What to Do About Negative Online Publicity

It’s hard to imagine that something you said, posted, or shared on social media could go viral and end up making national headlines, but it happens more often than you might think. For some people, the worries don’t end there – they’re left wondering what to do about negative online publicity. The good news is that if you are proactive in your approach, this can be a chance to rebuild your reputation and turn things around quickly! I’ll share some of the best ways to navigate this embarrassing situation.

Don’t Panic

The first step after you’ve had some bad publicity is not to panic. Panicking about negative online publicity is counterproductive. If you have a plan of action in place, it’s much easier to stay calm and move forward. Take some time to collect your thoughts and really think through what you need to do and don’t try to cover it up.

Whether it’s a social media post, blog comment, or website review that has gone viral, negative online publicity is almost never something that can be covered up. Instead of trying to cover things up, focus on taking corrective action. This is your chance to salvage the situation and show that you’re a trustworthy company.

Don’t Respond Right Away

When you’re first faced with negative online publicity, it’s tempting to immediately respond and fight back – especially if people are talking about bad experiences they’ve had with your business or products. However, responding right away is one of the worst things you can do because it could come across as defensive, hostile, and make the situation worse.

Don’t Take Too Long To Respond And Be Transparent

When you’re finally ready to respond, it’s important not to take too long, or else people might think that the issue is worse than they originally thought. Also, be transparent about what happened and how your business will resolve the problem in a way that shows you care. If you need to apologize, do so and explain what you’re going to do next.

Develop An Online Reputation Management Plan 

Bad online publicity isn’t something you’re going to be able to prevent 100% of the time, but there are things you can do in order to make sure you’re less likely to get negative attention. One way that many online personalities and companies handle this situation is by having an emergency plan for social media and website content should anything go wrong.

Many also choose to hire a white label reputation management company to help them track their online presence and clean up any bad publicity that might occur. While a reputation management company isn’t going to be able to prevent negative attention from happening, they can help you respond in an effective way if something does go wrong with your business or website.

Remember That Negative Publicity Doesn’t Have To Be Permanent

The great thing about social media is that things can go viral in a matter of hours, but they also come down just as quickly if the right steps are taken. If your business has experienced negative online publicity through something like a blog post or social media post, you can take steps to resolve the issue and move forward.

Negative online publicity doesn’t have to be something you fear if you take the right steps. If your company has experienced this, don’t panic – it’s not the end of the world! Instead, focus on taking corrective action and work with a reputable reputation management company. Negative information can spread quickly but how quickly it disappears is up to you!