How To Create A PR Response Plan For Influencer Marketing

Brand marketers know that having a public relations response plan is stressful — but necessary.

Make sure you’re equipped to handle any PR challenge with your influencer marketing campaign. In this guide you’ll learn:

• How to create a PR response plan
• When you will need a PR response plan
• How to handle a PR issue with an influencer

When it comes to advertising, brand marketers already know that having a public relations (PR) response plan is a stressful — but necessary — part of any marketing endeavor.

Influencer marketing is no exception, and we want to make sure you are equipped to handle any challenge that arises that requires PR intervention.

WHEN DO YOU NEED A PR RESPONSE PLAN?

First, let’s identify when enacting a PR response plan should be considered. There are plenty of reasons to execute a plan like this. Let’s break down the most common ones.

Current Events

Depending on your vertical, your brand’s mission, your audience’s interests, or a combination of each, it may be relevant for you as a brand to comment on events happening locally, nationwide, or around the world.

Consider the Black Lives Matter movement. During the resurgence of BLM after a number of highly-profiled incidents in the United States, many American-based brands issued statements or lent support to the movement, such as Ben & Jerry’s, Nike, Starbucks, and Glossier.

In these cases, brands should also consider reaching out to creator partners to address how or if their campaigns will be affected. For example, perhaps it makes sense to pause influencer activations to be respectful and empathetic towards those who might be affected by the current event in question.

Brand-Specific Occurrences

Brand-specific incidents occur when negative widespread press has been published about a brand. Perhaps someone said something negative about your brand online that went viral and thus needs to be addressed.

Other events that may require your brand to issue a corrective statement include errors made in your brand collateral or advertising that were embarrassing or offensive. Additionally, brands should issue statements and enact protective measures if a product is defective or dangerous and needs to be recalled.

Depending on the event in question, you may need to communicate with creators you’re partnering with.

If a campaign involves the very product that has been deemed faulty, it’s vital that you communicate this to them and make sure they know how to proceed with the next steps of the activation.

Incidents With Creators

If an incident has occurred where a creator partner is involved, brands should carefully consider addressing it and commenting on the situation. There may be times when there’s an unforeseen payment issue and the influencer isn’t paid on time and chooses to blast a brand on social media.

It’s important for the brands to keep an eye on their brand-owned channels to make sure they can respond promptly and see that the creator is paid as soon as possible.

Another case related to payment could be that the creator was offered a lower rate than they expected and voiced their agitation on social media. Again, it’s very important that brand marketers are quick to address such cases, so be sure to consistently monitor your social channels.

While responses will vary according to the incident’s details, there are several steps we recommend to get started.

HOW TO HANDLE A PR ISSUE WITH AN INFLUENCER

Let’s consider bad press when a creator partner is involved and how your brand wishes to handle the relationship moving forward. Communications with and about the influencer should accompany your brand’s pre-established PR workflow.

The main component, in addition to issuing communications, is going to be determining the severity of the influencer’s involvement. We’ve identified several levels to react to.

Regardless of the event, take a deep breath and remain calm! Everything is going to be okay. Once you’re ready to react with a clear head, we can begin.

1. An Honest Mistake: Cover the incident with the influencer, make them aware, provide them with talking points as needed, and encourage them to let you know if there’s anything else they need help speaking to. In non-essential situations, they can respond on their own.

2. First Serious Incident: Take the same action as above, but require the influencer to run communications through your brand before responding. Issue a verbal warning if necessary.

3. Verbal Warning: Explain the situation and issue a verbal warning to the influencer noting intolerance for future incidents; consider a temporary pause on the partnership.

4. Ending the Partnership Privately

1. Work through ending the influencer’s contract or partnership
2. Meet with and issue a statement to the influencer stating plans to end their existing partnership and reasoning for it
3. Create an internal plan that explains what the brand is doing to avoid this in the future
4. Revisit existing creator collateral and amend to “unbranded” format
5. Close out remaining influencer payment

5. Ending the Partnership + Issuing a Public Statement

1. Work through ending the influencer’s contract or partnership
2. Issue a statement to the influencer and to the public announcing the end of their existing partnership and the reasoning for it
3. Create a public plan that explains what the brand is doing to avoid this in the future
4. Remove creator collateral from all channels
5. If the influencer has an agent, communicate the issue/ plan with them as well

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

One thing to remember is that it’s inevitable for scenarios outside of a brand’s control to arise. We know that it can be scary and frustrating to experience a PR emergency – but it’s how your brand responds that matters most.

Follow the steps outlined in this guide and we know that you’ll tackle a future PR incident with poise!