Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content

74Writing Annual Reports (or Annual Wrap-Ups)

Even if you aren't required to put together an annual report for investors or donors, you might consider writing some sort of annual wrap-up.

Why? Because annual reports provide you with an opportunity to tell your brand's story, giving your audience a way to connect with you and travel along with you as you mark your milestones.

Creating a dry-as-dust document filled with nothing more than plain text and financial data is a waste of a one-of-a-kind opportunity to showcase your company. Nobody wants to read that sort of annual report (except for possibly an insomniac trying to catch some extra sleep). But everybody loves a great story, right?

Your report should feature real people, real situations, genuine emotions, and facts.

It should show, not tell, as much as possible. It should explain—in terms people can relate to—how your company adds value to the lives of your customers. Recall Donald Murray's words here: “The reader doesn't turn the page because of a hunger to applaud.” Write something that encourages them to keep following you, and get a little more involved in your story.

Start with some basics:

1. Who did we grow to become in the past year? What changed? What didn't?
2. How have we evolved since our founding?
3. What have been ...