What do you say in a crisis?
Something has happened and something must be said — what do I write? The most expensive minutes in a crisis are the ones spent staring at a blank page. 🗣️
A good crisis statement is not long. It has four parts, and all of them fit into a few sentences.
Short answer: acknowledgement, impact, action, channel. Without these four, the text is not a statement but a defence. ✅
The four parts
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- Acknowledgement
- Impact
- Action
- Channel
In order, and short. 🧱
Acknowledgement
What happened, in one sentence. Vague language (“some disruptions”) shakes trust even more. 📌
Impact
Who was affected, and how? Minimising the impact turns the affected person against you. 👥
Action
What are you doing now and what will you do? Dated and concrete convinces. 🔧
Channel
Where should an affected person go? A statement without a channel leaves the burden with the customer. 📩
What should the language be?
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- Plain and short
- Active, not passive
- No corporate clichés
- No promise you cannot keep
Three rules, in every sentence. ✍️
Plain and short
A long text is not read but quoted — and its worst sentence gets quoted. ✂️
Active, not passive
Not “mistakes were made” but “we made a mistake”. Language that takes responsibility shortens the crisis. 🎯
Related reading from the archive: brand voice and tone · social media crisis management.
No corporate clichés
“Customer satisfaction is our priority” says nothing and invites mockery. 🚫
No promise you cannot keep
A commitment you cannot honour prepares the second crisis. ⚠️
When is it said?
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- While things are unknown
- The first few hours
- At the promised time
- The closing statement
Speed alone is not enough. ⏱️
While things are unknown
Do not wait for everything: “We are aware, we are reviewing, we will update this evening” is a valid statement. 🔎
The first few hours
The longer the silence, the more the narrative is built by others. 🕐
At the promised time
If you said “this evening”, you post this evening. A missed promise doubles the crisis. 📅
The closing statement
When the crisis ends, say that it has ended; a matter left open comes back. ✅
Where is it said?
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- The main channel
- A permanent page
- Direct contact
- Internal briefing
Where the crisis lives. 📍
The main channel
The medium where it spread. A reply given elsewhere is not seen. 📱
A permanent page
A dated statement page on the site; it becomes the reference in search and in the days that follow. 🌐
Direct contact
Email or messages to those affected. A public statement does not replace individual notification. ✉️
Internal briefing
What will the person in the field say? Without an internal text the external one is incomplete; the structure sits in the who protects the brand guide. 👥
A ready template
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- A text with blanks
- An approval chain
- Anticipated questions
- Forbidden phrases
Not written during a crisis, filled in. 📋
A text with blanks
The four parts wait with blank fields. Filling them takes ten minutes. 📝
An approval chain
Who writes, who approves, who publishes? Three names are known in advance. ✅
Anticipated questions
Answers to the questions that will come are written beforehand; the team uses the same sentence. ❓
Forbidden phrases
A list of what not to say: blame, speculation, unkeepable promises. One page. 🚫
What should I do today?
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- Step 1: write the four-part template
- Step 2: set the approval chain
- Step 3: draw up the forbidden phrases
- If you want help
Three steps, one hour. 🪜
Step 1: write the four-part template
Acknowledgement, impact, action, channel. Prepared with blanks. 📝
Step 2: set the approval chain
Writer, approver, publisher. With names. ✅
Step 3: draw up the forbidden phrases
Five items is enough. In a crisis this list is the most useful thing you have. 🚫
If you want help
Let us prepare your crisis template: use the consult your expert form. For your digital assets see the brand digital audit; the whole sits on the brand consulting page. 🎯
📝 Notes From the Field
During a delivery failure, the first draft ran to four paragraphs and most of it was explanation. It was cut to four parts: what happened, who was affected, what we are doing, where to write. The text came down to five lines and the questions arriving that day halved — because the answers were already in it.
📖 Short Glossary
Four parts: the acknowledgement-impact-action-channel structure. Interim statement: the “we are aware” note issued before information is complete. Approval chain: the people who write, approve and publish the text. Forbidden phrases: the list of sentences never used in a crisis text.
⚡ Quick Summary
A crisis statement has four parts: acknowledgement, impact, action, channel. 🗣️ The language is plain, active and cliché-free. An interim statement is made before everything is known, and the promised time is kept. It is posted where the crisis spread, kept on a permanent page, and the template is prepared beforehand.
🎯 Next Step
Let us prepare your crisis template: use the consult your expert form. The silence decision sits in the silence or respond guide; for an asset sweep see the brand digital audit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sık Sorulan Sorular
Wording that admits fault can be used in some circumstances, so in serious incidents the text is written with a lawyer. Expressing regret for a bad experience, however, is not the same as admitting fault.
The designated spokesperson signs on behalf of the company. In major incidents a signature from senior management raises trust; putting the founder forward in every crisis raises expectations instead.
Both: if the crisis spread on social media, reply there and keep the same text on a dated page on your site. The permanent page becomes the reference in the following weeks.