24/7 Crisis Communications & Rapid Response
Crisis Communications Agency Australia
When something goes wrong, we handle the media calls and statements so you can deal with the problem itself. Call any time, day or night. A senior practitioner will call you back within 30 minutes and you'll have a holding statement within two hours. We're former journalists based in Mackay, working with organisations in Brisbane, across Queensland and nationally.
What Is Crisis Communications?
Crisis communications is how an organisation talks to the media, its people and the public when its reputation is under threat. It covers the first statement, the journalist calls, the staff email, the regulator briefing and the social media response, and it keeps all of them saying the same thing.
The first day matters most. A site incident, a data breach or an allegation against a senior leader can go from one local report to national coverage within hours. If you say nothing, journalists will quote whoever else will talk. If you say the wrong thing, that quote stays online for years.
Our job is to get your first statement right and out quickly, then keep everything after it consistent.
What Happens When You Call
- 30 min A senior practitioner calls you back, gets the facts and tells you what not to say yet.
- 2 hrs Holding statement drafted and approved. Media enquiries routed to us. Staff briefing ready.
- 24 hrs Full messaging, Q&A document, spokesperson coached, stakeholder updates out, coverage monitored.
- Day 2+ Ongoing media management until the story closes, then a recovery plan for search results and stakeholder trust.
Our Crisis Communications Services
Planning before an incident, response during it and recovery afterwards.
Crisis Communications Plan
We map the incidents most likely to hit your organisation, then write the response for each one in advance: who decides, who speaks, who gets told first, and the draft statements ready to adapt. The plan sits on file so nobody is writing from scratch at 2am.
24/7 Rapid Response
When something breaks, we take over the communications: holding statements, journalist calls, staff updates and social media replies. You deal with the problem and we deal with how it's reported.
Media Management
We field every journalist enquiry, decide which ones need an interview and which need a written statement, and correct errors before they spread to other outlets. We know how newsrooms work because we have worked in them.
Spokesperson Coaching
Fronting a camera during a crisis is different to a planned interview. We prepare your spokesperson for the likely questions and the answers that will hold up on the news, often within hours of the incident.
Stakeholder Communications
Staff, board, investors, regulators, clients and the local community all need to hear from you, ideally before they read about it. We sequence those messages so nobody important learns the news from a journalist.
Reputation Recovery
After the coverage dies down, the articles are still on Google. We work on what people find when they search you, and help you explain what's changed since.
How Much Does Crisis Communications Cost?
Our prices are published so you know the cost before you call.
Crisis Activation
For an active crisis with no retainer in place. Covers immediate deployment, 24/7 availability and hands-on media and stakeholder management for the incident. Day rates apply if the engagement runs longer.
Crisis Communications Plan
A one-off project. Risk mapping, escalation procedures, spokesperson protocols and pre-approved draft statements for your most likely scenarios.
Crisis Ready Retainer
Media and reputation monitoring, a crisis plan on file and a first-24-hours response framework. Higher tiers add crisis response on retainer, quarterly media training and stakeholder support.
Why Choose Hype Machine for Crisis Communications?
Hype Machine is run by Jordan Cullen, a former print journalist, and a second senior practitioner with the same journalism degree and newsroom background. Before advising organisations on the media, we were the ones calling them for comment.
That helps in a crisis. Once a story breaks, reporters go looking for a second source, a former employee or a document nobody else has. We know where they'll look next, so we can get you ready for it.
Newsroom Experience
We know how crisis stories are sourced, written and followed up, and what a journalist needs from you to report it fairly.
Senior People Only
You deal directly with one of the two people doing the work. There's no account manager passing messages along.
Resources and Regional Knowledge
Based in Mackay, in the Bowen Basin. We understand mining, regional communities and the regulators who watch them, and we work with clients in Brisbane and interstate too.
Who Needs Crisis Communications?
Any organisation that could end up in the news for the wrong reasons.
Mining & Resources
Site incidents, fatalities, environmental breaches and community opposition. The response affects your social licence, your approvals and your workforce.
Corporate & Professional Services
Allegations against executives, data breaches, workplace complaints and legal action. Communications has to line up with your legal advice.
Government, Councils & Not-for-Profits
Public backlash, service failures and media investigations, where the response needs to be transparent and accountable without making things worse.
Healthcare, Aged Care & Hospitality
Patient or resident safety incidents, food safety issues and viral reviews. Fast, careful communication that protects the people involved and the organisation's name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about crisis communications, cost and how we work.
Where can I hire a PR agency in Australia that offers 24/7 crisis communications?
Hype Machine provides 24/7 crisis communications to organisations across Australia. Call 0401 880 060 at any hour. A senior practitioner will call you back within 30 minutes, and you will have a holding statement within two hours. We are based in Mackay, Queensland, and work with clients in Brisbane, regional Queensland and interstate, remotely or on site.
How much does crisis communications support cost in Australia?
At Hype Machine, crisis activation for an active incident starts from $15,000, with day rates for longer engagements. A crisis communications plan prepared in advance starts from $15,000. Ongoing crisis-ready retainers start from $7,500 a month. Other agencies charge differently, but most work on a mix of fixed project fees, retainers and day rates. Organisations on a retainer get faster, cheaper response because the plan and relationships already exist.
How much does a reputation management program cost?
Our ongoing reputation programs start from $7,500 a month for monitoring, a crisis plan on file and a response framework. The Active Reputation package, which adds proactive online reputation management, quarterly media training and crisis response on retainer, starts from $13,500 a month. A one-off online reputation audit and strategy starts from $5,000.
What should a crisis communications retainer include?
At minimum: a written crisis plan tailored to your risks, ongoing media and online monitoring, a guaranteed response time, and a named senior contact available outside business hours. Better retainers also include regular spokesperson training, stakeholder communications support and scenario testing, so the plan has been rehearsed before it is needed. Whoever you use, get their response time in writing.
What should a crisis communication plan include?
A list of your most likely crisis scenarios, a response team with clear roles and sign-off authority, escalation steps, draft holding statements for each scenario, media protocols, a stakeholder contact list in priority order, and social media guidelines. It should be short enough that someone can follow it under pressure.
How quickly should an organisation respond to a crisis?
Within a few hours. A short holding statement acknowledging the situation and saying more will follow is usually better than silence, which journalists and the public tend to read as guilt or indifference. The fuller response follows once the facts are confirmed. The first 24 hours usually set the tone for all later coverage.
What is the difference between crisis communications and crisis management?
Crisis management is the whole operational response: safety, legal, logistics and business continuity. Crisis communications is the part that deals with what you say and who you say it to. We handle the communications and work alongside your operational, legal and insurance teams.
Can you help if we are already in a crisis?
Yes. We can start straight away, even if statements have already gone out. We look at what's been said, take over media enquiries and get one consistent message out. Call 0401 880 060.
Do you work with our lawyers?
Yes, and we prefer to. Legal advice and public communications need to agree. We draft statements that your lawyers can approve quickly, and we flag when saying nothing would do more damage than a carefully worded comment.
You are based in Mackay. Can you work with organisations in Brisbane or interstate?
Yes. Most crisis work happens by phone, email and video, and journalists covering your story are rarely in your office either. We travel for on-site work, spokesperson coaching and press conferences when it is needed. Brisbane clients can also see our reputation management Brisbane service.
Related Services
Crisis communications works best alongside these.
Media Training
Hostile interviews, doorstops and live crosses. We train your spokespeople for the hardest version of the interview so the real one feels manageable.
Online Reputation Management
The coverage ends but the search results stay. We work on what people find when they look you up after a crisis.
Mining & Resources PR
Crisis planning built for site incidents, environmental events and community opposition in the Bowen Basin and across Queensland.
Facing a Crisis? Call Now.
If something has happened, call 0401 880 060 at any hour. If you want to be ready before it does, get in touch about a crisis plan or retainer. All conversations are confidential.
Not ready to talk yet? Download our free Crisis Communications Playbook