A Crisis Communicator’s Field Guide

Barbra Streisand tried to suppress a photo of her house. The result? 420,000 downloads and a PR debacle so notorious it now bears her name: The Streisand Effect.But that’s just one of the strange, counterintuitive rules shaping modern crisis communications.What do cobras, hot mics and medieval castles have to do with your reputation strategy? More than you think.* The Cobra Effect and the danger of misaligned incentives* Why a Kinsley Gaffe can undo months of message discipline* The role of Permission Structures in helping your audience change its mind...And the paradox of great comms: when you succeed, no one noticesLet me know which of these you've seen in the wild—or fallen into yourself. I promise, you're in good company. 🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! CONNECT:⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex on Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PR After Hours SiteProfessional Paragraphs on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex's Author Website⁠⁠⁠⁠ Announcer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mary McKenna⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. PR After Hours Theme: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://filmmusic.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ "Bossa Antigua" by Kevin MacLeodMusicLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Mysterious Goings On Podcast episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.We are an Amazon Associates seller, and some of our links may earn us a commission.