At 7:13 pm, when an alert pops up and your inbox overflows, an effective crisis communication strategy becomes your lifeline. A delayed response doesn’t just look bad — it can tarnish your reputation.
Two-thirds of consumers say they won’t shop with a company that handles a crisis poorly — but nearly nine in ten will stick with a brand that handles it well.
Whether it’s a data breach, a supply chain failure, or even a PR scandal, a solid plan helps you act fast. In those chaotic moments, take the following steps to make smart decisions that protect your reputation and maintain trust.
5 Crisis Communication Strategies
1. Assess the Situation
- Decide who will speak for the company and approve messages. Make sure they can answer tough questions consistently.
- Weigh legal risks before you decide how much detail to share.
- Notify the right people first: Employees, clients, regulators. Missed priorities can escalate the crisis. (Though 59 percent of consumers prefer to hear from a CEO, it isn’t always necessary, especially if leadership caused the issue.)
- Decide whether to respond immediately or wait for confirmed facts. Keep in mind regulatory deadlines and industry rules, which often shrink your time window.
Ideally, you’ll have already done a risk assessment: research on similar incidents to determine your vulnerabilities, or have brainstormed scenarios that could affect your organization.
2. Keep Your Messaging Clear
When you’re under pressure, avoid overwhelming your readers with too much information.
- Address what happened, what’s being done, and what stakeholders should do next with warmth and humanity. Use:
- Images, infographics, or video in place of long text.
- “I” less and “you” more.
- Short words, sentences, and paragraphs. Keep the content scannable.
- Tell what to do — don’t theorize; as appropriate, offer step-by-step strategies, checklists, or frameworks
- When it’s possible, show how your solution reduces risk, protects reputations, or speeds recovery.
- Admit mistakes and when you don’t have all the facts, but balance with legal considerations. Be accessible.
- Show empathy. Concerns about legal liability can keep you tight-lipped about apologies, as they can imply accepting responsibility.
Many templates tell you what to say, but not how. In an emergency, standard rules sometimes fly out the window. Balance authority, empathy, and urgency so people listen and act.
Describe how your business or organization has adapted. Note the trying situation in your emails, social media or blog posts, policy updates, etc., and how you’re responding to it. Not doing so can come across as insensitive or being out of touch.
Example: Healthcare practice (patient notice):
Subject: Patient privacy update — please read
- What happened: We discovered unauthorized access that affected some patient records.
- What we’re doing: Investigating, notifying HHS as required, and notifying affected patients within 60 days.
- What you should do: If you receive a notice, follow the instructions and contact our patient helpline at [number].
3. Choose the Right Channels
- Match emails, internal memos, press releases, and social media to the audience (executives, PR teams, HR, or customer support)
- Ensure consistency across communications.
- Address unique pain points in decision-making
- Provide custom solutions, not generic guidance
Ask questions. Provide help or information. This is a great time to feature others’ stories about how they’re dealing with the crisis. Reassure readers that though we’re traveling new terrain, we’ll reach the destination together, and you’ll be ready to help them then and now.
For international audiences, consider cultural differences and local contexts. Tailor your messaging to diverse audiences and age groups.
Example: Attorneys:
- Internal: Manager or managing partner → all attorneys and staff via secure intranet/email.
- Clients: a secure email or encrypted portal message to affected clients; phone calls for major issues.
- Public/media: only if the matter is public or likely to be reported: issue a limited press statement. Route media to a designated spokesperson.
4. Act Quickly and Confidently
- Time matters. Delayed communication can worsen the crisis.
- Show calm, authority, and transparency in every message.
- Address the negative outcomes of a poor crisis communication strategy (lost clients, reputation damage, regulatory penalties). Clarify why it’s wise to act now
Track media coverage: Tools like sentiment analysis and real-time monitoring can flag issues before they explode. Automated alerts and faster, data-driven crisis response decisions improve communication speed and accuracy.
Example phrasing: External (public/social):
We’re aware of a security breach that affected a limited number of customers. In response, we’ve activated our incident team, engaged forensics, and will provide an update by [time/date]. For immediate assistance, contact [secure channel].
5. Follow Up and Reinforce Trust
- Provide updates and share progress and the lessons you’ve learned.
- Rebuild credibility and reinforce confidence with case studies, examples, or client stories
- Add industry references or metrics to support your recommendations
- Triple-check your data to enhance your credibility.
Example phrasing:
Our clients who used this framework avoided costly media backlash and regained trust in 48 hours.
IBM research estimates the average global cost of a data breach at roughly $4.4 million USD and that it takes months to identify and contain breaches, which can sink business and reputation.
Leaders who succeed don’t stop at the crisis — they follow up with progress and the lessons learned to enhance trust. Consumers increasingly expect brands to align crisis communication with ethical, environmental, and social responsibility, and communicate regularly even during trying times.
Having a crisis communication strategy in place is one thing; communicating it effectively is another. Showing a unified front ensures you reach the right clients, employees, and vendors.
A writer experienced in handling crisis communications and customer complaints can advise you on what to say and how to say it — with or without a template. Because formulas don’t always apply to every emergency.
Learn how to create content that connects with clients who value and respect you and your business
How does your business prepare in a crisis? Leave a comment.
QUOTES
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” ~ Peter Drucker
“Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.” ~ Niels Bohr
