What is a broadsheet?

What is a Broadsheet?

A broadsheet, as the word is used in the direct mail industry, is a brochure made from a single large sheet of paper.  Some are as large as 22x32, and fold down to about 4-1/2x8, suitable for mailing in a 6x9 envelope. 

The broadsheet has to be cleverly designed, as each panel must be able to stand alone when it is folded.  Then when it is fully open, all the panels must work together to tell the story of the product, without looking jumbled.  However, direct mail prides itself on its “messiness.”  If everything is too neat, it is believed (and tests have shown it to be true) that it will not pull as well as a design that is more spontaneous-looking, as if it just exploded into dynamic life. 

Huge, Impressive, Dramatic

In its final open form the broadsheet is a huge advertisement, a lively mass of descriptive details, photos and illustrations in color.  It often uses both sides of the sheet to tell the full story of the product being advertised.  The broadsheet may use testimonials and guarantees.  It certainly stresses benefits and other selling points. 

The largest spread is usually used for the finished product, whether a set of encyclopedias, a garden in full bloom, or the completed project that a craft kit will build.  It can also show the “exploded” contents of pages from a magazine or book to illustrate the contents.  

Illustrated Benefits

For a book club, you can show the benefits of membership, with a family relaxing each with a book before the fireplace, or sitting on a beach reading.  Even a simple free trial offer can be dramatized with an impressive guarantee certificate.  

According to direct marketing guru Edward L. Nash, the broadside is the “heavy artillery of direct mail.”  It achieves a sense of dramatic impact that is not possible with any other format.  But, as he reminds, the first question to ask is whether you need a brochure or broadside at all.  It is usually one of the most expensive parts of the mailing.  You can split-run tests of brochure vs. no brochure to see if it lifts response.  As I have mentioned in my other articles about direct mail, testing is an important part of the direct mail process.  

A brochure is needed most often when the sales message requires illustration or credibility.  It offers the opportunity for prospects to see for themselves the beauty of the product and how it will look in their home or office.   And a brochure, or broadside, certainly has enough space to fully expand on the message and benefits of the product.  It can repeat the points made in the letter, as each piece in a mailing should be able to stand alone.  

It can also be a “value added” component to the mailing, as in the case of a cookbook which includes recipes in the brochure.