How to Write Effective Summaries for Your Marketing Reports

Most clients look favorably upon agencies that share regular reports as a means of tracking progress, highlighting key metrics, and maintaining clear communication.

However, there’s a big difference between sharing just any report and sharing one that provides real value.

While every aspect of a marketing report is important, it all starts with the summary. Not only is it the first thing your client will see, but it also provides them with details of what to expect on the following pages.

With this in mind, let’s examine what it takes to write an effective report summary.

Length of a Report Summary

As you begin to write the report summary, the first question you typically have centers on length. How long should a report summary be?

This will vary based on factors such as the services the client has engaged you for, the amount of work completed during the specified period, and how much data you have to share.

Here’s an example from our link building report template:

• Introduction: three sentences

• Work Done This Month: three bullet points

• Goals: two bullet points

Don’t hold yourself to this length, but instead include as much information as necessary to summarize the reporting period as a whole.

Keep in mind this isn’t the place to include all the data you want to share. For example, the work done this month section, provides a high-level overview, with the finer details shared in the following section.

Also, if you want more report summary examples, be sure to check out our report templates

What to Include in the Introduction

This is your opportunity to speak directly with the recipient. Introduce the report, engage them with one or two of your biggest wins, and lead them into what they can expect as they continue reading.

Here’s an example introduction:

What to Include in the Work Completed Section

Any work completed during the specified time period should show up here. Again, it’s a place to summarize what you’ve done, not to share the exact process or all of your data.

If you have too many bullet points, look for ways to group multiple tasks under the same one. For example, a link building summary could include:

• Outreach

• Number of responses

• Number of new links

Here’s an example:

This will obviously vary depending on what services you're providing to the client. The idea here is to keep it top-level and explain what you've done with vocabulary your client will understand.

What to Include in Goals

This section can include both goals for the specified time period, as well as others you may have discussed with your client. But rather than stop there, you can also share important KPIs that you’re tracking against goals you've set with your client.

Here’s an example:

Goals are one thing, but KPIs are what the client wants to see. Provide the basics in the summary, and then break down the progress later in the report.

Questions Your Summary Should Answer

Your report summary should be concise, informative, and engaging. Get to the point, share key information, and engage the reader to the point of wanting to consume the rest of the report.

Upon completion of writing a report summary, it should answer questions such as:

• Did you give a succinct update on the status of the client's campaign?

• Did you update the reader on the work completed?

• Did you share updates on progress toward your targets and/or goals?

If you can definitively answer yes to these three questions, you have a report summary you can be proud of. But if you can’t, it’s best to review it with the idea of making a few key changes.

Final Thoughts

An informative client report typically starts with an effective report summary.

With this information, you will find it easier to write report summaries that provide your clients with everything they need. And when you do that, they’ll have a clear idea of where things stand and what to expect as they make their way through the rest of the report.