Description of product:

• What product or service are you offering? Describe it in 50 words or less. Be sure to enclose a sample of the product.

Purpose of product:

• What does the product do? How is it used? How does it work?

Product features:

• Give all the details about the product - color, size, weight, material, number of parts, power ratings, number of working parts, and/or whatever other facts and specifications are appropriate.

Main benefits of the product:

• What is the key sales appeal of this product?
• What are the other major benefits?
• What will it do for the user?
• Does it save time or money?
• Will it make life easier or better?
• Does it solve a problem?
• If so, what is that problem and how does it solve it?

Comparison to other products:

• How does it compare to other products already on the market (or about to come on the market)?
• What will it give users that they can't get anywhere else?
• How is it different?
• Newer Better?
• Is it unique?
• An exclusive?
• Less expensive?
• A better buy?
• Do you provide better service?
• Do you have any related products?
• If so, how does this product tie in with those?
• Will you later sell those products to buyers of this product?

Unique selling proposition:

• What distinguishes the product or service from other choices?
• Does it have parity attributes that we can preempt and own?
• How should the product be positioned?

Brand character

• What image does product or service have?

• What is the price?
• Any extra costs such as shipping and handling?
• Any discounts?
• Any deluxe versions?
• Any alternatives?
• Any deadlines for receiving special offers?

• What options will you be offering for payments?
• Cash with order? Billing?
• Purchase order required?
• Credit cards?

• What is the offer?
• What do you want the recipient to respond to?
• Is this a special offer?
• A premium?
• An introductory offer?
• A prepublication discount?
• A limited-time offer?
• Free information?

• Direct mail package consisting of what elements? Letter? Lift letter? Brochure? catalog? Self-mailer?
• Or is it a display ad?
• A newsletter?
• A postcard?
• An insert?
• A television or radio commercial?
• An email advertisement
• A SMS text message
• A social media (YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google +, Pinterest, etc.)
• Website or landing page for promotion?
• An entire campaign? Enclose samples of previous promotions for this product or other products your company has sold. Which were winners? Losers?
• Themes or images?
• Look and feel?
• Creative objectives?
• Production considerations?
• Distribution/circulation considerations?
• Creative / legal mandatories?
• Deadlines?
• Any other considerations?

• To gain direct sales? Leads? Inquiries?
• Or is it to provide product information to customers?
• Gain an extra sale?
• Respond to inquiries?
• Announce new products?
• Build the company's or product's image? If so, what image should be conveyed?

• What are the key messages that the promotion should communication with the target audience?
• Are there any secondary messages that need to be communicated?

• What do you want the targets to do?
• Respond (via phone, email, web landing page) to apply or order?
• Accept our call?
• Request more information?
• Remit someting?
• Other?

• Who is the prime prospect?
• What are the characteristics of the target audience or audiences?
• If a business audience, what is the title and/or responsibility of the prospect?
• If a consumer, what are the interests, problems, concerns, demographics, and characteristics of the typical prospect?
• Are there any secondary audiences? If so, is it worth preparing separate versions of the promotion for them?

• What is the target audience thinking today?
• Do they know and think about the product?
• What do they know and think about the company?  
• The focus must be on what the target audiences are buying, not what you are selling.

• Perceptions.
• Behavior.
• Take-a-ways.

• What lists or media will you be using? Be specific.
• Which have you used in the past?
• Which worked?
• Which did not?

• Will you be conducting any tests? If so, what points will be tested?
• Will tests affect the design of the package? The offer? The copy?

• What is the budget for this promotion?
• How much will be available for each part of the promotion? For lists? For the package? For other costs?
• Are there any restrictions? For example, no 4-color brochures or no flashy involvement devices.

• When do you need the complete package?
• What are the approval dates?
• When will you be sending out the first test mailing or placing the first advertisement?

• Do you have any testimonials for the product? 
• Celebrity endorsements? 
• Reviews? 
• Other media coverage? 
• Enclose samples.

• Have you ever had any complaints about this product or any similar products?
• Do you have any letters from unhappy customers?
• Any bad reviews or media coverage? Enclose samples.

• What points absolutely must be included in the copy?
• What benefits or features must be stressed?
• What design elements absolutely must be part of the package?
• Any points that absolutely must be avoided? Any words or phrases? Any designs?

• Anything that cannot be offered or promised?

• What is your guarantee? How strong is it?
• What are its limits? 30-day free trial period?
• 100% money-back guarantee?
• Return privileges?
• Inspection privileges?
• A warranty?

• Will you provide a BRE (business reply envelope) or BRC (business reply card)?
• Accept phone orders?
• Order online through website or landing page?
• Accept collect calls?
• Will you have a toll-free phone number?
• Will you use a 800 phone number?
• What percentage of your orders are now by phone?
• Will orders come any other way besides mail and phone?
• Will you have a dedicated landing page for this offer or promotion?

• What is the history of the company?
• Any special points?
• What about the personality of the owner?
• Any special expertise?
• Any points about the company or owners/managers that might have impact on sales?

• Note any other information or points which could be useful to the copywriters and designers.
• Include any background material that you think might be helpful.
• Recommend additional reading material, if it is appropriate.
• Suggest other people they might talk to.