CEO letters that sing (sometimes literally).

The CEO letter is coming! The CEO letter is coming!

Said no one. Ever.

Don’t get me wrong. I really look forward to this time of year. New sustainability reports are dropping every week, giving audiences an inside view into the work brands are doing on behalf of our planet and all of us who call it home.

It’s inspiring. It’s just that most of the CEO letters … aren’t.

As I read more and more reports this season, I can’t help but wonder why so many brands are locked inside the standard CEO letter format. And why no one seems to be looking for the key.

While reporting frameworks clearly dictate what must be included in a sustainability report, the CEO letter does not have to be the equivalent of a 5-paragraph AP English essay. And yet … here’s how it typically goes: We had a great year! We did #1 good thing. We did #2 good thing. We did #3 good thing. We have more work to do.

We can break free of this format. And by doing so, we can use this valuable report real estate to draw readers into our content, like a great opening scene draws viewers into a film. Here are just a few ways to do it.

Skip the CEO letter altogether.

Remember that less is often more. In 2020, a year when we were all struggling to find the right words, our clients at Tillamook replaced their Chairman’s letter with a single, powerful quote adjacent to a succinct and emotional report intro.

Channel your inner Terry Gross with an incisive and empathetic CEO interview.

Instead of a traditional letter that someone likely ghostwrites for your CEO, create a Q&A style profile that goes beyond the surface. Focus on big-picture questions that highlight your CEO’s vision for sustainability as well as more unique questions that draw out their personality. 

Bring in your CEO’s voice. Literally.  

Take the interview format a step further and create a podcast “letter” that can be part of a digital report and used across all your channels. Perhaps your CSO interviews your CEO. Or your CEO could interview one of your stakeholders, like a person who has benefited from the company’s actions and really represents the “why” behind your work.

Do something totally unexpected and uniquely on brand.

In Oatly’s most recent sustainability report, the CEO is all alone in a field of oats, just him and his keyboard, performing his original “Wow, No Cow!” song. It’s 15 seconds of pure silliness that basically forces the audience to dive deeper into the report, if for no other reason than just to see what happens next. (And there’s a link to the “official” letter for people who want actual details.) No other brand could pull this off, and that’s the point. Think about your brand’s unique positioning and your CEO’s individual personality. Create a CEO letter/experience/moment that stems from this.

Whatever approach you take, make it relevant and motivating to your audience—and personal and intimate in its tone. Let your CEO speak from the heart, rather than sounding like the corporation. After all, you’re not just creating a more engaging voice for your CEO, you’re setting the mood for the entire report.