When a Crisis Hits: 6 Steps That Will Save You

by Amy Rosenberg | Aug 20, 2025 | Community Relations, Posts, Public Relations, Thought Leadership

Not every crisis comes with a warning. A social media post goes viral for the wrong reasons. A data breach goes unnoticed. A former employee goes public with a complaint. Now what?

Maybe you’ve done some prep work, but the situation you’re facing isn’t quite what you imagined. That’s okay. The structure you’ve built — response trees, aligned messaging, sample statements — can still help you respond. Whether or not you feel ready, there’s a path forward.

This post walks through how to respond when a crisis hits unexpectedly. If you haven’t read the first post in this series about proactive crisis communication planning, start there.

In this post, we shift focus to what to do when the news cycle is already spinning, your team is panicking and people are looking to you for answers.

While proactive planning is ideal, reactive communication is often unavoidable. And it doesn’t have to be messy.

Proactive vs. Reactive: What’s the Difference?

Proactive crisis communication is all about preparing in advance — mapping out scenarios, clarifying who says what and drafting statements before anything ever happens.

Reactive communication happens when the crisis is already unfolding. You have to respond fast and with clarity.

Even if the issue you’re facing isn’t what you expected, the groundwork you’ve laid can still guide you. And regardless of how much prep you’ve done, working within a clear protocol during the crisis will always help.

Here’s how to respond effectively when the pressure is on.

1. Avoid Saying “No Comment”

It may seem like the easiest response in a tough moment, but “no comment” is never a good look. It signals defensiveness, evasion or worse — guilt.

Instead, help your executives articulate something truthful and simple. You might say, “We’re still gathering information,” or “Our focus is on understanding what happened and supporting those affected.”

Your goal is to show humanity and presence, even if the facts aren’t all in yet. Every story has multiple perspectives. Don’t let yours be missing from the conversation.

2. Time Is Critical

A slow response in a fast news cycle is dangerous. If you wait too long, others will fill in the gaps — often with speculation.

That doesn’t mean you need a perfectly crafted statement right away. But it does mean you need something that signals awareness, accountability and a path forward.

Start with a short holding statement, then build from there as facts emerge. Clarity and speed matter more than polish in these first moments.

3. Always Be Truthful

Even in the middle of chaos, the truth still matters. Now more than ever.

You might not have all the answers, but that doesn’t mean you get to spin the story. Take on the role of internal investigator. What really happened? Who was affected? What steps are already being taken?

Distorting the truth or omitting key facts will only erode trust and escalate the situation. You can be brief and careful without being dishonest.

4. Consider All Audiences

In a crisis, it’s tempting to focus only on external media. But your internal audiences often matter more.

Employees, board members, customers and vendors need to hear from you too. They shouldn’t find out what’s going on from Twitter or the evening news.

Think through who needs to know what, and when. You might release information in a staggered timeline or communicate simultaneously across all fronts. Either way, show the people closest to your organization that they matter.

5. Bring in an Expert (But Don’t Delay)

Some crises are too big to handle alone. If legal exposure is involved or if lives or livelihoods are at stake, you should consult a crisis communication or legal expert.

But don’t let that consultation delay your initial response. You can still share a holding statement or express concern while the experts get briefed. Waiting for them to finish other projects or finalize every line can cost you valuable time and credibility.

Make your move while they’re getting up to speed.

6. Know When to Walk Away

Not every relationship is worth preserving.

If you’re caught in a crisis because of a dishonest vendor, evasive team member or problematic client, it may be time to part ways. Even if you don’t have hard proof yet, your instincts matter.

Disengaging can feel like a financial setback, but protecting your reputation and your peace of mind is almost always the better long-term move.

And remember, integrity isn’t just a talking point. It’s a strategy.

Ethics in Everyday Work: The Crisis Prevention Strategy

Moments of crisis don’t always start with fireworks. They usually start with the small stuff.

That offhand comment that didn’t feel right. The decision to skip a source check. The pressure to spin a stat instead of reporting it accurately.

Ethical missteps don’t just threaten your brand’s image — they weaken your ability to lead in a crisis. If your team knows that accuracy, transparency and ethics are part of your everyday work, it’s much easier to rally around the right approach when something goes wrong.

So yes, these principles matter when the heat is on. But they also matter when you’re drafting a regular blog post, giving a routine interview or choosing how to frame a stat in a sales deck.

Ethics aren’t a reaction. They’re a foundation.

Reactive Doesn’t Have to Mean Chaotic

Let’s be honest: you can’t always be ready. But you can always respond with care, clarity and speed.

The six steps outlined above give you a framework to move through a reactive crisis with your credibility intact — and your values visible.

This post is part of a two-part series on crisis communication. If you’re looking for advice on how to prepare in advance — by creating sample statements, response trees and more — start with this post on proactive crisis communication. Then come back here to learn what to do when the crisis actually hits.

Want more practical tools like this?

You’ll find more in my book, A Practical Guide to Public Relations for Nonprofits, Businesses and PR Leaders.

**Please note that Veracity does not accept clients that are currently under active crisis. We only work with clients that are planning ahead for a change that could unfold into a crisis, such as a sale, management transition or legislation. If a retainer client experiences an unplanned crisis, we are already a member of the team and ready to stand in their corner.**

Turn Crisis Prep Into Powerful Content: How to Fill the Void Before Trouble Hits

by Amy Rosenberg | Aug 7, 2025 | Posts, Public Relations

Most organizations think of crisis communication as something reactive — a scramble to contain bad press or clarify a mistake after the fact. But what if your crisis plan could do more than protect your reputation? What if it could actively generate goodwill, test messaging and even fill the content void that so many organizations struggle with?

Proactive crisis communication isn’t just about damage control. When done right, it’s a powerful way to create meaningful, pre-approved content that builds trust long before anything goes wrong.

This post is part one of a two-part series on crisis communication. Here, we focus on what to do before something goes wrong — how to prepare in advance so you have structure and clarity when a crisis hits. A follow-up post on how to respond in the moment (when the crisis is already unfolding) is coming soon.

Let’s walk through how to do it, starting with the prep work that lays the foundation.

Start with the Real Work: Your Crisis Prep Foundation

Before you can spin gold from your crisis plan, you have to build the structure. This means blocking off calendar time and digging deep into the potential crises your organization may face. Start by:

1. Listing Every Plausible Scenario

From fires and cybersecurity breaches to harassment complaints and legislative changes, outline every issue that could realistically arise. Prioritize them, then commit to tackling one scenario at a time — monthly or every other month.

2. Holding Stakeholder Conversations

When the time comes to work ahead on a specific scenario, gather relevant staff, leaders and partners to answer:

What will be done during the scenario to mitigate damage?
What will be done after the scenario to remedy it?
Most importantly: What’s being done now to prevent it?

These meetings surface essential insights and clarify the who-does-what breakdown. That information becomes the backbone of your communication plan.

3. Creating Response Trees

Map out who will speak to each audience — such as media, staff, customers or partners. Assign backups in case someone is unavailable.

4. Writing Sample Statements

This is where it gets real. Draft:

Internal staff communications
Customer/member/partner emails
Media statements

Make it clear to your team — often and explicitly — that you likely won’t release this media statement or any for that matter. You’re drafting the statement now so you’re ready in case it’s ever needed. But when the crisis hits, you’ll revisit the statement and possibly never even release it, depending on how everything unfolds. This reassurance helps reduce pushback and keeps stakeholders aligned with the plan.

In the statements, leave blanks for names, dates or other details, but write them in a tone and style your organization can stand behind. If a crisis hits and your executive director is out of the country, you’ll be glad these were written, vetted and ready to go.

5. Securing Approvals and Setting Review Cycles

Walk your sample statements through leadership, legal and subject matter experts. Remind everyone that these are living documents and will be reviewed yearly (or more frequently if your team changes) before being released.

With statements for every plausible scenario in place, you’re not just prepared. You’re ready to repurpose that work.

Case Study: Turning Crisis Prep Into Proactive Content

A 120-year-old Oregon manufacturing firm came calling after being placed on a public list by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), flagged for air quality review under the new Cleaner Air Oregon (CAO) initiative.

We approached the prep seriously and methodically — asking our usual questions and identifying the right stakeholders. But in the back of our minds, we were also thinking: can this become content? If we’re doing the work anyway, can we use it to show — not just tell — the public what this company stands for?

The optics weren’t great. Despite being a long-time community employer with excellent wages and benefits, they knew the scrutiny would raise eyebrows. The process to meet new emissions standards would take years.

Instead of waiting for protestors to show up or a negative headline to drop, we began a proactive content campaign, rooted in the crisis prep process:

We started by interviewing engineers, HR reps, and frontline workers to better understand the company’s culture, safety measures, and environmental practices.

Then we created content. Month by month, we rolled out:

Blog posts on employee benefits and safety protections
Social posts highlighting union support and retirement packages
Stories about their recycling initiatives and wetlands conservation

By the time we approached the topic of emissions directly, the community already had context. Readers understood the company’s values, their role in the town and their long-standing commitments to worker well-being.

We got approval along the way. Blog posts weren’t just fluff — they were reviewed by scientists, engineers and the CEO. That meant when we needed a statement, we had approved copy ready to go.

We even pre-negotiated a content rule: If the CEO was unavailable in a crisis, we could pull lines directly from the blog posts for media statements or talking points.

The protest we anticipated never materialized. While we can’t know for sure if the content prevented it, the company was eventually sold — possibly helped by the goodwill and clarity we’d built through our content.

Why This Approach Works

Using crisis prep as a content strategy delivers value whether or not a crisis ever comes:

Builds Trust in Advance: Community members and media see you as transparent, not defensive.
Strengthens Internal Alignment: Spokespeople get comfortable with the messaging long before they need it.
Creates Reusable Language: You have pre-approved copy to pull from under pressure.
Fills the Content Void: It provides a steady flow of relevant, values-driven content in between announcements or campaigns.
Reduces Panic: Your team knows what to say and when, giving everyone peace of mind.

You don’t need to wait for a DEQ call-in or a cyber breach to start. Choose a scenario, schedule a stakeholder meeting, and just begin.

Preparation Isn’t Just Protection — It’s Promotion

Too many crisis plans sit idle, gathering dust in some forgotten folder. But if you treat the process as an opportunity to listen deeply, clarify your values and tell your story early, you can create content that strengthens your organization long before anyone is looking for answers.

Start with the preparation steps, and let them evolve into something more. Because when done right, proactive crisis communication doesn’t just mitigate damage — it fills the void with clarity, leadership and trust.

And if the crisis does hit — especially in a way you didn’t expect — don’t worry. The second post in this two-part series — coming soon — will walk you through how to respond in the moment, even if you’re reacting under pressure.

Want more proven strategies like this?