Short reports can be given away to attract new prospects into your business. They should be written in an easy to read and understand manner, meaning that you would write conversationally. There is no set length for this type of report, so anything from about five to fifteen pages will accomplish your goal. When you are preparing to write your short report think about the information you will provide, your target audience, and the purpose of presenting this information. This is the key to writing great short reports. You are not creating a novel here. This is a short report and like its name implies it needs to be focused and to the point. No here is the other mistake you can make with short reports. 

Once I made the mistake of writing a report for my prospects that was just too good. That may sound funny, but the truth was that I included every bit of information on the topic that I could possibly think of. It was about twelve pages long, single spaced, and included resources, case studies, and detailed examples of what to do through each step of the process I was writing about. 

The result was that very few people purchased the product I was promoting with this report, simply because they felt that they had enough information to move forward based on what was included in my report. The idea is to give useful and valuable information to your prospects, without giving away the farm. This is a fine balance that will become easier as you do this over a period of time. 

Think about the group you are writing for. Each target market is different, so write to them in a way that they will understand and respond to. For example, when I write about dog training I am more likely to include two or three photographs of different types of dogs. If you write about fly fishing, you may want to include detailed information about different types of gear and equipment. Each audience will have specific needs and wants that you must address. 

You must also know the purpose of presenting your information in the short report format. You may be trying to sell a specific product, build your list, or gain credibility in your niche. Think about this before you start writing, and you will have much better results.