The Investment Writing Handbook

CHAPTER 5Developing an Architecture of Investment Content

Having covered the journalistic principles, strategic purposes, and stylistic considerations of investment writing in previous chapters, you are halfway ready to express your ideas through quality content. Halfway, because before you scratch that itch and finally begin to write, you will need to:

1. Establish an architecture of investment content for your firm.
2. Review the purposes served by different forms of content, as well as effective editorial approaches to each.
3. Understand the legal considerations to keep in mind as you write.

Symbolically, you are also about halfway through this book. The second half you've just begun will cover all these issues and carry you straight to the blank page that, presumably, you cannot wait to fill.

Let's start with establishing an architecture of investment content.

What is this architecture, exactly? It's a method of classifying, organizing, and packaging all manner of written material (also known as collateral) intended for investor consumption. With a content architecture in place, you'll have a system of rationalizing your collection of writings and assembling them into an array of literature and communications—those to be widely published and those to be delivered to select audiences.

It's worth qualifying this discussion with two caveats as preface.

First, no single architectural framework of content fits all. Larger firms typically churn out voluminous content and may espouse more ...