Safeguarding, restoring and rehabilitating your brand with reactive PR

Yikes. Something's gone awry, and the media are onto it. Whether it's the whiff of a scandal, or you've been plunged into some sort of crisis, journalists are going to be buzzing around you like wasps in a beer garden. They'll have questions, and you need to give them answers that allow them to accurately report the facts, not salacious gossip or or hearsay. That's where reactive PR comes in.

Reactive PR is a critical component of any comprehensive public relations strategy. It involves responding quickly and effectively to unforeseen events or crises that could damage your company's reputation or image - you know, when the brown, stinky, dirty stuff hits the fan and gets sprayed everywhere.

Essentially, reactive PR is about managing unexpected situations to mitigate their impact and protect your brand.

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing world, reactive PR (also known as crisis PR or crisis comms) has become increasingly important. Whether it's a product recall, a negative review, or a social media storm, you need to be prepared to respond in a timely and effective manner to protect your brand and reputation. Failure to do so can lead to lasting damage to your company's image and bottom line.

Benefits of Reactive PR

One of the main benefits of Reactive PR is that it helps you to stay in control of the narrative when unexpected events occur.

By responding quickly and effectively, you can minimise the negative impact of a crisis or scandal and even turn it into an opportunity to showcase your values, transparency, and commitment to your customers.

Another benefit of Reactive PR is that it can help you to build trust and credibility with their audience. By demonstrating that you are willing to take responsibility for your actions and respond to feedback, you can strengthen your reputation and establish yourself as a reliable and trustworthy brand.

Elements of Reactive PR

Effective Reactive PR involves several key elements, including:

Crisis Risk Assessments: Understanding what's most likely to go wrong, whether a crisis or a scandal, so that pre-planned reactions can be developed in advance.

Crisis Communications Plans: It's essential to have a crisis management plan in place before a crisis occurs. This plan should outline the roles and responsibilities of key team members, as well as the steps that need to be taken to manage the situation.

Holding Statements: These are a brief statement issued by an organisation or spokesperson to journalists during the early stages of a crisis or emergency situation. Its purpose is to acknowledge that an incident has occurred, reassure stakeholders that the situation is being taken seriously and indicate that a full response will be provided in due course.

Media Briefings: Inviting journalists to a media event where a spokesperson or group of individuals address them and answer questions on the status of the crisis or emergency situation as more facts become known.

Social Media Updates: Social media enables organisations to keep their broader stakeholders abreast of what's going on during a crisis or scandal and can be very effective at preventing an information vacuum forming that is otherwise filled with unhelpful speculation.