No one likes to have plans interrupted or break a long-held routine. But sometimes, that can’t be avoided. Life happens — from unforeseen weather, tragic accidents, power outages, and global conflict. Changes happen when you least expect them to.
That’s why holding statements play a critical role in keeping people informed. These short statements spread the news during a crisis to the public. They’re used by companies, institutions, governments, political authorities, and weather services alike. These updates manage the fears and expectations of the public, keeping them out of harm’s way.
I’m a journalist who has seen thousands of holding statements. I’ve relied on them to report the crises at hand. For this blog post, I interviewed representatives at 13 public relations agencies from around the world. Here’s what they had to say about getting holding statements right.
Table of Contents
- Yes, I’ve Been Personally Impacted by Holding Statements
- What Is a Holding Statement?
- Why Holding Statements Matter
- How to Write a Holding Statement
- Holding Statements Best Practices — How to Cover The Bases
- Holding Statement Templates
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Yes, I’ve Been Personally Impacted by Holding Statements
Traveling is my jam. Almost nothing stops me from jumping on a plane, whether it’s a business trip or a vacation. Almost nothing, that is, except for a life-threatening storm. That’s why a message like the one below made me change course, so I could hunker down at home instead.
The alert that Miami International Airport (MIA) issued was a holding statement, which spelled out the immediate danger and consequences to travelers, what may happen if they show up at the airport anyway, and how to get updates.
"We began communicating as soon as we knew a storm was approaching,” explains Karla Cobreiro, now a vice president at Quinn PR, who was an MIA public information officer at the time of Hurricane Irma.
The MIA communications staff followed up the holding statement with many more updates until the airport’s operations were back to full speed. That resulted in more frequent communications immediately after the storm, added Cobreiro, and fewer later as the crisis passed and the need for them fell off.
What Is a Holding Statement?
A holding statement is a short document that organizations issue in the event of a crisis or breaking news. Sometimes called press holding statements, these documents include information about what’s happening and how the public is affected.
The Federation of Small Businesses explains holding statements give brief accounts "of what your business currently knows and the actions you're taking to face the crisis, and it allows you to respond with speed and credibility when a crisis is developing.”
Samantha Flynn, principal and chief strategy officer at Junipr Public Relations in Chicago, calls holding statements "interim official communication.” She notes that these updates can help create "a timeline for when to expect more robust information via company communication.”
Why Holding Statements Matter
"Holding statements are the bedrock of crisis communications,” says Andrew Koneschusky, founder and CEO of the crisis communications firm Beltway Advisors. Koneschusky was once a press secretary for Sen. Chuck Schumer, (D-NY), the Senate majority leader.
In my opinion, Koneschusky is right on the money. In the event of a crisis, information is essential to keep the public safe. In the business world, a major outage or news event may affect your customers. Holding statements help you stay in touch so they know what to expect.
As a traveler, I appreciated Miami Airport’s clear communication with me. I knew that I should avoid travel to stay out of harm’s way. I appreciated how my safety was a top priority, and the communication was clear.
How to Write a Holding Statement
When news breaks, your comms staff needs to write a holding statement on the fly. Here are a few tips that I’ve gathered from experts to help.
Alyson Austin is the principal and co-founder of the PR firm Gaffney Austin LLC in Plano, Texas. She uses the acronym GATHER, which stands for six steps:
- Gather the facts.
- Assess situation.
- Treat all parties with respect.
- Help the audience understand the situation.
- Eliminate doubt.
- Remind the audience that you will follow up as more details become available.
However, the better way to go, said comms professionals who spoke with me, is to maintain a file of blank holding statement templates that you can update quickly when the need arises.
"Organizations should develop a holding statement for each of their key stakeholders, including employees, clients, investors, and business partners, for situations that they see as inherent risks in their business,” says Dave Oates, founder of PR Security Service in San Diego.
He added that, at the very least, you need templates covering cyberattacks, accusations of harassment or a hostile work environment, and product service delays.
Other crises could be the death of a CEO, a prominent principal who has fabricated his professional background, depletion of an employee retirement fund due to mismanagement, a hostile company takeover, and the effects of a political movement, such as BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo.
So what goes into one of these templates? I interviewed 13 PR professionals to suss out their best tips for creating a holding statement. Here’s what they told me.
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Holding Statements Best Practices — How to Cover The Bases
1. Make the statement concise and to the point.
The reps I interviewed told me that a holding statement is meant to tell only part of the story. When they said that brevity was key, I cheered. In a breaking news situation, I must get the news out fast, while I continue my reporting.
2. Be as specific as possible.
For this tip, PR reps follow the journalism rule that I’ve used throughout my career, which is the who, when, what, where, how and why of the situation. Yonason Goldson, director of the firm Ethical Imperatives LLC, told me that a solid holding statement also points out the absence of facts that aren’t yet known.
In the case of MIA and Hurricane Irene:
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The who was the airport.
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The what the hurricane.
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The when was starting at 11 a.m. the day the holding statement was issued, with more to come at an undetermined time.
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The where was Southern Florida.
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The how, generally, was the unpredictability of the weather.
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The why was because it was hurricane season.
3. Tailor it to the situation and audience.
As I have followed in my journalism work, holding statements need to be crafted differently based on the audience. Austin told me that the elements of the statement vary between what information is required for a publicly traded company or a private enterprise.
"The difference is that public companies are generally more constrained by legal and regulatory requirements, requiring holding statements that are carefully crafted to manage market expectations and investor confidence," says Austin.
Mark Braykovich, executive vice president of the Atlanta-based PR firm the Wilbert Group, told me that "under Securities and Exchange Commission rules, they [publicly traded entities] must publicly disclose any ‘material event’ via the filing of a Form 8-K. Some public companies will use an 8-K filing as their public acknowledgment of a crisis (such as litigation).”
4. Send the holding statement out quickly.
Some comms professionals told me that the statement should be issued within 15 minutes of their having knowledge of the event. Goldson suggested "within an hour” of the event. Send it "almost immediately, but not so quick that it seems you have issued a prewritten statement you keep on file,” he told me.
PR professionals and journalists all realize that the need for quickly delivered holding statements is all the more acute, due to the 24-hour news cycle, social media, and other online review platforms through which information travels at warp speed.
5. Make sure it’s accurate.
In a crisis, the last thing I want is to put out inaccurate information, and I rely on the organization to do as I do, double- and triple-check before the statement goes out. PR agencies recommend that many professionals read the statement before it becomes public so that any misleading or inaccurate information is caught.
"Before any kind of holding statement is released, a critical assessment of the crisis must be done. This encompasses: social response, press coverage, shareholder sentiment, and projections on how each future action will help or hurt the situation,” says Ryan McCormick, co-founder and media relations specialist at Goldman McCormick Public Relations in New York.
6. Correct mistakes immediately.
"As soon as you realize there's an error in the statement, acknowledge it, apologize, and issue a corrected holding statement. Get all of the approvals that you need and address it. If possible, make a personal call to reporters that already covered the news,” said Austin.
She told me that in such a case, her firm divides up the work of reaching out to reporters and enlists their external PR firm to help, too. Errors cost time and rock credibility with the public and the press. They could also endanger lives and property and lead to liability issues for the organization.
7. Offer compassion and empathy.
People facing a crisis or disturbance are understandably upset and emotional. Tread lightly, and "Express empathy for anyone who has suffered, being as specific as possible without violating anyone's privacy,” Goldson told me.
8. Use a variety of platforms to get the word out.
If you need to write a holding statement, you’ll probably put it on your website. If I’m looking for information, that’s where I tend to go first. I also monitor social media platforms, such as Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube, for updates. These platforms are a great place to post if there’s more information available about the incident that wasn’t in the holding statement.
Holding Statement Templates
Now that we know what goes into a holding statement, let’s dive deeper into holding statement templates.
Sometimes, you need a statement that’s quick. You may not have much information but need to acknowledge that your team is aware of and working on the issue. Flynn sent me a bare-bones template that works great in this scenario:
- "We can confirm that [X] has occurred and are working with [Y] at this time. We will share an additional update as more details are available.”
Let’s say you have more information available and can share more information. Michelle Palmer, managing director and founder of the Australian PR firm Modern Currency in Melbourne, offered a holding statement template that offers more details.
- "This morning, we identified a technical issue affecting our [product or service]. The issue began on [date and time], and we are aware this may have been impacting [affected group of individuals]. We apologize for the disruption and for not being able to provide you with [X] at this time. Please be assured that our team is working around the clock to restore full functionality as quickly as possible.”
Finally, you may be in a position to share additional resources with the public. That may include emergency personnel to contact or other stakeholders to notify. You may also be in a situation to identify affected parties.
The magazine Western City published this template to guide businesses through holding statements for violent incidents. I appreciate how much detail this outline offers. People who are directly involved know who to contact. Those who are not directly impacted are aware of how to stay safe and what areas to avoid.
Get the Ball Rolling
As a journalist, when disaster or a disturbance hits, I need information fast so I can inform readers or viewers. That’s why I value a well-crafted and timely holding statement, the bedrock of crisis communication.
These statements are the first response from PR firms and crisis communication agencies. The public can then prepare and adjust as the situation unfolds. Updates follow, but it is the holding statement that starts the story.
Use these templates and tips to prepare for when the unexpected inevitably occurs.
Crisis Communication and Management Kit
Manage, plan for, and communicate during your corporate crises with these crisis management plan templates.
- Free Crisis Management Plan Template
- 12 Crisis Communication Templates
- Post-Crisis Performance Grading Template
- Additional Crisis Best Management Practices
Download Free
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