Here’s what you need to know.
There’s no denying that a crisis is one of the worst circumstances a company can face – and once it hits, effective communication is the single most important tactic to ensure that your company successfully emerges. As one of the most widely recognized and passionate crisis preparedness professionals in Boston and the New England area, Tara Goodwin and her team understand that effective crisis management and public relations strategy can tarnish or burnish your reputation. One of the most common questions we are asked is “What can I expect if I hire you?”
What Does a Crisis Management Agency Actually Do?
Goodwin Consulting is a public relations firm with specialization in crisis remediation and reputation management. We provide media relations and crisis communication support to help you navigate the minefields of effective crisis management. This includes emergency PR services like drafting holding statements and other collateral and managing media inquiries, as well as ongoing crisis support to ensure your organization is prepared for any future crisis situations. We collaborate closely with executive and legal teams to ensure our work accurately and positively represents your company in the public eye and in media. Navigating a corporate crisis requires a delicate balance of sensitivity and speed that our team is trained to deliver.
Our Crisis Communications Process
Engaging our team opens you to a world of tailored solutions developed by crisis management expert Tara Goodwin. Our process begins with an intake meeting – we want to learn more about the situation at hand and get to know your company on a deeper level. We will use our findings to develop a response strategy and crisis communications plan (CCP). The crisis response plan will include a stakeholder engagement strategy as well as a plan for media monitoring and regaining narrative control. If needed, we will incorporate technical services to re-establish trust in your brand. These may include brand sentiment analysis or E-E-A-T for brand recovery. After you review and approve the materials, we will work with you to disseminate them through the proper channels, ensuring the right audience is reached. We will monitor ongoing coverage and adjust our strategy if needed.
Common Corporate Crises We Solve
We provide crisis management services for small businesses, Fortune 500 CEOs, and all businesses in between, as well as for celebrities, political figures and athletes. There’s no limit to the crises we can help you address. From data breaches to executive scandal and corporate litigation – we’ve seen it all, and we’ve provided public relations strategy and support to help leaders successfully emerge on the other side. In the digital era, viral misinformation threads and negative social media attention are among the most common crises we see. But we’ve also handled incredibly unique and sensitive situations, including sudden employee deaths and high-stakes community backlash to environmental propositions. No matter the situation, our team will tailor a crisis response strategy to your specific needs – ensuring your reputation is preserved and your brand continues to flourish.
Crisis Preparedness
Part of managing a crisis is ensuring your organization is well positioned to address future incidents with minimal reputation damage. In addition to emergent crises, we help leaders take proactive action to prepare for future crisis events through reputation risk audits and executive workshops designed to expose your weak spots. In these workshops, we’ll identify your individual risk profile and teach you how to put together a crisis team and draft an effective holding statement. The most successful CEOs do this step FIRST, instead of waiting for a crisis to hit before taking action.
The Role of AI in Reputation Management
AI vs human expertise in PR is a hotly debated topic, but the answer is simple. Reputation management software and AI crisis management are helpful tools when utilized appropriately – but they cannot – or, should not – be used as a replacement for a reputable crisis PR expert. Crisis management requires a deep knowledge of your industry, your specific company and its strengths and weaknesses, an understanding of key stakeholders and their needs, and the ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences. Most importantly, each of these crisis communications requires empathy and compassion to be woven throughout. AI can speed up certain aspects of the crisis management process, but it cannot replace human emotion – we’ve seen leaders try, and, well…let’s just say they always end up calling us in the end!
What it Costs
Crisis management services start at $7,500. If you have a question but are not in need of crisis management services, we offer office hours on the last Thursday of each month. Each hour-long session is $350, and 15-minute consults are free. Schedule your consultation here.
Executive workshops start at $5,000 depending on the number of participants. We offer in-person and remote options. Please contact Tara Goodwin for in-person queries or to create a customized program for your company.
Tara offers keynote speeches on crisis preparedness. Visit our website to learn more and to book Tara.
ABOUT TARA
Tara Goodwin is a nationally recognized crisis communications and PR expert with over 30 years of experience helping leaders navigate high-stakes situations with clarity, integrity, and impact. She is the founder of Goodwin Consulting where she advises CEOs, nonprofits, startups, Fortune 500 companies, professional athletes, coaches, and celebrities.
A trusted strategist, Tara is known for her direct counsel, deep expertise in crisis and media relations, and a talent for turning pressure into performance. Her career highlights include leading the Massachusetts Education Reform (MCAS) campaign, winning a Silver SABRE for retail marketing, and serving as VP at Edelman Boston. She’s been named one of Boston’s Top 10 PR Specialists by Women’s Business Boston, and her firm has received multiple industry awards and recognitions including one of Boston’s Top PR Firms 8 years in a row by Expertise.com. Her firm is the only Boston PR agency that has represented both Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
Her first book, Manage the Message, Change the Outcome: An Executive’s Guide to Crisis Management, was recently released by Routledge, a Taylor & Francis imprint.
