3 ways PR pros can weather a crisis and come out on top

Crises are an inevitable and often unpleasant part of a PR pros’ life, but they can also serve to strengthen your experience.

When handled the right way, an outstanding crisis response can repair lost trust, diminish skepticism and bolster the organization’s image for what lies ahead.

As the chief communications officer of Clover Health, Jason Alderman uses data analytics and machine learning to help talk about health insurance. In his current role, along with his former executive positions with DraftKings, Visa and Pacific Gas & Electric Company, he also has gained many lessons for how to handle a crisis.

Here are three of his top takeaways to employ the next time you find your organization in the hot seat:

1. Inform your employees first.

“An employee should never learn about a crisis by seeing it in the media before they hear it from you,” Alderman says.

This becomes increasingly more important when the news affects employees, such as big financial announcements, implementing a new business model, store closings and layoffs.