PR strategy in a crisis

A crisis PR strategy determines whether a company builds or loses trust in difficult times: it is a plan for relations with the media, opinion leaders and the wider environment, based on facts rather than reflexes. This article shows how to build such a strategy, how it differs from everyday media work, and how to check that it delivers results and not merely a lot of coverage.

Reading time: 8 min · Strategies in crisis and expansion · Commplace® since 1996

PR strategy in a crisis: what it is and why the board needs it

In ordinary times, PR (public relations, that is, building a company's relationships with its environment) is about looking after visibility and reputation. In a crisis the task changes. The aim is to maintain credibility, under tension, with the people who decide the company's fate: customers, employees, partners, journalists, authorities and investors. A PR strategy is the plan for how to do this before the matter takes on a life of its own.

Zarządowi potrzebna jest taka strategia z prostego powodu: w kryzysie każdy ma inne zdanie, a najgłośniejsze bywa przypadkowe. Strategia zapisuje, co uznajemy za sukces, jakie przekazy stosujemy, z kim rozmawiamy i czego nie robimy. Dzięki temu decyzje o wypowiedziach nie zapadają pod wpływem ostatniego telefonu od dziennikarza. Szerszą ramę całej komunikacji w trudnym czasie opisujemy w przewodniku Communication strategy in a crisis.

Evidence-based PR: why data comes before ideas

The most common mistake in crisis PR is to start with an idea for a statement instead of a diagnosis. The team assumes it knows what audiences feel and writes for that picture. Yet a crisis changes moods, and the first reactions online do not always reflect the views of the silent majority. That is why we start with data: who is speaking, what they are saying, where, how fast the matter is growing and whom it really affects.

Evidence-based PR does not mean bureaucracy. It means a few simple habits: we record the baseline, formulate a hypothesis (“this group expects, above all, information on the consequences for itself”), test it against the signals, and only then write the message. We use research and observation the way a doctor uses test results: they do not replace judgement, but they reduce the risk of error. We do not invent figures, and where data is missing, we say so plainly.

The four pillars of a crisis PR strategy

The first pillar is the position: short, truthful and consistent with the company's values. The second is credible speakers: a spokesperson and experts who know the matter and can speak calmly under pressure. The third is relationships: knowing which journalists and opinion leaders matter and how to talk to them honestly. The fourth is evidence: documents, data and remedial action that back up the words.

Filary wzmacniają się nawzajem. Stanowisko bez wiarygodnych mówców brzmi pusto. Mówcy bez dowodów wyglądają na broniących się. Relacje bez stanowiska są przypadkowe. Dowody bez opowieści giną wśród hałasu. Dlatego strategia opisuje wszystkie cztery, z właścicielem każdego. Zasady pracy rzecznika opisujemy w artykule rzecznik prasowy w kryzysie, a kontakty z dziennikarzami w tekście media relations in a crisis.

• Position: short, truthful, in line with the company's values.
• Speakers: prepared and authorised to speak.
• Relationships: honest contact with the media and opinion leaders.
• Evidence: documents, data and actions that back up the words.

How to build a crisis PR strategy step by step

We begin by diagnosing the situation and the audiences: what has happened, who is concerned, what they expect, and how serious the matter is. Then we choose a PR objective that is clearly worded and measurable: for example, maintaining the trust of key customers or assuring the media that the company is providing reliable information. Next we set the position and messages, select the speakers, plan the contacts and prepare the evidence.

Finally, we set the rhythm and the measures. The rhythm is the plan of contacts and updates, for example regular briefings for the media and customers. The measures are signals that will tell us whether we are heading in the right direction. We record every step, with an owner and a deadline. This usually adds up to a few pages that can be read in a quarter of an hour. A longer document loses out to time pressure; a shorter one, to lack of detail.

1. Diagnosis: facts, severity level, gaps in knowledge.
2. Audiences and their expectations, ranked in order of communication.
3. A PR objective worded in measurable terms.
4. Position, messages and evidence.
5. Speakers, roles and rules for contact with the media.
6. Rhythm of updates and measures of success.

Media, the public and internal audiences: whom to serve first

In crisis PR it is easy to focus on the media, because their reaction is visible. Yet the company's future is often decided by others: customers who will choose or abandon the offer, employees who will stay or leave, banks that will extend or suspend financing. The media are a channel, not the only target. A PR strategy should say so clearly.

The list of audiences should also include those who are often forgotten: suppliers, representatives of the local community, industry organisations and the authorities the company works with. Not every one of them needs a separate statement, but each should know whom to ask and what to expect. One message sent at the right moment often prevents ten unnecessary questions and rumours that later have to be corrected.

Pracownicy zasługują na szczególną uwagę, bo są pierwszym źródłem wiedzy dla otoczenia. Jeżeli dowiadują się o sprawie z mediów, tracą zaufanie do firmy i sami zaczynają się wypowiadać w sieci. Dlatego wewnętrzny komunikat powinien poprzedzić publiczny albo pojawić się równocześnie. Sposób prowadzenia tej rozmowy opisujemy w tekście Communication with employees in a crisis.

How to measure the effectiveness of crisis PR without advertising value equivalent

Advertising value equivalent (AVE), that is, converting coverage into the cost of an advertisement of the same size, does not tell you whether anyone has changed their mind or made a decision. In a crisis it can even be misleading, because a loud, negative piece of coverage also “has value”. Instead, we measure things tied to the objectives: how closely coverage matches the facts, the tone of online conversation, the number and nature of customer enquiries, the behaviour of key audiences, and questions from banks and investors.

Każda miara wymaga poziomu wyjściowego i sposobu sprawdzania. Jeśli ton rozmów poprawia się po naszych działaniach, pytamy, czy nie poprawiłby się i tak, gdy temat wygasa. Pomaga porównanie z okresem sprzed działań, z innymi kanałami i, jeśli się da, z grupą porównawczą. Nie podajemy tu żadnych liczb jako norm, bo każda sprawa ma swoje tło i inne punkty odniesienia, a porównywanie z cudzymi wynikami łatwo prowadzi do błędnych wniosków. Ważne jest, by miara była uczciwa i powtarzalna. Szersze podejście do oceny opisujemy w artykule audyt PR: jak zrobić i co z niego wynika.

The mistakes in crisis PR strategy we see most often

The first mistake is silence, in the belief that the matter “will die down”. Sometimes it does, but more often others fill the void. The second is excessive defence: the company showers audiences with arguments before it has listened to the allegations. The third is changing the position from one day to the next because new pressure has appeared. The fourth is promises that operations will not be able to keep.

The fifth mistake is unprepared speakers. Even an experienced manager can say a sentence in a difficult interview that becomes a quotation. The sixth mistake is a lack of evidence: assurances alone, without documents and actions that the recipient could check and compare against what the company said in previous days. One thing links all these mistakes: the absence of a shared strategy, written down and rehearsed. A good way to rehearse is a crisis simulation for the board.

PR strategy, sales and long-term reputation

A crisis is a test of trust, and trust has commercial value. B2B customers ask about the supplier's credibility, candidates about the company's culture, partners about its stability. A sound crisis PR strategy protects these relationships even when the matter is difficult. The cost of inaction is simple in qualitative terms: the loss of the most important customers and partners, who do not wait for explanations.

Dobrze poprowadzony kryzys może też zbudować reputację, bo pokazuje, jak firma radzi sobie z trudnościami. Nie obiecujemy takiego skutku, ale jest on możliwy, gdy firma mówi prawdę i naprawia szkody. Po zakończeniu sprawy strategia przechodzi w odbudowę i stałe zarządzanie reputacją, które opisujemy w tekście brand reputation management: strategy.

What happens in such a situation with the Nawigator

We start with the diagnosis: we check the facts, the signals across eight layers, the severity level and the expectations of key audiences. Then we build the strategy: objective, position, messages, speakers, evidence, rhythm and measures. We carry out the implementation together with your team: we prepare statements, support spokespeople and handle media contacts. Control closes the loop: measurement, conclusions and correction.

Jeśli chcesz sprawdzić, jak wyglądałaby taka strategia dla Waszej firmy, zajrzyj do oferty communication strategy or crisis management in Commplace®, a później arrange an interview. Ogólny obraz całej dziedziny znajdziesz w przewodniku PR kryzysowy: przewodnik po reagowaniu. Nie obiecujemy wyników, obiecujemy porządek, dowody i decyzje podejmowane z otwartymi oczami.

Source: compilation by Commplace®. Examples and animations are illustrative; they do not constitute legal advice or guarantees of results. The increase in the indicator after the action itself does not prove that the action caused it.