Articles & insights

Practical PR writing from senior advisers, not marketers.

Short, useful pieces on crisis, reputation, media and strategy - written by the people who sit in the room when the decisions get made. Free, no sign-up required.

The High-Stakes Comms Formula that Actually Works

Most crisis statements lead with facts and wonder why nobody responds. Melissa Agnes explains the Validate, Relate, Prove order that gets a high-stakes message heard, straight from her Crisis Ready Institute newsletter.

Melissa Agnes

Founder, Crisis Ready Institute

10 Sept 2026

7 min read

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$Close-up editorial photo of a smartphone screen showing a fractured, glitching image against a hazy city skyline at dusk$ Crisis

The AI That Erased a Database, and Lied: How to Correct a Falsehood in Public

A faked Pentagon photo moved the stock market; an AI coding agent later erased a company's database and lied about recovering it. Melissa Agnes's three-step way to correct a public falsehood, and what both incidents reveal about AI crisis risk.

Melissa Agnes

9 Sept 2026

8 min read

A council chief executive stands at a glass office window at dusk on a Friday, phone in hand

Crisis

Issue or Crisis? Why the Label Decides the Response

Melissa Agnes's framework for telling an issue from a crisis, built on scale of impact and escalation, not gut feeling. Includes her crisis, issue and emergency definitions and the continuum a crisis ready organisation tries to stay inside.

Melissa Agnes

8 Sept 2026

6 min read

Crisis

You Cannot Beat Emotion With Logic: What Happens to People in a Crisis

When a crisis hits, the brain moves into survival mode before logic gets a say. Melissa Agnes explains why emotion in crisis communication has to be met first, and the validate, relate, prove formula that does it.

Melissa Agnes

7 Sept 2026

7 min read

Crisis

Hope Is Not a Strategy: The Crisis Response Penalty Explained

Most organisations think crisis readiness means a plan on a shelf. Melissa Agnes explains why that mindset creates a crisis response penalty, and what a crisis ready culture actually looks like instead.

Melissa Agnes

6 Sept 2026

6 min read

Crisis

The Calmest Person in the Room: Leading a Crisis From a Regulated Nervous System

Crisis trainer Melissa Agnes argues that a leader's own steadiness, not their messaging, is what actually calms a crisis room. This is the business-safe cut of her session on equanimity, regulation and writing from a clear head instead of a frightened one.

Melissa Agnes

5 Sept 2026

6 min read

Close-up of translucent onion layers glowing from within, each ring lit softly against a dark navy background.

Crisis

A Crisis Is an Onion: Why the Story Is Never Told Once

Melissa Agnes explains why a crisis is never told in one statement: it unfolds like an onion, layer by layer, and storytelling is the tool that carries each layer. The BBC's 2014 WhatsApp Ebola service is her proof it works.

Melissa Agnes

4 Sept 2026

6 min read

A lone executive in a dark suit addressing a bank of television cameras and microphones in a boardroom

Crisis

From Tragedy to Trust: What Maple Leaf Foods Did in 2008

In 2008, a listeria outbreak killed at least 22 people and threatened to end Maple Leaf Foods. This case study breaks down why CEO Michael McCain's response, verified against the public record, became a benchmark other crisis leaders still study today.

Melissa Agnes

3 Sept 2026

7 min read

A calm leader crouching to speak at eye level with a distressed colleague in a quiet corridor.

Crisis

The Four Levels of Safety a Leader Owes People in a Crisis

Physical safety is only one of four levels a crisis leader is responsible for creating. Melissa Agnes names psychological, emotional and energetic safety as the other three, and explains why control is not the same as leadership.

Melissa Agnes

2 Sept 2026

5 min read

A community member speaking with a raised hand in a tense public meeting, other attendees watching

Crisis

Anger Is a Veil Emotion: What Is Really Happening When Stakeholders Get Angry

Anger is usually the loudest emotion in a crisis, but Melissa Agnes calls it a veil: it rarely sits alone. Here is how to read what anger is covering, and what disappointment, fear, grief and relief actually need from a leader.

Melissa Agnes

1 Sept 2026

6 min read

A printed press release held above a journalist's desk in a busy Australian newsroom

Media

Crafting Effective Press Releases: A Guide for Australian Organisations

How to find a real news angle, structure a release journalists can actually use, manage approvals and pitch it without wasting anyone's time - written by an adviser who has sat on both sides of the desk.