5 Tips on How to Handle Negative Publicity

Nobody wants to receive negative publicity for their company. It's not ideal, but you need to prepare for the situation if it should occur.

An effective way to handle negative publicity I s to issue a statement with a press release.

Your press release is a powerful piece of content. It will help you clearly and effectively express your position on the situation.

If your company gets bad publicity, use press releases to talk to your customers and the media. It's an effective way to protect your brand.

When drafting this type of press release, consider these five tips.

5 Tips on How to Handle Negative Publicity

Don’t play the quiet game

There’s a time and place for the quiet game. Like when your kid asks for a snack at least 100 times in a row.

But, when it comes to negative publicity, silence will only attract more negativity.

If your brand receives negative attention, you should be prepared to answer the public's questions. You can do this by issuing a fact-based press release.

Get the story straight

Before sending a press release, slow down, collect all the facts, and play the devil’s advocate to identify any weaknesses in your response.

This will help you rise above the problem, see the big picture clearly, and craft your response accordingly.

Don’t point fingers

Taking accountability for negative publicity is difficult but necessary. Though you'll want nothing more than to crawl in a hole and come out Scot free, that's not how it works.

When you address the problem, never point fingers. It’ll only make your brand look worse.

Take responsibility for the position your brand played in the problem and again, address the situation with facts.

Taking responsibility instead of blaming others will improve your credibility and minimize harm to your reputation.

Stay focused

Own the problem instead of diverting the public’s attention with another topic.

If you veer off topic, it’ll make it seem like your brand’s avoiding the issue, covering something up, or simply not taking any accountability for the problem.

Address the issue and stick to the facts when addressing the public.

Move Forward

In a way, negative publicity is like a roadblock. It gives you a chance to readjust your strategy and look ahead to the future.

When faced with bad press, lean on these tips and then share your vision with your audience.

Including your thoughts on the future and how your brand will grow from this situation layers positivity and authenticity into your response.

Share the steps your brand will take to prevent it from happening again in your press release.

Yes, words matter, and press release distribution amplifies your response to your target audience and the media. But always follow those words with actions that align with your intentions.

Do you need help with your press release distribution?

Check out our press release services and explore our free press release template to get started.The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.