A criticism lands badly because it rarely arrives at a convenient moment. You're between meetings, checking your phone at dinner, or about to walk into an investor call when a review, email, comment or journalist's question hits a nerve. The instinct is usually the same. Correct them. Defend yourself. Explain what they've missed. That instinct […]
Corporate reputation in the UK is worth £1.7 trillion, yet approximately 25% of firms ignore it, exposing themselves to unmanaged shocks, according to research highlighted here. That should change how any founder or director thinks about risk. Reputation isn't soft. It isn't decorative. It sits behind sales conversations, investor confidence, regulator trust, recruitment, retention, and […]
You know the moment. A customer has left a review that lands like a punch to the ribs. It's public, it's blunt, and it's sitting there on Google for prospects, suppliers, recruits, and competitors to read before you've even had your first coffee. Most SME owners react in one of three ways. They fire back. […]
The email lands at 7.12am. A regulator wants answers. A customer has posted screenshots on LinkedIn. Staff are messaging each other on WhatsApp. A journalist has left a voicemail asking for comment by 9am. This is the point where legal advice and PR stop being separate workstreams. In a real SME crisis, they have to […]
You’ve built something good. The service is strong, customers stay, and the people who use it speak well of you. Yet outside your existing circle, hardly anyone knows your name. That’s where many founders and SME leaders sit. They don’t have a product problem. They have a visibility problem, a credibility problem, or both. The […]
Only 49% of UK businesses have a formal crisis communications plan, and businesses without one face 30% longer recovery times after a crisis, with average financial losses reaching £1.2 million during major disruptions, according to the Business Continuity Institute’s guidance on crisis communication planning. That figure should change how most leaders think about crisis planning. […]
Your phone starts vibrating before you have finished your first coffee. A customer has posted a video. Staff are forwarding screenshots from WhatsApp. Someone from a national newsroom has left a voicemail asking for comment by 10am. Your legal adviser wants caution. Your operations team is still trying to work out what happened. Meanwhile, silence […]
Let’s get one thing straight: public relations and social media are now one and the same. This isn't about just scheduling a few posts. It's about actively steering your company's story in real-time, every single day. Think of it less as a megaphone for announcements and more as a constant, strategic conversation with the people […]
So, what exactly is an online PR service, and why should it be on your radar in 2026? Think of it this way: traditional PR was about getting your name in the newspaper. Online PR is about weaving your brand’s story into the very fabric of the internet. It’s a strategic approach to building and […]
In today's 24/7 news cycle, a single incident can spiral into a full-blown reputational crisis in minutes. How your organisation responds in those first few hours determines whether you control the narrative or become its victim. Many founders and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) believe that expert crisis management is a luxury reserved for global […]