By Richard Croxford, Copywriter, UK

The British Royal Family is undergoing yet another crisis amongst their ranks.

For those that don’t know, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, recently had surgery in the UK for an unknown illness – fairly unnewsworthy stuff to be honest.

However, the Royals released a photo shortly after this in which her face was clearly and provably photoshopped from a previous shoot.

The issue, as far as the world’s media were concerned, was that a) this could demonstrate a more pressing illness and b) that this was a deliberate act of deception on the part of the Royal Family.

The latter being the more egregious issue.

So, what the Palace needs now, more than ever, is a bit of crisis copywriting as part of a wider public relations (PR) campaign.

What is crisis copywriting?

When it comes to marketing, especially where it converges with the media, there are instances where copywriters must react to bad press.

Crisis copywriting is the act of drafting statements and content that fights back against the influence of a negative image.

In essence, it’s about writing messages that help business get through tough times, keeping customers reassured and connected and staying true to brand.

You might have seen crisis copywriting used during:

• Natural disasters
• Financial downturns
• Product recalls
• Scandals and controversies
• Social or political unrest.

How do the Royals come into this?

I think the current events surrounding Kate’s illness and her lack of visibility from public life give us the chance to learn an important lesson, as copywriters.

The Royals find themselves with a particular branding problem as they are currently undergoing a controversy – bordering on scandal.

They have, for hundreds of years, managed to weather storms like this with arguably some of the greatest PR feats in history.

Most recently, one might look at the whole Harry and Meghan departure, where the rest of the family stoically dedicated themselves to duty and service, becoming shining beacons and representing the opposite of Harry and Meghan.

Famously, Queen Victoria endeared the nation with her whole “Widow of Windsor” performance after the death of her husband (and cousin) Albert.

Equally, the Royals employed great PR strategy during the Wallis Simpson scandal just before World War Two when, the then King, Edward VIII abdicated and was seconded to some far-off island.

In short, the British Royal Family might not be perfect, but they’re damn good at PR.

We, as marketers, could certainly learn a thing or two.

How to write crisis copy

Now, to the focus of today’s article, what are the takeaways for copywriters?

If you find yourself in need of writing a bit of PR or some crisis content in order to protect your client or brand, here are a few things to remember.

• Stay calm: You should stay calm. Don’t release something that you have rushed to produce. Think things through and work out the best strategy, tone and message for your copy. That might mean engaging key stakeholders like your boss or the client. If the Royals had simply not released any statement and rather just focused on maintaining an air of aloofness, they wouldn’t be in this mess.
• Show some emotional connection: Your customers or clients are no doubt upset about whatever it is you’re writing about and it doesn’t hurt to connect with them on that. People like it when brands show a bit of personality and you should use this as an opportunity to demonstrate a deeper connection with your audience.
• Use the right channels: If you’re releasing statements on a recent controversy, it’s probably best not to do it on TikTok or Instagram. Remember this is about tact and diplomacy, so getting the CEO to dance to the latest new music as an apology probably isn’t going to cut it.
• Don’t lie: Your audience will smell out insincerity. People aren’t stupid, they can tell when you’re not being faithful to either your brand or your message. This is where the Royals went wrong with that doctored photo. Be open, be honest and tell the truth.

It’s not easy to write crisis copy.

It’s a fine balance between accepting responsibility and getting your client in more trouble than they are already in.

You need to find an emotionally mature way to convey your message whilst remaining professional and informing your audience of the brand’s next moves.

If you’re speaking directly to the press, remember that they’re intelligent, articulate, and informed individuals who have the power to reframe your response to crisis in a less that advantageous way for your brand.

And if you’re a member of the Royal Family, don’t release photoshopped images – we, as the British people, are savvier than that – we won’t fall for these kinds of cheap tricks anymore.

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