Why No One Reads Your Annual Report

You might not want to hear it, but you probably already know that (almost) nobody reads your annual report. It might get a few downloads, sure, a handful of people will scroll through it, even. But the 80-page PDF you spent weeks putting together is doomed to collect digital dust.

The information is important and no one can say otherwise, but the way you presented it makes it feel like it’s stuck in another decade. Long blocks of text, static charts, legal jargon… Would you want to read that? We live in a world where attention spans are shorter than ever, plus this type of content isn’t very popular anymore. 

Your annual report is supposed to tell how your year went, but what’s the point if there’s not a single person willing to stick around to hear it? Some companies are starting to figure this out and they’re rethinking format, language, even mediums for delivering annual reports. 

The Attention Problem in Financial Reporting

More companies are now exploring ‘convert link to video’ methods in order to make annual reports easier to read and share. But not only to make it more convenient, but to motivate more people to go through it. And if you’ve ever had to go through at least one report of this kind, you know why this is happening. 

Most annual reports are long, full of complicated language, and designed in formats that are hard to navigate. Stakeholders open them, see page after page of text and charts, and check out before they get to the good stuff. PDFs in particular are a pain, especially on phones, but they’re still the default. 

On top of all this, there’s a growing generational gap. Older executives will still look at key financials and sections they care about, but younger ones want content that’s visual, easy to skim, and ideally, watchable. 

The issue isn’t whether the information is there; it’s the format that gets in the way. 

What Engagement Looks Like in 2025

As previously mentioned, attention spans are shorter than ever and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change. This means that the formats in which we deliver content and information has to change accordingly and companies are aware of this. 

The goal is no longer to just get the information out there but to make sure people absorb it. 

Visual Reporting

Infographics are becoming the norm. Instead of expecting readers to go through long paragraphs and numerous tables, companies are turning to clean visuals that point out the most important information. You glance and see the numbers that matter, trends are visualized instead of buried in footnotes, embedded video summaries give an overview of the key messages, etc. Some companies even include short highlight reels, so you can get the big picture in under 2 minutes.

Beyond that, there are interactive elements like graphs you can hover over or clickable performance indicators to help readers explore data they care about without getting overwhelmed. 

Mobile-Friendly Formats

Annual reports aren’t opened on just desktops anymore but also on phones and tablets. This has pushed companies to design reports that feel almost like modern web experiences – swipeable, responsive, and easy to read on small screens.

There’s also growing appreciation for asynchronous access. Stakeholders want to be able to check in when it suits them, be that 5 minutes before the meeting or during a commute. On-demand formats make that possible and with them, there’s no pressure to sit down and read the full report at once. 

AI-Generated Summaries and Previews

One of the biggest changes we’re seeing is how companies are using AI to condense and repurpose content. Instead of manually rewriting summaries, teams now use tools that scan the full report, pull out highlights, and produce short executive summaries or video previews. Not only does this save a ton of time, but it also creates versions of the report that are actually watchable and shareable. 

Investor relations teams can take a static link and feed it into an AI tool that builds a quick video preview or summary, which they can then share ahead of the full report release. 

Personalized Delivery

Not everyone needs the same version of the annual report. A retail investor doesn’t want the same thing as a journalist or an employee. Some companies now create slightly customized versions of the same report and tweak it according to who the report is going to. One version might contain more information on ESG progress for the media, another can focus on financial metrics for investors, etc. 

Along with this, companies are tracking how users interact with their reports. Which sections get clicks? How much time do readers spend on key graphs? This is what shapes future reports. 

If your annual report were a person, it’d be the one at the party who’s standing over there in the corner with a 90-slide PowerPoint presentation and no one to talk to. And that’s not because the person doesn’t have anything important to say, but because they’re using the wrong format trying to connect with others – and that just won’t do. You can try it, sure, no one’s stopping you. But where will that approach take you?

Luckily, this can easily be fixed if you’d just rethink your delivery. Use smarter formats, lighter language, and sometimes, let AI do some work for you