Communicating Through M&A: A 30-60-90 Plan for Employees, Customers, and Press
Executive Summary: A merger or acquisition is one of the most disruptive events a company can face, and poor communication is often the primary reason integrations fail. This guide provides a tactical 30-60-90 day communications plan for executives to navigate the complexities of M&A. We offer a clear framework for managing communications with employees, customers, and the media to maintain trust, minimize disruption, and ensure the deal's strategic value is realized.
A merger or acquisition is rarely just a financial transaction; it's a collision of cultures, technologies, and expectations. While leaders focus on synergies and financial models, the human element is what ultimately determines success or failure. In the vacuum of clear, consistent communication, fear, uncertainty, and doubt will thrive. Your best employees will update their resumes, your most valuable customers will explore competitors, and the market will define the narrative for you.
Getting M&A communications right isn’t about crafting the perfect press release. It's about executing a disciplined, multi-stakeholder strategy that anticipates questions, manages anxiety, and builds a bridge from the old reality to the new one. A structured plan prevents you from being purely reactive, allowing you to lead the conversation with clarity and confidence.
This 30-60-90 day plan is a practical playbook for leaders steering their organizations through a period of immense change. It breaks down the process into manageable phases, providing checklists and frameworks to help you communicate effectively with your most critical audiences: your team, your customers, and the press.
What’s at Stake: The High Cost of a Communications Failure
Before diving into the plan, it’s crucial to understand the risks of getting this wrong. A poorly managed M&A communication strategy can directly lead to:
Talent Attrition: Top performers have options. Uncertainty about their roles, reporting structures, or the company's new direction will send them looking for stability elsewhere.
Customer Churn: Clients hate surprises, especially when it concerns the products and relationships they depend on. Confusion about product roadmaps, support continuity, or account management can erode trust and trigger churn.
Narrative Hijacking: If you don't control the story, the market will. Competitors will use the disruption to spread FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt), and the media may focus on negative aspects like layoffs or culture clashes.
Decreased Productivity: Anxious and distracted employees cannot perform at their best. A lack of clear information fuels gossip and speculation, grinding productivity to a halt as people wait for answers.
A proactive communications plan is your primary defense against these value-destroying outcomes.
The 30-60-90 Day M&A Communications Plan
This plan is structured around three distinct phases, each with specific goals and audiences.
Days 1-30: Announce & Stabilize
The first month is about controlling the announcement, establishing a single source of truth, and addressing the most urgent concerns of employees and customers. Speed and clarity are paramount.
Goals:
Successfully announce the deal to all stakeholders.
Minimize speculation and misinformation.
Reassure employees and customers about immediate continuity.
Key Actions & Owners:
Finalize Core Messaging (CEO, Comms Lead): Develop the central narrative before anyone is notified.
Internal All-Hands Meeting (CEO): Announce the news to employees first. Leave ample time for Q&A.
Customer & Partner Notification (CRO, Head of CX): Send a clear, concise email to all customers and partners immediately following the internal announcement.
Press Release & Media Outreach (Comms Lead): Distribute the official press release and conduct proactive outreach to key industry journalists.
Launch Internal FAQ Hub (HR, Comms): Create a single page on the intranet to house all updated information and answers to common questions.
Days 31-60: Integrate & Engage
The second month focuses on demonstrating progress and moving from high-level announcements to more detailed information about the "how." The goal is to build belief in the new combined entity.
Goals:
Maintain communication momentum.
Provide clarity on organizational structure and roles.
Showcase the value of the integration to customers.
Key Actions & Owners:
Announce New Leadership Structure (CEO, CHRO): Communicate the integrated leadership team to the organization.
Departmental Town Halls (Functional Leaders): Leaders host smaller, team-specific meetings to discuss what the integration means for their function.
"Better Together" Customer Webinars (Product, Marketing): Host joint webinars to showcase the combined product vision and roadmap.
Publish Joint Customer Stories (Marketing): Highlight an early win or a story that exemplifies the power of the combined company.
Days 61-90: Accelerate & Amplify
The third month is about looking forward. The focus shifts from managing the change to amplifying the new company's vision and celebrating early wins.
Goals:
Shift the narrative from integration to future growth.
Celebrate and internalize early wins.
Re-establish the company as a forward-looking market leader.
Key Actions & Owners:
First Major Joint Go-to-Market Campaign (CMO): Launch a marketing campaign that represents the new, unified brand.
Internal "Integration Celebration" (CEO, CHRO): Mark the 90-day milestone and recognize teams that have worked hard on the integration.
Proactive Media Tour (CEO, Comms): Secure briefings with top-tier media to discuss the company's future strategy and vision, moving past the M&A announcement story.
Core Message Architecture: Your Single Source of Truth
Before you say anything to anyone, you must have your story straight. Your core message should be simple, consistent, and answer four fundamental questions.
Why? The strategic rationale. What is the big opportunity this deal unlocks? (e.g., "By combining X's market-leading platform with Y's powerful AI, we will be the first company to offer a truly end-to-end solution for our customers.")
What Changes? Be transparent about what will be different. This builds trust. (e.g., "Starting today, we will operate as one company under the Inspire Now Group brand. In the coming weeks, we will be integrating our teams and systems.")
What Stays the Same? Reassure stakeholders by highlighting continuity. (e.g., "Your day-to-day contacts in sales and support will not change. Our commitment to providing world-class service remains our top priority.")
What's Next? Provide a simple, near-term roadmap. (e.g., "Our leadership team will be holding functional town halls next week to answer your specific questions. Customers can expect to hear from their account managers within 48 hours.")
This architecture should be the foundation for every communication—from the all-hands script to the customer email.
Stakeholder-Specific Communication Plans
Employee Communications: Build Trust and Retain Talent
Your employees are your most important audience. Get this right, and they become your ambassadors. Get it wrong, and they become your biggest risk.
Announce Internally First: This is non-negotiable. Employees should never hear major company news from an external source.
Equip Your Managers: Your frontline managers will be inundated with questions. Provide them with a detailed manager-specific FAQ and talking points so they can answer questions consistently and accurately.
Be Visible and Available: In the first 30 days, leaders must be hyper-visible. Walk the floors, hold frequent Q&A sessions, and answer the tough questions directly.
Customer Communications: Ensure Continuity and Show Value
Your customers' primary concern is "How does this affect me?" Your communication must be proactive, clear, and focused on their experience.
Segment Your Audience: Don’t send the same email to every customer. Tier your outreach. High-value enterprise clients should receive a personal call from their account executive or a senior leader.
Focus on "WIIFM" (What's In It For Me?): Frame the acquisition in terms of customer benefits—better products, more resources, enhanced innovation.
Provide Clear Points of Contact: Reassure customers that they know who to call for support. Any perceived disruption in service can trigger panic.
Media Strategy: Announce, Shape, Sustain
Your media strategy must extend beyond the initial press release.
Day 1: Announce. Control the initial news cycle with a strong, clear press release and friendly media outreach. Have your CEO prepared for 1-2 key interviews.
Days 2-30: Shape. Monitor coverage and correct any misinformation. Pitch follow-up stories that highlight the positive aspects of the deal (e.g., the technology integration, the customer benefits).
Days 31-90: Sustain. Shift the focus to the future. Begin pitching stories about the new company's vision, roadmap, and market leadership, leaving the M&A story behind.
Risk Management and Escalation
Create a rapid-response "war room" team for the first 30 days, consisting of legal, HR, comms, and executive leadership. This group should meet daily to review employee sentiment, customer feedback, and media coverage, and to quickly address any emerging issues before they escalate.
What to Do Next
Navigating the communication complexities of a merger or acquisition requires a steady hand and a proven playbook. A 30-60-90 day plan provides the structure needed to manage change effectively, maintain stakeholder trust, and protect the value of your deal. Don't leave your most critical moments to chance.
If your organization is approaching a period of significant change, our Growth & Change Communications services can help. We partner with leadership teams to build and execute clear communication strategies that align stakeholders, mitigate risk, and ensure you emerge from the transition stronger than before.
Schedule a confidential call to discuss how we can help you lead through change.