How news habits are changing IPO messaging in 2025
Shifting spheres of influence and news consumption habits have dramatically changed since the last IPO boom in 2021, which means the IPO comms playbook should evolve too.
Why it matters: A flurry of public offerings is on deck and the business community is watching, which presents a major opportunity for modern corporate storytelling.
State of play: StubHub, Klarna, Hinge Health, eToro and Circle have filed to go public.
Meanwhile, shares of newly listed companies Newsmax and CoreWeave are well above their IPO prices.
What they're saying: The work starts well before filing, often years, and extends well beyond listing day, but a steady drumbeat of communications in the year leading up to IPO is critical, said Ash Spiegelberg, Brunswick partner and technology, media and telecoms global co-lead.
"So much of it now is about how do you get enough of the story out there before the quiet period, so that when investors come to see the S-1 filing, the business and its potential crystallizes," he said.
Plus, expectations for companies approaching IPOs have changed, says Shahed Fakhari Larson, founder of UNLMTD Partners.
"Communicators need to be prepared for increased scrutiny around business health and need to be able to protect reputation through established 'normal course of business' communications during a quiet period," she said.
"Good comms hygiene ahead of a quiet period allows you to continue to engage strategically to build your value proposition through smart and SEC-friendly storytelling."
Zoom in: While press releases, broadcast interviews, blog posts and internal communications remain part of the playbook, the tactics and specific comms channels are slowly changing.
Owned content, executive communications across LinkedIn and long-form magazine opportunities or podcast interviews are increasingly important as investors seek to learn the founding story and understand what's next for the company.
AI will also change the playbooks, according to Marc Drechsler, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Weber Shandwick.
"AI applications will become a go-to source for persona- and scenario-based IPO planning as well as long-term investor relations programs," Drechsler said. "AI-embedded information sources like S&P's Capital IQ Pro offers earnings transcript sentiment scoring based on an LLM with predictive sentiment, transparency and complexity analytics."
The big picture: An IPO is one of the few moments that is guaranteed to break through the news cycle and reach all stakeholders, said Lacey Berrien, senior director of public relations at Klaviyo, a marketing software company that went public in 2023.
"You have the opportunity to reach an incredibly broad set of audiences, talk about what has been accomplished so far and the company's vision for the future. ... But it's not just about the media — it's about your employees, partners and customers," she said.
What to watch: IPOs are the single biggest job creators for communication professionals.
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