Handling Bad Publicity

Unfortunately, bad publicity happens.  You and your franchise or company are not perfect.  How many times have we all heard the old adage, "there's no such things as bad press," or at least some spin off of that phrase?  Is that true?  Well, perhaps, but as a Franchise Public Relations Agency, we try our best to keep our clients out of any bad publicity.  If you find yourself or your franchise catching some backlash for a bad move, consider the following steps to help recover:

(1) Develop a plan: Developing a plan should come before you ever encounter a crisis.  You should always be prepared for battle.  Have a step by step strategy outlined and when the time comes and you need to implement it, you will know exactly what steps to take.  Always plan ahead!

(2) Choose a spokesperson:  Appointing a spokesperson is another step that should probably be taken before your franchise or company receives bad press.  Your franchise or company's spokesperson should be someone that is capable of staying calm during media enquiries, can handle pressure and will respond well to difficult questions.  

(3) Keep people informed (to a point!):  This is a tough one!  You've got one of two options typically: A- to speak out or B- stay silent.  The tough part is knowing which way to go.  If you're facing extremely bad publicity for something major, you may want to stay quiet until you've thoroughly thought about how you will address the media and the public.  Typically speaking out is the best way.  Speaking out gives you the ability to try and put out the fire surrounding your franchise or company.  Saying the wrong thing could seal your fate, so proceed with caution.  

(4) Press statement: Preparing a well-thoughtout press statement could really serve you and your franchise or company well during times of crisis.  Why?  Reporters have a knack for finding a story with or without explanation from key members of the company they are writing the story about, so take the initiative to get them the information they are looking for before they create a story with incorrect information.  

(5) Post an explanation: If you feel that it is safe to take matters into your own hands, then use your website to post an explanation.  This will allow you to get your side of the story across to the public directly.  Let the public hear your side of the story.

(6) Find some positive in the negative: While enduring bad publicity, try and find some positive through all the negative.  Perhaps there's a good news angle waiting to be uncovered.  

(7) Consider a PR Firm:  If you and your franchise or company are not currently working with a great public relations company, consider doing so.  A great public relations firm can help you successfully navigate the waters of both good and bad press.  A PR agency can help you complete all of the steps listed above.  

Looking for more tips on how you and your franchise or company should handle bad press?  Feel free to leave a comment or contact us.