Document guides
Document guides
Practical guides to the business and technical documents manufacturers produce: sell sheets, line cards, catalogs, price lists, ordering guides, capability statements, installation guides and work instructions.
Guides in this topic
Product sell sheet: what it is and how to write one that sells
A sell sheet is a one-page sales document that pitches a product to a buyer. Here’s how a sell sheet differs from a data sheet, what belongs on it, and how to write benefit-first copy that earns the next conversation.
Read the guide →Product comparison sheet: how to compare products clearly and fairly
A comparison sheet puts products side by side so a buyer can choose. Here’s how to structure the matrix, choose attributes that matter, and compare honestly without burying the differences that count.
Read the guide →Installation guide: how to write clear, safe installation instructions
A good installation guide gets a product set up correctly and safely the first time. Here’s the structure (parts, tools, numbered steps, safety) and how to write steps that are easy to follow and hard to get wrong.
Read the guide →SOP vs work instruction: writing standard operating procedures
A standard operating procedure defines how a task is done consistently; a work instruction details the exact steps. Here’s the difference, what an SOP contains, and how to write procedures people actually follow.
Read the guide →Engineering change: ECR, ECN and PCN explained
Change control keeps a product’s documentation honest as the product evolves. Here’s the difference between an ECR, an ECN and a PCN, what an engineering change notice contains, and how a controlled change flows from request to updated documents.
Read the guide →Ordering guide: helping customers order the right product
An ordering guide turns a range of options into a correct order. Here’s how to build one: part-number logic, configuration options, compatibility, and how to lay it out so customers order the right thing the first time.
Read the guide →Line card: what it is, and how to make one for a product range or a distributor
A line card answers one question, what do you carry, on one sheet. Here’s how a manufacturer’s product line card and a distributor’s logo line card differ, what belongs on each side, and how to keep the marks and the authorization claims honest.
Read the guide →Price list: how to build one a customer can order from without calling
A price list is the document that turns interest into an order, or a phone call. Here’s what every line needs, how to show quantity pricing and terms, and how to keep a list correct when prices change.
Read the guide →Short-form product catalog: how to structure an eight-page catalog that gets used
A short-form catalog is a folded signature of eight pages, a multiple of four, that carries a range from cover to index. Here’s the page plan, what a catalog entry needs, and how to keep the prices and the pictures in step.
Read the guide →Capability statement: what a contracting officer checks, and how to fit it on one page
A capability statement is the one page a government buyer reads before deciding whether to call. Here’s what it must contain (identifiers, NAICS codes, core competencies, differentiators, past performance) and how to make every claim verifiable.
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