Top Crisis PR And Reputation Management Firms In 2027

Crisis PR firms do different work from everyday reputation management.

When a data breach, product recall, executive departure, lawsuit or viral incident hits, a company has hours, not weeks, to brief its board, answer reporters, inform employees and regulators, and coordinate every statement with its lawyers. The firms that do this well run war rooms, write holding statements under pressure and know how to work alongside outside counsel.

Steady-state online reputation management starts later. Once the incident is contained, the coverage it produced stays in search results for years, and that is where search clean-up specialists take over. Confusing the two is a common mistake. A search specialist cannot brief a newsroom, and most crisis communications firms do not file platform takedown requests. This list deliberately covers both stages: established crisis communications firms for the acute phase, and the firms that handle what remains in Google and AI search afterward.

We ranked the strategic communications firms on their stated crisis capabilities and scale, and included search-focused specialists separately so readers can see where each fits. The crisis PR firms are ordered by the depth and scale of their stated crisis practice, not by size alone. If the crisis is over and only the search results remain, our sibling list of negative search result services for businesses goes deeper on that stage.

Crisis PR Firms At A Glance

Company	Best For	Pricing Model
Erase	Executives and professionals with old press coverage	Pay when results are delivered
Guaranteed Removals	Removing defamatory or leaked content after an incident	Billed only after verified removal; lifetime guarantee
FGS Global	Global companies facing high-stakes, multi-market crises	Quote-based
Kekst CNC	Cyber incidents and litigation alongside corporate events	Quote-based
Edelman	Brands needing a large 24/7 global crisis network	Quote-based
FTI Consulting	Crises tied to restructuring, investigations or cyber	Quote-based
Joele Frank	Public companies facing activism or deal-related crises	Quote-based
Red Banyan	Consumer and corporate brands wanting PR plus crisis	Quote-based
5W Public Relations	Mature franchise brands with survey and CX programs	Quote-based
Igniyte	crises that move into search results	Quote-based

Best Crisis PR And Reputation Management Options In 2027

1. Erase.com — After-The-Crisis Search Clean-Up

Erase Technologies, LLC is not a crisis communications agency, and that is why it appears here in a specific role. It has worked as a reputation specialist since 2009, with offices in Miami, Florida and Burlington, Ontario, and handles what a crisis leaves behind in search: news articles, court records, gripe and complaint sites, review spikes on Google, Indeed, Glassdoor, Trustpilot and more than 15 other platforms, and personal information about executives.

Its four-phase process of Audit, Remove, Suppress and Monitor fits naturally after a crisis firm’s work is done. Content that breaks a platform’s policies can be removed; accurate coverage that cannot be removed is suppressed by building and promoting other content. Erase reports more than 100,000 reviews and URLs removed across 2,000+ platforms and says 99% of targeted results are suppressed within six months; these are Erase’s own figures.

Clients pay only when results are delivered, after a free assessment that Erase says is reviewed within 24 hours. The limitation is timing: Erase does not run media response during a live incident, so it works best as the next step after a crisis PR firm.

Best for: companies and executives whose crisis is over but whose search results still show it.

2. Guaranteed Removals — Post-Crisis Takedowns of Defamatory Content

Guaranteed Removals is the removal-only brand of Erase Technologies, LLC, the company that also runs Erase, with offices in Miami and Burlington, Ontario. It deletes content at the source rather than pushing it down, and it does not sell suppression. Clients are billed only after a link is removed and verified gone, with no retainer or upfront fee.

It is not a crisis communications firm. Its role after an incident is narrower: removing defamatory posts, leaked images and videos, and inaccurate articles once the immediate response is handled. It offers no media relations, spokesperson work or legal strategy, so it belongs next to a crisis firm, not instead of one.

Its removals carry a lifetime guarantee: if a removed link reappears on the same URL, the firm says it removes it again free, and refunds that removal if the second attempt fails. Guaranteed Removals reports more than 15,000 clients, 20,000 reviews removed and 100,000 links deleted; those are the company’s own figures.

Best for: Removing defamatory or leaked content after an incident.

3. FGS Global — Multi-Market Crisis Counsel For Large Corporations

FGS Global provides strategic counsel in crisis and issues management, global public affairs, strategy and reputation, and transaction and financial communications from 31 offices. The former Sard Verbinnen and Co web address now redirects to FGS Global.

It is built for situations where a crisis touches several audiences at once: regulators in one country, investors in another, employees everywhere and national press in each market. Large corporations use firms of this type for bet-the-company moments such as major litigation, government investigations and contested transactions.

Fees are quote-based. The limitation is fit for smaller organizations: a firm at this level is priced and staffed for large corporate clients. Among crisis PR firms, it sits at the top end of both scope and cost.

Best for: multinational companies that need coordinated crisis counsel across several jurisdictions.

4. Kekst CNC — Cyber And Litigation Crisis Communications

Kekst CNC, part of Publicis Groupe, offers crisis and issues management, cybersecurity communications, litigation support, M&A, corporate governance and shareholder activism, financial communications, IPOs and regulatory and public affairs. It has around 300 professionals in 15 offices across the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Kekst CNC says it was ranked Band 1 worldwide for both crisis communications and cybersecurity communications by Chambers and Partners in the 2026 Crisis and Risk Management guide. That cyber specialization matters because ransomware and data breaches now account for many corporate crises and come with strict notification rules.

Fees are quote-based. The limitation is that its focus is corporate and financial audiences; consumer-facing brands with heavy social media exposure may need additional support.

Best for: companies facing a data breach, ransomware attack or litigation where technical and legal accuracy in every statement is critical.

5. Edelman — 24/7 Global Crisis Network With Disinformation Defense

Edelman’s crisis and risk practice covers three stages: preparation, including simulations, risk sensing, stakeholder mapping and disinformation defense tools; issues and crisis response, with real-time monitoring and coordinated stakeholder communications; and reputation recovery, including brand diagnostics and narrative repositioning. Edelman describes its crisis network as the largest in the industry, with teams working around the clock across the US, EMEA, APAC and Latin America.

In September 2024 Edelman launched a Counter Disinformation Unit, which is relevant where a crisis is driven or amplified by false narratives online. It also publishes research on crisis trends, including its Connected Crisis Study.

Fees are quote-based. The limitation is size: large agencies can be slower to staff smaller engagements, so ask who will actually be on your account.

Best for: consumer brands that need round-the-clock coverage across several regions, especially where false narratives are spreading online.

6. FTI Consulting — Strategic Communications Inside A Global Advisory Firm

FTI Consulting’s strategic communications segment works on communications in times of crisis, transformation and geopolitical risk, and the wider firm reports more than 8,100 employees in 32 countries and territories. Its published work includes a case study on cyber crisis communications for Colonial Pipeline.

The advantage is proximity to FTI’s other practices. When a crisis involves restructuring, forensic investigation, regulatory enforcement or cyber response, communications advisers can work alongside the firm’s financial, investigative and technology teams.

Fees are quote-based. The limitation is that buyers who only need communications may find a specialist firm simpler to engage.

Best for: companies whose crisis is tied to a restructuring, an investigation or a cyber incident that needs financial and forensic experts in the same room.

7. Joele Frank — Crisis Communications For Public Companies In Critical Moments

Joele Frank, with offices in New York and San Francisco, offers crisis communications alongside M&A communications, shareholder activism defense, investor relations, governance counsel and restructuring communications. It says it advised on more than 200 deals in 2025 and has completed more than 1,000 activism defense engagements since 2000.

For public companies, many crises arrive through the capital markets: an activist campaign, a failed deal, a sudden CEO exit or a restructuring. Joele Frank’s experience in those situations makes it a frequent choice when investors are the audience that matters most. It also reports handling more than 200 C-suite transitions in 2025, a common trigger for unplanned coverage.

Fees are quote-based. The limitation is that its focus is corporate and financial; consumer product crises with heavy social media exposure may need additional support.

8. Red Banyan — Rapid Crisis Response For Companies And Individuals

Red Banyan, founded and led by CEO Evan Nierman, describes itself as a full-service crisis PR company. Its services include crisis response and management, crisis prevention and planning, legal PR for litigation communications, online reputation management, public affairs, social media management and media training. It has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Washington DC, New York and Atlanta.

Red Banyan suits mid-size companies, professional firms and individuals who need senior crisis help quickly without the overhead of a global network. Because it also offers online reputation management, it can carry a client from the immediate response into the longer search recovery.

Fees are quote-based. The limitation is international reach; multi-country crises may need a firm with offices abroad.

Best for: mid-size companies, law firms and individuals who want a senior crisis team that also handles the online reputation recovery.

9. 5W Public Relations — Integrated PR And Crisis Support For Consumer And Corporate Brands

5W Public Relations, founded by Ronn Torossian and headquartered in New York with offices in Miami and Tampa, describes itself as one of the largest independent communications firms in the United States. Its services include crisis communications and reputation management alongside earned media, generative engine optimization and audience intelligence.

5W fits brands that want crisis support from the same firm that runs their regular media relations, so the team already knows the company’s voice and reporters. Its GEO work is relevant when a crisis affects how AI assistants describe a brand.

Fees are quote-based. The limitation is that crisis is one practice among many, so ask which senior staff lead crisis work and how quickly they can mobilize.

10. Igniyte — Crisis And Search Response For UK And Gulf Businesses

Igniyte, with offices in Leeds, London and Dubai, offers crisis management for businesses and individuals together with content removal from Google, negative content demotion, review management and a Reputation Dashboard for real-time monitoring.

Its combination of crisis handling and search work suits UK and Gulf companies where the incident quickly turns into a search and review problem, such as a viral complaint or a local news story. Local knowledge of UK media and platform processes is the main reason to choose it over a US firm.

Fees are quote-based. The limitation is that it is not a full-scale global communications agency, so complex multinational crises may need a larger partner.

How To Choose A Crisis PR Firm

Is The Crisis Live Or Already Over?

This is the first and most important question. During a live incident you need crisis management PR firms with media, legal and stakeholder experience. Once coverage has peaked, the work shifts to crisis reputation management in search, where specialists such as Erase.com focus on removal and suppression. Many companies need both, in that order.

How Will The Firm Work With Your Lawyers?

Nearly every serious crisis has a legal dimension. Ask how the firm coordinates statements with outside counsel, how it protects privilege, and whether it has worked on litigation or regulatory matters like yours. Questions about defamation, court records or expungement belong with a licensed attorney; our list of internet defamation lawyers and content removal firms can help with that. This page is information, not legal advice.

Who Will Actually Be On Call?

Ask to meet the people who will answer the phone at 2 a.m. Confirm their experience with your type of incident, whether a cyber breach, product safety issue, workplace allegation or financial event, and how fast they can assemble a team.

Does The Firm Plan For The Search Aftermath?

Crisis communications firms differ on how much they think about search. Ask how they will handle the stories that will rank for your name next year, whether they monitor AI assistant answers, and whether they partner with a search clean-up specialist.

Can They Help You Prepare Before Anything Happens?

The best time to hire is before a crisis. Several firms here offer simulations, crisis plans and media training. A tested plan, pre-approved holding statements and a clear decision chain shorten response times when something does go wrong.

How Should You Compare Fees?

Crisis work is rarely priced publicly; every firm on this list quotes per engagement. Ask whether you are paying for a monthly retainer, an hourly rate or a fixed project, what happens to fees if the crisis runs longer than expected, and which costs, such as media monitoring or paid search, are billed separately. Search clean-up is often priced differently: Erase.com, for example, charges only when results are delivered.

Conclusion

For an acute incident, FGS Global, Kekst CNC, Edelman, FTI Consulting and Joele Frank bring the scale and specialist experience large companies need, while Red Banyan, 5W Public Relations and Igniyte offer faster, more focused support for mid-size organizations and regional crises. Erase.com sits at the end of the process, cleaning up what remains in search after the news cycle ends.

Choose crisis PR firms before you need them, agree how they will work with counsel, and plan the search recovery from day one. For a wider view of the reputation market, see our list of top reputation management companies.