Why the Future of PR Looks More Like Investor Relations
As lines between corporate disciplines continue to blur, one of the most consequential shifts in strategic communications is the convergence of public relations and investor relations. According to recent CommPRO industry query, Renée Soto, founding partner at REEVEMARK, the distinction between the two is becoming less relevant — and that’s a good thing.
“Public relations can learn quite a bit from investor relations’ ability to engage data-driven, financially fluent, and highly skeptical audiences,” Soto said in a recent interview with CommPRO. “But perhaps more importantly, the division between these two disciplines has blurred, particularly for public companies, as communications strategies evolve to meet the expectations of a broader, more interconnected set of stakeholders.”
Historically, PR focused on narrative and perception while IR concentrated on market confidence and shareholder value. In today’s environment of radical transparency and converging audiences, Soto argues that both functions are addressing the same high-stakes questions about trust, purpose and impact, just from different angles.
“That binary no longer holds,” Soto said. “Many investors now care deeply about issues once considered outside IR’s purview: corporate purpose, values, and reputational risk. At the same time, the general public can materially influence valuation through pressure campaigns, viral moments or negative media coverage.”
This shift is prompting both disciplines to evolve. For PR professionals, one key lesson from IR is discipline — especially in message precision and stakeholder alignment.
“IR teams never craft narratives without thinking through how they’ll land with analysts, boards or institutional investors,” Soto said. “PR should embrace the same discipline, ensuring storytelling aligns tightly with business priorities and brand equity.”
Soto said REEVEMARK has seen this approach pay off for clients. In one campaign with a fintech scale-up, the team moved from traditional, highly polished PR messaging to a structure modeled after earnings reports. The result: “Engagement spiked, and inbound media inquiries grew by 40% in six months,” she said.
Another critical takeaway from IR is the value of stakeholder transparency. In a media climate where brands are judged by their values as much as their products, Soto believes PR should bring more of IR’s rigor and openness to everyday communications.
“It’s about baked-in openness on company direction, culture and even challenges,” she said. “Not just during a crisis.”
Consistency is another undervalued trait that IR executes well and one that PR should adopt with greater intent. “Every touchpoint — from press releases to executive quotes — supports the long-term vision,” Soto said. “PR can help brands remove noise and focus on clarity with conviction.”
But imitation is not the end goal. Integration is. Soto suggests a new framework that unifies the two disciplines: stakeholder relations.
“I’d propose that the term ‘stakeholder relations’ better captures the winning strategic framework, an approach that unifies strategic communications across shareholders, employees, customers, regulators and the public,” Soto said. “This approach recognizes that valuation and reputation are now inextricably linked, and that trust is the most valuable and volatile asset a company holds. In this landscape, managing stakeholder trust holistically is not just advisable. It’s imperative.”
