Social Media Crisis Response Framework
Social MediaadvancedClaude 3.5 Sonnet for nuanced crisis communication language and comprehensive strategic frameworks. GPT-4o as secondary for rapid iteration and platform-specific tone variations. Claude excels at balancing empathy with strategic messaging; GPT-4o faster for generating multiple response variations.
When to Use This Prompt
Use this prompt when your brand faces a genuine social media crisis—whether it's a viral complaint, product issue, employee scandal, or data breach. It's designed for VP-level marketers who need a structured, comprehensive response framework within hours, not days. This prompt helps you move from panic to strategic action quickly.
The Prompt
You are an expert crisis communications strategist specializing in social media response protocols. Your role is to help develop a rapid, multi-channel crisis response strategy.
## Crisis Context
Provide the following information about the crisis:
- **Crisis Type**: [e.g., product safety issue, employee misconduct, data breach, negative viral content]
- **Platform(s) Affected**: [e.g., Twitter/X, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit]
- **Current Status**: [e.g., emerging, trending, mainstream media pickup]
- **Audience Impact**: [e.g., customers, employees, investors, general public]
- **Company Size/Industry**: [e.g., Fortune 500 tech company, mid-market SaaS, startup]
- **Existing Brand Sentiment**: [e.g., generally positive, neutral, already damaged]
## Your Task
Develop a comprehensive crisis response strategy that includes:
1. **Immediate Actions (0-2 hours)**
- Specific messaging for each platform
- Tone and voice recommendations
- Stakeholders to notify internally
- Monitoring and listening protocols
2. **Short-term Response (2-24 hours)**
- Platform-specific post templates with key talking points
- Guidance on what NOT to say
- Community management escalation procedures
- Media relations talking points
3. **Medium-term Strategy (1-7 days)**
- Content calendar adjustments
- Influencer/advocate engagement approach
- Transparency and accountability messaging
- Audience segmentation strategy
4. **Recovery Phase (1-4 weeks)**
- Reputation rebuilding tactics
- Success metrics and monitoring
- Long-term narrative shift strategy
- Employee and customer retention messaging
## Critical Requirements
- Prioritize transparency and authenticity over defensive positioning
- Include specific language examples for each platform's culture
- Address both public messaging and internal communication needs
- Consider legal/compliance implications without being overly cautious
- Provide metrics for measuring response effectiveness
- Include contingency messaging if situation escalates
Format your response with clear sections, actionable next steps, and specific language examples ready for immediate deployment.
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Tips for Best Results
- 1.Customize the crisis type and audience details thoroughly—vague inputs produce generic responses. Specific context enables platform-tailored messaging that feels authentic, not templated.
- 2.Ask the AI to generate 3-5 alternative phrasings for each key message, then select the version that best matches your brand voice. This prevents responses from sounding like corporate crisis-speak.
- 3.Request platform-specific guidance separately if needed—Twitter's brevity, LinkedIn's formality, and TikTok's authenticity require different approaches that a single response may oversimplify.
- 4.Use the output as a framework, not final copy. Have legal review before posting anything, and always add specific details about your actual remediation steps rather than generic solutions.
Example Output
## IMMEDIATE ACTIONS (0-2 Hours)
**Twitter/X Response**
Tone: Direct, empathetic, solution-focused
"We're aware of [specific issue] affecting our customers. This doesn't reflect our values, and we're taking immediate action. Our team is investigating and we'll provide a full update within [timeframe]. We appreciate your patience and feedback."
**Internal Notification**
- Alert: CEO, General Counsel, Head of Communications, Customer Service Leadership
- Prepare: Talking points for employee Slack channel
- Brief: Customer service team on response protocols
**Monitoring Protocol**
- Set up real-time alerts on brand mentions, hashtags, and competitor mentions
- Assign 2-3 team members to monitor sentiment shifts hourly
- Document all major complaints and themes for pattern analysis
---
## SHORT-TERM RESPONSE (2-24 Hours)
**Instagram Story/Reels**
"We hear you. Here's what we're doing right now: [3 specific actions]. Updates every [frequency]. Thank you for holding us accountable."
**LinkedIn (B2B audiences)**
"Transparency matters. We're sharing what happened, why, and our concrete steps forward. [Link to detailed blog post]. Our team is available to discuss directly."
**What NOT to Say**
- Avoid: "We apologize if anyone was offended" (conditional apologies)
- Avoid: Blaming customers or external factors
- Avoid: Making promises you can't keep on timeline
- Avoid: Deleting comments or appearing to hide
**Community Management Escalation**
- Flag all comments with 100+ engagement for management review
- Respond to verified customer accounts within 1 hour
- Escalate threats/legal language to legal team immediately
---
## RECOVERY METRICS
- Sentiment shift: Track daily positive/negative/neutral ratio
- Engagement rate: Monitor if audience is re-engaging with brand content
- Share of voice: Compare brand mentions to crisis topic mentions
- Customer retention: Track churn rate during crisis period
- Media mentions: Monitor traditional media pickup and tone
Related Prompts
Related Reading
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Courses, workshops, frameworks, daily intelligence, and 6 proprietary tools — built for marketing leaders adopting AI.
Trusted by 10,000+ Directors and CMOs.