The First 60 Minutes
Convene the war room: legal, PR, executive sponsor, social lead, and a single decision maker. Confirm facts before any external statement. Pause scheduled marketing across email, social, and paid. Acknowledge the situation publicly within two hours, even if details are still being verified, with language that confirms you are aware and engaged.
The First Statement
Keep the first statement under 150 words. Acknowledge the issue, express the right tone for the severity, commit to a follow-up timeline, and provide a single point of contact. Do not speculate. Do not assign blame. Do not over-promise resolution. Speed matters more than completeness.
Channel Coordination
Coordinate across owned, earned, and paid channels. Pin the statement on social. Update the homepage if the crisis is brand-wide. Brief customer service with approved language. Pause paid media to avoid awkward juxtaposition between the crisis and unrelated promotional content.
Post-Crisis Reputation Repair
After the immediate crisis settles, build the reputation repair plan: SERP suppression for any negative articles, proactive thought leadership, and improved operational signals such as updated certifications, audits, or executive changes when warranted.
Frequently Asked Questions
For mid- and large-scale crises, yes. Outside counsel sees more crises in a year than most in-house teams see in a decade.
Silence followed by a defensive statement. Acknowledge fast, then add detail.
Social media policy, plus brief team-wide communication during active crises with clear guidance and a single approved spokesperson.
When responsibility is clear and confirmed, yes. Apologizing prematurely creates legal exposure.
Most crises require six to eighteen months of disciplined post-crisis work to fully restore SERP control and trust signals.