How to write a small report in a simple outline format
The elements of any small report or e-book are pretty simple and using a basic outline will help you break your project down into smaller projects. Just commit to completing one section at a time and set a goal to complete one or two sections per day and in about 5-7 days you will have your entire project completed depending on how much content you want to include.
For this report, let’s set a goal of 15-20 pages, which should give your reader a lot of good content and a great way for you to lead to a more detailed product with a higher price in the future. the basics of what your little report should include. And for this particular report, let’s use the Steps or Suggestions template.
Here is the basic outline.
1. Title page (1pg)
2. Disclaimer Page (1pg)
3. Introduction pages (1-2 pages)
a.) About you and your experience
b.) Entrance
4. Steps or tips 1 to 5 (10 pages), that is, at least two pages per step or tip.
1. Step 1
a.) subpoint
b.) subpoint
Repeat steps 2 through 5.
5. Conclusion (1-2pgs)
Title page
Ok … this one is pretty self explanatory. On this page, you will re-indicate the tile and caption of your little report and where it will show your name as the author and any copyright information. Now this doesn’t have to be really fancy, but as you develop your own style, you may want to use a particular graphic or background image. That is like your signature or brand. Again, this doesn’t have to be something really fancy. It could be as simple as large text with a simple border and a different background color within the outline. Once you have developed your particular title page, you can use it again and again as a template for future reports.
Disclaimer / Legal Statement Page
Now … as sad as it may be, it seems like we live by a law that follows a happy world these days. And in my express opinion, it is in your best interest to contact a legal professional who will guide you in the proper drafting of your legal statement to protect yourself from any liability. This statement usually has only one paragraph.
— Disclaimer — I am not a legal professional nor am I giving any legal advice and I recommend that you contact one in your local area regarding the legal statement to include to adequately protect yourself from any legal recourse.
I think you get the idea …
On this page, you may also want to include a short notice to let the reader know that they can freely distribute / give away your report to other people or not. This all depends on what you plan to use your report for. Some reports will be used to generate traffic and others will be for sale.
Introductory pages
Whatever your particular market is … This would be a good place for your readers to know what is different about you and your approach to the topic you are writing about. Then walk them through the steps in your report.
On these pages, you will want to write a short introduction about yourself and your experience and a hint as to what your little report will do for your readers. What problem or problems will it solve?
For example: let’s say your market is “Better parenting“and you want to write a little report called”How to get your kids to do their homework in 5 simple and easy steps ”
Your introductory statement would read something like … My name is So-and-so … and I am the proud father of 3 beautiful children. Over the years, I have found the rewards and consequences method that works best to get my adorable children to complete their assignments in a timely and painless manner. Here are the 5 easy steps I use that have worked wonders for me. So you will want to make a constructed list of the 5 steps to implement your particular system.
The steps
Ok … This is where you will obviously give your audience the steps to take to solve their problem. By the way, this is where you will spend most of your time writing, as it is the heart of your content. I recommend that you break down each step as follows. First it will be the main point of your step and 1-3 secondary points. Let’s continue with the idea “Finish your chores”
Example: Step 1 — Using a white board —
This, of course, is his main point and where he explains how using a white board helps you organize your to-do list and where kids can see the stars they receive for successfully completing each task.
So your secondary points would look like this.
— Sub-point A — How to configure your whiteboard
— Subpoint B — Where to locate your whiteboard
Tip: You may want to include some real life examples of how you and little Billy struggled at first, but how you and he ultimately succeeded. This is a great way to make your report a little more personal.
As you write your outline, you may come up with several ideas for future products or articles that you could promote along with your little report. Like little task graphics with cute bunnies and sad monkeys instead of stars and check marks. So it’s a good idea to keep a few notes in the margin for future reference.
Conclusion page
This is where you’ll want to wrap it all up and invite your readers to visit your website, where you sell more parenting guides and products related to parenting or whatever your niche is. This is also a great place to add your resource list and affiliate links to related products that will be helpful to your reader.
