Time matters in a crisis. What starts as a small regional complaint can, within hours, escalate into a situation that threatens the future of a company.

When that escalation happens, in-house expertise often isn’t enough. The marketing, investor relations and communications departments are built to promote and protect reputation in stable conditions, not to respond in real time to fast-moving and unpredictable threats.

That’s why companies often bring in specialist crisis communications support. But onboarding an agency mid-crisis isn’t easy. Unlike a traditional agency search, which might involve weeks of meetings, competitive proposals and deep dives – this has to happen in days, if not hours.

It’s essential not just to identify the right firm, but to make sure they are operationally effective from the first day. That means having an actionable, clearly structured brief ready—one that enables the firm to start working immediately.

Drawing on our experience across executive departures, regulatory investigations, cyber incidents and legislative change, here’s what we’ve learned. These are the five things that would have made a real difference in past engagements.

1. Put the current situation in context

Explain how the issue emerged and how it has developed. Include a timeline if helpful, even if it’s rough – what happened, when, and who was involved. Don’t assume prior knowledge—if this is a long-running issue internally, the agency will still need a short, objective summary.

2. Provide links and documents under NDA

If the firm is under NDA, you can share much more than what’s available publicly. Do this quickly. Provide the relevant materials – press coverage, analyst notes, legal filings, internal Q&A, existing comms lines. Even a Dropbox folder of recent decks or notes can help shorten the ramp-up time.

3. Clarify your short- and long-term goals

What are you trying to solve in the next 24-72 hours? And what’s the broader reputational concern that sits underneath this event? Knowing both helps the firm balance immediate response with long-term positioning and avoid strategies that solve one problem while creating another.

4. Explain the regulatory and stakeholder landscape

Is there a regulator involved or watching? Are there political, activist, or commercial stakeholders likely to weigh in? A basic map of who’s involved—internally and externally—helps anticipate how the situation might unfold, and which messages will resonate or backfire.

5. Don’t worry about format – just get it down

Send it in whatever format is easiest. An email, a Word doc, a Notion page—use the tools that fit into your workflow. What matters is that the thinking is clear and accessible, not that it looks polished.

We understand that taking time to prepare something—especially when things feel chaotic—can feel like a luxury. But a brief like this saves time, avoids duplication and makes your outside team far more effective.

And there’s no need to build it from scratch in the moment. You can prepare a skeleton version today, using recent materials and strategic documents, and then update it quickly when needed.

With a brief like this in place, your crisis firm can hit the ground running—and you’ll be better prepared to face the unknown.