Critical Steps to Handle a PR Crisis

A PR crisis can happen to anyone, even the most successful businesses.

In fact, it often happens by accident. Either a campaign is misinterpreted by its audience, or a company fails to recognize a potential issue before it becomes a full-blown crisis.

Other times, competitors employ predatory PR tactics like smear campaigns and fake news to directly undermine a business’s reputation.

As such, a significant element of your PR strategy should be a preparation plan in case you have to deal with something like this.

In this article, we'll unpack the seven essential steps to effectively tackle a PR crisis in 2025.

What is a PR crisis?

A PR crisis is any event or situation that threatens your brand’s reputation in the public eye. It could be a social media backlash, a leaked internal email, a customer complaint that goes viral, or an executive’s offhand comment picked up by the press.

Sometimes, it’s a slow burn, like negative reviews piling up. Others, it’s instant, like a trending hashtag calling your company out.

What makes it a crisis isn’t just bad press. It’s the speed and scale at which the issue spreads, and how it shapes public perception.

If you don’t take control of the narrative quickly, the story'll run without you. That’s when real damage happens: customers churn, partners pull out, and your brand becomes a punchline.

When does a PR crisis occur?

Many negative internal and external attributes of a company are either ignored or swept under the rug. And most of the time, companies successfully run PR campaigns without any major issues.

PR crises tend to hit when you least expect them, but they usually fall into a few familiar patterns:

Public backlash against a campaign or product launch

Think of Pepsi’s infamous Kendall Jenner ad, where she was accused of trivializing the Black Lives Matter movement. What was meant to be inclusive came off as tone-deaf and sparked a global backlash within hours.

Negative press coverage

A single investigative report can snowball into weeks of damage control. Uber, for example, spent years untangling the fallout from stories about toxic workplace culture and executive behavior.

And remember the ex-CEO’s recorded argument with a driver?

Social media scandals

Whether it’s an offensive tweet, a misjudged brand reply, or an influencer partnership gone wrong, social media crises have the potential to go viral instantly. Especially with TikTok and Reels, which are specially designed to push content the more it’s engaged with, it’s possible your negative story is instantly out to millions (with the creators controlling the narrative).

Employee misconduct or misbehavior

Unprofessional behavior by an employee (or group of employees) can lead to public scrutiny and put the company’s reputation at risk.

Employer misconduct

Accusations against leadership — discrimination, harassment, unethical business practices — can drag your entire organization into scrutiny.

Dark PR

Competitors attempting to smear a company’s reputation by spreading false information or rumors is known as dark PR. It can be difficult to fight against and can lead to significant damage if not addressed properly.

How to Beat PR Crisis: 7 Golden Rules

If you want to tackle a problem with your public image, the good news is you can. In some cases, you can even turn bad publicity into an opportunity that can revive your reputation (it's something we've done for clients at Influize).

To beat bad PR, though, you need a plan.

Here are seven critical steps you should take when dealing with a PR crisis:

Evaluate the current situation.

Your first actions after being made aware of the crisis will largely be subjective. There's no right or wrong way to approach a situation, and PR trends aren't always the best guide. To determine the best course of action, you'll need to take stock of the current environment and evaluate the potential risks.

Depending on your situation, there are three different routes you can take: (a) saying nothing, (b) apologizing, or (c) sharing positive information.

Saying nothing

When companies face public backlash for something they did or said, the natural response is to say something in defense. But this could be a mistake if you’re not careful.

There are five reasons why a company's stakeholders might decide to remain silent:

The allegations against them are true, but need further context that can't be provided without first preparing a formal statement.

1. The company is not responsible, but rather it's an individual or group of individuals who are culpable.
2. The company believes that silence is the best approach to protect its reputation, brand, and relationships.
3. The allegations are false, and the company doesn’t want to give them any more attention than they already have.
4. The public is too reactionary and no amount of explanation would satisfy them.
5. Especially in the beginning, many companies find that anything they say can be used against them. To avoid inflammatory and potentially damaging responses, some companies choose to remain silent.

Apologizing

An apology is a powerful tool when it comes to dealing with public criticism. A sincere and heartfelt apology can sometimes be enough to placate the public.

Sometimes, it can be turned into a PR campaign of its own. When KFC ran out of chicken in its UK stores, it released a humorous apology that quelled the public’s anger and earned them more publicity.

It’s essential to make sure your apology is both genuine and honest. It should take responsibility for what happened and express regret for any pain or suffering caused by your actions or words.

It should also include an action plan detailing what you will do to make amends.

In the case of Balenciaga's recent controversy, Kim Kardashian, a high-profile celebrity who has been instrumental in Balenciaga's recent success—came under fire for her silence on the issue. As a close affiliate (and otherwise enormous public figure), people assumed that she would take a dramatic stance on the issue.

Instead, she released this Twitter statement, which came off as insincere. And thousands of respondents felt the same way.

People aren't just looking for an apology. They want to see genuine responsibility and remorse.

Sharing positive information

Some companies choose to share positive information about their brand or product in order to try and quell the negative PR.

This strategy can be effective, as it helps to demonstrate that you’re doing something to fix the problem without further stoking the fire.

However, if your message comes off as tone-deaf or insincere, it can backfire and make the situation worse.

It’s important to be sure that any positive information you share is authentic, relevant, and accurate. For example, instead of simply focusing on how great your product or service is, you should focus on how it can help solve a specific problem or address an issue directly related to the crisis.

Have a crisis response team ready

The worst thing you can do is scramble to figure out who’s in charge. That’s why you need a response team before anything goes wrong.

Think about when United Airlines forcibly removed a passenger from an overbooked flight in 2017. The footage went viral within minutes.

Their initial response? Cold and defensive. It was clear as day they didn’t have a coordinated crisis team in place. The CEO’s apology came after days of backlash, and by then, the brand had taken a massive hit to its reputation and market value.

Here’s who should be on it:

• A PR or communications lead — They’re the one crafting the message, talking to the media, and ensuring nothing off-brand goes out.
• A legal advisor — To make sure your response won’t expose you to lawsuits, fines, or regulatory issues.
• A social media manager — They need to monitor conversations, control the tone, and respond quickly on the platforms where the crisis is unfolding.
• A senior decision-maker — Someone with the authority to approve messaging, issue statements, and pull the plug on whatever caused the crisis in the first place.
• A customer service lead — To handle direct complaints, manage angry DMs, and communicate with affected users or clients.
• An internal communications rep — Your employees need to know what’s happening too. If they hear it from the news first, you’ve already lost control.

This is one of the main reasons you'd want to hire a company like Influize for PR services. We already have a team of go-to people who know exactly what to do when things go sideways. And considering handing it yourself could make matters worse, it's well worth the PR cost.

Measure your PR campaign performance.

Handling a PR crisis isn’t just about reacting, it’s about knowing if your reaction is working.

That’s where performance-based metrics come in. They tell you if your message is landing, your audience is calming down, and your reputation is recovering.

There are several KPIs you should track to measure your PR effectiveness:

• Media coverage sentiment: Are the headlines still negative, or are they starting to shift? At Influize, we use advanced social media monitoring tools to analyze the tone of press coverage.
• Social media engagement: Track mentions, comments, shares, and hashtags. Are people still outraged, or are they engaging with your side of the story? Look at how fast sentiment is changing.
• Share of voice: In the middle of a crisis, your brand isn’t the only one people are talking about. Use tools like Brandwatch or Sprout Social to compare how much of the conversation you own versus competitors or third-party narratives.
• Website traffic and bounce rate: Spikes in traffic to your press release or FAQ page show interest, but if people bounce immediately, they’re not finding what they need.
• Customer service volume: Fewer complaints = progress. If your call center or inbox is cooling down, you’re headed in the right direction.
• Reputation recovery timeline: How long does it take for sentiment to stabilize? This becomes your benchmark for future crises.
• Audience trust signals: Look at survey responses, NPS (Net Promoter Score), or even sales conversions post-crisis. Did the audience forgive you or walk away?

Once you’ve established baseline KPIs, it will be easier to track their progress throughout the campaign.

Carefully craft your message.

Say the wrong thing, and you’ll pour fuel on the fire. Say nothing, and people assume the worst.

Your response needs to hit three things fast:

1. Acknowledge the issue. Don’t dodge it. Don’t sugarcoat it. Say what happened in plain language.
2. Show empathy. If people are angry, hurt, or disappointed, show that you get it. This isn’t the time for legal jargon or canned statements.
3. Take responsibility (when appropriate). If it’s your fault, own it. If it’s not, clarify what you're doing to make it right.

Here’s the basic structure we recommend:

• Opening statement: Acknowledge the situation.
• What you know: Stick to verified facts. No speculation.
• What you're doing: Show action, not just intention.
• Next steps: What people can expect and when.

Tone matters here. Avoid defensive language. Don’t make it about you. And don’t try to spin it—people can tell when you’re posturing.

Bad example:

“We’re sorry if anyone was offended.” (Translation: we don’t actually think we did anything wrong.)

Good example:

“We know our actions caused frustration and concern. We’re making immediate changes to XYZ so that this never happens again.”

Discuss everything with your team.

In a PR crisis, communication inside your organization is just as important as what you say to the public.

A crisis is a time-sensitive situation, so it’s important to respond quickly and accurately. All communication should come from a centralized source in order to ensure accuracy. Creating a centralized space for online communication will also keep everyone on the same page and streamline information sharing.

Here's our process at Influize:

• Hold a quick internal briefing as soon as the crisis breaks. Make sure everyone knows what’s happening and what not to say publicly until you finalize the message.
• Distribute approved messaging (with variations for different channels—press, email, social, internal).
• Assign clear roles so there’s no confusion about who’s handling media inquiries, who’s monitoring online chatter, and who’s talking to customers or partners.
• Keep communication open. As new information comes in, share updates regularly, even if it’s just to say, “We’re still investigating.”

You should also have an established protocol for communicating with external stakeholders, such as customers, investors, partners, and the press. You still want to protect sensitive information. Be upfront about what you can and cannot share while maintaining an appropriate level of privacy.

Distribute your message.

There are two ways you can do this:

• Process, send out your PR, and place your press releases yourself.
• Hire press release distribution services.

The main benefit of the latter option is that a PR firm can help you reach a wide audience. They also provide guidance on crafting effective press releases and offer analytics to track the success of your campaigns.
When distributing your message, also make sure you consider all the appropriate channels, such as social media, email newsletters, blogs, websites, and traditional media outlets.

Develop a PR crisis management plan.

To prep for the future, your PR crisis management plan should include info about where you’ll go for help if a PR crisis arises and how you'll respond to negative press.

Your plan should also outline the steps you need to take in order to prepare for, prevent, react to, recover from, and monitor a PR crisis.

Here's a quick checklist of things to consider when creating your plan:

1. Identify potential risks and establish an emergency contact list.
2. Delegate roles and responsibilities to others in the company.
3. Create a communication strategy for internal and external stakeholders.
4. Develop protocols for press releases, media inquiries, and other forms of communication.
5. Create a tracking system to monitor press coverage and public sentiment.
6. Train staff to handle PR crises promptly and efficiently.

If you follow these steps, you'll be well-prepared to navigate any PR crisis that may arise in the future.