Are You Prepared for a PR Crisis?
Use this quick readiness check to confirm triggers, roles, approvals, channels, and drills—then close gaps fast.
What readiness looks like
- Triggers: Clear thresholds and who can activate.
- Ownership: Named leads with backups and on-call numbers.
- Approvals: Timeboxed review path with alternates.
- Message kits: Press, customers, employees, and social templates.
- Channels: Source-of-truth page and cadence rules.
Quick readiness checklist
- [ ] Written plan in a shared, searchable location
- [ ] Role matrix with backups and after-hours contacts
- [ ] Approval path with time limits and alternates
- [ ] Preapproved statements by scenario and audience
- [ ] Monitoring/escalation playbook and ownership
- [ ] Trained spokespersons and media policy
- [ ] Single source-of-truth page template
- [ ] Tabletop exercise completed in last 12 months
- [ ] Post-incident review with tracked KPIs
- [ ] Vendor/partner communications covered
Benchmarks to track
| Metric | Formula | Target/Range | Stage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to first statement | Minutes from trigger | 30–60 | Activation | Release minimal viable facts |
| Update cadence | Posts per hour/day | Hourly→Daily | Stabilize | Adjust by severity |
| Channel consistency | Aligned vs. conflicting posts | 95%+ | All | Cross-check copy snippets |
| Employee comprehension | Quiz score after update | 85%+ | Internal | Sample critical teams |
| Postmortem latency | Days to review | ≤14 | Recovery | Feed plan updates |
How to validate and improve readiness
Crisis readiness is operational, not theoretical. Confirm activation criteria and decision authority, then verify your role matrix, backup coverage, and after-hours contacts. Ensure your decision tree, legal review rules, and message kits are current. Maintain a source-of-truth page template and a publishing workflow across press, website, email, social, and customer portals. Drill the plan twice per year with realistic injects and timeboxed approvals, and measure response time, cadence, consistency, and employee comprehension. TPG POV: treat crisis comms as a governed workflow inside your RevOps stack—codify rules, automate distribution, and drill until it’s muscle memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Communications leads; executives decide; Legal and HR co-review; channel owners publish.
Twice per year and after major org, product, or regulatory changes.
Yes—by scenario and audience to accelerate review and ensure consistency.
A shared content hub, monitoring/alerting, press room templates, and a distribution workflow in your marketing stack.
Build the role matrix, approval path, and top three scenario templates first; schedule a tabletop within 30 days.