IPO communications for SME and mainboard issuers
IPO communication is how a company presents itself to investors, the media and analysts, from before it files its offer document until after its first results as a listed company. In India it must stay consistent with the offer document and follow SEBI's rules on issue publicity. Finese PR runs IPO communication for SME and mainboard issuers, working with merchant bankers, legal counsel and the company secretary.
The five stages of IPO communication
Readiness: 6 to 12 months before filing
Equity story, management positioning and media visibility, built before publicity restrictions apply.
Filing the offer document
Messaging aligned to the offer document, with media and spokesperson guidelines agreed with legal counsel.
Roadshow and marketing
Roadshow narrative, investor presentation, analyst and broker briefings, and the press conference.
Listing day
Listing ceremony communication, management interviews and coverage tracking.
Life as a listed company
Results communication set up, analyst coverage built and the move to ongoing investor relations over the first 90 days and first results.
Why the first 90 days after listing matter
Many IPO plans stop at listing day. The first quarter as a listed company decides whether analysts and investors stay engaged, so we plan the post-listing programme before the issue opens. What that programme looks like depends on the listing route.
SME IPO
- Investors: mainly HNIs and retail, few institutions
- Analyst coverage after listing: usually little
- Main task: building awareness from a low base
- Results after listing: half-yearly for most
Mainboard IPO
- Investors: institutions, HNIs and retail
- Analyst coverage after listing: usually some from brokers
- Main task: managing a wide investor audience
- Results after listing: quarterly
Common questions
When should IPO communication start?
Ideally 6 to 12 months before filing, so the company is already known to the media and investors before publicity restrictions apply.
Can a company do PR during its IPO?
Yes, within limits. Publicity must stay consistent with the offer document and follow SEBI's rules on issue advertisements. Normal business news can continue; anything that promotes the issue beyond the offer document cannot.
Who is involved in IPO communication?
The promoters, CFO and company secretary, the merchant banker, legal counsel and the communications firm.
What happens to communication after listing?
It becomes investor relations: results announcements, analyst and investor meetings, and disclosures to the stock exchanges on a fixed calendar.
Planning an IPO?
Talk to our IR desk early. We work alongside your bankers, counsel and company secretary, from readiness to the first results after listing.
- SME and mainboard IPO communication
- Top 200 brokerages, research houses and funds engaged
- BSE, NSE and MSEI listed-company work