Should Include in the Headline or Title

The headline is the first thing readers see in your brochure, and it must grab their attention immediately. It should be concise, clear, and compelling. What should brochures include in the headline? A headline that reflects the key message or benefit of your brochure’s content. For example, if you’re promoting a trade show service, a headline like “Stand Out at Your Next Event with Custom Booths” will draw readers in more effectively than a vague title.

The headline must include key phrases that relate directly to your products or services and resonate with your audience, guiding them to explore your brochure further.

What a Brochure Should Include for Company Logo and Branding

A brochure must include your company’s logo, as it’s an essential part of your branding. Place it prominently on the front cover to reinforce brand recognition. Your brochure should also follow your established branding guidelines, including consistent use of brand colors, fonts, and design elements. Whether you’re creating a brochure or a flyer, the consistency in your visual style will help maintain a unified brand identity across all your marketing channels.

For instance, if your brand emphasizes modern minimalism, your brochure should include clean lines, ample white space, and simple typography. If your brand is more vibrant and dynamic, use bold colors and expressive fonts. Consistency ensures your customers immediately recognize your business when they see your brochure.

What a Brochure Should Include for Contact Information

At its core, a brochure is a tool meant to engage customers and prompt action. Therefore, your brochure must include clear and easy-to-find contact information. Typically, this includes your phone number, website, and email address. In addition, you might consider adding social media handles or even QR codes to link readers directly to your online platforms. This makes it easy for readers to transition from the physical brochure to your digital presence, enhancing engagement.

Ensure that your contact information is accurate and up to date. A brochure that doesn’t provide the means for follow-up actions—like contacting your company—is missing a vital element.

Find out the most popular booths: 10×10 turnkey trade show kit and 10×20 turnkey trade show kit.

Informative Content: What a Brochure Should Include

The content of your brochure is critical to its success. Your brochure should include concise, well-organized information that provides value without overwhelming the reader. What should a brochure include to ensure it engages your target audience effectively? Here’s what to focus on:

Key Information About Products or Services: What a Brochure Should Include

Your brochure needs to provide essential details about your products or services. Brochures should include descriptions that highlight key benefits, unique selling points, and the problems your offerings solve for customers. Avoid technical jargon unless your audience is highly specialized. Using simple, accessible language will help communicate your message more effectively.

Consider including a brief “About Us” section that outlines your company’s mission and values. This helps humanize your brand and can build a personal connection with potential customers. Including company information is one way brochures could include more than just product or service details.

What a Brochure Should Include for a Call to Action (CTA)

Every brochure must include a clear call to action (CTA). Whether you want readers to visit your website, sign up for a consultation, or make a purchase, the CTA needs to be actionable and aligned with the brochure’s overall goal. Use phrases like “Call us today for a free consultation” or “Visit our website to learn more.”

Don’t overwhelm readers with too many CTAs. Instead, focus on the most important action you want them to take. A well-placed CTA helps convert brochure readers into active customers.

What a Brochure Should Include for Visuals and Graphics

A picture is worth a thousand words, and this is especially true for brochures. High-quality visuals can break up text and make the brochure’s message more engaging. Your brochure should include images such as product photos, infographics, or custom illustrations that align with your brand identity.

Avoid using generic stock photos, as these can weaken the overall message. Instead, brochures should include visuals that highlight the unique aspects of your offerings. For example, product images that show your services in action can provide a clearer understanding of what you offer.

Balance visuals and text carefully. While images are important, they shouldn’t overshadow the content. Ensure there’s enough white space to keep the layout clean and easy to read.

Additional Elements That a Brochure Should Include

While the core elements are essential, there are additional features that brochures could include to elevate their impact and make them more engaging.

Customer Testimonials: What a Brochure Should Include to Build Trust

Including customer testimonials adds credibility to your brochure. What should brochures include to build trust? Real-world examples of satisfied customers can reassure potential clients that your products or services deliver on their promises. Keep testimonials short and focused on measurable benefits.

QR Codes and Social Media Links: What a Brochure Should Include for Digital Engagement

In today’s digital world, brochures should include QR codes or social media links to encourage further interaction. QR codes can link directly to product demos, special offers, or interactive catalogs, while social media links allow readers to follow your business and stay updated. These elements extend the life of your brochure beyond the printed page and offer multiple touchpoints for engagement.

Why Your Brochure Should Follow Your Trade Show Booth Style

Trade shows are dynamic environments filled with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of exhibitors, all competing for the attention of attendees. In such a competitive space, standing out is essential. If you’re planning to distribute brochures at a trade show or similar event, what should a brochure include to make an impact? It’s crucial that your brochure design and messaging align with the style of your trade show booth.

This consistency helps create a seamless and memorable brand experience, ensuring that potential customers remember your business long after the event ends. By following a unified design approach, you not only strengthen your brand identity but also enhance the overall effectiveness of both your booth and your brochure.

Consistent Branding: What a Brochure Should Include for Cohesive Messaging

Your trade show booth is designed to make an immediate impression, often within just a few seconds of an attendee walking by. It showcases your brand identity through colors, graphics, fonts, and messaging—all meant to grab attention and convey who you are as a company. The brochures you distribute should extend this branding to create a cohesive experience. Every touchpoint an attendee has with your company, from the booth to the brochure, should reinforce your brand identity.

Why Consistency Is Key in What a Brochure Should Include

Consistency in branding is key to building trust and recognition. When all your marketing materials, from your booth to your brochures, share the same visual language, it sends a clear message about your professionalism and attention to detail. For example, if your booth features modern design elements in a specific color palette, your brochure must include the same look and feel. If the messaging at your booth centers around innovation, your brochure should echo that theme using the same tone and style. This creates a unified brand presence that attendees will recognize, even as they move through the event and interact with other exhibitors.

A cohesive approach also makes your company more memorable. Trade show attendees are often bombarded with materials from dozens of exhibitors, so the chances of them remembering every company they interact with are slim. However, when your brochure reinforces the visuals and messaging from your booth, it strengthens their recall of your brand. This connection helps attendees remember your exhibit and the valuable information they took away in your brochure.

Creating a Seamless Experience: What a Brochure Should Include to Complement Your Booth

Aligning your brochure with your booth’s design creates a seamless experience for attendees. Your booth and brochure should feel like parts of the same story rather than disjointed marketing materials. What should a brochure include to make this happen? Consistent use of the following design elements will create a recognizable theme:

Color Palette
Maintain the same brand colors across both your booth and brochure to reinforce visual recognition. For example, if your booth uses clean, modern shades of blue and white, your brochure should include these colors as well.

Fonts and Typography
The fonts used on your booth signage should match those in your brochure. This adds another layer of consistency, making all your marketing materials feel cohesive.

Graphic Elements
Whether you use product images, icons, or illustrations, the visual elements of your brochure should mirror those used at your booth. This creates a recognizable theme, helping attendees associate your materials with their experience at your exhibit.

Reinforcing the Trade Show Experience: What a Brochure Should Include for Lasting Impact

Trade shows can be overwhelming, with attendees moving from booth to booth, interacting with various companies. It’s easy for them to forget which booth offered which product or service. This is where aligning your brochure with your booth design is especially important.

When attendees leave your booth with a brochure that aligns visually with the booth they visited, it reinforces their experience and helps your brand stand out. This visual continuity acts as a mental trigger, reminding attendees of the conversations they had with your team and the information they gathered. For example, if your booth had a distinctive look—such as bold graphics or a minimalist aesthetic—and your brochure mirrors these design choices, it will immediately remind the attendee of your booth when they review it later.

Standing Out: What a Brochure Should Include to Rise Above the Competition

Trade shows are busy, with dozens of booths competing for attention. It’s easy for your brand to get lost in the crowd. However, by aligning your brochure’s design with your booth’s style, you give your company a better chance of standing out. Even if attendees don’t remember the exact details of every conversation, they are more likely to recall a company that offered a consistent, well-branded experience.

This is especially true if your brochure serves as a reminder of a specific feature or service that caught their attention at your booth. For example, if your booth featured an interactive demo of a new product and your brochure includes images and descriptions of that product, attendees are more likely to recall their interest and follow up. The visual and thematic consistency between your booth and brochure keeps your brand top of mind.

Encouraging Post-Event Engagement: What a Brochure Should Include to Drive Action

One of the main goals of distributing brochures at trade shows is to encourage post-event engagement. Whether it’s driving traffic to your website, encouraging potential customers to call your sales team, or prompting them to visit your store, your brochure should serve as a reminder of the value your company offers. By creating a brochure that matches your trade show booth style, you make it easier for attendees to connect the dots between their experience at the show and the next steps they should take. This alignment bridges the gap between the in-person interaction at your booth and the follow-up action your brochure encourages.

What Not to Include in a Brochure

Creating an effective brochure isn’t just about what a brochure should include—it’s also about knowing what to leave out. A well-designed brochure should be clear, engaging, and visually appealing. Below are the key things brochures should not include:

Overloading with Information: What a Brochure Should Avoid

Cramming too much information into your brochure can overwhelm readers. What should a brochure include instead? Focus on highlighting the top benefits of your products or services. Use short sections and clear, impactful messaging that allows readers to quickly grasp your key points. When in doubt, direct readers to your website for more detailed information. Brochures should include content that is easy to scan, keeping it concise to avoid overwhelming the audience.

Unrelated Graphics: What a Brochure Should Exclude

Using unrelated or generic visuals can confuse your audience and dilute your message. What should a brochure include in terms of visuals? Choose images and graphics that directly relate to your product or service and align with your brand’s overall style. Brochures should include only purposeful visuals that enhance the reader’s understanding and engagement, rather than detracting from the message.

Flyer vs. Brochure: How Does a Brochure Differ?

It’s important to know the difference between a flyer and a brochure to choose the right format for your marketing needs. Flyers are simple, single-page documents designed for quick announcements or promotions. They are great for fast distribution and contain only the essentials. Brochures, on the other hand, are more detailed and are often folded into sections, making them perfect for trade shows or client meetings, where more comprehensive information is required. What should a brochure include? Detailed descriptions, key benefits, and product or service information to give readers a fuller understanding.

The Importance of a Brochure’s Layout and Design

The design and layout of your brochure are just as crucial as the content itself. What should a brochure include in terms of design? A visually appealing and well-organized layout makes it easier for readers to engage with your message. The layout impacts how effectively you communicate key points, capture interest, and guide the reader toward action.

Choosing the Right Fold Style: What a Brochure Should Include for Flow

The fold style you choose determines how your content flows and how readers interact with your brochure.

Bi-Fold Brochures
A simple and widely used option that folds in half, creating four panels. Ideal for company overviews or event invitations.

Tri-Fold Brochures
Offers six panels for organizing detailed information, often used for product guides or service brochures.

Z-Fold and Gate Fold Brochures
More creative options; Z-fold works for storytelling, while gate fold creates a striking visual experience, ideal for product launches or promotions.

The fold style should support your content, making it easy for readers to follow and engage.

Balancing Text and Visuals: What a Brochure Should Include for Readability

Balancing text and visuals is key to making your brochure readable. Too much text can overwhelm the reader, while too many images might distract them from your core message. What should a brochure include to strike the right balance? Use concise, impactful text, supported by headings and engaging visuals like infographics or images that complement, rather than overpower, the content.

By thoughtfully balancing text and visuals, you can create a brochure that is both informative and visually engaging, ensuring that readers absorb your message effectively.

Final Thoughts on What Should a Brochure Include 

A well-designed brochure is a valuable asset for any business, especially at trade shows or events. Knowing what a brochure should include—from a compelling headline to engaging visuals—ensures that your brochure will capture attention and drive action.

By aligning your brochure’s style with your trade show booth and keeping the messaging clear, you’ll create a seamless and memorable experience for potential customers.

What a Brochure Should Include FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Here are the top frequently asked questions about what a brochure should include.