Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out in communications, producing an annual report can seem a daunting task, especially if you’ve never put one together before.
At Sorted Communications we’ve worked on countless annual reports for a whole range of organisations. Here, we share some of the tips we’ve learned to help make your next (or first) annual report project as straightforward as possible.
Publishing an annual report is a regulatory requirement for all publicly listed companies and registered charities, but many organisations are keen to get maximum value from the time and money spent on producing an annual report by going over and above the minimum requirements.
And even if your organisation isn’t legally required to publish an annual report, it doesn’t mean you can’t produce one. Many not-for-profit organisations use their annual report to highlight the importance of their cause and raise awareness of the impact they have – with the aim of attracting supporters and donations.
How do I get started?
An annual report can take many different forms, from a straightforward overview to meet regulatory requirements, through to a beautifully designed and comprehensive celebration of the year’s achievements.
Before you get started, consider these three questions:
- What do you want to achieve?
- Who is your target audience?
- What are your key messages?
There are no right or wrong answers, but it’s a good idea to discuss and agree these points with your leadership team before you start as the answers have an obvious impact on the content, tone and design of your report.
Next, you’ll want to think about an outline structure for your report. It’s also worth having a discussion internally about the preferred design style, particularly if you don’t have a detailed house style guide to follow.
What else do I need to think about when planning the project?
There are a few other important practicalities to consider when planning your project to help it run as smoothly as possible.
Timelines
Make sure you are setting realistic timelines. This includes thinking about how long it will take you to gather all the information needed to write the report, as well as collecting or taking any photos.
It’s also important to agree who in your organisation will need to review the content and design at various points in the process – and to make sure they will be available to do this. Periods of annual leave or other fixed commitments should be factored in when mapping out the timelines.
If you choose to work with an external supplier on any part of the process (a copywriter or designer, for example) they should be able to give you a good idea of how long their part of the project will take so you can plan review slots in key people’s diaries.
Who’s in charge?
While an annual report is almost always a team effort, it’s usually a good idea to designate one person as the project lead. This person should be able to make decisions on any contradictory or unclear comments in the feedback, or work with others to reach agreements. This way, the writer or designer will be given clear and direct instructions on what needs to be changed, so avoiding confusion and reducing the risk of delays.
When asking for feedback, try to get your reviewers to be as specific as possible and be clear what they do want, not just what they don’t like. They may be able to share examples they’ve seen elsewhere.
It can be a good idea to build in regular update points throughout the process to keep key people in your organisation informed and avoid last-minute changes to direction.
I don’t have time to do all that! Where can I get help?
It goes without saying that putting together an annual report requires a significant time investment. This is precisely why many organisations turn to external support.
There are several different ways working with an agency or freelancer could be useful:
- You could opt to work with a creative agency on the design while you focus on the copy. They will work with you to agree a theme and style and help present your carefully crafted copy in the most impactful way.
- If you have design capability and capacity in-house, you could look to a freelance copywriter or copywriting agency to pull together your content, leaving you free to get on with your day job.
- Or you could consider outsourcing the entire project to a communications agency who can manage everything from copywriting through to design and even print. The agency will be able to keep you updated on progress throughout and will share the draft for your approval at key points.
Guiding you through the process
If you’re new to producing annual reports, some expert guidance could make all the difference to your stress levels. It’s still going to be a big task but, with the right support in place, producing your next annual report really could be a breeze!
As we’ve done a few of these before, we’ve written a step by step guide to walk you through the process we usually follow. It’s free to download from our website.
If you’re wondering whether outsourcing could work for your next project, contact us today. We can help get your communications sorted.