| Prompt | Your Notes |
|---|---|
| What happened? | [Describe the incident or trigger] |
| When did it happen? | [Date & time] |
| Who’s affected? | [Customers, partners, media, internal] |
| Severity Level (1–3) | [1 = minor, 3 = critical public crisis] |
| Immediate impact | [Trust, legal, technical, sales, media] |
| Evidence or source | [Links, screenshots, support tickets] |
| Role | Name | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Crisis Comms Lead | [Name] | Coordinates messaging and response |
| Spokesperson | [Name] | Public/media point of contact |
| Legal Review | [Name] | Approves all statements |
| Customer Support | [Name] | Aligns with CS team, macros, inbox language |
| Social Media Lead | [Name] | Manages social responses, DMs, sentiment |
| CEO / Exec Oversight | [Name] | Final sign-off, internal morale |
| Component | Your Copy |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgment | “We’re aware of the issue and are investigating…” |
| Empathy / Reassurance | “We understand how frustrating this is…” |
| Facts Only | [Known facts, not speculation] |
| Action Plan | “Here’s what we’re doing to fix it…” |
| Timing / Updates | “We’ll provide updates every X hours via [channel]” |
| Contact / Help | “If you need help, contact us at [email/link]” |
✅ Use consistent, human tone. Avoid jargon, blame, or over-promising.
| Channel | Comms Needed? | Completed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal Email | ✅ Yes | [ ] | Staff briefing + holding message |
| Help Center / Status Page | ✅ Yes | [ ] | Transparent updates + timestamp |
| Social Media | Depends | [ ] | Pin tweet/post, reply policy |
| Press / Media | Maybe | [ ] | If media is contacting you |
| Direct Outreach (email/SMS) | If affected | [ ] | Priority customers, legal reqs |
| Investors / Board | If required | [ ] | Loop in key stakeholders |
| Area | Actions Needed |
|---|---|
| Internal Debrief | Schedule within 48 hours |
| Root Cause Analysis | What caused it? How was it handled? |
| Comms Review | What worked, what didn’t? |
| Stakeholder Follow-Up | Close the loop with media, users, partners |
| Preventative Steps | Improve systems, process, or monitoring |
| Update Documentation | Review & update this crisis plan |
✔️ Crisis Plan Template in place
✔️ Draft holding statement ready to customize