The importance of a reader takeaway

A reader takeaway is simply a brief description of what a company wants their stakeholders to remember after reading the annual report. It should be decided and written down before any work begins. And use it to help guide and support your content.

Beyond the financials, an annual report is filled with a variety of messages. There’s information on governance, community outreach, innovation, diversity, HR, marketing initiatives, acquisitions, industry awards, new partnerships, joint ventures, new products, R&D, operations, and more. By not establishing what their takeaway should be beforehand, readers are left to their own to form one.

Decide what your takeaway is and write it down before any work begins. You’ll also need to come up with some proof points that make the takeaway true. The takeaway itself shouldn’t appear anywhere in the annual report but reflected in your content.

Let’s look at what VegEats, a fictitious plant-based food company, did. Their investors still believe in the long-term potential of the plant-based food market but are concerned about the company’s supply chain issues and increasing pressure from competitors.

Here’s what they want readers to remember most: VegEats is taking the right steps to strengthen its operations to support our mission of enabling consumers to enjoy the taste and texture of meat without its negative impacts.

Here’s their support for this statement:

·         Consumer interest in health, sustainability, and ethical eating shows no sign of waning.  

·         We’ve increased our advertising budget by 25%

·         We’ve added advanced GPS software to our logistics system.

·         Consumers love our new plant-based breakfast sausage.

·         We’ve added more plant scientists to R&D.

 So, what’s your reader takeaway?