It's 9 AM on a Tuesday.

You check your phone and see 47 new Instagram mentions. Your stomach drops. Someone screenshotted an old post from your employee that's... not great. Twitter is having a field day. Your DMs are flooding with angry messages.

This is a social media crisis. And you have about 24 hours to contain it before it becomes permanent damage.

Here's what you need to know.

What Counts as a Crisis?

Not every negative comment is a crisis. A crisis is when:

  • Volume spikes - More than 5-10 negative mentions in an hour
  • Spread is accelerating - People are screenshotting and sharing
  • Mainstream attention - Journalists or influencers are getting involved
  • Business impact - Customers are canceling orders or demanding refunds
  • Employee involvement - Current or former staff are posting publicly

One angry customer leaving a bad review? That's customer service.
Ten customers posting the same complaint and tagging news outlets? That's a crisis.

The First Hour: Assess and Pause

Step 1: Stop posting scheduled content

If you have posts scheduled to go out, pause them immediately. A cheerful "Happy Tuesday!" post in the middle of a PR crisis makes you look tone-deaf.

Step 2: Screenshot everything

Save the original post, all responses, and any evidence you might need later. People delete things. You need the record.

Step 3: Assemble your crisis team

  • Business owner or decision-maker
  • Someone who knows the facts
  • If serious: a lawyer (yes, really)

Step 4: Determine severity

Ask yourself:

  • Is this factually accurate or misinformation?
  • Did we actually mess up, or is this a misunderstanding?
  • Is this illegal, unethical, or just unpopular?
  • How many people are genuinely upset vs. performatively outraged?

Don't respond yet. You need answers first.

The Response Framework

Your response strategy depends on whether you actually did something wrong.

If You Messed Up (And You Know It)

1. Acknowledge quickly

Post within 2-4 hours. Silence is interpreted as guilt or indifference.

Template:

"We're aware of [the issue]. We're taking this seriously and looking into what happened. We'll have more information by [specific time]."

2. Apologize sincerely

Not "We're sorry if anyone was offended" (that's not an apology).

Try: "We made a mistake. [Specific thing we did wrong]. That's on us, and we're sorry."

3. Explain what you're doing about it

People want accountability, not excuses.

Example:

"We've removed the post, spoken with the team member involved, and we're reviewing our social media guidelines to make sure this doesn't happen again."

4. Follow through publicly

Don't just promise change and disappear. Update your audience when you've actually done the thing you said you'd do.

If It's Misinformation

1. Correct it calmly

State the facts without being defensive.

Example:

"We've seen posts claiming [X]. Here's what actually happened: [Y]. We have [evidence/receipts] if needed."

2. Don't amplify the false narrative

You don't need to quote the lie verbatim in your response. Just state the truth clearly.

3. Reach out to the original poster directly (if possible)

Sometimes a private conversation resolves things faster than a public fight.

If It's a Misunderstanding

1. Clarify without condescension

"Actually, we never said that. Here's what we meant: [...]"

2. Acknowledge the confusion

"We can see how this was misinterpreted. Let us clarify..."

What NOT to Do

Don't Delete and Pretend It Didn't Happen

The internet never forgets. Screenshots exist. Deleting makes you look guilty.

Exception: If the post is genuinely harmful (doxxing, hate speech), delete it and publicly explain why you deleted it.

Don't Argue with Strangers

You will not win a Twitter fight. Ever.

Respond once with facts, then stop engaging. Let your statement speak for itself.

Don't Use Canned Corporate Language

"We take this matter very seriously and are committed to our core values of excellence and integrity..."

This means nothing. Say what you're actually doing in plain English.

Don't Blame Your Audience

"People are overreacting" is not a defense. If people are upset, they're upset. Deal with the reality, not the version of reality you wish existed.

Don't Let Your Employee Respond Emotionally

Your team is human. They're stressed. They want to defend themselves.

But emotional responses in the moment make things worse. One person should be in charge of public communication.

The 24-Hour Action Plan

Hour 1-2: Assess and decide

  • Pause all scheduled content
  • Gather facts
  • Determine if it's a real crisis

Hour 2-4: Initial response

  • Post a holding statement
  • Acknowledge you're aware and taking it seriously
  • Promise an update by a specific time

Hour 4-12: Investigation

  • Talk to everyone involved
  • Get legal review if needed
  • Draft your full response

Hour 12-24: Full response

  • Post a detailed statement
  • Include what happened, what you're doing, and when you'll follow up
  • Respond (briefly) to top concerns in comments

Day 2-7: Follow-through

  • Update when you said you would
  • Implement the changes you promised
  • Monitor for ongoing issues

Crisis Prevention (The Boring Stuff That Saves You)

Most crises are preventable. Here's how:

1. Have a Social Media Policy

Every employee who posts on behalf of your brand needs to know:

  • What's okay to post
  • What topics to avoid
  • Who approves content
  • What to do if something goes wrong

2. Set Up Monitoring

Use tools (or just Google Alerts) to track:

  • Your brand name
  • Your products
  • Your employees' names (if they're public-facing)
  • Common misspellings

The earlier you catch something, the easier it is to manage.

3. Pre-Write Crisis Templates

You don't want to be drafting your first apology in the middle of a meltdown.

Have templates ready for:

  • Holding statements
  • Apologies
  • Corrections
  • Service outages
  • Employee incidents

Customize them when needed, but don't start from scratch.

4. Know When to Bring in a Lawyer

If your crisis involves:

  • Potential lawsuits
  • Threats of violence
  • Allegations of illegal activity
  • Employee whistleblowing

Stop. Do not post anything without legal review.

Using Broadr During a Crisis

When you're in crisis mode, the last thing you want is to manually pause posts on 5 different platforms.

With Broadr:

  • Pause all scheduled content across every platform with one click
  • Draft your response and schedule it to go live at the same time everywhere
  • Monitor mentions without jumping between apps
  • Resume normal posting when the crisis is over

We built it for creators who don't have PR teams. Sometimes that means helping you post consistently. Sometimes it means helping you stop posting at exactly the right moment.

The Truth About Crises

Most social media crises blow over in 3-5 days if you handle them correctly.

The ones that stick around? Usually because the brand:

  • Ignored it and hoped it would go away
  • Responded defensively instead of owning the mistake
  • Made promises they didn't keep
  • Kept making the same mistake

Handle it fast, handle it honestly, and handle it once. Then move on.

Your audience has a short memory. Give them a reason to forgive you, and most of them will.