Crisis PR and crisis communications from first call to final follow-up
People come to us at every stage of a crisis. A journalist may have made contact, private information may be about to appear online, or your name may already be everywhere for the wrong reasons. Sometimes nothing is public yet, but you know it might be.
We work out what’s happening, what needs attention first and what can safely wait. Then we take care of the PR response, stay involved and adapt the strategy as things change.
Some situations need a few hours of help. Others need support over several weeks or months. Either way, you’ll know what’s happening, what we’re doing about it and what’s likely to happen next.
Founder Lauren Beeching featured in a one-hour discussion on Sky News, exploring the complexities of crisis PR.
How we can help
Managing an active crisis
When a situation is already moving, we assess how far it has spread, who’s driving it, whether journalists are involved and where it’s likely to go next.
We separate what needs an immediate response from what only feels urgent because it’s loud. The first aim is to stabilise things and stop rushed decisions creating a second problem.
Handling journalists and press enquiries
We deal with journalists and editors for you, establish what they intend to publish and work to their deadlines.
That can include providing evidence and context, preparing responses, challenging inaccuracies and making sure legal developments are reported properly. You’ll always know what’s being said on your behalf, but you won’t be left to manage the press yourself.
Crisis preparation
If nothing is public yet, this is when you have the most options. We assess where the risk may come from, who’s likely to become involved and what should be prepared now.
That might mean preparing statements, speaking to a journalist before publication, coordinating with lawyers or planning for an allegation, legal development or leak. Sometimes the best work happens early enough that the public never knows there was a crisis at all.
Crisis statements and interviews
We prepare statements, holding lines, interview answers and responses for different audiences.
Not every allegation needs a statement, and not every journalist needs the longest possible account of events. Sometimes speaking quickly helps. Sometimes saying nothing is the safest decision. The strategy depends on the facts, the audience and what’s most likely to happen next.
Allegations and legal matters
We work with allegations that are true, false or somewhere in the complicated middle.
When solicitors, regulators or the police are involved, we work alongside the legal team so the legal and public responses support each other. A legally safe statement can still damage your reputation, while a strong public response can cause problems for a live case. Both need to be considered.
Online backlash and cancellation
We look at where the criticism began, who’s driving it and whether it’s really spreading across TikTok, Instagram, X, Reddit, Tattle, gossip forums, YouTube, Facebook or comment sections.
Depending on what we find, we may prepare a response, correct false information, report harmful content or recommend leaving it alone. Not every angry post is a crisis, and responding as though it is can turn it into one.
Leaks and private material
If private messages, photographs or documents have been released or may be, we assess the risk and prepare for what could follow.
Where action can be taken before publication, we take it. Where publication can’t be prevented, we make sure there’s a clear response ready and that decisions aren’t made in a panic.
Reputation repair across Google, search results and AI
A crisis doesn’t end when the coverage slows down. Months or years later, an employer, client, investor or journalist may still search your name and find an inaccurate or outdated version of events.
We work on press corrections, legal updates, and removal and de-indexing where there are proper grounds. We also use SEO and accurate source material to improve what appears on Google and what AI tools say about you.
Nobody can rewrite Google or an AI answer overnight. What can change is the information feeding them, and the picture people find over time.
How working with us works
Start with a free introductory call. This is a short call with Lauren to understand what’s happening and see whether we can help. You don’t need to have every fact organised. It isn’t an advice session, but if you’d like Lauren’s advice without ongoing support, you can book a one-hour session.
Lauren will explain how we can help. She’ll tell you what support would involve. If you don’t need crisis PR, or you need a lawyer first, she’ll say so.
We agree the plan and the fee. Work begins once both are agreed and payment has been made.
We stay with you. Lauren remains your main contact, so you can ask questions, check in and WhatsApp her when something changes. We take as much of the practical pressure away as we can, and work through it with you until things are stable.
“Before I found Lauren, I spoke to a PR firm that honestly just made me feel worse... She told me she could probably handle it in three days, and she did.”
“I trusted her from day one, and I honestly don’t think I could’ve got through that time without her.”
What if the situation is complicated?
Most are… We work with people who’ve done nothing wrong, people who’ve made mistakes and people whose situation can’t be neatly explained in a headline. You don’t need to persuade us you deserve help before we’ll listen.
The internet often reaches a conclusion before the facts are in, and the press can get important details wrong. Dates, charges and outcomes are misreported, and the original allegation often gets far more attention than what eventually happened. Correcting the record isn’t the same as concealing the truth.
Direct and confidential
Your situation isn’t passed around a large agency team, and identifiable details are never used for publicity without your explicit permission. If you’d prefer, an NDA can be signed before we discuss anything in detail.
Most new clients come through personal recommendations and word of mouth. We don’t publish client lists or detailed case studies, because discretion is part of the service.
Experience across press, search and social media
Modern reputational crises rarely stay in one place. A newspaper article becomes a TikTok, the TikTok becomes a Reddit thread, and all of it can end up in Google results or an AI answer.
Our experience covers press relations, crisis communications, social media, online reputation management and SEO, so we can look at the whole situation rather than one platform at a time.
Lauren is a regular crisis PR commentator for BBC News, Sky News, ITV and Channel 4, and has contributed to publications including The Sunday Times and The New York Times. She has also advised television productions and spoken about crisis communications at universities and industry events. That means we know how journalists, producers, platforms and online audiences behave when a story is moving quickly.
Who we work with
We work with public figures, founders, creators, politicians, people in sport and entertainment, brands and organisations. We also work with people who’ve never been in the public eye and never expected to need crisis PR.
Honest London is based in London and supports clients across the UK, United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Whether you’re looking for a crisis PR agency in London or a crisis PR firm in the US, most situations can be managed remotely, and Lauren can travel when in-person support is needed.
How much does crisis PR cost?
It depends on the urgency, the complexity and how much support you need.
Introductory call: free. This is a short 15 minute call to see whether we can help, not an advice session.
One-hour advisory session with Lauren: £500, including research beforehand and a written summary afterwards.
Ongoing reputation management and crisis support: a minimum of £1,800 a month, arranged month to month or on a retainer. The final fee will be higher for bigger or more complicated situations.
The scope and fee are agreed in advance, and payment is made before work begins. Any extra work is agreed before it goes ahead.
If you’re not able to bring in support right now, Lauren’s Little Reputation Handbook gives you templates and practical guidance to use yourself.
Crisis PR FAQs
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In an urgent situation, work can usually begin within an hour. If you have a deadline, or something has just been published, say so in your first message.
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Yes. We can establish what they intend to publish, manage deadlines, provide evidence, challenge inaccuracies and make sure your response is represented properly.
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Not necessarily. Some situations need a clear public response. Others are better handled privately, with a short correction, or by saying nothing at all.
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Sometimes, but no credible crisis PR agency can guarantee that. We may be able to correct a journalist’s understanding, resolve the underlying issue or remove the reason a story could escalate. If publication can’t be prevented, we’ll make sure you’re prepared.
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What you tell us is treated as confidential, and only shared with people who need it to work on your situation. An NDA can be signed first. We’re PR advisers rather than solicitors, so our conversations don’t have the same legal protection as those with your lawyer, and there are limits if the law requires us to disclose something.
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Yes. We regularly work with clients outside the UK, and Lauren can travel when in-person support would help.
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That’s understandable. You don’t need to sound composed when you call, or explain everything in the right order. We’ll work through it one step at a time.
If it’s seriously affecting your mental health, we may also encourage you to speak to a therapist or your GP. Crisis PR and emotional support do different jobs, and it’s reasonable to need both.
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You don’t need to send a perfectly written explanation. Tell us what’s happened, what you’re worried about and whether there’s a deadline, and we’ll take it from there.
Founder Lauren Beeching at Bayes Business School discussing Crisis PR with Master students