The First 24 Hours of a Reputation Crisis: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hour one: assess, don't react. What exactly was said, where, by whom, and how fast is it spreading? Screenshot everything — content gets edited and deleted.

Hours two through six: assemble your response team and freeze scheduled content. A cheerful pre-scheduled promo post during a crisis reads as tone-deaf at best.

Hours six through twelve: decide your posture — respond, correct, or hold. Not every fire needs fuel; some stories die precisely because no one amplified them.

Hours twelve through twenty-four: if you respond, be fast, factual, and human. Acknowledge what's true, correct what's false, and commit only to what you'll actually do.