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The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson
The PR Breakdown reveals the moves behind the mess. Crisis communication expert Molly McPherson dissects the viral scandals, celebrity meltdowns, and corporate disasters dominating headlines to show you the strategic mistakes and desperate moves that destroy reputations - so you never make them yourself.
The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson
From Panic to Power: The 90-Second Rule for Handling Haters
When the internet comes for you, your instinct is to fight back or disappear. Neither helps. In this episode, Molly breaks down her simple, proven 90-second rule for handling online hate without losing your cool or your credibility.
You’ll learn:
- Why outrage online is a revolving door (and why it’s never really about you).
- How to recognize when your brain has flipped into fight-or-flight mode—and what to do about it.
- The golden rule of when not to apologize (and where to respond instead).
- How to move from panic to power in less time than it takes to make a cup of coffee.
If you’ve ever dealt with critics, trolls, or just plain mean people online, this one’s for you.
Bonus: Want to learn how to respond to any crisis with confidence?
Join Molly’s free live training: The First Hour: How to Respond to Any Crisis Before It Spirals
You’ll discover:
- The 3 critical steps every communicator must take in the first hour of a crisis.
- The biggest mistakes that tank trust (and how to avoid them).
- How to draft a holding statement in minutes instead of hours.
Spots are limited—grab yours now HERE.
Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.
Follow Molly on Substack
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Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar.
Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.
This podcast is supported by Muck Rack, the PR management platform I use to monitor media coverage, track journalist activity, and inform high-stakes strategy with real-time data. Click here to try Muck Rack for yourself.
Follow & Connect with Molly:
I want to start this episode with a quick invitation. I'm hosting a free webinar called The First Hour: How to Respond to Any Crisis Before It Spirals. Because here's the truth. When a crisis breaks, the clock starts ticking. And what you do in those first 60 minutes will either calm the storm or pour gas on it. In this session, I will walk you through a proven framework for managing that critical first hour. You'll learn the three steps every communicator must take immediately. The biggest mistakes people make that tank trust and how to draft a holding statement in minutes instead of hours. And finally, why speed and clarity matter more than being perfect. These are the strategies and tactics I use with my clients. I am holding two sessions on October 22nd at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Eastern, and a third session on October 23rd at 1 p.m. Eastern. Spots are limited, so grab yours now. I'll drop the link in the show notes. All right, now let's get to today's episode. Today I want to give you my 90-second rule for handling haters online. The people who come at you pile on and try to hijack your peace of mind. I know. 90 seconds. This is going to be a quickie. Ready? The rule is simple. Imagine you're a brand online, or maybe you own a business online, and all of a sudden the haters are coming for you. Caveat. This is if you didn't do anything wrong. Sometimes people say things or reduce things, or there's something in our business practice that we could have done differently. In that case, you need to do a whole different set of rules. This 90-second rule is just for handling the haters, just the people who come at you when it's not warranted. All right? Ready? Set your watch. Here we go. Step one, remember you're not the first and you won't be the last. Online outrage is a revolving door. People come for you and then they'll move on to the next target. Don't take it personally. It's a cycle. Step two, know your real enemy. It's not the person leaving comments, it's the algorithm. The algorithm thrives on outrage. It wants you rattled, defensive, and reactive. Your job is to outsmart it. Don't feed it. Step three, reclaim your brain. When haters attack you when you read all the comments, your amygdala in your brain fires up. That's your fight or flight response. And it clouds your judgment. The fix, pause, breathe, call someone you trust, give your rational mind a chance to catch up before you hit post or make that next decision, which could be a bad decision. And here's my golden rule: don't post an apology video on the same platform where you're being attacked. Many times you don't need to apologize. That's like throwing blood into shark-infested waters. If you truly need to clarify, do it somewhere else, your podcast, Facebook, or even a live interview. And if you really haven't done anything wrong at all and it's just a coordinated smear, ignore it, but keep an eye on it. You can respond indirectly, on your own terms, and in your own space. There it is, 90 seconds. That's all it takes to shift from panic to power. Forget the haters, outsmart the algorithm, and keep moving forward. That's all for this week on the podcast. Thanks so much for listening. Ignore them. Bye for now.
