Clear, consistent communication is vital in mergers. These editor-recommended best practices help leaders maintain trust, align teams, and reduce uncertainty during integration.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) combine more than balance sheets and business models—they also bring together institutional voices, messaging strategies, and brand identities. When two companies merge, every communication asset, from the website homepage to the employee handbook, needs to be revised. In this process editorial teams can face the challenge of aligning thousands of words, dozens of channels, and multiple approval chains often while working under tight deadlines. 

This guide shares editor-recommended steps for managing editorial workflows during a merger, helping teams prioritize, revise, and execute with clarity.

Step 1: Map the Communication Landscape

Before editing begins, create a comprehensive inventory of all communication assets. This includes external-facing content like websites, press kits, and investor decks, as well as internal documents such as onboarding materials and HR policies. Think of this as an editorial audit: take account of what exists, who owns it, and where it lives. High-stakes and high-visibility assets should be marked for immediate attention.

A communication map should not just list assets but also include notes on current tone, audience reach, and any urgent inconsistencies already visible. For example, if one company uses customer-centric language and the other relies on technical jargon, that contrast should be flagged early. This helps editors plan not just what to update, but how much rewriting is required. 

For more on structuring large-scale editorial work, see our blog on How Content Marketers Can Build a Scalable Editorial Process.

Step 2: Define the New Voice and Guidelines

Consistency matters. Before rewriting, leadership and editorial teams need to align on the new voice, messaging pillars, and terminology the combined organization wants to use. Establish a style guide or messaging framework that sets the tone for all revisions. Without these guidelines, teams risk patchwork editing that leaves each asset sounding slightly different, thus undermining the unified brand voice.

The new voice should reflect not just leadership preference but also employee culture and customer expectations. Running small focus groups with employees or key clients can reveal how the combined organization should sound. Editors can use this insight to make sure the new messaging framework is practical and believable.

Step 3: Prioritize Assets by Impact

Not every asset can be updated at once. Prioritize based on audience impact:

• High Priority: Website homepage, “About Us” page, press releases, investor decks, customer FAQs
  
• Medium Priority: HR documents, onboarding materials, internal newsletters
  
• Low Priority: Blog archives, long-tail marketing collateral, minor brochures
  

Editorial teams should sequence updates rather than spreading their resources thin. This ensures that the most visible and impactful materials reflect the new company identity as soon as possible.

This hierarchy of priorities should also account for the timing of external events. For instance, if earnings calls or major conferences are coming up soon, investor materials and product one-pagers need to rise to the top of the queue. Editors can create a content heat map that shows which updates are most urgent to guide decision-making.

Step 4: Establish the Editorial Workflow

M&A communication work can easily stall without a clear process. Define the editorial workflow early:

1. Audit existing assets.
   
2. Draft revisions.
   
3. Carry out editorial review.
   
4. Secure executive or legal approval.
   
5. Publish and distribute.
   

Use shared editorial calendars, approval matrices, and version control tools to keep work moving. Assign clear ownership of tasks to prevent bottlenecks.

Editorial workflows benefit from parallel tracks. While legal reviews proceed on high-stakes documents, other editors can continue working on medium-priority content. Clear SLAs (service level agreements) for approvals also help—if executives know they have 48 hours to respond, bottlenecks can be avoided or mitigated. Transparency about where each asset sits in the workflow prevents duplication of effort or unnecessary rework. 

For more strategies, see our blog on Content Marketing that Scales: Editorial Tips for Growing Tech Startups.

Step 5: Don’t Just Rebrand, Revise

Updating communications is a more involved task than just swapping logos or company names. Editors should actively recast messaging to reflect the organization’s new vision and eliminate any contradictions. This might mean rewriting mission statements, updating customer promises, or changing tone to fit the new company culture. Treat revisions as substantive editorial work, not cosmetic updates.

Consider using side-by-side comparisons of old versus revised text to ensure that new messaging feels coherent and deliberate. Editors can also track changes against a new or revised style guide, checking for alignment with desired tone, word choice, and structure. A redline review process makes the depth of changes visible, reinforcing the idea that editorial work is central to the merger’s success. 

Step 6: Communicate While You Edit

Stakeholders will notice outdated messaging before you finish revising everything. Be transparent about what’s in transition. Simple notices like “We’re updating our materials to reflect our new brand identity” keep employees, partners, and customers informed and patient during the editorial process.

Consider using a merger integration microsite or dedicated intranet hub to centralize updates. This space can include FAQs), progress trackers, and a timeline of upcoming editorial releases. By giving stakeholders visibility into the update process, editorial teams reduce confusion and maintain credibility even while revisions are ongoing.

Step 7: Maintain a Feedback Loop

Even with thorough audits, some legacy content will slip through. Create a process for employees and customers to flag outdated materials. Editorial teams can then triage these reports, update priorities, and fold them into the ongoing workflow. A feedback loop gets the entire organization working together to maintain consistent communication.

Editors should treat this feedback not only as error correction but as audience insight. If employees repeatedly flag inconsistencies in HR documents, that signals a deeper communication gap. Analyzing these reports can guide not just content updates, but also future training, messaging, or process adjustments.

Common Pitfalls in M&A Editing

Editors see the same mistakes repeatedly during integration:

• Waiting too long to communicate.
  
• Editing without a unified framework.
  
• Updating assets piecemeal with no prioritization.
  
• Allowing approvals to stall the revision process.
  

Avoiding these pitfalls saves time and strengthens trust.

Another crucial pitfall to avoid is underestimating the emotional impact of language. Using terms like synergy or efficiency without balancing them with people-focused messaging can fuel employee resistance and dissatisfaction. Editors play a key role in ensuring that communications acknowledge cultural and human realities alongside business goals.

Editor’s Shortlist: What to Update First

• Website homepage and “About Us” page
  
• Press boilerplates and media kits
  
• Investor presentations and FAQs
  
• HR onboarding documents
  
• Customer service scripts and FAQs
  

These assets reach the widest audiences and set the tone for all other messaging.

Each item on this shortlist carries reputational weight. A mismatched homepage signals disunity to customers, while outdated onboarding documents confuse new employees at a critical moment. Editors should treat these core assets as brand ambassadors—their accuracy and tone reflect the larger success of the merger.