A strong earnings call starts six weeks out. Lock the date and provider, publish the call notice with dial-in and webcast details, rehearse with the operator, prepare the script and Q&A briefing book, then post the replay and transcript within hours. Miss one step and the market notices.
Why a checklist matters
An earnings call is a 60-minute event with no second take. Analysts, investors and regulators hear every word in real time. Most failures aren't about the numbers. They're a dial-in that drops, a webcast that buffers, or a Q&A queue nobody controls.
This checklist is the run-of-show our producers use on [X] earnings calls a year. Work backward from your call date.
6 weeks out: lock the foundation
- Confirm the results date and call time. Avoid clashing with peer calls and major market events.
- Book your provider and format: operator-assisted audio, webcast, or both. See webcast vs. audio-only if you're deciding.
- Estimate audience size. Book capacity for 2x your last call.
- Request international dial-ins for every market where you have investors. Streamlined offers local numbers in 170+ countries.
- Name one internal owner for the call, plus a backup.
4 weeks out: publish and provision
- Draft the call notice: date, time with time zones, dial-in numbers, webcast link and replay details.
- Issue the notice by press release and post it on your IR site. This is your public-access record for Reg FD and MAR.
- Set up webcast registration and branding. Upload the slide deck template.
- Decide on add-ons: live captioning, translation, transcript and audio replay.
- Confirm a backup bridge and failover plan with your provider. Streamlined runs every call with redundancy built in.
2 weeks out: script and rehearse
- Draft the script: safe harbor statement, CEO remarks, CFO remarks, guidance, Q&A handoff.
- Build the Q&A briefing book: likely analyst questions, approved answers, topics to decline.
- Share the analyst list with your operator so they can screen and order the queue. See how to run the Q&A queue.
- Schedule the rehearsal with speakers on the actual lines and devices they'll use.
Week of the call
- Run the full rehearsal: script, slide advances, speaker handoffs, a mock Q&A.
- Test every speaker line. Hard-wired phones beat mobiles and laptop audio.
- Lock the final deck and load it to the webcast.
- Confirm the results release timing. It must be public before the call starts.
- Send speakers the private speaker dial-in and the backup number.
Day of the call
- Speakers dial in 15–20 minutes early. The operator confirms each line and runs a sound check.
- Release results via newswire or RIS before the call.
- The operator opens the line, greets participants and reads the call instructions.
- Keep one person monitoring the webcast stream and one watching the question queue.
During the call
- Speakers stick to the script. Any material information not in the release creates a disclosure problem.
- The operator manages the Q&A queue: introduces each analyst, controls open lines, and keeps time.
- Web-submitted questions route to a moderator for screening.
- Close with a clear sign-off and replay details.
After the call
- Post the audio replay and webcast archive on your IR site within hours.
- Publish the transcript. See replay and transcript requirements.
- If you discussed non-GAAP measures, post the reconciliation.
- Review attendance analytics and the question log. Debrief with the team within a week.
Run your next call with Streamlined
Streamlined Communications runs earnings calls end to end: operator-assisted audio, webcast, Q&A management, replay and transcripts, for issuers on London Stock Exchange. One producer owns your call from booking to replay. See how we run earnings calls or book a demo.
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