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You’ve triple-checked your finances and assembled your dream team. You’re living and breathing market trends. Yes, you’re on a (slightly exhausting) mission to take your company public.
No pressure, marketing pros, but you have a big role to play in an IPO. With more eyes on your company, your messaging may need to shift to meet regulatory compliance requirements and communicate effectively throughout the entire process.
Need a little direction, support, and cheerleading? Sponsored by NYSE, here are a few helpful tips from us along with marketing pros Megan Cunningham, Founder & CEO of Magnet Media, and Stephanie Knight, Head of Corporate Communications at Solebury Strategic Communications.
Consider this a guide to keeping calm when you're going public.
Start with your story
A compelling brand story isn’t just important during an IPO—it’s absolutely critical. The most successful IPO stories weave together three key elements: the company’s origin and innovation journey, their tangible market impact, and their vision for future growth. The key is authenticity—the story must align perfectly with financial disclosures while bringing the company’s unique strengths to life. —Megan Cunningham, Founder & CEO, Magnet Media
As a marketer, you’re also your company’s storyteller. So you need to make sure you’ve not only got your company’s story down pat but also that you’re ready to deploy it for a brand-new audience: investors. Your new story should complement your old one—ya know, the one geared toward your customers—with a few key differences.
Freshen up your story by spotlighting your company’s purpose. Focus on being clear, authentic, and relevant. A brand identity that comes through loud and clear is one that’s likely to attract global investors.
Not sure where to begin? Start by laying out your company values, then look toward the future by discussing your growth potential and vision. Make this story the foundation of all your messaging throughout the IPO process.
Create your comms team
An effective IPO communications strategy requires companies to think globally and locally at the same time. You’ll want to clearly and transparently communicate with stakeholders who are close to the business (customers, employees, partners, etc.) about the process while also preparing to communicate with a new, broader audience (analysts, investors, financial media) that will want to understand the company’s equity story. —Stephanie Knight, Head of Corporate Communications, Solebury Strategic Communications
Now that you’ve got a pretty great brand story to tell your potential investors, it’s time to build your dream team for handling any and all IPO communications. That means you need experts in branding, PR, and internal comms.
This team will handle big responsibilities like shaping the narrative, managing media relationships and investor communications, and improving brand trust. A pretty tall order, right? That’s why it’s important to form this team carefully and purposefully.
You’ll also want to make sure your other teams (e.g., marketing and investor relations) are on the same page as your IPO comms team. Be honest and transparent with your messaging—your potential investors will thank you.
Build a strong brand campaign
Having a media strategy that reaches local, trade, and business press can help amplify the company’s story and growth trajectory while also laying the groundwork for better-informed media coverage post-IPO. As the company approaches its first public earnings cycle and begins to execute on the growth plans outlined during the IPO process, engaging with media that are already familiar with the company can help reinforce and solidify the narrative you want investors to internalize. —Stephanie Knight, Head of Corporate Communications, Solebury Strategic Communications
Here’s the first task for your dream team to tackle: building a strong brand campaign strategy to generate hype around your company (and your upcoming IPO). This campaign should highlight the track records of your founders and leaders, which helps build credibility and attract investors.
Your campaign should cover these three must-haves:
- a strategy for engaging with potential investors
- a story that speaks directly to potential investors
- an informative pitch deck that hooks viewers and holds their attention
Once you lock down these main components of your campaign, you’ll be ready to face the public. Remember: A well-run brand campaign goes a long way toward building market credibility and attracting investors.
Enter: Your exchange
The listing exchange plays a crucial role in amplifying your company’s story during the IPO process. Having worked with companies listing on the NYSE, I’ve seen how their expertise in storytelling and their iconic venue can elevate a company’s narrative during this crucial moment. The listing exchange should feel like an extension of your team, providing both the platform and resources to help you tell your story to the world. —Megan Cunningham, Founder & CEO, Magnet Media
Ready to get started? Now it’s time to bring in your exchange. Turns out NYSE is more than the world’s largest listing exchange—it also has powerful storytelling tools to help tell your story before and after your IPO.
NYSE has a full broadcasting studio and a one-of-a-kind event space where it hosts hundreds of listed company events each year. And its media center can help you manage all the press releases, news coverage, and custom content related to your IPO.
NYSE created its event venues and media studios to help brands sail smoothly and successfully through the IPO process. And it’s got plenty of experience doing just that, with 7 of the 10 largest IPOs in the US listing on the NYSE in 2024.
Go public or go home
If your company has plans to go public in the near future, you’ve got a lot of work headed your way as a marketing pro.
You get only one chance to go public. Will you make it count?