Crisis Communications and Reputation Management
Senior crisis counselors, reachable every day of the year.
When a crisis hits, Junapr responds within an hour. Email crisis@junapr.com and our senior leadership team will take your call for intake and discovery, any day of the year. A senior crisis counselor is assigned to build a rapid response plan within 24 hours or before anticipated news breaks. A strategic recovery plan follows. Our crisis rate for new clients is $350 per hour, with a $5,000 minimum.
Response within an hour or less. 365 days a year.
How to Develop an Actionable Crisis Communication Plan
A crisis communication plan is a short, practical document that tells your team who does what, says what, and to whom when something goes wrong. Use this seven-step checklist:
Assess. Define what happened, what is known, what is not, and who is affected.
Assemble the team. Name a lead, legal counsel, operations, and communications, with after-hours contact numbers.
Set the message. Draft a holding statement and three to five core messages. Keep them factual and consistent.
Name spokespeople. Choose one or two trained voices. Everyone else refers questions to them.
Notify audiences in order. Employees, customers, partners, regulators, media, and the public, in the sequence that fits your situation.
Monitor. Track media, social posts, and inbound calls, and update messages as facts change.
Debrief. After the issue settles, document what worked and update the plan.
Investing in a proactive crisis plan saves organizations critical hours when issues emerge. Fore a more detailed framework, visit our post on how to develop a crisis response framework.
How Quickly Can a PR Firm Respond During a Crisis?
Time is of the essence. If an organization faces an active crisis or pressing issue, Junapr initiates intake within one hour. Our dedicated inbox, crisis@junapr.com, goes straight to our senior leadership team, and whoever is on call responds within an hour or less for intake and discovery.
Once we agree to work together, we assign a senior crisis communications counselor. That person develops a rapid response plan, usually within the first day or ahead of when news is expected to break, and then a more strategic recovery plan.
Crisis Communications Pricing and Engagement Costs
Most communications agencies bill crisis management hourly with an upfront retainer, and Junapr follows a transparent model. Existing clients have a negotiated lower rate for this work. Many organizations also invest in a readiness plan before a crisis, which costs less than emergency response and shortens response time when it matters.
Initial deposit: Typically $5,000 to $10,000
Hourly rate for new clients: $350 per hour
Minimum billing: $5,000 for crisis and issues work, regardless of time spent
Food and Agriculture Crisis Management
Food and agriculture crises move fast and carry public health stakes. Recalls, contamination, supply chain disruption, animal health issues, and ag policy shifts all demand precise language and coordination with regulators.
Crisis Response for Travel, Hospitality, and Consumer Brands
Illustrative scenario: A regional food producer learns that a product may be affected by a supplier issue. In the first hour, we confirm the facts with the company's quality and legal teams. Within the first day, we deliver a holding statement, a consumer notice, a retailer and distributor briefing, and a media Q&A. In the following days, we monitor coverage and social conversation, update messages as regulators release information, and shift to a recovery plan that rebuilds trust.
Crisis and Reputation Management for Boards and Nonprofits
Travel and consumer brands face crises that spread quickly on social media and review sites: safety incidents, weather and natural events, service failures, product issues, and viral complaints. Guests and customers expect fast, human answers, and local media and visitors often get the story before you do.
Junapr equips hospitality and consumer brands with pre-approved holding statements, active social response protocols, and front-line staff guidance. When something breaks, we help you speak clearly to guests, partners, and the press, and protect bookings and trust.
When a board or nonprofit faces a crisis, the biggest risk is mixed messages. Trustees, staff, donors, and partners all get asked questions, and every different answer becomes a new story. The solution is a simple rule: designate spokespeople, align on facts, and route all media questions to them. If everyone speaks with one voice, there's no story.
Junapr assists nonprofit boards and member associations in establishing communication governance, executive briefing protocols, and rapid incident response.
We track five measures:
Time to first statement. How quickly a holding statement reaches key audiences.
Message consistency. Whether spokespeople and channels use the same facts.
Sentiment. Volume and tone of media and social mentions, before, during, and after.
Coverage accuracy. How many stories reflect the facts and key messages.
Return to normal. Sales, calls, web visits, and inquiries returning to baseline.
How do you measure crisis communications success?
What happens in the first 48 hours of a crisis
When a crisis hits, speed and clarity matter more than anything. Here is how Junapr works from the first call.
Hour 0 to 1: Intake. Email crisis@junapr.com, which goes straight to senior leadership. The on-call team member responds within an hour for intake. When a situation is moving fast, we start work within that first hour. We are reachable 365 days a year.
Hours 1 to 24: Rapid response plan. A senior crisis counselor is assigned to your situation. We gather the facts, identify who needs to be involved, and develop a rapid response plan, usually within the first day. We also draft holding statements and a set of key messages, so everyone speaks with one voice.
Legal and executive coordination. We work alongside your executives and your legal counsel throughout. Law firms across New England refer clients to us weekly, and sometimes daily, so we know how to work within legal guidance.
Hours 24 to 48: Execution and monitoring. We put the plan into action. We manage the media response, support internal communications so your employees hear it from you first, and handle stakeholder communications. We monitor social media and press coverage as the situation develops. Measurement is always on, and we report to you throughout.
After the hot spot: Recovery. Once the immediate pressure eases, we build a strategic recovery and rebuilding plan. If you choose, we can carry it out with you. We report on results during and after the event, with recommendations for the future.
“Working with Nicole and Junapr during a particularly challenging period for ONE Arts was incredibly valuable. Nicole was responsive, thoughtful, and practical, helping us clarify our message and communicate with families and partners in a way that was honest, human, and strategic. She didn’t simply help us find the right words; she helped us think carefully about how to listen, respond, and rebuild trust. I was grateful for her counsel and would not hesitate to work with Junapr again.”
FAQs
How quickly can a PR firm respond during a company crisis?
1
A firm that takes crisis work should be available and reachable every day of the year. Experienced agencies already have intake frameworks that speed up discovery and the first holding statement. After that, expect a more measured, strategic response.
How can I develop a crisis communication plan for my company?
2
Use the seven-step checklist above: assess, assemble the team, set the message, name spokespeople, notify audiences, monitor, and debrief. Write the plan before you need it, and test it once a year.
How can I measure the success of a crisis communications campaign?
3
Track qualitative and quantitative sentiment across digital channels to evaluate how social post volumes and media tonality normalize over time. Also look at brand reputation before, during, and after, and at the return to normal business through sales, calls, and web visits.
How do public relations agencies structure their fees for crisis communication services?
4
Most charge an hourly rate with a minimum spend. At Junapr, new clients pay $350 per hour with a $5,000 minimum and a $5,000 to $10,000 deposit. Existing clients have a negotiated lower rate.
How do top PR firms handle reputation management during a food safety crisis?
5
They confirm facts with quality, legal, and regulatory teams, issue a holding statement, notify retailers, distributors, and customers, and brief the media. They coordinate with agencies such as the FDA or USDA when involved, keep messages consistent as facts evolve, and monitor sentiment daily. After the issue settles, they run a debrief and a recovery plan that rebuilds trust.
Which PR agencies specialize in food and beverage industry crisis management?
6
Look for an agency with senior crisis counselors, 365-day availability, a clear intake process, and real experience in your industry. Junapr handles crisis and issues work for food and agriculture brands first, along with travel and hospitality organizations, consumer and lifestyle brands, and nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. We respond to crisis inquiries within an hour at crisis@junapr.com.