Choosing someone to handle a bad-news story before it spreads
Hire the right media liaison for a crisis before the story spreads. Know the real skills that matter: crisis newsroom experience, genuine journalist.
When a story that could harm your reputation is already out there or about to break, you need someone fast—and someone whose first instinct is to contain damage, not chase positive headlines. That's the central tension in hiring for crisis media liaison: speed and damage control often conflict with the measured relationship-building that works for routine PR. A person brilliant at landing feature articles may freeze when a journalist calls with accusations. Conversely, someone steady in a crisis might lack the finesse to pivot the narrative later. Knowing which pressure you face right now determines who you should call.
The crisis timeline flips your priorities
In a standard PR project, you have weeks to build rapport with journalists, test messages, refine positioning. A bad-news story operates on a different clock. By the time you've briefed a new hire on your history, your industry context, and the people involved, a story may already have legs on social media or in newsrooms. The best crisis media liaisons have already worked in fast-turnaround environments—radio stations, news desks, political campaigns—where you make decisions in hours, not weeks.
Ask any candidate: "Walk me through how you'd spend the first two hours if we hired you today." Their answer reveals whether they start by gathering facts and understanding your stakeholders, or by drafting holding statements and identifying journalist contacts who need to hear from you directly. The second instinct—reaching out proactively before a story runs—is the one you want now. Someone who has only done reactive media training will hesitate or get the timing wrong.
What "knowing journalists" actually means in a crisis
Vetting media contacts is always crucial, but it matters differently here. For steady-state PR, a contact list is useful if it reaches the right beat reporters over time. In a crisis, the value is immediate relationship and trust. A journalist who knows your media liaison personally is more likely to pick up the phone, hear your side before publishing, or at least give you time to comment. Someone operating from a cold contact database will struggle.
Don't ask, "How many journalists do you know?" Ask: "Which journalists covering our sector would return your call within 30 minutes on a Saturday?" Specificity matters. If they can name three or four people by outlet and beat, with concrete examples of stories they've done, you have a real asset. If they hedge—"I have strong relationships across the business media"—keep interviewing. In a crisis, generic relationships don't help.
Also check: Have they handled a story involving your industry before? A media liaison who has managed a crisis in financial services or manufacturing or hospitality understands the stakeholders, the regulatory angles, and the journalists who specialise in it. They won't waste time learning that on your clock.
The unspoken skill: reading when to say nothing
One of the hardest calls in a crisis is deciding not to comment. A media liaison who is eager to engage, to shape the narrative, to tell your side, may push you into a statement that creates new problems. The best crisis practitioners know when silence—or a one-sentence holding statement—is the right move, and they can defend that choice to a panicked founder.
Listen for someone who talks about managing expectations and understanding consequence. They should ask: "What are you most afraid will happen if this story runs?" and "What's the worst outcome of speaking versus not speaking?" Those questions suggest they think in layers, not just headlines.
A few other signals during the conversation:
- They ask about your legal or compliance teams and whether they need to be in the room
- They don't promise to "kill the story" or guarantee control of the narrative
- They mention past crises they managed and what they learned, not just won
- They want to know your actual business and decision-makers, not just the "message"
When you're hiring under pressure, the temptation is to pick someone who sounds confident and can start immediately. But in a media crisis, confidence in the wrong direction costs more than a slower start. A media liaison with crisis newsroom experience, real journalist relationships in your field, and the judgment to stay quiet when it matters will earn their fee in the first 48 hours. Strove lets you compare crisis media liaison specialists by their experience and track record—look for someone whose background includes news or political communications, not just marketing.
Common questions
- Should I hire the same PR person who handles my regular media coverage to manage a crisis?
- Not necessarily. The skills are different. Someone excellent at building relationships and landing features may hesitate or move too slowly in a crisis where you need decisions in hours. If your regular PR person has crisis newsroom or political campaign experience, they may be fine—but ask specifically how they've handled breaking bad news. If not, bring in someone who has.
- How quickly can a good media liaison actually respond once I hire them?
- A crisis media liaison should be reachable within an hour and ready to work immediately. Expect the first substantive conversation to happen within two hours, and a preliminary strategy—what to say, who to call, and what to hold on—within four hours. If they ask for days to come up to speed, they're too slow for a crisis.
- Is it better to hire someone local to South Africa or use an international firm for a crisis?
- Hire locally. A media liaison who knows South African journalists by name, understands the regulatory environment, and has worked in local news has an immediate advantage. They know which outlets matter, which journalists are likely to pick up a story, and how quickly things move in the local news cycle. International firms often move too slowly for a fast-breaking local story.
- What's the red flag that tells me a media liaison isn't right for a crisis?
- Anyone who promises to "control the narrative" or "guarantee the story won't run." A good crisis practitioner focuses on managing perception, getting your side heard, and limiting damage—not preventing coverage. If they're selling certainty, they're selling fiction.
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