Purpose: Prostate and colorectal cancer (CRC) rates are disproportionately high among African-American men. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of an intervention in which barbers were trained to educate clients about early detection for prostate and CRC. Design/methodology/approach: Working with an advisory panel of local barbers, cancer survivors and clients, educational materials are developed and pilot tested through use of focus groups and cognitive response interviews. Findings: The advisory panel, focus groups, and interviews provide key recommendations for core content, intervention structure, and evaluation strategies. The men suggest a variety of things they want to know about prostate cancer, however the perceived need for CRC information is much broader, suggesting a knowledge gap. The men prefer print materials that are brief, use graphics of real African-American men, and provide a telephone number they can call for additional information. Research limitations/implications: Community involvement is key in developing a well-accepted and culturally-relevant intervention. Originality/value: The paper usefully describes the process of developing and pilot testing educational materials for use in an intervention in which barbers would be trained as community health advisors, to educate their clients about CRC screening and informed decision making for prostate cancer screening. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)