Annual report writing

I’m a copywriter based in York and I love writing annual reports! As the end of the financial year looms, it’s a time many organisations dread. The annual drama of writing your annual report. I’d love to chat about how I can help your organisation or business with annual report writing.

Writing a good annual report

Here are my top tips for making annual report writing as painless as possible:

• Plan ahead. Start thinking about next year’s content as soon as you finish the current report.

• Keep a running list of achievements, awards and key facts and figures throughout the year – this saves you having to rush it when it comes to annual report writing time.
• Keep a list of people to thank. This should include partners, funders, staff, volunteers.
• Decide who your audience is and whether your annual report will be printed, digital or both. Printed reports can be handed out at meetings or sent by post to stakeholders. Digital reports are cheaper and can include links to video content. Make sure your content and style is relevant to your audience.
• Think about stories. Your annual report tells the story of your brand and your achievements and activities over the past year. Who can you feature in your stories to make them come alive – volunteers, staff, partner organisations?
• Think images and video. Make sure you capture great photos of your events and activities throughout the year. Commission high quality annual photography that you can use across your annual report and other promotional materials. Video can also be used for interactive reports.
• Think about who needs to contribute to your report and prepare a content plan with deadlines so that everyone knows what they need to compile and by when.
• Choose a sole point of contact who is responsible for collating the report including facts and figures, text and images.
• Find a great graphic designer to help design your report. They can help you be creative when displaying facts and figures too.

If you need help, I can support you with everything from writing copy, through to project managing your entire annual report or other design project. I work alongside freelance photographers and designers and can also suggest cost effective solutions for your entire project.

Happy and pain-free annual report writing!