How To Build Positive PR Before You Need It: 20 Expert Insights
Briefly

Building a strong brand reputation is essential for weathering crises effectively. Proactive measures should be taken long before a crisis emerges, with executive leadership playing a critical role. Communicating and demonstrating company values through storytelling and consistent behavior creates a solid foundation. Reputation acts like a bank account; deposits of trust and transparency allow for withdrawals of goodwill during tough times. Establishing third-party narratives can signal competence and values in advance, ensuring organizations are not starting from scratch when trouble arises.
Consistent, clearly communicated values are among a company's strongest defenses in a crisis. But values can't just live in a motto. They need to show up in leadership behavior, brand voice and what the company spotlights far in advance of a crisis scenario.
The more deposits you make by being transparent, trustworthy and dependable, the greater your balance will be when a crisis hits and you need to make withdrawals of forgiveness, patience and second-chances.
Build a credible third-party narrative before you ever need it. That means investing early in thought leadership, media relationships and strategic visibility—not to sell, but to signal trust, competence and values.
Read at Forbes
[
|
]