Most companies have boilerplates these days—or at least they
should. Boilerplates are short, concise paragraphs that are usually used again
and again on press releases and marketing communications without being edited.
Because of this, it is one of the most important paragraphs to your company.
Boilerplates first came around when steam boiler
manufacturers in the late 1800s would attach metal plates to boilers so people
would be able to identify who it was made by. Later, a similar tactic was
employed when printing presses made standard metal plates for frequently
mentioned companies to save time when printing.
These days, it’s a little less labor intensive: it’s just a
paragraph, and thanks to technology we don’t have to stamp it into metal
plates. Also thanks to technology, though, boilerplates can be easily found
online and are therefore more important than ever. They provide readers with an
understanding of who you are, what you do, and why it matters.
A good boilerplate should be less than 100 words. That makes
it long enough to be informative, but short enough that readers don’t get bored
or lost in it. You’ll need to include some facts, such as what your company
does, whether it’s public or private, how many employees the company has, and
contact information. KKR’s boilerplate even explains how much the firm is worth, giving readers an
idea of just how large the company is.
A boilerplate is more than just the facts, though. It should
also give readers a feel for your company values and include some sort of
positioning statement. Where do you stand in the industry? Who do you serve?
What makes your company unique?
An important thing to remember when it comes to boilerplates
is that they do not change depending
on what program or department you are talking about. For example, Dean B. Nelson founded KKR’s Capstone project. It's a specialty project within the firm, with it's own people, plans, and mission. However, even when a press release goes
out about Capstone, the boilerplate doesn’t change. The press release might
list his name somewhere else, but the boilerplate template stays the same.
Another good company example is Blackstone Group. Their boilerplate not only explains everything they do, but it also goes over their mission and some of the good that they do in the world, as well as the standard description of how you can find them. And while Byron R. Wien, Vice Chairman, might issue his own press releases, the boilerplate is exactly the same as the standard one.
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