No organisation is immune to PR crises. Whether it’s a negative regulatory report, a data breach, an operational failure or customer backlash , even organisations with the best intentions will likely find themselves needing to respond to criticisms at some point. Effective crisis communications is critical in the moment, but what happens after the initial response is issued is just as important. While it is also true that organisations with a strong reputation are typically resilient to crises if handled well, rebuilding trust remains an essential part of the recovery process.
PLMR has experience supporting clients across diverse sectors at every stage of reputation management, and here are some top tips to help you navigate what can be a difficult journey.
Strengthen Your Crisis Preparedness for the Future
A crisis can be an invaluable learning experience if organisations take the time to reflect and improve their preparedness. Once the immediate fallout has been addressed, it’s crucial to review what happened, how it was handled, and what can be done better next time.
This can include holding a debrief to assess what worked well and what didn’t by reviewing media coverage to evaluate wider impact, analysing internal response times and identifying any gaps in communication. You may find that this leads you to update your existing crisis communications protocol, or to media train your key spokespeople to ensure they are prepared to handle tough questions from journalists and communicate with confidence.
Repair Relationships with Key Stakeholders
A PR crisis does not just impact an organisation’s external image, but it can also damage relationships with regulators, partners, employees, or even politicians. To address this, proactive engagement is necessary to restore confidence and offer reassurance that lessons have been learnt.
Stakeholders want to know that their concerns are being heard and taken seriously, so it’s a good idea to reach out directly to them to demonstrate transparency and accountability, and let them know about the changes you are implementing in response to the crisis. To ensure your communications are suitable, you should personalise your outreach to different stakeholder groups who may have distinct concerns. You can also offer to meet with them in order to highlight your willingness to maintain open and proactive communication channels.
Shift the Narrative with Positive PR
Finally, after evaluating your crisis communications protocols and reassuring stakeholders, you should work to secure positive media coverage and thought leadership opportunities in order to shift the narrative and restore credibility.
To be successful, your positive PR efforts should feel genuine rather than merely reacting to negative press. To achieve this, you can focus on the positive impact that your organisation is having on others, for example by spotlighting case studies or showcasing internal data or research. If any of your spokespeople have been directly involved in the crisis, you may wish to consider putting forward other senior leaders, at least in the short term, before starting to rebuild their reputation in the medium to long term.
If your organisation has strong existing partnerships with other businesses, it is worth exploring joint PR opportunities, as having other companies positively mention you will be seen as more credible.
The crisis may be over, but reputation management is an ongoing process. By taking a strategic, long-term approach to recovery, your organisation can not only regain trust but also strengthen its resilience for the future. At PLMR, we specialise in reputation management, helping businesses rebuild credibility and reshape narratives.
