Crisis Communications: It's Go Time

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Phase II: Point of No Return
This is when you are forced to act. It’s go time. It's your chance to shine.



Be ready. Avoiding the issue will not make the story go away, it will make the story bigger.

In Public Relations A Values Driven Approach, David Guth says accurate and timely communication is key. Stories can go viral in just hours. Janet Harris, of Upstream Analysis, advises her clients, “You can’t be reluctant," miss the early signals of a crisis or take a day to debate before issuing a press statement.

NASA learned this after the Challenger explosion. The agency went silent for five hours after the accident. But nearly 20 years later -- when Columbia broke apart on re-entry -- it declared a “Shuttle Contingency” within 15 minutes.

Don’t Create Your Own Crisis. If you won’t talk, your competition, critics, disgruntled employees or customers will. Recently I reported on how well-prepared area schools were for Swine Flu. One PIO took forever to return calls and then said “everything is on our website.” The plan was a year-old. The second district touted a huge pandemic plan and explained their strategy. On the news that night, the first district wreaked of vulnerability, the second came off smelling like a rose.

Tip: Know Your PR Reputation. This is where the “R” in PR is important. Reporters remember when you blow them off. And if you have earned a reputation as a “useless tool” on daily stories, don’t expect any newsroom favors come crisis time.

Crisis Communications: A Word of Caution

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A Perfect Example of Bad PR

In the middle of the night, the nationwide travel company ceased operations. Tens of thousands of airline passengers who relied on their Verified Identity Pass -- and had paid big money for its service -- were out of luck. The company emailed clients the data was safe, but the money was gone. It then took down its website and stopped answering the phone. As a reporter covering the issue, my only source of information was an evasive email, travel industry critics and upset passengers. There was no one to speak on behalf of the company.

It was a lesson in what not to do.

Crisis Communications 101:

According to Public Relations, a Values-Driven Approach, there are four stages of a crisis:

1. The warning stage: when there is still time to act
2. The point of no return: when the crisis is unavoidable and you are forced to react
3. The cleanup: where you try to minimize damage and move forward
4. Normal: or really, the new normal.

The Warning Stage is the most critical point of a crisis. It is when you have the most power to change the outcome. I have always told PR professionals that the best way to head-off a crisis is to get in front of it.

“During a crisis, many companies are "too slow" to identify that they have a problem, says CUNA's Rick Amme. "It's better to give the media something than nothing and then become road kill… people will want to know when you learned about the problem and what you did to fix it."

TIP: After losing nearly $82 billion and filing for Chapter 11 protection, General Motors launched its Reinvention campaign on Youtube and Facebook. Strategic Public Relations says “The company is being as transparent as possible to tell their story on what’s next.”

And it may be working, Business Week’s Jon Fine reports “GM’s positive mentions online have picked up significantly in the two weeks since the ad began airing.”

When You Don't Want to Talk

Don't "Just Say No"

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Most reporters do not take “no” for an answer … at least not the first answer. So when a reporter calls, consider this before saying “no.”

Will the story go away without you? If not: start influencing it from the beginning. You don't want a reporter talking smack about you/your company for two minutes on the 10pm news and then tag the story with. “The company is not commenting.”

I recently reported on budget cuts for the Sheridan (CO) fire department. The fire fighters didn’t want to talk; fearing negative press might cost them their jobs. But think about it. The city manager was ready to propose cuts before we covered the story. I also reminded the firemen the story was really about THEM and if they wanted public support, the public would need to hear from them. They agreed to talk to us and were pleasantly surprised by the finished product.

If you talk to the reporter, will your interview “give legs” to the story?

When the Denver Nuggets made it to the playoffs, the Pepsi Center reneged on a deal to host a WWE Monday night match. The scheduling snafu blew up into a virtual fist fight between WWE’s Vince McMahon and Stan Kroenke. McMahon, went on a media blitz blabbing about how horrible Kroenke was. Kroenke stayed quiet.

It might have seemed like a flub on Kroenke’s part, but it wasn’t. The Nuggets going to the playoffs was the real story: one Kroenke wanted told. By not commenting, Kroenke didn’t give the story legs. McMahon had the last word, but the next day’s news was about the Nuggets.

The average soundbite lasts about eight seconds, so figure out what your point is and stick to it. Politicians do this all the time. Barack Obama wanted to talk about hope. George W. Bush wanted to talk about security. Steve Forbes focused on the flat tax. Harvard Business Services, Inc, George Merlis suggests two elements: an agenda and the "words that make that agenda come alive."

What are the landmines? What negative spin might the reporter take? Get the facts and have a ready response before going on record.

Keep in mind, most reporters write the facts into their script and save your most emotional soundbite for the piece. Express yourself wisely. Remember when Bill Clinton blew up at FOX News' Chris Wallace? It wasn't what he said that got attention, it was the emotion he showed that made headlines.

Tip: Mark Bernheimer at Mediaworks Resource Group says there are four types of questions you don’t answer: "Questions you don’t know, questions you don’t understand, questions better suited for other people and questions that call for speculation."

Teach the Old Dog Some New Tricks

I recently received a great question from a friend of mine. He manages strategic communications for the city of Marietta, Georgia and wanted to know how to get reporters to start checking the city’s online newsroom.

They need to be retrained.

Reporters like to get the latest information -- straight from the horse’s mouth -- and they want confirmation the information they have is, indeed, the most up-to-date.

If you want reporters to go to your website or online news room, give them something to go there for.

Before you direct media to the site; make sure it is always current. Even if you don’t have a press release to post, post the mayor’s schedule or the day’s major events. Show reporters your site is not an afterthought. A stale site loses credibility.

The Colorado Springs Police Department puts its most recent information on its police blotter. PIO’s continuously refer reporters to the blotter and now many reporters know to check it first.

Next, start promoting your site. Outgoing voicemail messages, emails and other releases should advise reporters to check the website for the latest information. Update posts regularly and indicate when to expect the next. Rather than say, “for the latest city news, visit our online newsroom at..” say, “for the latest on tonight’s State of State address, check our hourly updates online at...” Remember the online newsroom is designed to give news, not fluff. Northwestern University's Rich Gordon says traditional skills are most important.


On big stories, set up a blog and use your resources. According to PRSA Tactics, Northern Illinois University turned to its J-School to update the school's website when a student opened fire on a classroom there in 2008.

In press releases (most are sent via email) include a link to the website. CBS 4News Assignment Editor Misty Montano suggests PR professionals should stop handing out video news releases and mug-shots the old fashioned way. Post video, documents, mugs, etc on the website.

Tip: Establish RSS feeds or email alerts. Will Sullivan at the Poynter Institute suggests using Twitter for breaking news.

Get in on the Action

One of the biggest complaints I hear from public relations professionals is, "How do we get in on the action when the media get focused on one subject?" Pulling a pack of journalists from a big story is like pulling a pack of wolves from fresh prey. The trick is to tie your issue into whatever they are already drooling over.

For example, Denver is a big sports town. When John Elway was quarterback of the Denver Broncos , the city had “Broncos Fever.” And in the middle of a Colorado winter, no one seemed interested in the ski resorts. My sources unsuccessfully pitched me stories. Finally I said, “If it doesn't have something to do with the Broncos, it won’t get on the air.”

A few days later my PR friend called me back: A local artist was carving an image of a Bronco out of an eight-foot-tall block of ice. We did an entire piece on a chunk of ice. Silly, I know. But the ski resort got its mention and we got on the air.

As simple as this example seems, it is entirely relevant. In editorial meetings across the country journalists try to “localize” big stories. Thousands of them sign up for the Poynter Institute's Al’s Morning Meeting, an online column of story ideas for journalists. It helps reporters navigate national and international issues and it suggests how to cover those stories on a local level.

For the past several days, the media have focused on the situation in Iran. Recently CBS4News localized the story by covering an Iranian student at the University of Denver using social networking sites to connect with family in Tehran.

Find out what reporters are already thinking and talking about. Then join -- and try to influence -- the conversation.

Tip: CBS4 Morning News Executive Producer, Duncan Shaw, suggests following and contributing to editorial meetings on Twitter. He says, "If the producers and editors are talking about doing a story on real estate, the PR professional should tweet that they’ve 'got just the agent for you to talk to…'

Pitching to the Right Person

Welcome to “Get on the Air,” a blog designed to help you get your story, your business, your issue or your concern on the air. This website goes beyond how to write a press release. If you are completely new to the game, check out the sample press release at How to Write a Great Press Release: A Sample Press Release Template. Keep the release short and simple. Do not waste the news room’s time.

Keep in mind, however, most news rooms throw out most press releases. To get your story on the air, let’s start with a bit about how news rooms operate.

Most story ideas are discussed and debated during the editorial/assignment meeting. Twice a day, assignment managers, producers, reporters, anchors, news managers and sometimes photographers meet to discuss the news that will go in those shows. Reporters and producers are expected to come with story ideas; everyone is invited to participate. Often times, however, “the desk” (assignment desk manager) pitches most of the ideas.

The assignment desk is the news room’s nerve center. News tips, story ideas and press releases get emailed to the desk. The desk often fishes for and floats around story ideas on Twitter. Most phone calls go to the desk. The desk is the news room’s biggest resource, but not your only one.

If you have an “in” with a reporter or a producer, use it -- wisely. They love going to the meeting with a good story idea nobody else has. But how do you decide whom to send your story to?

TV is a numbers game. It survives on ratings and demographics. Each show is produced with a specific target audience in mind. The goal is to pitch your story to the producer or reporter who is most likely to care about your story. Producers try to carry-over the audience from the preceding program to their show. For example, if Oprah runs from 4pm to 5pm, the producer of the 5pm show will try to keep the Oprah viewers from tuning out. This is why programming is so important. If a station has a good “lead-in,” (the show before the newscast) then (theoretically) many of those viewers will stay tuned for the news cast. So think about which lead-in (and thus newscast) best fits with your subject.

Does your story involve a mystery, intrigue or something that might be relevant to folks heading to work the next morning? If so, your story might “play well” in the later newscast – the one following CSI, Nightline or a similar program. If your story appeals mostly to women or moms, try pitching your idea to one of the early afternoon producers.

And don’t forget the weekend. Often, the person who is producing or working on the desk during the week is not the person who is in charge over the weekend. If you have an event taking place over the weekend, pitch it to the weekend producer.

Tip: Keep in mind that some shows have more time to fill than other shows. Morning and weekend broadcasts typically rely on a smaller staff and there is often less news going on. If you can pitch your idea to one of these shows, you might have a better shot at getting on the air.

Get creative. Morning shows, specifically weekend morning shows, often use a lot of “live” guests. Make this work for you. If you are holding an event (say a dog show) Saturday afternoon, then offer to appear on the Saturday morning news with one of your top dogs. This helps the producer and it gets you on the air.