6 Must Have PR Crisis Strategies

Many companies build reputations through branding, marketing, hiring, growth, and visibility, but often treat crisis planning as optional. Most business leaders have faced at least one corporate crisis in the past five years, and crises typically emerge quickly, publicly, and with incomplete information. Common triggers include leadership scandals, lawsuits, defective products, employee incidents, and viral social media events. Leaders often object that they cannot plan for unknown crises, but crisis planning cannot predict the exact problem and still enables wise responses under pressure. Preparation should include identifying spokespeople in advance to prevent confusion and delays, and training those spokespeople through media training so they can respond carefully and consistently when pressure rises.

"They invest in branding, marketing, hiring, growth, and visibility. But when it comes to crisis planning, many leaders treat it like an optional expense or something to deal with when it happens. According to the data, 69 percent of business leaders have managed at least one corporate crisis within the past five years. When a crisis happens, it doesn't arrive quietly or politely. It rears its ugly head quickly, publicly, and often with incomplete information."

"Think: a leadership scandal, a lawsuit, a defective product, an employee incident, or a viral social media moment that spreads for all the wrong reasons. Once it starts, the clock is ticking. Yet, businesses still operate as if preparing is optional. One of the most frequent objections I hear is: "How can we plan for a crisis when we don't know what it will be?" That's a fair question, right?"

"While crisis planning can't predict the exact problem, it is a necessary strategy for preparing your company to respond wisely when pressure rises. Here are six moves to make before you need a crisis plan. 1. Identify your spokespeople early The worst time to decide who will speak to the public is during a crisis. Choose key voices in advance. Decide who handles the media, who addresses the employees, and who communicates with your clients or stakeholders."

"Media training works the same way. While many leaders assume they can handle reporters' calls, that's not necessarily true when the phone rings. Pressure exposes anxiety, unclear messaging, defensiveness, or lapses in judgment. Training builds confidence and discipline, empowering each person to respond carefully rather than react from a state of chaos when the heat is on."

Read at Inc