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Crisis Comms, Part 3 — Messaging
We have a crisis plan, but what do we say? and when?
Keren Speck
October 22, 2024
What's in store for this edition:
Knowing what to say and when.
Crisis Comms, Part 3 — Messaging
The Chinese word for crisis is 危机, with 危 meaning danger and 机 meaning opportunity. That’s right, every crisis is a potential risk to an organization, but it is also a potential opportunity, if handled correctly.
Effective crisis communications is more than just speaking—it’s about knowing when to stay silent, when to act, when to wait, and what to say.
Sometimes silence is golden
Don’t feel pressure to respond to everything. Sometimes the right thing to say and do is nothing.
When is this the case?
When the audience is ideologically opposed to your position, making engagement unlikely to change minds.
When responding would only fan the flames of a story with limited traction, potentially inviting more coverage or engagement.
When is a response is warranted?
When false information is repeated by mainstream media or credible figures, or when it has the potential to mislead a wider audience.
When facts are taken out of context, there are blatant misrepresentations, or easily disproven inaccuracies that could harm the company’s reputation.
💫 Pro Tip: The best crisis counsel is tailored to your unique situation
When you need to apologize or make a statement:
Key Strategies:
Check that flippant attitude — be sincere and empathetic instead.
Forget fake apologies — only offer genuine, heartfelt apologies.
No bad facts — you’ll just dig yourself into a deeper hole.
Don’t try to get people to "move on" too quickly — remember people have the attention span of a goldfish, the news cycle moves fast, they need time to process.
Don’t try to skirt responsibility — own up to mistake and apologies.
Don’t be tone deaf, or unaware of how their message sounds to others, with your apology — otherwise you risk being insensitive to public opinion or sentiment and may offend people more.
One of the most common ways to turn a crisis into a disaster is with a bad apology.
Here’s an example of a good apology:
At the Oscars 2017, La La Land was announced as Best Picture when the winner was, in fact, Moonlight. PwC were responsible for giving the presenters the correct envelope. They said:
“We sincerely apologize to “Moonlight,” “La La Land,” Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.
We appreciate the grace with which the nominees, the Academy, ABC, and Jimmy Kimmel handled the situation.”
Do you see how they took the crisis (danger 危) and turned it into opportunity (机）?
💪 Key PR Takeaway:
In a crisis, you should be
Stepping up immediately and making no excuses.
Admitting the mistake, apologizing, and opening an investigation.
Expressing empathy and gratitude to those affected.
Issuing a statement clarifying what happened and taking full responsibility.
As a result, the Oscars Board voted to retain PwC as their accounting firm, and PwC implemented new processes to prevent the same mistake from happening again. By managing the crisis effectively, PwC retained a prestigious client and minimized damage to their reputation.
“There is an appointed time for everything. A time to be silent and a time to speak.”
Term to Learn
Newsroom refers to a website, page, or section where an organization features its company news, media assets, clippings, and contact details. Your online newsroom is a powerful tool to use as a hub during and after a crisis. It’s also likely to be one of the first places journalists and the public look for information. Make the most of your newsroom by keeping it organized and up-to-date with regular statements and clear contact details.
FAQ
Q: How do I issue an apology?
A: Each case is different. There are some options. It can be a written statement posted on website, email, or social media. It can be a video apology posted on social media. It can be a personal letter sent traditional mail, email or posted on website. A press release can be made and sent to reporters with the apology, and it should be concise.
Get PR techniques from recent news.
Newsworthy
Glove News 📰
You may not know this but there are two news items I always love to see — glove news and candy news. Seeing how Topps and the Mets have teamed up together to sell the Franscisco Lindor Grand Slam batting glove, turned into trading card. To me this is fun news. But do you even notice who the glove company was? I didn’t think so.
Lets break it down: The collaboration was between Topps and the Mets. The Instagram post linked Topps, Mets, Fransciso Lindor, and MLB Instagram profiles.
Can Franklin Sports ask the social media team who did the collaboration to link to their profile also? Without their product, gloves, this collaboration wouldn’t even be possible.
Franklin Sports, please make fun comments in the messaging section on all social media channels, and I’d love to see more video of the glove in action. You got this Franklin, knock it out of the park for us!
I noticed this new program of Topps turning Home Run or Grand Slam gloves used in play in to a trading card goes beyond Franklin. Juan Soto is rocking some Under Armor gloves, and they are turning his Home Run Gloves into a trading card. I don’t see any mention of Under Armor either.
✍️ Key PR Takeaway: If you see your product in the wild, repost it, comment, and ask for links for recognition. Stay up on your social media comments, posting and monitoring. Make your content and comments fun. After all, people love fun… and baseball
Learn from others.
100% Cool : 0% Cringe
International White Cane Awareness Day 🦯
White Cane Safety Day has been celebrated on October 15 of each year since 1964. The date is set aside to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired and the important symbol of blindness and tool of independence, the white cane.
A Daytona Beach nonprofit used this International Day to help educate the public with the media’s help. It’s such a good day, it even got it’s own emoji! 🦯
Key Strategies:
Prepare activities that are memorable.
Pitch a reporter well in advance (3 weeks)
Have facts and figures ready for reporter
✍️ Key PR Takeaway: There are lots of national days, which one can you use to get more media attention?
Useful PR Resources.
🧰 TOOLKIT
CapCut for Video
Create great videos for free to record and it provides various professional-level features and effects.
CapCut, from the makers of TikTok, is an all-in-one creative platform powered by AI that enables video editing and image design in a browser or with their Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS apps.
Yes, it’s free to use. But the $7.50 month pro plan is WORTH it for a few features like automatic captions (a must for most social video posts), a brand kit, and more online storage.
Why I like Capcut: 1. Easy to use 2. It’s got powerful features 3. Editing videos are quick and easy.
Attention Seeker of the Week
Luna
Luna, just back from the vet would like to remind you to please spay and neuter your pets for better health and help control the pet population. Isn’t she pretty in her cone?
Can we feature your furry attention seeker in next week’s newsletter? We love our furry community and want to show them off!
I’m done with crises for a while, hopefully! Hope you are too. 😅
Until next week, keep your shades on and stay cool.
Your fellow Seeker,
Keren
🕶️
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