Flyers and brochures are both popular print marketing products, but many people don’t know the significant differences between them.
The team at FlyerHeroes is here to help. Learn how to choose the most effective tools for your marketing campaign below!
What Is a Flyer?
A flyer is one sheet of paper, typically printed on one side only. The most common size is 8.5 by 11 inches, though there are smaller flyers too. They’re cheap to produce and useful for large-volume hand-outs; employ them to generate interest in a particular event or offer.
Types of Flyers
The terms “flyers” and “leaflets” are often used interchangeably, but they share several similarities. However, it’s important to note that leaflets generally exhibit higher quality characteristics. They are printed on both sides and designed to have a longer shelf life, serving as valuable reference materials.
Delving into the various styles of flyers can show us how different flyer types can be used for different purposes.
- Handbills – minimal text; ideal for mass distribution
- Direct mail flyers – sales-focused; delivered directly to customers
- Digital flyers – simple messaging; distributed online
- Community flyers – used for local/community events; designed to pique the reader’s attention
- Club or event-specific flyers – simple, minimal flyers with details of an event (time/place/cost of admission, etc)
- Informational flyers – plenty of text; designed to educate the reader
- Corporate or business flyers – contain essential information about business services
- Seasonal flyers – contain specific information about a seasonal event. May be distributed well before the event & contain more information than a club flyer, for example
- Promotional flyers – used by stores for one-off promotions and boosting sales
- Educational flyers – very similar to informational flyers, although more often used for campaigns such as public health
- Non-profit flyers – eye-catching images & bold headings are combined with essential information about the non-profit’s mission
- Product promotion flyers – high-quality imagery; slogans; and sometimes more descriptive text for new product lines
Generally speaking, leaflets suit flyer types that use more text and are intended to have a longer shelf life. Community, informational, corporate, seasonal, educational, and non-profit flyers are good examples of flyers that might use a leaflet style.
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What Is a Brochure?
A brochure is a high-quality document using thick paper or cardstock; often in combination with glossy paper. A paper brochure is folded to create multiple pages.
Brochures provide a lot more information than flyers but still focus on a single subject. They may require a robust graphic design with well-placed images that break up “walls of text”.
Using text stock gloss paper for brochures results in more rich and illuminated colors.
Brochures represent printed materials and are often used as part of a marketing campaign. It is advisable to distribute them in settings where the audience has already expressed interest, such as trade events, corporate meetings, and open houses.
Brochures come in various types, depending on which folding options you choose for them and whether you are using them primarily for marketing campaigns or for more subtle, long-term brand building – in which case they are known as pamphlets.
Educational pamphlets may be folded or stapled to create multiple pages.
Neither brochures nor pamphlets should be confused with booklets, which are miniature bound books (most commonly bound using saddle stitch). Most booklets are about a particular topic and are designed to educate people.
Types of Brochures
The most popular brochure types include:
- Half-fold brochures – a simple central fold creates a front cover, a central portion, and a reverse cover
- Tri-fold brochures – folded lengthwise into thirds; these brochures can stand by themselves
- Z-fold brochures – while a tri-fold opens out both ways from the front, a z-fold’s sides fold out in opposite directions to create its namesake “z” shape
- Gate fold brochures – similar to a tri-fold, it opens up to the reader – but the central panel is double the width of the side panels, like a double-door
- Double gate fold brochures – the large central fold of the gate style is folded again, so the brochure forms a box when it stands up
- Double parallel fold brochures – a central fold is followed by additional folds on each side panel in the same direction, creating two “v” shapes and 8 panels that fold up neatly
- Accordion fold brochures – there is a central fold, but the secondary folds go in opposite directions, so it folds out like an accordion
- Roll fold brochures – similar to a double gate fold, but the paper used is usually smaller and the end panels tend to be doubled over when it’s folded. As such, it makes a popular design for menus
- French fold brochures – the brochure is folded into quarters, with one horizontal and one vertical fold.
Differences Between a Flyer and a Brochure
A point-by-point comparison shows the difference between flyers and brochures more clearly.
1. Cost
Because flyers are printed on cheap paper, with standard paper sizes, and generally on one side only, they are more affordable than brochures.
2. Size
The most typical size for a flyer is 8.5 by 11 inches, although smaller ones can sometimes be used. Brochures vary a lot more in size.
3. Format
Although both are printed materials used as part of marketing campaigns, they differ in purpose and print format.
A flyer is always only a single page; a brochure utilizes one of several folding options (bi-fold, tri-fold, Z-fold, or multiple folds).
4. Purpose
A successful flyer draws lots of people to your event or increases sales. Successful brochures, on the other hand, create a long-term relationship with your target audience. Keeping record of who takes them can give you valuable demographic data.
Brochures are often used in direct mail marketing campaigns. These mail brochures work to generate leads and maintain customer relationships.
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Which Format Suits Your Needs?
Are you wondering whether to go with flyers or brochures? Although both are great ways of reaching prospective customers, brochures are better used to target a more focused audience, especially considering their additional costs. Flyers and leaflets on the other hand are better for casting a large net that targets a broad audience.
Flyers and Leaflets Are Better as Promotional Materials
There’s not a lot of space for information on flyers, but that is because you print them for promotional purposes: to draw people to one-time events or boost sales via a promotion.
Leaflets on the other hand tend to be high-quality, printed on both sides, and intended to have a longer shelf life, acting as promotional materials that can be referenced later.
Brochures Are Better for Marketing Campaigns
Brochures are a great way to deepen customers’ interest and since they have more than one page, there is more space to provide more information.
Brochures Are Also Excellent as Reference Materials
Are you selling a complex product or service? Brochures are great for providing technical specifications for easy reference.
Civic pamphlets promote awareness of public rights and responsibilities and keep residents informed regarding local affairs.
Flyer vs. Brochure: The Bottom Line
Use flyers for bulk communication of a straightforward message, typically a one-time event such as a fair, party, sale, or the like.
Brochures are larger, glossier, have more pages, and would be handed out to interested potential customers at trade shows.
Want to make the right choice for your marketing campaign? FlyerHeroes has all the tools you’ll need to design, optimize, and deliver a successful campaign.
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