With today’s 24/7 news cycle, business and industry stories—both good and bad—don’t stay silent for long. When a business is facing a public relations crisis, its leaders want good guidance fast, and there’s plenty of advice out there on how to address such situations. But wouldn’t it be a better strategy to prevent a PR disaster, rather than react to it?
With proper preparation and planning, there are ways to minimize the likelihood of a business facing a PR crisis. Follow the suggestions below from 11 Forbes Agency Council members to keep your business out of the negative spotlight.
Members of Forbes Agency Council share strategies businesses can implement to prevent public relations crises.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Test Copy And Ideas With Diverse Demographics
Many of today’s crises stem from tone-deaf language in advertising or social media campaigns. To combat this, companies must run ideas and copy by stakeholders representing a diverse range of demographics, from age to ethnic background to gender identity. Small teams can become echo chambers, so testing concepts with people who have varying frames of reference can add a critical layer of scrutiny. – Jade Rose Faugno, Intermarket
2. Implement Internal Safeguards
Implementing internal safeguards and running worst-case scenarios from a PR perspective ahead of time can help. Anytime you’re about to launch a new campaign, be sure to look at the campaign from multiple vantage points. If a message is confusing and runs the potential of creating negative PR, rework the message to be as clear and concise as possible. – Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile LLC
3. Place PR Reps At The Executive Table
Make sure that PR has a seat at the executive table. I’ve recently written about how PR practitioners need to consider whether or not they “should” send out a pitch or press release. The same concept should apply to executive decisions. PR should be considered the moral and ethical compass for boardroom decisions. A crisis could be avoided altogether if PR was allowed a voice more often. – Catherine Seeds, Ketner Group Communications
4. Conduct A Vulnerabilities Assessment
Conduct a thorough and honest vulnerabilities assessment to identify scenarios that could go sideways and threaten your reputation. For each, identify what you can do now to mitigate that risk. Then, determine your position and standing statement. Should that issue develop, know how you’ll respond and what steps you’ll take to recover. Identify and prepare your allies to support your good work. – Jim Heininger, The Rebranding Experts
5. Be Transparent, Accountable And Proactive
The most important rule to prevent a PR crisis is to be transparent at the onset. Transparency and accountability are critical in maintaining valuable relationships with employees, clients and the media. Do what you say you do and do what you say you are going to do. Be proactive in your communication if you encounter any speed bumps. This approach builds trust and ensures there are no surprises. – Lori Paikin, NaviStone®
6. Make Risk Management A Priority
There is an element of risk in all PR activity, so you can’t really prevent a PR crisis entirely. While you can’t control the outside factors, you definitely can influence what’s coming from your company. Make risk management an integral part of your strategy. Every time you’re about to take the next PR move, identify potential risks and take action to reduce the chances of those risks becoming reality. – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
7. Plan And Practice
Some crises escalate because you were unprepared. Gather your C-suite, legal and communications teams to brainstorm scenarios. Build a plan with details like who the spokesperson is and how frequently and through what channels you plan to release internal and external communications. Develop and practice a holding statement that captures that information and can be sent to media and staff immediately. – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications
8. Don’t Overpromise
Work with integrity and transparency from the beginning. Making grandiose statements or false promises is sure to get you called out in all the wrong ways. Make sure you can back up everything you say, every time. If anything occurs that could affect clients or stakeholders, stay in front of it with a pre-emptive press release, social media posts, etc. – Bernard May, National Positions
9. Cover The Details And Have Talking Points
Be prepared. Have a team challenge before press is released. Being armed with an up-to-the-minute, clear picture of the details in the content of the release, the challenges that might be met from competitors and the history of the company, the category, the industry, and the individual being quoted gives all the ammunition needed if there is an unforeseen crisis. Have talking points ready. – Pat Fiore, FIORE
10. Speak With One Voice
Many PR crises stem from a company member doing or saying something that was unintended or misaligned with the company’s values. Every branch of your organization must be on the same page internally to have a consistent external voice. Reinforce core values, best business practices, language and voice consistently. Keep educating to ensure a unified, singular voice speaks from the inside out. – Stephen Rosa, (add)ventures
11. Consider All Possible Outcomes
The best way to prevent a PR crisis is to make sure all your internal teams are in constant communication and you have a response plan in place. When preparing your plan, assess campaign details with a glass-half-full and glass-half-empty approach so you have a response protocol for all possible scenarios. This reduces response time and can stop issues before they become a problem. – Scott Kellner, GPJ Experience Marketing
