How to write an RNS announcement

What's this about?

The rules cover what you have to say, not how you say it. This piece shows how AIM and listed companies can write RNS announcements that make sense to investors reading them for the first time, with a before-and-after example.

A Regulatory News Service announcement is, at its core, a legal obligation. When something material happens, you tell the market and you do so through the RNS. The requirements around timing, content, and disclosure are clear.

What the rules don't cover is how you write it, other than of course, it being accurate and true. This is where a significant opportunity is being routinely missed by AIM companies across almost every sector.

The average RNS announcement is written to satisfy the disclosure obligation, containing the required information and the right language, it is, in the most literal sense, compliant. It is also, in many cases, almost entirely impenetrable to anyone without a detailed prior knowledge of the company and its context.

RNS announcements are not just read by compliance officers and regulatory systems. They're read by investors, analysts, journalists, potential partners, and everyone else in between. They’re read by humans (and bots) who have a reason to track the company's progress. Many of which are encountering your company in that moment, in that announcement for the first time, with no other context. This is why it’s imperative to give the audience the TL;DR after each notable point. 

The best RNS communications disclose AND contextualise. They explain why the milestone matters and they connect the specific announcement to the broader strategic narrative, or equity story. They give a reader who doesn't yet know the company enough to feel something — curiosity, confidence, interest — and they leave them wanting more. 

This isn't about inflating or marketing within a regulatory framework. It's about recognising that clear, purposeful communication and regulatory compliance are not in conflict. You can meet your obligations and write something that lands with your audience. 

Here’s an illustrative example, using a made-up company:

Without context

XYZ, an energy security manufacturer, has appointed new CEO, Freda Blogs. Freda joins the company after a ten-year position as CFO at ABC. Prior to that, her career has spanned green tech and energy security with a position also in government. Freda holds NED positions at DEF, GHI and JKL. The board voted unanimously and welcome the new appointment of Freda. Freda has said “I look forward to getting to work on achieving XYZ’s vision”.

With context

XYZ, an important manufacturer in the UK's effort to energy security, has appointed Freda Blogs as Chief Executive Officer. Freda joins from ABC, an energy transition company, where she was Chief Financial Officer for ten years. Before that she worked in government on energy security, the market XYZ serves. She is a non-executive director of DEF, GHI and JKL. The appointment supports XYZ’s stated strategy to grow its UK manufacturing capacity. The board’s decision was unanimous. The Chair said: “Freda has spent her career at the heart of energy security and helped ABC through its most successful decade. She’s the right person to lead XYZ into its next stage.” Freda said: “XYZ is building exactly the kind of infrastructure the UK needs, and I can’t wait to get started on our plan to become the leading UK energy security infrastructure business.”

Both examples contain the same facts, but only one tells the reader why the appointment matters, and only one sounds like a business that’s proud of its news. The confidence comes from specifics and from the people quoted, not from adjectives the company can’t back up.

Be factual, be honest, and mean it

Every RNS is a chance to put your best self forward to people who may be meeting you for the first time. That doesn’t mean dressing it up. The best announcements are:

• Factual and transparent: say what’s happened clearly, including when the news isn’t all good.
• Honest: only claim what you can back up, and keep the evidence for every figure.
• Passionate: let your quotes carry the belief and energy. Your people should sound like they mean it.
• Written for the reader: explain why it matters and how it connects to your strategy, in plain English.

What to avoid is promising, guaranteeing or predicting outcomes you can’t stand behind, and wording that reads like an advert. In August 2026 the FCA warned listed and AIM companies about announcements using “vague, exaggerated and flamboyant” language. Context and analysis are fine as long as they’re concise and relevant, and marketing belongs on your website, newswires and social channels, where the rules on misleading statements still apply.

If you’re listed in the EU, the EU Listing Act has also changed the Market Abuse Regulation. From 5 June 2026, for example, companies going through a protracted process generally disclose the final event rather than every step along the way, and the test for delaying disclosure has changed. Check with your advisers how it affects your announcements.

Be especially careful with sustainability claims. Under the EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EmpCo), which applies from 27 September 2026, generic claims like “eco-friendly” or “green” are banned unless you can prove them, and “carbon neutral” claims based on offsetting are restricted. EmpCo covers consumer marketing rather than RNS announcements themselves, but if the green claims in your announcement are reused on your website, social channels or product pages, they need to stand up.

The companies that treat every RNS as a moment to communicate with their audience effectively, as opposed to a compliance moment at 7am, will build a cumulative picture in the market over time. And that picture, over months and years, is the thing that attracts, and retains, the right investors.

This article is general guidance, not legal or regulatory advice. Your NOMAD, broker and lawyers should always sign off the final wording.

Want every announcement to land?

We help AIM and listed companies keep every RNS, result, report and website telling the same credible story. See how we work with ITM Power, or book a 30-minute call.