What’s Up With These Generic Cover Titles?

I don’t know why so many annual reports now sport generic titles. They’re so broad and non-specific, they could apply to almost any organization. Plus, they sound AI-generated, which doesn’t help believability.

But even if a human thought them up, that indicates to me that a lot of organizations no longer view their title as the valuable communications element it is.

But that’s OK. This article is about how to make an ambiguous title work harder.

Let’s start with this title:

DRIVING GROWTH, DELIVERING VALUE

Messaging-wise, short of setting a tone for what’s to come, it’s a meaningless statement. But by adding a simple positioning line beneath it, it immediately becomes more relevant to the reader.

DRIVING GROWTH, DELIVERING VALUE
A year of record-breaking results.

Now shareholders have a clue to what made your year a significant one.

The next step is to explain what it means, not in an essay but in a brief, compelling statement placed on the first text page (the one opposite the inside front cover) with plenty of white space so it will stand out.   

Here's what that could look like:

DRIVING GROWTH, DELIVERING VALUE
A Year Of Record-Breaking Results.

By nearly every metric, 2025 was a record year for our company. Our three-pronged operating strategy, combined with a favorable economic environment, drove total revenue up 30% to $000 million. Earnings per share surpassed last year by 8.3%. And income paid to shareholders rose to 95 cents a share, our highest dividend ever.

Of course, there’s more to our story. To get the complete picture, turn the page.

By working in tandem, a positioning line and intro page offer readers a mental filter that helps them understand and evaluate the content in your report. Even if they read no further, they’ll still take away an essential part of your message.

If you’d like help making your next annual report more relevant to readers, let’s chat.