Just like the rest of us, investors’ attention spans are shorter than ever

It’s a well-worn theory that our attention spans are becoming shorter and shorter, with phones and other screens vying for our attention at increasingly small intervals. 

That feeling might be as much to do with our perception of where our attention is spent: though we underestimate how often we look at our phones on a daily basis, there is also evidence to suggest we work better when toggling between tasks and working on multiple projects at once, according to research by King’s College London.  

But recent data suggests investors are firmly in the camp of ‘shorter is better’ as their own attention spans become increasingly strained. This is the subject of a survey by financial analytics firm Coalition Greenwich – pulled out by FTI Consulting in its latest IR Monitor newsletter – which finds that institutional investors prefer information presented in shorter, snappier formats. 

Based on conversations with 173 such investors around the world in 2023, the research shows that 79 percent of investors still rank written content above all other formats, however. Webinars are the top choice of delivery system for 17 percent of respondents, followed by videos (8 percent) and podcasts (3 percent).  

Of those who prefer the written word, 90 percent would prefer any content – reports, white papers or similar – to be under five pages long, with 56 percent preferring it to be less than three pages. 

‘This speaks to a culture of both limited attention spans and the desire for content to be short and to the point,’ says Kevin McPartland, Coalition Greenwich’s head of market structure and technology research. 

Investors also want non-written content to be much shorter. Where a video or podcast may have once been an hour-long run-through of slides or a product demonstration, 53 percent of institutional investors now want these content formats to be digestible in less than 15 minutes. Not a single respondent expresses a preference for a video to run beyond 30 minutes. 

The key takeaway for IROs is – as ever – to focus on making their communications as razor-sharp and to the point as possible.  

‘Consumption habits are evolving and will continue to, so keeping up with the times is a must,’ writes McPartland. ‘And while content should be short and digestible, it must also be robust and backed up by solid data and analysis. Without data, it’s just another opinion.’ 

But perhaps we’ll see a longer-term shift in the sorts of formats IR teams are focusing their attention on. We’ve already shared many case studies of events, reports and audio-visual content becoming narrower and sharper. Perhaps one day a company’s quarterly figures will be entirely delivered via TikTok video… 

What do you make of the findings of this report? Have you seen a marked shift in what investors are willing to spend their precious time on? Let us know your thoughts, either on LinkedIn or via email at [email protected]