I-Day Playbook: Start with the Main Message
This piece kicks off our new series, the Investor Day Playbook, where we cover the fundamentals of effective Investor Day storytelling and show how to take them further. The goal is to give you practical steps so that you’re shifting investor perception and making your investor thesis stick.
👉 Today’s Topic: Crafting Your Main Message
IROs play the biggest role in making an Investor Day successful. While the C-suite sets the vision and delivers the message, IR leads in two areas: shaping the story and making the event experiential.
By shaping the story, we mean developing the investor narrative and the entire presentation content and script for the I-Day.
This series, Investor Day Playbook, focuses on the areas where IR leads. We begin with the foundation of shaping the story: crafting your main message.
What is the Main Message?
Think of the main message as the three to five key takeaways you want investors and analysts to leave the room with. It is the North Star of your Investor Day. IROs should align on it early with the CEO and CFO. Once set, it anchors the story, ensures leadership consistency, and guides the structure of the entire presentation.
A strong main message also influences what shows up afterward. If an analyst writes a recap, your key takeaways should appear in the summary of their report. The same is true for media coverage, where the main message often shapes the headline.
Without this clarity, everything else including the agenda, the slides, and even the event format risks becoming fragmented.
A Clear Example in Action
Too often, companies default to generic key messages that sound interchangeable. To make this real, here is an illustrative example of a fictional industrial company. We show how 3-5 takeaways can be made specific, memorable, and investor-oriented.
📌 Example of a fictional industrial Co.
A Framework to Build the Main Message
Crafting key messages can feel abstract, so here is a simple framework to get the wheels turning. If you are clear on A, B, and C, you will have a strong first draft of your Investor Day main message. Aim to get this 80% right at the outset, then refine as your presentation and story come together.
A. Why now?
Always ask yourself: Why are we doing an Investor Day at this moment?
Companies do not hold these events for the sake of it. They are big commitments of time, money, and leadership attention. Common reasons include recent acquisitions, entry into new markets, or the need to update long-term targets. Sometimes it is to introduce a new CEO. Whatever the case, be clear on your why(s) and use that clarity to shape your message.
B. Close perception gaps.
IROs usually have a good sense of where investors have questions or doubts, sometimes supported by a formal perception study. Maybe the company is profitable in one segment but not another, or investors misunderstand the strategy behind an acquisition. There may even be concerns about supply chain reliability. An Investor Day is the best platform to address these gaps directly, rather than letting them linger.
C. Play offense.
Do more than respond to concerns. Use the day to advance your point of view about your industry’s direction, your competitive moat, or the strategy that will define your future. Playing offense means showing where you are headed and why you are best positioned to win.
When you combine A, B, and C, you have the foundation for your three to five key takeaways.
Closing Thoughts
This framework is not meant to lock you in. It is a way to get started, and align early with your CEO and CFO. Revisit your main message as the story develops, and refine it until it truly reflects the “key takeaways” you want your audience to walk away with.
👉 In the next issue of the Investor Day Playbook, we will focus on designing an agenda that aligns with these key takeaways and how to bring that to life.
Learn more about OUTKREATE’s Investor Relations Solutions
We help Investor Relations teams to ELEVATE presentations for any occasion – be it your novelty Investor Day, General Overview, Quarterly Earnings, Investor Conferences, ESG Updates.
Thinking of UPGRADING your Investor Materials?
Schedule a Call
How does your Presentation measure up?
Do you have a major event or a high-stakes meeting coming up? Do you need a sharp narrative and bold design?
Let's connect and we can take a closer look at your presentations. We'll share with you actionable ideas along with real examples that you can apply to improve odds of success.