Raschanda Hall
by Raschanda Hall, Global Media Relations Manager, Business Wire Chicago
During this earnings period, we spoke with top editors at Bloomberg and MarketWatch to find what they want you to know as you report your financial information to the world.
Susan Warren, Dallas Bureau Chief for Bloomberg says:
Don’t round up financial information. Bloomberg prefers decimal points, e.g. “Company revenues are $6.245 billion, instead of $6.2 Billion.” Also, give your bullet points context - if average daily production is up by 20%, what does it mean for the company?
“The less jargon, the better,” says Chris Noble, Assistant Managing Editor for MarketWatch based in San Francisco.
Biggest Pet Peeve: Sending news out after market close and not being available to comment. Warren says, “Whether it’s good news or bad news, you want it covered accurately.”
Our own editors, who process an average of 3,000 earnings-related announcements every quarter, also have suggestions that can help ensure a smooth earnings process: Submit file types that can be converted easily. Excel files (including embedded tables in Word documents) Word tables and tables created via Webfilings all convert well in the Business Wire editorial system. Be sure to check with your wire service for types of files they prefer.
“We need to be able to copy and format the tables, so unfortunately we can’t work with picture files or PDF files,” say Colleen Edmundson, who has been with Business Wire for nearly seven years and oversees the veteran editorial staff in our Chicago office.
Want more tips to a smooth earnings process? Check out our full 2 minute tips interview with Colleen on SoundCloud.
