Many leaflets are only picked up once through a letterbox to be put in the bin without a second glance. In the time it takes to walk those few steps your leaflet has to make an impression.

Leaflets can be a highly effective form of marketing, but the success of the leaflet largely depends on the design to grab attention in the first instance. The leaflet has to gain the interest of the reader, and encourage some action – either visiting a website, calling a phone number or placing an order.

An eye-catching headline is essential. You business name is unlikely to grab attention – try and use a headline to draw your reader in and initiate a reaction. For example: ‘Don’t wait until it’s too late – is your home protected?’ or ‘Is your garden growing out of control?’

iSEV as leaflet design professionals exist for a reason – because using expert design knowledge will make a difference. Using only black and white may save you money in the short term – but will look unprofessional and will be unlikely to gain any attention. They will also reflect negatively on the organisation – if the leaflets are cheap and unprofessional will the company be the same?

Even with a small budget, quality is more important than quantity. Try 500 leaflets at A5 size – test the markets reaction and print more if it works.

Avoid jargon and long sentences. Generally your leaflet will be and can be read at first glance, long ‘wordy’ sentences will not be read – stick to concise and straight to be point sentences or bullet points.

Certain words are known for attracting attention, they include: how to, learn, money, mystery, new, profit, save, special, win, bonus, discover, earn, easy, enjoy, avoid, free, bargain, exciting, exclusive, extra, fast. These ‘power words’ will attract your audience and can naturally be incorporated into your text.

Images – a picture really does paint a thousand words so using one or two can simplify your leaflet and reinforce what’s being said if chosen well.

Avoid clutter! The leaflet does not need to be packed full, blank spaces will allow the information on the leaflet to be digested more easily.

Finally, get an action out of you audience. Tell them what to do next, be obvious… ‘buy before the 1st October to get 10% off’ or ‘buy now first 100 customers get 15% off’.