A 12-Step Guide to Crisis Management in Public Relations

Crisis might be inevitable as we journey through life; however, preparedness and the right strategies help you manage most situations. A single misstep can spiral into a full-blown crisis, possibly jeopardizing years of brand-building efforts when PR crises are wrongly managed. Based on my personal experience, I can attest that how you handle these situations can be the difference between a temporary setback and a catastrophic brand collapse. Effective public relations crisis management isn’t just about damage control—it’s about maintaining trust, protecting your brand’s reputation, and emerging stronger on the other side.

This guide covers everything you need to know to protect your organization’s reputation and emerge stronger after a crisis, from assembling the right crisis management team to rebuilding your brand image post-crisis.

Key Points

Public relations crisis management involves the strategic handling of unexpected events that could harm a company’s reputation.
According to the Institute for Crisis Management, 69% of business crises were caused by slow leaks that eventually burst, while only 31% were sudden events.
Effective crisis management isn’t just about damage control—it’s about maintaining trust, protecting your brand’s reputation, and emerging stronger on the other side.
Delayed response, lack of transparency, ignoring social media, inconsistent messaging, and failure to learn are common mistakes to avoid in crisis management.

What is Public Relations Crisis Management?

Public relations crisis management involves strategically handling unexpected events that could harm a company’s reputation. This can be product recalls, viral social media backlash, or legal issues; the goal is to manage the narrative and minimize damage. In today’s digital age, where information spreads like wildfire, the need for robust crisis management strategies has never been greater.

5 Reasons Why Organizations Need Crisis Management

Organizations are not immune to crises; they are, in fact, inevitable. According to the Institute for Crisis Management, 69% of business crises were caused by slow leaks that eventually burst, while only 31% were sudden events. The need for crisis management in organizations is multifaceted and includes the following:

#1. Reputation Protection

Your brand’s reputation is one of its most valuable assets. A 2023 survey by Edelman revealed that 81% of consumers said they must be able to trust the brand they buy from. Mishandling a crisis can lead to a significant erosion of trust, which can take years to rebuild.

#2. Financial Stability

Poorly managed crises can affect stock prices, lead to lost revenue, and increase legal costs. For example, after the 2017 United Airlines incident, where a passenger was forcibly removed, the company’s market value dropped by $1.4 billion in a single day.

#3. Maintaining Stakeholder Confidence

Stakeholders, including customers, employees, and investors, expect transparency and accountability. A failure to address their concerns can lead to long-term damage.

#4. Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Some crises involve legal implications, making swift and compliant action crucial to avoid further penalties.

#5. Long-Term Brand Stability

By managing crises effectively, organizations can maintain operational stability and thrive despite setbacks.

What Are the 4 Pillars of Crisis Management?

The four pillars of crisis management are preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. These are the elements of an effective response to any crisis. Preparedness anticipates potential crises and develops detailed plans to address them. Mitigation involves taking steps to reduce the impact of a crisis before it happens.

Response focuses on the actions taken during the crisis, such as a crisis management plan, coordinating the response team, and communicating with stakeholders. Lastly, recovery is about returning to normal operations after managing a crisis.

What Is the Key to Good Crisis Management?

The key to good crisis management is to be prepared, responsive, and transparent. These three keys play out in the following way:

Preparation and planning
Effective communication
Swift decision-making
Transparency and accountability
Monitoring and adaptation
Post-crisis evaluation

Public Relations Crisis Management Strategies

The following are the strategies I adopt when managing a PR crisis:

#1. Assess the Situation

The first and most critical step in public relations crisis management is assessing the situation. You have to identify the nature of the crisis and determine its potential impact on the organization.

Early in my career, I learned the importance of quickly identifying a crisis and its potential impact. Ask yourself: What triggered the crisis? What is its scope? Once identified, gather all the relevant facts. Accurate information is crucial to making informed decisions and responding appropriately.

#2. Assemble a Crisis Management Team

A crisis management team is the backbone of your strategy. It should be a cross-functional group with clear roles and responsibilities. In my experience, having a well-prepared team, including a spokesperson, legal advisor, and PR specialists, is essential for cohesive action. Regular crisis simulation exercises help ensure the team is ready to respond effectively when necessary.

#3: Develop a Crisis Communication Plan

Communication is at the heart of crisis management. A well-crafted crisis communication plan ensures your message is clear, consistent, and timely. During a product safety crisis, I handled our quick and transparent communication to mitigate public backlash and reinforce customers’ trust.

Differentiate between internal and external communication. Your employees should be informed to avoid internal rumors, while external messaging should address the public and media with the necessary transparency.

#4. Identify Stakeholders

Identify all stakeholders—customers, employees, investors, and partners—and tailor your communication to address their specific concerns. For instance, customers need reassurance, investors require stability, and employees should be kept in the loop to maintain morale.

#5. Monitor the Situation in Real-Time

Real-time monitoring allows you to stay ahead of the crisis. Using tools like Hootsuite or Brandwatch, track media coverage, social media chatter, and public sentiment. Adjust your strategies as the situation evolves. In one instance, during a crisis involving a tech client, our ability to adapt our messaging based on real-time feedback helped us regain control of the narrative.

#6. Respond Quickly and Effectively

Timing is everything in crisis management. According to a study by Crisis Management International, 72% of organizations that respond within the first hour of a crisis can control the damage more effectively. A delayed response can exacerbate the situation, leading to a loss of control over the narrative. Apologize if necessary, and be transparent about your actions to resolve the issue.

#7. Control the Narrative

In PR, the first story told often becomes the accepted truth. Therefore, it’s essential to control the narrative. During the 2010 BP oil spill, the company struggled to control the narrative, leading to widespread public outrage. Being the first to communicate helps prevent misinformation from taking over. Ensure all communication channels deliver a consistent message to avoid confusion.

#8. Make Use of Social Media Platforms

Social media can be both a boon and a bane during a crisis. It allows you to engage directly with your audience, but it also means negative news spreads rapidly. Respond to comments professionally and correct misinformation promptly. For example, during a social media crisis for a retail brand, our prompt engagement on Twitter helped us turn the situation around, transforming a potential PR disaster into an opportunity to demonstrate the brand’s commitment to customer satisfaction.

#9. Prepare Spokespersons

Your spokesperson’s performance can make or break your crisis response. Ensure whoever will be your spokesperson is trained and prepared with key messages. During a high-profile crisis, I once witnessed how a well-prepared spokesperson defused a tense media situation with poise and clarity, which significantly helped in calming public concerns.

#10. Evaluate the Response

After the crisis has subsided, conduct a thorough evaluation. What worked well? What didn’t? Analyzing the response helps improve your crisis management plan. During a post-crisis analysis for a manufacturing client, we identified key areas for improvement, which were crucial in enhancing our future response strategies.

#11. Rebuild the Brand Image

Rebuilding a brand’s image post-crisis is a delicate process. It involves regaining lost trust through consistent, positive engagement and PR efforts. For instance, after the Volkswagen emissions scandal, the company embarked on a long-term campaign focusing on transparency and environmental responsibility, which has helped rebuild its reputation.

#12. Update the Crisis Management Plan

A crisis management plan should be dynamic, not static. Regular updates ensure it evolves with your organization and the changing media landscape. Incorporate feedback and lessons from past crises to strengthen your preparedness for future challenges.

Lamphills’ Crisis Management Checklist

Download our crisis management checklist to ensure your organization is fully prepared for any situation that comes your way. Remember, in crisis management, preparation is the key to success.

Download Lamphills’ Crisis Management Checklist

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How Should Organizations Communicate With Stakeholders During a Crisis?

To effectively communicate with stakeholders during a crisis, you must be transparent and honest, tailor your message to various stakeholders involved, use multiple communication channels, provide regular updates, and show empathy.

What Role Does Social Media Play in Crisis Management?

In my opinion, social media is a double-edged sword in crisis management because it can make or mar your PR efforts. It plays the following role in public relations crisis management:

Real-time monitoring
Direct communication channel
Amplification of messages
Managing misinformation
Building relationships

How Can Businesses Recover and Rebuild Their Brand Image Post-Crisis?

Rebuilding a brand after a crisis requires a well-thought-out approach. Regardless, I’ve found the following to be effective over the years:

Conduct a post-crisis analysis.
Communicate improvements
Engage in positive PR
Apologize and make amends
Monitor and respond

What Common Mistakes Should Be Avoided in Public Relations Crisis Management?

Based on my experience and personal research, the following are the key mistakes to avoid in public relations crisis management:

Delayed Response: One of the biggest mistakes is waiting too long to respond. In today’s fast-paced environment, even a few hours of delay can worsen things. I’ve always stressed the importance of responding quickly to control the narrative.
Lack of Transparency: Trying to cover up the truth or withholding information can be disastrous. Transparency is essential, as it builds trust and credibility. In my career, I’ve seen organizations lose public trust due to perceived dishonesty during a crisis.
Ignoring Social Media: Ignoring social media is a huge mistake in this present time. Social media is often where crises unfold and public sentiment is shaped. Over the years, I’ve learned that active engagement on social media during a crisis is non-negotiable.
Inconsistent Messaging: Inconsistent communication can create confusion and erode trust. All messaging should be aligned across departments and channels. I’ve always emphasized the need for a unified message during a crisis to avoid mixed signals.
Failing to Learn from the Crisis: Not conducting a post-crisis review or failing to update your crisis management plan leaves your organization vulnerable to future crises. Learning from the experience is crucial to improving future responses.

Read Also: The Role and Importance of Social Media in Public Relations

How Often Should a Crisis Management Plan Be Updated?

Ideally, your public relations crisis management should be updated after a crisis, annually, when there are significant changes, in response to industry trends.

What Are the 5 Cs of Crisis Management?

The 5 C’s of crisis management are concern, commitment, competency, clarity, and confidence.

What Are the Four Crisis Management Strategies?

The four crisis management strategies—proactive, recovery, reactive, and collaborative—are approaches that organizations can adopt to handle a crisis effectively. The proactive strategy anticipates potential crises and takes preventive measures to avoid them. The reactive strategy responds to a crisis after it has occurred. The recovery strategy restores normal operations and repairs any damage caused by the crisis. Lastly, the collaborative strategy works closely with external partners to manage and resolve the crisis.

Conclusion

No one wants to be involved in a crisis, but these things happen. They are inevitable, but their impact can be mitigated with the right strategies. By following this 12-step guide, you can navigate through a PR crisis with confidence, protect your organization’s reputation, and even emerge stronger.

In essence, don’t wait for a crisis to strike—review and update your crisis management strategies now to ensure you’re prepared for whatever comes your way.