Every business is going to deal with bad press at one point or another, whether it’s a negative article or a poor customer review. When this situation inevitably arises, it’s important to know how you want to respond and handle it with care.
Bad press doesn’t have to ruin your company’s reputation; you just need to have the correct response at the ready. To help your brand recover from a piece of negative media attention, 13 Forbes Coaches Council members give their best advice below.
- Don’t Get Defensive Or Reactive
The real “win” is not to be right; it is to make this go away. Don’t get defensive or reactive; see if it dies out. Never add fuel to fire by arguing. Individual complaints can be disposed of with a phone call to let them be heard. Extensive matters require patience to learn the extent of an issue. Then, be strategic, calm and apologetic for the missed expectation and reinforce your intended goodwill. – Jacquelyn Van Tuyl, JVSolutions LLC
- Talk About It Internally
Start by ensuring it doesn’t become the elephant in the room internally; talk about it and potentially ask for staff input. Then, address the public perception through a concise, coordinated response. Shortly thereafter, lift the spirits of staff and your public image by doing charitable work. We all make mistakes; turn it into an opportunity to contribute to the greater good. – Devon D’Andrea, Explore Well-Being Co.
- Apologize, Acknowledge And Listen
Apologize, acknowledge the problem, listen to your community and share what you will do to follow up and how you’ll be holding yourself accountable. An apology without action and accountability will feel like an empty promise. How will you work to improve yourself, and what changes will you make in the organization to show that you are serious about fixing the problem you’ve created? – Monica Kang, InnovatorsBox
- Start A Candid Conversation With Customers
Commit to the best interest and safety of your customers. Create a strong line of candid communication. Invest in it, leaning into the problem and the solution. Tylenol did just that when it faced one of the worst PR crises in history in the early 1980s, and it is one of the most trusted brands in existence today. Learn from history. A PR crisis only defines you if you let it. – Brad Federman, PerformancePoint LLC
- Be Accountable, Honest And Authentic
Be accountable, honest and authentic in all of your communications. Make right what went wrong. Stand for being a part of the solution. Instead of damage control, pursue an image upgrade by improving business systems, practices and processes, human resources and all of the components involved that led to the bad press. Owning up, improving and evolving will earn your clients’ and business partners’ respect. – Sharesz T. Wilkinson,The Speech Improvement Company
- Find The Lesson In The Situation
Dealing with bad press is a huge lesson for everyone involved in the organization, but more importantly, it can be a morale booster when done right. When we learn from situations through honest and transparent conversation, we can better understand what occurred and why. Only then can we work on the organization’s future state and seize the tremendous opportunity to strengthen internal relationships. – Izabela Lundberg,Legacy Leaders Institute
- Keep A Level Head
Don’t panic; keep a level head. Stakeholders are looking for a steady hand to guide the ship through these icebergs. Own the mistake. Be accountable for what happened. Prepare your teams. Help them understand the gravity of the situation and the role they play in getting back on track. Then, get out and talk to customers and people who were impacted. Be authentic and let them know how it will be resolved. – Kevin Kan, Break Out Consulting Asia
- Offer A Public Plan To Fix The Situation
Bad press happens when there is a perception that your organization did or said something wrong. The first step to recovery is to own the mistake, apologize sincerely and offer a public plan to fix the situation. Stay away from denial or defensiveness, as it will only prolong the negative story and cause people to question your intentions. Ignoring bad press won’t make it go away. – Mari Carmen Pizarro, Whole Leadership Systems
- Amplify What You’re Doing Right
Recovering from bad press is simple. If it’s true, admit it, quit it and commit to doing better. Make the changes you are executing to correct your missteps public. When possible, amplify the things you’re doing right, but do not make the mistake of bringing more attention to yourself by trying to dodge the issue. If it’s not true, ignore it. Time answers all things. The truth can withstand inquiry. – D Ivan Young, Dr. D Ivan Young
- Get Ahead Of The Bad Press
It is critical to get ahead of the bad press right away. Letting it fester is the worst outcome! Apologize, offer the appropriate mea culpa and mean it. And clearly convey your message internally; all employees need to be in the know here and, most importantly, feel supported. Then, find the cause and make the corrections. – Ash Varma, Varma & Associates
- Be Intentional And Strategic In Telling The Truth
To recover from bad press, leaders must be intentional and strategic in telling the truth about what happened. Honesty, humility, discipline, responsibility and accountability all play a role in regaining credibility and brand equity in the market. Demonstrating a commitment, communicating periodically and strategically on the progress of change and engaging with stakeholders are key to recovery. – Lori Harris, Harris Whitesell Consulting
- Rebuild Your Brand With Good Press
Own up to it and apologize. Don’t find excuses; don’t push the blame. Taking responsibility goes a long way toward fending off “attackers” who are inflamed by your bad press. When the storm blows over, it’s time to rebuild your brand through a series of good stories about your company in the news. If you are consistently getting bad press, then you need to review the issue at its core. – Chuen Chuen Yeo, ACESENCE
- Hire A Professional PR Firm
Facing bad press in the current climate is not weathered in the same way it could have been previously. If facing bad press, you need to immediately get a professional PR firm on it to coordinate your messaging and help you get out in front of the problem. The goal is to start getting good press as quickly as possible. – Jon Dwoskin, The Jon Dwoskin Experience
To see the original article, visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2021/06/25/13-ways-for-companies-to-successfully-recover-from-bad-press
Have any tips you’d like to share? Let me know! I’d love to learn from you.
With love,
Mari Carmen
