Preparing Your Pub’s Crisis PR Plan for Social Media Attacks and Outages

Incident classification — act by type

Not every incident needs the same response. Classify and act accordingly:

• Account hack (offensive content posted): Contain, remove posts, inform followers, investigate.
• Platform outage (X, Instagram, Facebook unavailable): Move to alternative owned channels and reassure customers of status updates.
• Fake content / deepfake: Preserve evidence, publicly disavow, request takedown, consider legal action.

Concise crisis PR timeline & templates — ready to copy

Below is a compact timeline with sample messages for the most common pub scenarios: account hack, platform outage, and fake content. Use the “single source” principle: pick one authoritative post (website banner or pinned update) and link back to it from other channels.

0–15 minutes: Immediate action

1. Verify and preserve evidence: screenshot the post, URL, times and any replies.
2. Contain: Change passwords, revoke active sessions, remove admin access, enable hardware 2FA if available.
3. Post an immediate single-line acknowledgement on an owned channel you control (website banner or Google Business). Example:

Website banner (example): “We’ve detected an issue affecting our social accounts. We are investigating and will post updates here. For bookings and events, call us at 01234 567890 or check this page.”

15–60 minutes: First public statement (calm, factual)

Purpose: stop rumor spread and provide a reliable point of truth.

Social post (pinned): “Hi — we’re aware of [unauthorised posts / reports of fake images / service outage]. We are investigating and have taken the compromised accounts offline where needed. For official updates, see our website: [short URL]. If you were impacted, DM us or call 01234 567890. — The Management”

Staff script at the door/phone:

“Thanks for checking. Our social pages are currently affected by an issue. We’re posting official updates on our website and by phone. Bookings remain open — we can take your reservation now.”

1–3 hours: Situation update and practical instructions

Purpose: show progress, give concrete steps to customers, and set expectations for next update.

Email / Loyalty message: “We’re writing to update you: our social account was compromised earlier today. We’ve taken the account offline, reported it to the platform, and changed all account access. If you received messages or saw posts from us that looked odd, they were not from our team. We apologize and are investigating. For immediate info, visit [URL].”

3–24 hours: Fact-based follow-up

Purpose: transparency and remediation steps.

Update for customers (website + social once re-secured): “Update: We confirmed an account takeover where offensive content was posted. We removed the posts, reset credentials, and are working with the platform’s support team and a cybersecurity consultant. No customer payments were processed through our social channels. If you have questions, call 01234 567890 or email hello@yourpub.co.”

24–72 hours: Recovery & trust repair

Purpose: outline what happened, what you did, and how customers will be protected going forward.

Public post / press release excerpt: “We deeply regret the disruption caused by the security incident on [date]. Our investigation shows the attack affected our social pages only. We have implemented additional security measures — hardware 2FA, new password policy, and a weekly audit. To make this right, we’re offering a 10% voucher for online bookings this month.”

72+ hours: Post-incident review and permanent fixes

1. Publish an incident summary (non-technical) to your site documenting the timeline and corrective actions.
2. Conduct staff retraining and a tabletop exercise for the team.
3. Review and update your crisis plan quarterly.

Sample messages for specific incidents

Account hack posting offensive content

“We are aware that our [Instagram/Facebook/X] page published content that does not reflect our values. We have removed the content, taken the account offline and are working with the platform to restore normal operations. Our team is investigating and will share a full update on this page within 24 hours.”

Platform outage (customers can’t see updates)

“Some social platforms are currently experiencing outages (you may see errors on X/Instagram). We are posting official updates on this page and our website. For urgent queries or bookings, please call us or email hello@yourpub.co.”

Fake/deepfake content shared about staff or customers

“We’ve been made aware of manipulated images and posts circulating about our team. These are false. We are preserving evidence, asking platforms for takedowns, and liaising with legal counsel. If you see the content, please screenshot and forward it to hello@yourpub.co.”

Recovery plan: rebuilding customer trust

Trust is regained through transparency, action, and empathy. Practical recovery steps:

• Publish a clear incident timeline and any investigative outcomes.
• Offer a small, meaningful gesture (discount, free round for affected bookings) and explain why you’re doing it.
• Run a short Q&A or open house night to let regulars ask questions in person.
• Share the changes: two-person admin approvals, hardware 2FA, periodic audits and a dedicated communications channel for updates.

Brand safety & preparing for what’s next (2026 trends)

In 2026, expect three realities:

• Wider credential attacks: January 2026 saw coordinated password reset and takeover campaigns across major platforms. Treat credentials as the front line of defense.
• Platform outages will still happen: major providers and their CDNs (e.g., incidents tied to Cloudflare) can interrupt service. Have redundant communication channels — a simple micro-app or phone-first landing page works well (ship a small micro-app if you need a quick fallback).
• AI misuse and deepfakes: legal cases in early 2026 highlight the rise in manipulated media. Prepare takedown paths and legal contacts.

Protective measures:

• Use hardware security keys and mandatory 2FA for admin accounts.
• Limit admin users; use role-based access and an admin approval workflow for posts and ads.
• Subscribe to social listening with keywords tied to your pub name and event terms; set alerts for spikes.
• Keep an up-to-date contact list for platform support teams and law enforcement liaison contacts.

On-the-floor scripts: what your team should say

Keep staff calm and consistent. Two quick scripts:

• At the door/phone: “Thanks for checking in — we’ve had an issue with our social pages earlier today. It’s being handled. For bookings we can take your details here and confirm by phone or email.”
• To a worried regular: “We’re sorry about any confusion. The official update is on our website; we’ve temporarily paused social posts until the account is confirmed secure. We’re offering affected guests a small thank-you discount.”

Case study: How The Crown (local pub) used the template

Last winter a neighborhood pub — The Crown — discovered its Instagram had posted offensive content in the early hours. The floor manager woke the owner. Using the timeline above, they: preserved screenshots, took the account offline, posted a website banner within 20 minutes, sent a loyalty email within 90 minutes, and opened a staff meeting within 3 hours to brief everyone.

“Being direct saved us,” said Mia, the bar manager. “We offered an honest update and a free round for anyone who felt upset — most customers thanked us for clarity. Having one person post the update stopped confusion.”

Outcome: The Crown regained followers within a week and implemented hardware keys and an admin approval process to prevent recurrence.

Legal, reporting & evidence: what to preserve

• Screenshot content with timestamps, preserve original URLs, and collect witnesses’ contact info. (Consider automating safe backups and versioning — see automating safe backups for guidance.)
• Log internal actions: time and person who changed passwords, who contacted platforms, and when.
• If personal data is involved, consult your lawyer about breach notification laws applicable in your region.

Simple follow-up checklist you can paste into your staff phone

1. Take a screenshot of the issue. Preserve full URL and time. (See safe backup practices.)
2. Place a website banner with a single-line statement.
3. Notify staff via group chat and use the staff script at the door.
4. Reset credentials, revoke sessions, and enable 2FA.
5. Send loyalty email or SMS with details and next update time. Use simple loyalty messaging tactics from micro-recognition plays (micro-recognition & loyalty).
6. Publish follow-up within 24 hours and a recovery summary within 72 hours.

Final thoughts — keep it human and local

Customers give pubs grace when you are honest and fast. Your priority isn't to be perfect — it's to be reliable. Use this template to create a short, memorable playbook the team can use from a phone. Test it quarterly. Treat cybersecurity and communications as part of running the pub, not an optional extra.

Remember: transparency + action = trust. A quick, calm message beats silence every time.

Call to action

Ready to make this your pub’s plan? Copy the timeline and paste it into your phone as “Crisis PR.” Join pubs.club to download a printable one-page checklist and a fillable incident log your team can use the next time something goes wrong. Share this article with your staff and run a 15-minute tabletop drill this week — your customers will notice the difference.

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