Give your stakeholders the stories behind the stats
Reports don’t need to be boring.
Annual reports, sustainability reports and gender pay reports are a legal requirement for publicly quoted companies (in the case of gender pay reporting, for all companies with over 250 employees).
That doesn’t mean they have to read like the latest FTSE update.
A specialist report copywriter (hello!) can bring the data to life with great storytelling, relatable case studies and input from employees – not just C-suite execs but team leaders, managers and shop floor employees, and even customers and suppliers.
Shareholders and the City are the primary audience for quoted companies, but reports are a valuable communications tool for most businesses, and for all stakeholders.
It’s not only huge listed companies who can produce a report. B Corps, for example, can be any size, but need to produce an annual impact report to retain their certification. Many smaller businesses find that a yearly report outlining and updating their sustainability and DEI initiatives help them win customers, energise their staff, attract the best employees and put them in a stronger commercial position.
I’ve worked with quoted companies, universities and non-profit communities to produce reports that meet legal and regulatory requirements, showcase values and tell stories that bring data to life.
I’m used to working where required within the guidelines of globally-recognised standards, including the IFRS Foundation’s Integrated Reporting Framework, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), the Task Force on Climate-Related Disclosures (TCRD) and the Task Force on Nature-Related Disclosures (TCND).
I work directly with reporting companies, or with stakeholder comms consultancies and copywriting agencies on many larger projects. I can handle anything from helping plan content structure, interviewing C-suite execs and writing up their statements, talking to managers and ERG leads for activity updates and weaving it all into a readable, compliant and valuable document or microsite.
Visit my online portfolio to check out examples of my report copywriting and editing.
Mary was instrumental in helping the University take our first steps into Integrated Reporting for our Annual Report. She has a knack of assimilating complex content from diverse sources, cutting through to its core and providing accessible copy without ‘dumbing down’. Her calm, easy manner and flexibility make her great to work with.
David Pickering, Head of Engagement and Events, University of Leeds.
I had the pleasure of working with Mary for a number of years on several corporate reports – ranging from blue-chip companies to major charities, and everything in between. Whether it was writing or editing, Mary is a true pro: effortlessly combining her expertise to drill down, understand and convey a company’s key messaging and tone with an ability to engage with all stakeholders from the C-suite right through to apprentices. She quickly became an essential part of any project delivery team and her input consistently elevated the final product, helping me deliver work that was not only polished and on-brand but also impactful.
Mark Elliott, Senior Account Manager, Stratton Craig Copywriting Agency
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