You already know your salon needs a brochure. The printer is booked, the photos are on your phone, the template is open on your screen… and then the cursor just blinks at you. What do you actually write?
Most articles about salon brochures show you pretty pictures and leave you to guess the words. This one does the opposite. Below is a panel-by-panel plan of salon brochure content ideas, from the cover hook to the final call to action, with word counts, copy formulas and fill-in-the-blank examples you can adapt in an afternoon.
First, understand what a tri-fold actually gives you
A standard tri-fold brochure is one sheet folded twice, which gives you six panels, not three. People forget this and cram everything into the inside spread while the back panel sits empty. examples.com published something useful on the subject.
Here is how the six panels are usually numbered and what each one is really for:
| Panel | Position | Job of this panel | Suggested word count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Front cover | Stop the hand, earn the open | 10 to 20 words |
| 2 | Inside flap (first panel seen on opening) | Introduce the salon and the promise | 70 to 120 words |
| 3, 4, 5 | Inside spread | Service menu, prices, add-ons | 150 to 300 words total |
| 6 | Back panel | Contact details, hours, map, booking CTA | 60 to 100 words |
Golden rule before you write a single line: decide the one action you want. Book online? Call? Walk in with the brochure for a first-visit offer? Every panel should push toward that single action.
Panel 1: The front cover (your hook)
The cover is not the place for your full service list or your address. It has one job: make someone open the brochure.
What to include
- One strong image (a real client result, not a stock model, if you can)
- Your salon name and logo, but not bigger than the headline
- A headline of 3 to 8 words
- Optional: your neighbourhood or city, so people instantly know you are local
Cover headline formulas that work
- The outcome: “Hair you actually recognise as yours.”
- The specialty: “Curly hair specialists in [neighbourhood].”
- The problem solved: “Tired of leaving the salon and restyling it at home?”
- The invitation: “Ninety minutes for you. Nothing else on the list.”
- The offer: “20% off your first colour service. Inside.”
Avoid generic covers that say only “Hair & Beauty” with a logo. That tells a reader nothing and gets binned in two seconds.
Panel 2: The inside flap (who you are and why it matters)
This is the first panel a reader sees when the brochure opens. Treat it as your handshake, not your autobiography.
What to write here
- A short salon story: 2 to 3 sentences. When you opened, what you believe in, who you serve best.
- Three differentiators as bullets: for example ammonia-free colour lines, evening appointments until 9pm, free 15-minute consultation, wheelchair accessible, bilingual team.
- One short testimonial with a first name and initial. Social proof this early does a lot of work.
Fill-in-the-blank template
“[Salon name] opened in [year] on [street] with one idea: [belief in plain words]. Today our team of [number] stylists looks after clients who want [specific outcome]. Every appointment starts with a proper consultation, because a good cut begins with a good conversation.”
Keep the tone the same as the way you speak in the chair. If your salon is warm and chatty, write warm and chatty. If it is minimal and editorial, write short and clean.
Panels 3, 4 and 5: The service menu and pricing block
This is the reason most people keep a salon brochure at all. Make it scannable, grouped and honest. blogspot.com published something useful on the subject.
Group services into categories, not one long list
- Cutting and styling
- Colour (single process, highlights, balayage, corrective)
- Treatments (bonding, keratin, scalp care, gloss)
- Extensions
- Beauty (brows, lashes, waxing, facials, nails)
- Bridal and event packages
- Men’s grooming
Three to five categories per brochure is plenty. If you offer forty services, feature the twenty that make you money and add a line: “Full menu at [website].”
Write service descriptions in one line
Each service needs a name, a one-line benefit, a duration and a price. Duration is the detail most salons forget, and it is the detail clients care about most.
| Service | One-line description | Time | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signature cut & finish | Consultation, cut, wash and blow-dry | 60 min | 45 |
| Balayage | Hand-painted lightening with a soft grow-out | 150 min | 140 |
| Bond repair treatment | Rebuilds hair after lightening, add to any colour | 20 min | 25 |
| Brow shape & tint | Mapped, waxed and tinted to suit your face | 30 min | 28 |
How to handle pricing without trapping yourself
Printed prices go out of date. Protect yourself with these tactics:
- Use “from” pricing on anything that varies with hair length or density.
- Add one small line at the bottom of the pricing panel: “Prices are a guide and confirmed at consultation. Valid from [month, year].”
- If you have junior, senior and master stylist tiers, show them as three columns rather than repeating every service three times.
- Print smaller batches more often instead of one giant run you will regret in six months.
Do not skip the add-on panel
A small block called “Make it better” or “Add to any service” is one of the highest-earning pieces of copy in the whole brochure. Scalp massage, gloss top-up, deep conditioning, fringe trim, hair botox, olaplex-style bonding. Five items, one price each.
Where to put stylist bios
Stylist bios build trust faster than any adjective about your salon. They usually sit on the third inside panel or share space with the back panel.
The four-line bio formula
- Name and role: “Amina, Senior Colourist”
- Specialty: “Blondes, colour correction, curly cutting”
- Credibility: “12 years behind the chair, trained in [technique or brand]”
- A human line: “Will talk you out of a fringe if she has to.”
Add a small square headshot for each stylist. Keep them consistent: same background, same lighting, same crop. Mismatched selfies undo an otherwise beautiful brochure.
If your team changes often, use a single “Meet the team” paragraph plus one group photo instead of individual bios. Cheaper to reprint.
Panel 6: The back panel and booking call to action
The back panel is what shows when the brochure sits on a counter or in a bag. Treat it as a business card that never gets lost.
Everything that belongs here
- Booking CTA in a box: “Book online in 30 seconds at [URL]” or “Call [number], we answer between 9 and 6.”
- QR code pointing straight to your booking page, not your homepage. Label it: “Scan to book.”
- Opening hours as a two-column list
- Address plus one landmark: “Opposite the post office, parking behind the building”
- Social handles (one or two, the ones you actually update)
- One incentive: a first-visit offer, a referral card line, or a loyalty stamp box printed right on the panel
- Cancellation policy in one short sentence if no-shows are a problem for you
CTA lines that beat “Contact us”
- “Bring this brochure on your first visit for 15% off any colour service.”
- “Not sure what suits you? Book a free 15-minute consultation.”
- “Saturdays fill three weeks ahead. Book yours now.”
- “Text HAIR to [number] and we will call you back.”
Extra salon brochure content ideas if you have space left
Space is rarely spare on a tri-fold, but if a panel looks thin, these fill it usefully rather than decoratively:
- Before and after strip: three small pairs of images with the service name underneath
- Aftercare tips: “How to keep your colour for 8 weeks” in four bullets. People keep brochures that are useful.
- Retail products you stock, with a line explaining why you chose those brands
- Gift card block with denominations, especially useful in the run-up to December
- Packages and memberships: “Blow-dry club: 4 per month for the price of 3”
- What to expect on your first visit, in three numbered steps. Excellent for nervous new clients.
- Sustainability or hygiene note if it is genuinely part of how you work
Six mistakes that kill an otherwise good salon brochure
- No single call to action. Phone, website, Instagram, WhatsApp and an email address all given equal weight means no one does anything.
- Text over busy photos. If the headline is hard to read in two seconds, it does not exist.
- Writing about yourself instead of the client. “We are passionate about beauty” says nothing. “We fix box-dye disasters” says everything.
- No prices at all. Every SERP-topping guide agrees on this: transparent pricing helps people decide quickly. Hiding prices reads as expensive and evasive.
- Type below 9pt. A big part of your walk-in market is over 45. Keep body copy at 9 to 11pt minimum.
- No print date. Add a discreet “[Month] [Year] edition” so you know when it is time to refresh.
Your one-page writing checklist
Before the file goes to print, tick all of these:
- Cover headline is under 8 words and promises an outcome
- Salon intro is under 120 words
- Services are grouped into 3 to 5 categories
- Every service has a duration and a price or a “from” price
- An add-on block exists
- At least one testimonial appears
- Stylist bios follow the same structure and length
- QR code links to the booking page and has been scanned and tested
- Phone number has been dialled from a different phone
- Opening hours match Google Business Profile exactly
- Someone outside the salon has proofread it
FAQ
What should be the content of a salon brochure?
At minimum: a cover hook, a short salon introduction, a grouped service menu with durations and prices, stylist credibility, one or two real photos, social proof, and complete contact details with a clear booking call to action. Everything else is a bonus.
How many words should a tri-fold salon brochure have?
Between 350 and 550 words across all six panels. Anything above 700 words on a tri-fold starts to feel cramped and the type gets too small to read comfortably.
Should I put prices in my salon brochure?
Yes, but use “from” pricing for variable services and add a short line stating that prices are a guide confirmed at consultation, with the month and year of the edition. Clients strongly prefer brochures that show prices, and it filters out enquiries that were never going to book. Hair Salon Brochure Templates tackles the same question from another angle.
What are some creative content ideas for salons beyond the service list?
Aftercare tips, a “what to expect on your first visit” walkthrough, before and after mini galleries, a colour maintenance schedule, gift card options, a referral card printed into the panel, and short stylist bios with a personality line. Useful content is what keeps a brochure on a fridge instead of in a bin.
Where should the call to action go on a tri-fold brochure?
Put the main CTA on the back panel, because that is the face showing when the brochure is folded on a counter. Then repeat a smaller version of it at the bottom of the inside spread so a reader never has to hunt for how to book.
How often should a salon reprint its brochure?
Reprint whenever prices change, when more than two team members change, or roughly once a year. Print in smaller runs so an update never feels expensive.
Ready to write yours?
Open a blank document, write the six panel headings down the page, and fill them one at a time using the formulas above. Do not design anything until the words exist. Copy first, layout second, and the brochure practically assembles itself.
Need a hand turning your notes into a printed piece your team is proud to hand out? Get in touch with The Creative Fridge and we will take it from rough copy to press-ready file.