Financial Earnings Press Releases: Guidelines & Examples
Running a large company means juggling countless responsibilities while staying ahead of regulatory requirements. Every task needs careful attention, but earnings press releases likely rank among your most anticipated communications. These updates keep investors, analysts and stakeholders informed while helping you meet disclosure requirements.
Want to make your earnings and financial press releases work harder for your business? Learn how to craft releases that inform, engage and build confidence in your company’s finances.
What Is an Earnings Press Release?
An earnings press release shares your company’s financial results for a specific time period, giving stakeholders key information about your financial health. They cover revenue, profits, losses, expenses and other important metrics that show how your business is doing.
Public companies must share earnings quarterly and annually to meet the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Private companies planning to go public or seeking investors also often share earnings press releases and financial disclosures to help build trust and keep stakeholders updated on company performance.
Why Financial Press Releases Matter
Beyond meeting SEC requirements, financial press releases give you a platform to share financial news like earnings reports and help you build strong relationships with stakeholders. You can target investors with press releases that showcase your company’s position within its industry and help you:
Build trust by showing transparency about your financial performance.
Help investors and analysts understand your business strategy.
Share context around your numbers that raw financial statements can’t provide.
Highlight your company’s achievements, key milestones and growth plans.
Set expectations for future performance.
Drive earned media coverage of your company’s success.
What to Include in Press Releases for Earnings
Like all financial press releases, your earnings announcement should follow Associated Press (AP) style guidelines. This helps journalists use your content easily and maintains professional standards across all your communications. For earnings press releases, in particular, pay attention to the following components.
Clear and Engaging Headline
Your headline serves as the first impression of your earnings release and will likely be displayed prominently on financial news platforms. It needs to grab attention while staying factual and compliant. Lead with your strongest metric, like revenue growth or profit increase, while keeping the headline under 100 characters. For public companies, include your stock ticker symbol.
Key Performance Indicators
Key performance indicators (KPIs) translate your company’s performance into numbers that analysts and investors use to evaluate your business. Focus on the KPIs that matter most to your industry and show progress toward strategic goals:
Revenue metrics like growth rates and segment breakdowns tell your top-line story.
Profitability indicators such as gross and net profit margins and EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) show your bottom-line health.
Operational metrics, including customer acquisition costs and operating expenses, show how you’re performing in the market.
Summary of Key Financial Metrics
The financial metrics section is the heart of your earnings press release, telling your company’s story through carefully chosen data points. Compare current quarter results to both the previous quarter and the same quarter last year to show changes and patterns. Put your strongest numbers up front, but don’t hide challenges—transparency helps build trust with stakeholders.
Quotes from Corporate Leadership
Executive quotes add context and perspective to your financial results. Your CEO could speak to overall company performance and vision, while your CFO can dive into specific financial metrics and operational details. If you’re facing challenges, use quotes to address concerns head-on and outline your action plan. During strong quarters, have leaders explain how you’ll maintain momentum.
Corporate Earnings Guidance
Corporate earnings guidance, also sometimes called fiscal guidance or the financial outlook, sets expectations for future performance and gives you a chance to address market conditions. Share projected ranges for key metrics like revenue and earnings, but avoid overly specific predictions that could box you in. If you’re updating previous guidance, explain what changed and why.
Financial Statement Tables
Your narrative needs solid data to back it up. Most press releases for earnings include standardized financial statement tables at the end, like:
Consolidated Statements of Income: Shows revenue, costs and profit over time.
Consolidated Balance Sheets: Outlines your assets, liabilities and equity.
Statements of Cash Flows: Details how cash moves through your business.
Statements of Changes in Equity: Shows changes in shareholder equity.
Multimedia Elements
Streamlined, well-designed multimedia elements that highlight key trends in your business help journalists illustrate their stories about your results. They’re also easy to share on social media, which can earn additional awareness. Consider including:
Charts showing performance trends
Infographics highlighting key metrics
Graphs comparing current and past results
Tables organizing financial data clearly
Video messages from leadership when appropriate
Disclaimers
Any financial press release must indicate which statements are forward-looking and what risks could affect future performance. Include standard legal language about non-GAAP metrics and forward-looking statements if you use them, and place these disclaimers where they won’t be overlooked.
Writing Guidelines for Earnings Press Releases
Earnings press releases have special considerations because they affect investor decisions and must meet regulatory standards. These guidelines can help you create releases that are informative, engaging and compliant.
Structure Your Press Release for Maximum Impact
Follow the inverted pyramid style, which means put your most important news first. Lead with key financial results to help busy readers quickly find what matters most. Then, provide supporting details and background information.
To make it more readable, break up dense financial information with short paragraphs and strategic bullet points. Use headers to organize and clearly label different sections, making it easy for analysts to find specific data points.
Be Consistent
Investors and analysts track your performance over time, comparing each quarter’s results to spot trends. Using the same format, metrics and definitions in every earnings press release makes year-over-year analysis easier and builds trust. If you need to change how you report certain metrics, explain why and provide historical data in the new format.
Check Your Facts
Every number in your release must be accurate and match your SEC filings. Have multiple team members verify that percentages and growth rates are calculated correctly and double-check dates. Confirm that tables add up correctly and that any non-GAAP measures are clearly marked and explained.
Choose the Right Timing and Distribution Channels
Send your earnings press release through established wire services that reach financial media, analysts and investors and host all releases in an online newsroom where stakeholders can easily find them. Time your press release distribution with your SEC filings and schedule an accompanying earnings webcast to ensure fair disclosure. Most companies release earnings before markets open or after they close and avoid major market events or holidays that might reduce visibility.
Financial Press Release Examples: Earnings Announcements
Need guidance on structuring your next earnings press release? These real-world financial press release samples demonstrate how successful companies present their financial results to meet both stakeholder needs and disclosure requirements.
Standard Earnings Press Release
This announcement from Kennametal is an excellent, comprehensive example of an earnings press release. It starts with a summary in bullet points and uses this format throughout. It follows the inverted pyramid with key developments first, gives segment results for target audiences, and has clear headers that make it scannable. It also has a strong company boilerplate and financial statement tables at the end for more detail.
Press release example: Kennametal Announces Fiscal 2025 First Quarter Results
Update of Fiscal Guidance
The Home Depot’s earnings press release offers a clear template for updating fiscal guidance. It opens with key metrics and then provides clear and specific updated guidance. Executive quotes, disclaimers for both non-GAAP financial measures and forward-looking statements, and financial statement tables round out the release, giving investors the full context they need.
Press release example: The Home Depot Announces Third Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results; Updates Fiscal 2024 Guidance
Announcement Ahead of Investor Meeting
Match Group demonstrates how to preview earnings within a broader corporate announcement about their Investor Day. Their release balances preliminary quarterly results with news about future initiatives. While not a full earnings release, it’s a good example of how to announce an earnings call and provide relevant information and disclaimers.
Press release example: Match Group Hosts First Investor Day, Announces Initiation of Dividend, New Share Buyback Authorization
Craft the Perfect Earnings Press Release
Financial press releases provide clear communication about your organization’s performance, which helps build trust with stakeholders and meet regulatory requirements. A well-crafted earnings release is an essential part of your strategy.
PR Newswire helps you reach the right audience with your financial news. Our press release distribution network puts your news in front of journalists, analysts, and investors worldwide, while other innovative services help you increase engagement. Ready to make your earnings releases work harder? Get started with PR Newswire today.
FAQs About Financial Press Releases
Why are financial press releases important?
Financial press releases keep stakeholders informed about your company’s performance and help you meet disclosure requirements. They give you a platform to explain your results in your own words. Earnings press releases also help analysts and investors make informed decisions about your company.
Can press releases impact investor confidence?
Yes, press releases that clearly communicate your financial performance and business strategy can build investor confidence. Consistent, transparent communication through earning press releases shows professionalism and helps stakeholders understand your company’s direction and potential.
Is an earnings press release required?
Public companies must disclose quarterly and annual financial results to meet SEC requirements, though the specific format isn’t mandated. Private companies may choose to share earnings press releases to build credibility with stakeholders or prepare for going public.
Announcing quarterly earnings is a compelling reason to send a press release, but there are plenty more ideas for organizations like yours. Want help finding the right angle for your press release? Download 10 Newsworthy Reasons to Send a Press Release and use it as your go-to resource whenever you need fresh ideas for your next announcement.