CEO’s Tweet Volume Hinted at IPO Filing — Demand Media

CEO slowed down tweeting in months leading up to IPO filing.

What’s a sign that a firm is getting ready to file its S-1 to go public? Check out the CEO’s tweet volume.

Such was the case with Demand Media CEO Richard Rosenblatt. On August 8, just following his firm filed to go public, Rosenblatt (@DemandRichard) tweeted “Sorry that my tweeting volume has dropped so much over the past months but I hope every now understands why”.

Rosenblatt tweets a lot, and often times it’s regarding business. But I had noticed over the past couple months that he wasn’t tweeting much regarding pending business deals and was instead mostly retweeting people’s comments on Demand Studios and such.

Here’s what TweetStats.com shows:

That’s quite a drop in tweet volume over the past few months. There are a couple reasons a CEO might slow down tweeting while getting ready to file an S-1. First, creating the S-1 is a lot of work. Second, you need to be careful regarding business deals you disclose. I guess it’s not technically a quiet period until the S-1 is filed, but caution is still notable.

So the next time you see the CEO of a hot startup slow down his tweeting, ask him/her if they’re getting ready to go public.