5 PR Crisis management mistakes to avoid
Publicity For Good
Public Relations agency passionate about purpose driven businesses and making a positive change in the world.
Nobody wants to be in a PR crisis. But you certainly don’t want to mismanage one, as it is very likely to cost the livelihoods of several employees and maybe even your career. So, in order to help not be caught unprepared in the face of an emergency, here are some common mistakes to avoid when in damage control mode.
A rookie mistake? Maybe. A common one? Certainly.?
All too often, a brand is caught by surprise when a PR crisis arises and tries to improvise a response, which is terribly dangerous. However, what is also way too common is for an already established plan to be ignored, especially in the heat of the moment when stress is at its highest.
Normally the reasoning for steering off course is the fact that the plan didn’t account for every possible scenario, which would be true about any plan ever made, but still, in a time of stress it is best to keep to a course of action you came up with while calm and collected, making the necessary adjustments along the way.
PR crisis only grows with time, becoming worse and worse as the truth becomes mixed with assumptions and narratives of all kinds which are driven by social media coverage. This means that when the time comes, there can be no delay in addressing the root issue, and it has to be addressed in such a way that it leaves no grounds for further confusion to grow.
When people are upset, silence becomes a blank canvas where they will often project the worst possible intentions, words break this kind of effect, and actions don’t allow it to manifest in the first place. So when the time comes, act, and communicate what you’re doing.
Here’s the thing about lies: they’re short-lived. Especially so when people are already having a hard time trusting you.
It’s not uncommon for brands to address the cause of a PR crisis by downplaying it, or even just pretending it didn’t happen, only for the situation to come back and bite them. So be honest at all times, even when that means owning up to what happened, as that will always be the option that offers the least risk and a shorter way out of it.
An often overlooked factor in crisis management within PR is the content demand. You need to make sure that as many people as possible get your message, and that means preparing a lot of content for many platforms.
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This content takes many forms, but you will generally need an initial statement, a follow-up statement, answers to questions from journalists, as well as media training material for the spokesperson of the company.
As you can imagine, preparing all this content on the spot while tensions are high is a terrible idea and leaves room for disaster to occur, so be sure you have this ready to go whenever you need.
In a PR crisis, you will not only have your usual audience to contend with, but also the public, people who might not be on the technical terms that you’re already used to employing in communication.
This has the unintended consequence of making the apology feel insincere, or even cold, as you are not putting in the effort to make yourself understood. The public tends to view the use of jargon as a way to masquerade true intent, so even if the apology is heartfelt, being overly technical is very likely to backfire.
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Publicity For Good (PFG) is the leading communications firm dedicated to amplifying the voices of purpose-driven brands. Our expertise encompasses media relations, influencer seeding, awards management, crisis management, social media management and thought leadership. We specialize in serving consumer brands in the food and beverage, beauty, health, and wellness sectors, as well as non-profits and influencers/ entrepreneurs creating compelling narratives that resonate with audiences and drive meaningful impact.
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