What to Do In a Crisis: A PR CEO’s Guide to Damage Control

Throughout my career as a CEO in the public relations field, I've navigated crises at the highest levels, whether in the world of celebrity, professional sports, CPG, or B2B. Having worked with some of the most complex and high-stakes situations, I understand what it takes to manage a crisis with precision, discretion, and clarity.

I’ve boiled down some of the common denominators and lessons learned from these varied experiences, and am sharing them here, in hopes of helping other business leaders possess the tools and rules necessary to guide their company through a PR crisis with confidence and control. Of course, every crisis is unique, but these are

Rule 1: Act Immediately, Take Ownership

When a crisis hits, time is of the essence. Whether it’s a product defect, a misstep in the public eye, or an internal controversy, acting quickly is essential. Your first step should be to acknowledge the issue openly and honestly.

The moment you recognize there’s a crisis, communicate quickly. Waiting can worsen a situation and hoping it will go away may lead to more reputational damage. The faster a company acknowledges a problem, and takes ownership, the faster they regain control.

Rule 2: Lead on Internal and External Communication, Provide Clear Action Steps

Once you’ve taken ownership, it’s essential to lead the communication efforts. Your customers, employees, and partners need direction – and they need it from the top. This is the moment to take the leadership role, ensuring you are the first to communicate on both the problem and the solution. As relevant, use every communication channel at your disposal – email, social media, press releases, and even direct outreach to key stakeholders.

Guiding a company’s communications through a crisis requires more than just issuing a statement – it’s about providing clear, actionable steps. Whether it’s telling customers to remove a product from their shelves or providing a direct refund path, being the authority on what to do next is the key to maintaining trust.

Rule 3: Prioritize Customer Safety and Proactive Measures

Any response should always prioritize customer safety. In industries like CPG, where health and safety are paramount, a proactive stance can be the difference between a managed crisis and a disaster. When it comes to recalls or public safety issues your communication should:

- Clearly outline how to identify the affected products (e.g., batch numbers, dates)

- Provide immediate steps to remove products from circulation

- Offer solutions like refunds, exchanges, or further customer support

Companies need to employ a proactive approach by leading with safety first and addressing concerns head-on, ensuring that customers understand both the severity of the situation and the steps being taken to resolve it.

Rule 4: Be Transparent, Update Frequently

Silence can be more damaging than the crisis itself. Transparency builds trust, and frequent updates will reassure your stakeholders that you are in control of the situation. Whether you’re dealing with a celebrity scandal or a product recall, ongoing communication is critical.

Regular, transparent updates -- even if just to say, “We’re still investigating” help contain the crisis and prevent speculation. If you don’t provide information, the media and/or worried customers will fill that void, often to the detriment of your company’s reputation.

Rule 5: Offer Solutions

When something goes wrong, accountability is non-negotiable. Acknowledging the problem is just the first step – offering solutions is where true leadership shines. Whether you’re handling a crisis in the B2B space or addressing consumer concerns in a CPG recall, the companies that offer actionable solutions emerge stronger.

Provide clear, accessible ways for your customers to engage with you and resolve their issues. Whether through a dedicated hotline, a refund process, or personal outreach to key stakeholders, offering solutions demonstrates that you care about more than just fixing the immediate problem – you’re invested in the long-term relationship with your audience.

Rule 6: Learn, Reflect, and Strengthen Internal Processes

Once the immediate crisis has been managed, it’s time to assess the root cause and make improvements. Every crisis is an opportunity to strengthen your business. A strong post-crisis analysis is critical to ensure that internal processes are updated and risks are minimized moving forward.

Use this time to reflect on:

- What internal missteps contributed to the crisis?

- How can communication protocols be improved?

- What systems can be put in place to prevent future issues?

Taking these steps not only prevents similar crises but also demonstrates your company’s commitment to continuous improvement.

Navigating Crisis with Leadership and Clarity

Crises are inevitable, but the way you respond can make or break your company’s reputation, and your own. By taking immediate ownership, leading communication efforts, delivering a clear plan of action, and prioritizing transparency and customer safety, you can emerge from a crisis with your reputation -- and your customers’ trust -- intact.

Leadership is about owning the situation, guiding the conversation, and showing that even in challenging times, your company values integrity and accountability. Doing so will help key stakeholders understand that your company, and its leadership, can be trusted.

Need Immediate Crisis PR Support?

If your company is facing a crisis, contact Katy@harmonica.co for expert crisis communication and damage control strategies that can help protect your brand and guide you through any challenge.

Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.

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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.org/MyersBizNet.