6 Signs Your IR Strategy Is Not Working (And What to Do About Each)

Most investor relations teams assume silence is neutral. It is not. If nobody can remember the last time the program generated genuine inbound interest from an investor, the problem is rarely a lack of effort. It is usually structural: the program was built for disclosure, and it is being asked to deliver attention. The difference matters, because the fix is different. A program that is underperforming needs tweaking. A program that is structurally broken needs rebuilding. The six signs below help tell the two apart. ## Why this is worth checking now Directors are not imagining the problem. In [Irwin's State of Investor Relations in 2024](https://www.getirwin.com/blog/the-state-of-investor-relations), a survey of 168 companies, 50% of executives and 43% of IR officers said they believe the market does not understand their company story and how they drive shareholder value. A year later, [Irwin's 2025 survey](https://www.getirwin.com/blog/the-state-of-investor-relations-2025) found that 71% of IR officers still struggle to find and engage new investors, while 69% now name effective storytelling as a top priority. In other words, most IR teams know the story is the gap. Far fewer have a way to check whether their own program is closing it. ## Sign 1: No inbound interest from digital channels **What it looks like.** Every investor conversation starts with the company reaching out. Nobody arrives through the website, LinkedIn, X, YouTube or a newsletter asking a question. **Why it matters.** Investors research before they make contact. The [FINRA Investor Education Foundation's](https://www.finra.org/media-center/newsreleases/2025/new-finra-foundation-research-examines-shifting-investor-behaviors) survey of 2,861 US investors found that 67% use business and finance articles and 29% rely on social media as an information source. If none of that research leads anyone back to the company, the company is not showing up where the research happens. **What to do.** Make it easy to reach the company: a clear investor contact on the website and social profiles, an email alert sign-up, and a visible way to ask questions. Then give people a reason to use it by publishing content that answers the questions investors actually ask. ## Sign 2: Attention spikes on announcement day, then disappears **What it looks like.** Engagement jumps when a release goes out and drops to almost nothing within days. The pattern repeats with every announcement. **Why it matters.** It means the audience is reacting to news, not following a story. Each announcement starts from zero, so the company never builds the familiarity that makes the next announcement land harder. **What to do.** Plan the follow-through before the release goes out: a plain-English summary, a short management explainer, a post that places the news in sector context, and a progress update a few weeks later. Every piece points back to the official announcement and adds no new material information. ## Sign 3: Announcements do not connect to each other **What it looks like.** Each release reads as a standalone event. A reader who sees three in a row would struggle to say how they fit together or what they add up to. **Why it matters.** Investors build conviction from a trajectory, not from isolated headlines. If the company does not connect the dots, investors have to do it themselves, and most will not. **What to do.** Anchor every announcement to the same small set of milestones. A sentence such as "this is the second of three steps toward the goal we set out in our strategy" does more for understanding than another paragraph of detail. ## Sign 4: No audience growth in 60 days **What it looks like.** Follower counts on the company page and management profiles have been flat for two months or more. **Why it matters.** Follower count is not a measure of conviction, and it should never be the main metric. But a flat line is a useful warning: it usually means the company is posting too rarely, too promotionally, or only to people who already know it. **What to do.** Check what was published in those 60 days. If most of it was company news, add sector context and management perspective. If there was very little, set a modest weekly rhythm and keep it. ## Sign 5: The last post is more than 30 days old **What it looks like.** A visitor lands on the company page or a management profile and the most recent post is from last month, or last quarter. **Why it matters.** Recency is one of the first things a new visitor checks. An inactive page signals that nothing is happening, even when plenty is. It also means the company has stopped telling its own story at the moment 69% of IR teams say storytelling is a top priority. **What to do.** Set a minimum standard, such as one useful post a week, and assign an owner. Consistency beats volume: a steady weekly post is more valuable than a burst of activity followed by silence. ## Sign 6: Nobody can summarise the story in one sentence **What it looks like.** Ask three people on the leadership team to describe the company in one sentence and you get three different answers, or three long paragraphs. **Why it matters.** If the team cannot state the story simply, investors will not do it for them. A story that cannot be repeated cannot spread. **What to do.** Agree a one-sentence description and a short set of supporting points: what the company does, why it matters now, what milestones prove progress and what investors should watch next. Use the same wording in presentations, on the website and in social profiles. ## Score yourself | Sign | Applies? | | --- | --- | | 1. No inbound interest from digital channels | Yes / No | | 2. Attention spikes on announcement day, then disappears | Yes / No | | 3. Announcements do not connect to each other | Yes / No | | 4. No audience growth in 60 days | Yes / No | | 5. Last post more than 30 days old | Yes / No | | 6. Nobody can summarise the story in one sentence | Yes / No | **One or two apply:** the program needs tuning. Fix those specific gaps. **Three or more apply:** the program needs a rebuild. Tweaking individual channels will not close a structural gap. ## Where a rebuild starts: the execution story When a rebuild is needed, the best starting point is usually the link between strategy and delivery. Even among Europe's largest listed companies, that link is often missing. Comprend's analysis of [Webranking 2024-2025](https://www.comprend.com/news-and-insights/insights/2025/effective-investor-relations-communication-insights-from-webranking-2024-2025/) found that 77% of companies outline their strategy, but only 55% provide specific execution steps, and just 12% provide financial targets with clear execution plans. For a smaller company, closing that gap is often the most credible thing it can do. A rebuilt program typically includes: 1. A one-sentence story and three to five supporting points, agreed by leadership. 2. A short list of milestones that show how the strategy will be delivered, all drawn from what has already been disclosed. 3. A weekly content rhythm that mixes sector context, progress updates and management perspective. 4. A plan for every announcement that includes follow-through content, not just the release. 5. A small set of measures that track repeat engagement and inbound interest, not just reach. ## The program that got you listed will not get you followed A listing program is built to meet disclosure requirements, and it usually does that well. Building a following is a different job, and it needs a different set of habits. So, honestly: how many of these six signs apply to your company right now? --- *This article is general information about investor communications. It is not investment, legal or financial advice.*