Crisis Management and Reputation Defence

Why newsroom experience matters in a crisis

A crisis is not the moment to be learning how journalists think. Every consultant at marco/richards is a former national or Fleet Street journalist, which means we know what a newsdesk will run, what it will spike, and what questions a reporter is going to ask next. That judgement, built from years on the other side of the desk, is what separates a response that calms a story from one that accidentally extends it.

Crisis management is one of our six core services, led by co-founder Martin Coutts, who specialises in crisis communications, advising businesses and high-profile individuals on navigating media storms to minimise reputational damage.

Rapid response and statement drafting

When a story breaks or is about to, speed and precision both matter. We help agree the holding position, draft the statement and lines to take, and work with you on who should say what, whether that is a spokesperson, the founder, or nobody at all until the facts are clearer. Every line is written with an understanding of how it will actually be reported, not just how it reads in isolation.

If activity is breaking outside normal hours, our advice is to email hello@marcorichards.co.uk and mark it urgent so it reaches the right person as quickly as possible.

Managing legal threats and social pile-ons

Not every crisis starts with a journalist. Legal threats, regulatory scrutiny and social media pile-ons all carry the same reputational risk and often end up in the press regardless of where they started. We work alongside your legal advisers where needed, and help you decide when to respond publicly, when to hold your position, and how to communicate with customers or stakeholders without making the situation worse.

Search suppression and post-crisis rebuild

The story does not end when the coverage stops. A negative story can sit at the top of search results for a business's own name long after it has been forgotten by the press. We work on search suppression, building and promoting the positive, accurate content that should be found instead, and on the wider rebuild of reputation once the immediate crisis has passed, so the business is not defined by its worst week.

Who it is for

This service is for businesses and individuals facing a live reputational threat, and for those who want a plan and a trusted contact in place before a crisis happens rather than scrambling to find one afterwards.

• Businesses facing negative national or regional media coverage
• Individuals and executives dealing with a personal reputational threat
• Companies facing legal disputes with public visibility
• Brands managing a social media pile-on or online backlash
• Organisations that want a crisis plan in place before they need one

How the work runs

1. 01Immediate assessmentWe establish the facts, the likely media interest and the risk, then agree a holding position while the detail is worked through.
2. 02Statement and lines to takeWe draft the public statement and the lines to take for any spokesperson, checked against how the story is likely to be reported.
3. 03Media and social handlingWe manage press enquiries and advise on the right response to social media activity, deciding when to engage and when to hold back.
4. 04Search and content responseWhere a story risks dominating search results, we plan search suppression and positive content to sit alongside it.
5. 05RebuildOnce the immediate crisis has passed, we work with you on the longer reputation rebuild, so the business moves on from the story rather than staying defined by it.