Our Crisis Communications Cheat Sheet

Wesley Donehue
Aug 29, 2017 · 3 min read

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been doing what Push Digital does best… creating content. And awesome content that’s all about our specialty: Crisis Communications.

With the current state of American politics and the unforgiving wrath of the public opinion, we thought what better than to launch a blog series about the Push Digital 3 Step System:

  1. Tell it all.
  2. Tell it fast.
  3. Tell the truth.

However, it gets way more complicated than that. Trust us, with our 50+ years of political campaign experience… dealing with a crisis can get pretty messy. So, in case you’re ever in a crunch, we’ve created a comprehensive cheat sheet just for you.

Here is everything you need to know about crisis communications all in one place:

11 Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts

1. Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Own It And Apologize
The first step in responding to a crisis can be the hardest, but you have to do it. Here’s why you need to own your mistakes and then apologize.

2. Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Do The Right Thing
Even if you’re one single person or a corporation with millions of employees, morals can get messy and, for that, we have just one piece of advice.

3. Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Move On
For this crisis communications “do,” we’re taking a tip out of our political campaign rulebook. Use a crisis to pivot and create positive attention.

4. Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Rebuild The Brand
when a company’s world gets rocked with a crisis, that brand gets a black eye and the public sees it. Trust us, it’s never pretty.

5. Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Know The Battlefield
In case you didn’t catch it in our name, Push Digital is a digital firm. Good thing. Because for this Crisis Communications we’re talking digital.

6. Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Know And Label the Opponent
Time, money, communication… this Crisis Communications “Do” gives us another bullet to our list of campaigns and corporation differences: The Opponent.

7. Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Get All The Facts
When you’re hit with a crisis, make sure you get all of the facts. You can’t control the narrative if you don’t even know the story.

8. Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Talk To Attorneys (Sparingly)…
Attorneys are great for keeping you out of jail, but they can also gum up the system. Here’s why you should talk to attorneys sparingly during a crisis.

9. Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Don’t Feed The Trolls. But Do Feed The Beast.
When a crisis hits the internet, you can bet the masses of meme-makers are eagerly standing by to make things worse. Here’s how you can control the trolls.

10. Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Measure Always. Always. Measure.
During a medical emergency, two fingers are ALWAYS on the pulse. And a crisis should be no different. Measure. Re-measure. Adjust. And measure again.

11. Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Have Your Team In Place Before A Crisis Happens
We’re tackling a big topic for the finale of our Crisis Communications Dos And Don’ts: Have your crisis team in place before a crisis happens.

You can become a Crisis Communications Pro thanks to this presentation:

Only have a few minutes? Just reference this cool infographic:

And lastly, we shot this awesome video:

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Wesley Donehue

Written by

Founder and CEO of Push Digital, a political and corporate digital agency. I write about politics and advocacy in the digital space.

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