Brochures for your business are still actively used as marketing collateral to attract new clients and communicate with potential ones. Many businesses use a combination of a hard-copy brochure along with an electronic version of the brochure as well as the company website. Brochure writing is an art—an art that requires an experienced brochure writer to craft the right words, in the right order and in the right style to make your brochure an effective selling and marketing tool for your business.

Since a brochure plays such a vital role in your business marketing, what should you look for in a brochure writer? Here are some characteristics you should find in a brochure writer before you sign on the dotted line, hand over a deposit and provide them with carte blanche to start writing such an important marketing piece.

Fixed Cost

Writers can charge by the word, by the hour or by the project. For brochure work, you should be looking for and working with a brochure writer that provides you with a fixed flat rate cost for writing the brochure. That being said, it’s also important that you layout on the line exactly what role the writer plays in creating the brochure. Realize that if the scope of the project changes in any way, the writer has the right to adjust the total cost. Some writers will work within in your reasonable budget, so another approach is to state what your budget for writing the brochure is and then find a writer that works within your budget.

Written Contract

For your business safety and the safety of the writer, you should have a written contract before agreeing to work with a brochure writer. The contract should provide the details as to the role the writer will play, the deadline, the payment amount and distribution dates and be signed and agreed to by the parties involved. It should also include a termination clause and copyright agreement.

Experience

Copywriting for a brochure does require a certain skill set and level of experience. Make sure that the writer provides you with several brochure samples they’ve written so you can get a sense of their writing style and approach. Brochures should be intriguing and informational enough to grab the attention of your readers so look for snappy, persuasive and attention grabbing headlines, sub-headlines, text, etc.

While a good copywriter can write about almost any topic, you may also want to find a brochure writer that has experience working with companies in your industry. Industry experience can save you a lot of pain and time from having to educate the writer on your business. A writer with industry experience can hit the ground running without too much if any of a learning curve.

While this is not a comprehensive list of what you should look for in a brochure writer, it is some of the top things you should be aware of during your hunt. A well-crafted brochure can make a significant difference in your sales and marketing efforts. A bad brochure can have the opposite and unwanted effect on your business. As you would be a smart shopper when looking for a house, car or consumer electronic, you need to take the same educated and safe approach when shopping for a brochure writer.