
Annual reports can be laborious. So once you’re finished, why not find some ways to get more value from the piece? Recently, Anglin PR helped our client, the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council (CJAC) to distribute their annual report. As we did so, we contacted reporters to share some of the highlights of the report. CJAC’s report has some great news about gains in reform efforts - a topic many people in our community care about. We were able to create “bite size” content to show the community the who/what/why of the county’s big drop in our jail population and give credit to those who helped make it possible. For example, in 2021, jail population was down to 1,713 year average, about ½ of what it was about 12 years ago. The reason? Increased use of diversion programs to get people into drug, alcohol and mental health services.
Whether you work in a corporation or a nonprofit, reports serve as a glimpse into the best of your work, so it’s worth it to create a strategy around distribution. Increase visibility and use of your annual report in these ways:
Set the narrative of your report: Annual reports can be full of data and graphs, so be sure to offer an interpretation of those numbers to answer “so what?” I
Let the media know: Pitch a story about the 1-2 most important pieces of information from your annual report to niche media outlets who would be interested in your organization's mission. Like in the case of our client, CJAC, talking points help with interviews.
Share digestible pieces of data over social media: Transparency is the name of the game when it comes to maintaining good relationships with the public. Sharing your annual report with your social media followers is a nice gesture of openness, plus there’s a lot of quality content to pull from! Charts and graphs make for handy graphics, and they lend themselves well to a series of posts that help your audience feel more connected to your organization.
Incorporate the report into your content year-round: Post your report to your website and use a link to it when sharing data or discussing a relevant issue. The annual report is an in-depth look at your organization, so use that research again and again when you need to show data. It also helps introduce new followers to your organization as your audience grows throughout the year.
Think of your annual report as a high quality communications tool, and get all you can out if it!
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