Guide · 5 min read
What counts as a crisis, how to prepare, what to do in the first twenty-four hours, and what makes things worse.
Most startups think about crisis communications the day after they need it. By then the story has a head start. This guide sets out a practical, small-company approach: who decides, what to say first, how to handle the media and your own team, and how to recover. Benedicct PR offers crisis communications and reputation management alongside its core services, and the principles below are the ones to have in place whichever agency you work with.
Crisis communication is the planning and the practice of speaking to the public, the press, customers and staff when something threatens a company's reputation or operations. It covers what you say, who says it, how fast, and through which channel. Many people also search for the meaning in Hindi, as sankat ke samay sahi sandesh dena: giving the right message at a moment of trouble. The idea is the same in any language.
Not every problem is a crisis. The test is whether it could change what customers, employees, investors or regulators believe about you.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Establish the facts | What happened, who is affected, is it continuing? Do not guess in public. |
| 2. Assemble the group | Bring the decision group together and record decisions with times. |
| 3. Protect people first | If customers or staff are at risk, stop the harm before managing the story. |
| 4. Tell the people who matter first | Affected customers, employees and key partners should not learn from the press. |
| 5. Issue a holding statement | Acknowledge, state what you know, say what you are doing, say when you will update. |
| 6. Monitor | Track social media, press and customer messages, and note what is wrong or missing. |
| 7. Update on schedule | Keep the promise of the next update, even if the update is that there is nothing new. |
It names the problem in plain language. It expresses concern for those affected without legal fog. It says what has been done and what happens next. It does not blame, minimise or speculate. If your company is at fault, say so clearly, because audiences are more forgiving of an error than of an evasion.
Journalists need a prompt, factual response. Provide a spokesperson, a statement and a time for the next update. Do not say “no comment”, which sounds like a confession. Instead say what you can say and when you will say more. A pre-existing relationship with editors helps, which is one reason to start media mapping and relationship building before you need it.
When the immediate event passes, explain what changed. Customers and journalists remember the fix as well as the fault. Follow through on commitments, publish what you learned where appropriate, and keep your regular communication going so the crisis does not become the only story about you. A founder with a track record of honest public communication, as described in founder-led PR, starts any difficult moment with more goodwill.
If you want help preparing, see the public relations service page or contact Benedicct PR.
Establish the facts, gather a small decision group, protect affected people, tell the key audiences directly, and issue a short holding statement that says what you know, what you are doing and when you will update.
Avoid it. Say what you can confirm, who is dealing with it and when you will say more.
One named spokesperson, with a backup. Everyone else should direct questions to them to avoid contradictory messages.
Name a decision group, choose spokespeople, write holding statements for likely scenarios, keep a contact sheet and rehearse a made-up scenario twice a year.
Yes. Crisis communications and reputation management are offered alongside Benedicct’s public relations, influencer marketing and LinkedIn work.
The planning and practice of communicating with the press, customers and staff when something threatens a company's reputation or operations, covering what is said, who says it, how fast and where.
A small decision group, named spokespeople, holding statements for likely scenarios, a contact sheet, a list of channels and approvers, and a rehearsal at least twice a year.
Anjali Sehwwag
Founder, Benedicct PR & Brand Building
15+ years in PR & communications · Journalism graduate · Sheffield Hallam University, England. More about Anjali · LinkedIn
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