Susan Thomas is founder and CEO of 10Fold, a communications agency headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices across the United States.
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After a long pause, late 2025 saw measurable signs of renewed M&A momentum among B2B technology companies. According to Bain & Company's "2026 M&A Report," the number of deals went up by 7% between 2024 and 2025. The value of those deals also increased. If this upward trend continues, then leadership teams need to be ready for a vital component: communication.
PwC's "2023 M&A Integration Survey" found that communication was the second most important factor in these transactions. That's because mergers and acquisitions are defining moments that shape market perception, employee confidence, customer trust and executive credibility. For founders, the dominant narrative can reinforce strategic foresight and open doors to future investors and partners. For companies combining at scale, thoughtful communication can signal durability, innovation capacity and customer commitment.
But when messaging is reactive or fragmented, negative narratives emerge quickly. Acquisitions may be framed as fire sales, while mergers get characterized as defensive. These interpretations can accelerate attrition, stall sales cycles, erode trust and create reputational damage that outlasts the transaction itself.
For companies looking to successfully navigate M&A communication, here are five strategies to focus on.
A merger affects a broad ecosystem—including media outlets, industry analysts, customers and prospects, partners, employees and investor analysts—and each group requires tailored communication. For example, sales teams must be equipped with proof points and clear rebuttals to mitigate competitors' attempts at narrative erosion. At the same time, messaging must remain aligned with disclosure requirements established by regulatory bodies such as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
Then, narrative preparation should include reviewing comparable transactions from the past 18 months, assessing dominant themes in coverage and identifying which narratives gained traction. The leadership teams from both organizations will also need to establish clarity around certain strategic points, including:
• Why the transaction is happening now
• How customers and other stakeholders benefit
• What happens next, including high-level regulatory milestones and integration steps
• When stakeholders should expect change
• Why the transition will be manageable
Consider cybersecurity and compliance company Proofpoint's acquisition of Hornetsecurity. Leadership emphasized key points like expanded European presence, recurring revenue growth and complementary security capabilities. The strategic rationale was clear and reinforced through integration commentary, contributing to positive market reception and early integration momentum.
Alignment, consistency and credibility are essential. Executives should deliver initial messages directly to employees, preferably through town halls that allow for questions. Then, leaders across marketing, sales, HR and product should review messaging to ensure it addresses their constituencies' concerns.
Predefined check-in points help determine whether messaging adjustments are required as sentiment evolves. Preparation should include a press release, executive Q&A, stakeholder-specific communication plans, message sequencing, sentiment monitoring tools, manager talking points and rehearsal sessions for executives delivering the message. Because written communication can leak, be sure to have a protocol in place.
Disruptions are common in M&A. Some are minor, such as announcement delays, while others involve shifts in valuation. Consider the failed merger of CoreWeave with Core Scientific. The latter's shareholders rejected the offer because there was a significant disconnect between their demands and CoreWeave's valuation messaging. This situation illustrated how even strategically logical transactions can be derailed if alignment is not established early.
Before any announcement, companies should agree on whether communication will be joint or coordinated separately, what constitutes a deal breaking event and which nondisclosure obligations remain if a transaction doesn't proceed. A defined crisis communication plan assures faster, disciplined responses amid uncertainty.
Digital channels amplify interpretation within hours; misunderstandings can solidify quickly, making rapid visibility and clarification essential. So leadership must define how reactions will be measured. This may include media and analyst sentiment analysis, employee pulse surveys and attrition indicators, customer satisfaction metrics like Net Promoter Score, and, where relevant, investor commentary.
Keep in mind that social and third-party forums should be approached with discipline, emphasizing monitoring and responsiveness rather than uncontrolled promotion.
Remember: Communication doesn't end at announcement. The first 90 days after close can determine whether confidence grows or erodes, and stakeholders look for evidence from visible progress. Establish a 30-, 60- and 90-day update cadence. Highlight early integration milestones, shared customer wins, aligned product direction and leadership visibility.
Mergers and acquisitions are inflection points, not merely financial transactions. So deal messaging should be treated as a strategic discipline. When grounded in research, alignment and stakeholder empathy, it protects enterprise value and leadership credibility. The most successful companies approach M&A messaging as an ongoing process that extends beyond the announcement, recognizing that perception, trust and integration are inseparable from long-term success.
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