What to Put on Each Panel of a Tri-Fold Brochure

A good brochure answers questions before anyone has to ask.

That's the whole job. Someone picks it up off a counter or gets it handed to them at a table, and within a minute or two they should know what you do, why it matters to them and how to reach you. No phone call needed to fill in the blanks.

A tri-fold makes that easier than most people think, because it comes with a built-in reading order. It's an 8.5" x 11" sheet folded in three, which gives you six printable panels: three on the outside and three on the inside. People open it the same way almost every time. If you plan your content around that order, the brochure does the talking for you.

Here's what goes on each panel, in the order people actually see them.

Panel 1: The front cover

This is the panel facing up when the brochure is folded. It has one job: get picked up and opened.

Put three things here and stop:

• Your name or logo
• A short headline that says who it's for or what problem it solves
• One strong image, if you have a good one

Resist the urge to fit your phone number, hours, services and a coupon on the cover. A crowded cover reads like a flyer that got folded by accident. A clean one invites the open.

Panel 2: The inside flap

When someone lifts the cover, the first thing they see is the inside flap, the panel that folds in. Many brochures waste it on leftover details. It's actually prime real estate.

Use it to answer the first question in the reader's head: "Is this for me?" A short intro works well here. Who you help, what you're known for, why someone would pick you. Keep it to a few sentences or a handful of quick points. This panel sets up everything inside.

Panels 3, 4 and 5: The inside spread

Open the flap and the reader sees the three inside panels side by side. This is where the real answers live. Treat it as one spread with a left-to-right flow, not three random boxes.

Inside left: What you do

List your main services or products. Be specific. "Residential and commercial cleaning, weekly or one-time" beats "Quality cleaning solutions." If you have a lot to list, group it under two or three short subheads.

Inside middle: How it works

Walk the reader through what happens when they hire you or buy from you. Three or four simple steps is plenty. This is the panel that removes hesitation, because most people hold back when they don't know what comes next.

Inside right: Why trust you

Show the reader why they can count on you. Years in business, the area you serve, what's included, what sets your approach apart. If you have real reviews you have permission to share, this is a good home for one. Never make one up. An honest, specific detail does more than a vague quote.

Panel 6: The back cover

The middle panel on the outside is the back of the folded brochure. It's what people see when the brochure is lying face down, and it's where they look when they're ready to act.

Make it the contact panel:

• Phone, email and website
• Address and hours, if people visit you
• A QR code that goes to the right page, not just your homepage
• One clear next step: call, book, visit or order

Keep this panel clean enough that someone can find your number in a couple of seconds. If the brochure gets pinned to a fridge or tucked in a folder, this is the panel that does the selling later.

A few rules that apply to every panel

• Write for skimmers. Short paragraphs, clear subheads and lists where they help. Most readers scan before they read.
• Leave breathing room. Text crammed edge to edge feels like homework. White space makes the important parts easier to find.
• Mind the folds. Keep text and faces away from the fold lines. Set your file up on a template with the panels marked, so nothing ends up split across a crease.
• Answer real questions. Write down the five questions customers ask you most on the phone. If the brochure answers all five, it's doing its job.

Order up

Our tri-fold brochures start at $125: 8.5" x 11", folded in three, six printable panels in full color. You'll find them in our marketing materials collection. Every print order gets a free artwork review, so we'll flag panels that are too crowded or text that's sitting too close to a fold before anything hits the press. Local pickup in Cleveland is available.

If you'd rather start from a layout with the panels already marked, grab one of our artwork templates. And if you have the content but not the time to lay it out, our design services can take it from there.

Write down those five customer questions this week. Then build your brochure around the answers.

— Alan