When your crisis response is the C-suite calling random PR firms with no strategic framework, you’ve already lost valuable market position and investor confidence.

Picture this: A tech company has reported 76% revenue growth, a 300% surge in its core business segment, and positive gross margins for the first time. Wall Street analysts maintain “buy” ratings with 50% upside price targets.

Yet the stock dropped 8% on earnings day and now trades 40% below its yearly high.

This isn’t a business problem—it’s a communications problem. And it’s exactly why your 2026 strategy planning needs to include a communications reset that most executives are overlooking.

When Panic Calls Come From the COO: A Corporate Communications Failure

This isn’t a hypothetical scenario—it’s a real company that reached out to me recently. But here’s what should alarm every executive: The call came from the COO, calling on behalf of the CFO, wondering if we could “just get a few articles going” or handle a short-term project to turn their stock performance around.

The red flags kept multiplying. She couldn’t remember who we were or how she found us. She suggested their CTO—who has fewer than 200 LinkedIn followers—could probably be “propped up” to tell the tech story for the company. Then she asked us to send over a proposal.

Don’t get me wrong—a quick review shows the management team has potential, and the CTO could eventually be developed as a thought leader. But that’s not going to happen overnight, and it misses the fundamental issue: They’re looking for a silver bullet when they need a comprehensive strategy.

What’s even more concerning is that this wasn’t a strategic consultation—it was part of a sweep of calls going out to multiple tech PR firms, looking for a quick fix to a fundamental communications breakdown.

The real challenge? This company desperately wanted to be seen as an “investment stock” that institutional investors hold long-term, but their fragmented communications turned them into a “trader’s stock” with extreme volatility that scares away serious investors. No amount of tactical article placement can solve that strategic positioning problem.

When your crisis response is the C-suite calling random PR firms with no strategic framework, you’ve already lost.

The Scale of the IPO Communications Problem

The stakes couldn’t be higher. According to Nasdaq’s 2021 analysis of IPO performance data, “almost two-thirds of IPOs are underperforming the market, with most (64%) more than 10% behind the market’s returns.” Companies with strong fundamentals routinely see their stock prices crater due to communications failures alone.

Here’s what should terrify any executive planning a public offering or managing a public company: The studies tracking IPOs over three-year periods show that despite strong business metrics, most newly public companies fail to maintain investor confidence—and poor communications strategy is increasingly the differentiating factor.

What’s particularly alarming is how quickly the disconnect emerges. According to the same Nasdaq research, within just one year post-IPO, “the majority of companies are either outperforming or underperforming the market by more than 10%,” with significantly more companies falling into the underperformance category. This isn’t about business execution—it’s about narrative control.

The Communications Infrastructure Gap in Tech Companies

As you finalize your 2026 budgets, here’s the uncomfortable truth: Most leadership teams dramatically underinvest in the communications infrastructure needed to support their growth ambitions. They’re planning product launches, market expansions, and operational scaling while treating communications as a tactical afterthought.

However, the companies that never find themselves in this position build the following four critical elements into their strategic infrastructure:

1. An Integrated Communications Strategy, Not Fragmented Tactics

Stop treating public relations, investor relations, and internal communications as separate functions managed by different departments. The companies that maintain “investment stock” status have unified communications strategies where every message reinforces the same narrative framework.

This means your earnings calls, press releases, employee communications, and thought leadership content all ladder up to a coherent story about where you’re headed and why investors should believe in that journey.

2. Proactive Narrative Development Before You Need It

The time to build your story is not when your stock is cratering. Elite performers develop narrative frameworks that can weather volatility—stories that help investors understand why temporary losses or market headwinds are part of a larger strategic plan.

This requires understanding the difference between business metrics and investment thesis, then consistently communicating how short-term decisions support long-term value creation.

3. Executive Positioning As A Strategic Investment

That CTO with 200 LinkedIn followers? They might have breakthrough technology insights, but building executive credibility takes 18-24 months minimum. Companies that outperform invest in executive positioning long before they need thought leadership to save them.

This means media training, content development, speaking opportunities, and systematic relationship building with analysts and journalists who cover your sector.

4. Crisis Communications Protocols That Go Beyond PR

When earnings disappoint or markets react negatively, you need protocols that go far beyond damage control. The best companies have rapid response frameworks that include immediate stakeholder communication, analyst education programs, and strategic messaging that helps different investor types understand the broader context. This infrastructure prevents the panic that leads to COOs cold-calling PR agencies.

The Critical Question Every B2B Tech Executive Should Ask in 2026

As you approve department budgets and sign off on strategic initiatives, ask yourself this: If your stock dropped 40% tomorrow despite strong fundamentals, who would be calling for help?

If the answer is anyone other than a seasoned communications leader with direct relationships to your CFO and investor relations team, you’re missing critical infrastructure. And if the answer is that you’d be scrambling to find help externally, you’ve already waited too long.

The companies building sustainable value understand that communications infrastructure isn’t a cost center—it’s what determines whether your wins actually show up in your stock price. In 2026, that distinction will make the difference between being an investment stock or becoming another cautionary tale about great companies with terrible market performance.

Don’t become the company whose COO is desperately calling PR firms at midnight. Build the communications foundation your growth strategy deserves, and build it into your 2026 planning now.

Because when two-thirds of public companies underperform despite strong fundamentals, the difference isn’t execution—it’s whether investors understand your story.

As first seen in Fast Company.