How to Avoid a Major PR Crisis in 2019

It’s now 2019 and let’s face it: we’re now fully living in a world where every company–big or small–is one viral post away from a PR nightmare that can cause irreparable damage.

We saw a lot of them in 2018:

• Facebook’s privacy and Cambridge Analytica scandals
• Roseanne Barr being fired from Roseanne after tweeting racist remarks about Valerie Jarrett
• H&M dressing a black model in a “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” sweatshirt

Of course, there’s no way to completely avoid a PR crisis.

However, you can avoid making matters worse in the public eye by managing PR crises the right way—here are my top five tips.

1. Start Preparing Your Copy Bible Now

A copy bible—a set of pre-crafted messages—protects your brand and helps you steer the narrative before things get wildly out of control.

That’s exactly why you need to prepare your copy bible now—before a crisis hits. You won’t have time to think clearly when thousands of strangers and journalists are relentlessly tweeting and retweeting your crisis, demanding an answer now.

You need to be ready to fire off your pre-crafted crisis messages immediately. Otherwise when you wait too long to craft your crisis message, you’re giving the media and internet strangers space to take control of your story.

If things are going well for you, Use your crisis-free time to craft and rehearse the right messages for every imaginable situation—before you need them. Write phrases that contain an element of truth, consideration, and objectivity.

2. Don’t. Get. Defensive.

Getting defensive is one of the worst things you can do in crisis. Unfortunately, it’s the first gut-reaction most of us have when we've had zero media training and are being criticized in a public space.

In order to avoid being perceived as defensive, cut these emotionally charged words from your response vocabulary now:

• Hate
• Fail
• Terrible
• Claim
• Demand
• Danger
• Shocking
• Disappointed
• Irritated
• Frustrated
• Selfish
• Unfair

3. It’s 2019—Get Your Tweet Ready

Twitter is one of the first places the public will flock to when a PR crisis hits your company, so it’s important that you tweet your carefully crafted statement as soon as possible.

RyanAir is a great example of what not to tweet when crisis hits. When a video went viral of a racist tirade from one passenger to another, Ryanair tweeted:

“Statement: We are aware of this video and have reported this matter to Essex Police.”

This one tweet resulted in nearly 7,000 comments and numerous articles blasting the company for their cold response.

Instead, your tweet should demonstrate care and concern, describe what should have been done, and what will be done in the future.    

And if you can’t tweet a full response yet, you can still be proactive with your messaging.

“We are gathering facts so that we can fully understand what has happened and will communicate more as soon as we can” is a perfectly acceptable neutral response that can quell rumblings and give the public—and journalists—something to cling to during your moment of crisis.

4. Surround Yourself with the Right Team

This is business 101. If you don’t have the right team surrounding you when crisis hits, you’re at risk of panicking and causing more damage to you and your company’s reputation than necessary. This is not the time to consult with highly emotional team members, either.

5. Create a Positive Publicity Campaign to Run After the Crisis is Over

The good thing about our 24/7 news cycle is that nothing stays in the public consciousness for very long. That’s why creating a positive publicity campaign after the crisis is a great strategic plan to help remedy the effects of your PR crisis.

Try highlighting philanthropic efforts already in the works or spotlight team contributions or products that are benefiting communities.

Looking for more tips on how to manage business crises? Read my book The Truth About Scandal: The Everyday Guide to Navigating Business Crises.