How to Handle a Public Relations Crisis at Your College or University

Red Banyan provides public relations for colleges and universities. Our firm is a global crisis PR agency known for its ability to handle cancel culture cases and crisis communications. Our public relations experts provide colleges and universities with proactive communications strategies so they are prepared in the good times and ready to react quickly in the bad times.

Red Banyan’s PR team is composed of professional communications experts with decades of experience in traditional public relations, college and university PR, social media and outrage culture.

Our public relations consultants include numerous former journalists, so our firm has an edge when it comes to the media: we understand what reporters need and we know how to provide it, so your university or college gets the positive attention it needs and deserves.

Our seasoned PR staff can assess your university or college’s needs quickly and come up with a comprehensive plan that will ensure that you are ready for any scenario, no matter how challenging. Our PR team for colleges and universities can tailor all messaging so you will be able to focus the conversation on the news that is important and convey the information you desire.

Public Relations Strategies for Colleges and Universities

Providing PR for a college or university is different than providing public relations for a business or corporation. Red Banyan’s communications consultants for universities understand the difference because they have been handling higher education PR for years.

Our public relations and crisis communications agency is recognized world-wide for its ability to quickly switch gears between traditional PR and crisis PR, an added plus because most PR agencies have little practical experience in crisis management. 

Red Banyan’s PR experts specialize in public relations for colleges and universities and know how to share your school’s story in a way that will get your educational institution noticed.

We also understand the value of earned media and have the media contacts and credibility to help get your school publicity on new programs, interesting students, significant accomplishments and awards.

Red Banyan’s university and college experts will help create public relations campaigns that highlight your school’s successes and future goals. We will also help you set financial benchmarks and outline plans to meet those goals, since funding is always an issue in higher education.

Our team of crisis PR and media relations professionals include former reporters who understand what the media needs for a story and know how to direct attention to interesting issues. We will write press releases and pitch stories for your school or teach you how to do it if you want to learn.

Our media relations experts will also prepare you for on-camera interviews if you have never done one, so you are comfortable when the cameras start to roll.

How to Stay Proactive with Your Communications

Providing comprehensive PR for a college or university is a big job because there are so many stakeholders. Red Banyan’s team of communications consultants for universities have years of experience handling PR for institutions of higher education.

Our college public relations experts will develop a proactive communications strategy that will highlight the school’s accomplishments and programs so the college or university will appeal to future students.

Identifying your target audiences is key to providing successful public relations. Red Banyan’s university and college PR professionals realize that the audiences for higher education are multi-faceted and include a mix of students, parents, administrators, professors and researchers.

Our experienced team of crisis PR experts know how to tailor their pitches for each audience, so your school achieves the best results possible. Colleges and universities, whether private or public, require a unique blend of traditional and crisis PR. Red Banyan provides expertise and years of hands-on experience in both.

Should a sports program erupt in scandal, Red Banyan’s crisis PR experts know how to get a negative scenario under control fast. Our reputation rehabilitation experts will take control of the narrative, audit your social media accounts and make sure the messages that you want to be heard are being communicated.

Cancel culture and outrage culture are two new phenomena that can create unexpected grief for organizations that do not closely monitor their social media accounts or brands.

Our crisis communications experts will keep close tabs on what is being said about your university or college online to avoid problems that can quickly deteriorate morale.

Our PR consultants will highlight your unique undergraduate brand and publicize special graduate programs that have set your college or university apart from all others. We understand the value of storytelling and can tell the stories of your college or university’s successes by highlighting students who have excelled in their studies.

Publicize Positive News

Universities and colleges are filled with good news which often goes unnoticed. Red Banyan’s communications management experts know that a positive story does more than just stir up good feelings.

Positive publicity translates into greater credibility, which is essential for institutions of higher education that are hoping to attract matriculating students and new revenue.

Our public relations team will find those upbeat stories, share them in press releases and pitch them to the media so your school programs and students get the positive news coverage.

Red Banyan’s PR team will also find out if there are local, state or national issues that affect your school and should get attention. Our team of former journalists has the media savvy and insight to know when a local, state, or national story is important and will promote it accordingly.

How Red Banyan Can Help

Red Banyan’s team of experts will outline a comprehensive communications strategy, manage your social media, and keep close watch on your online reputation. Our team of content experts will create blogs, op-eds, thought leadership pieces and posts for your school’s website.

We will also monitor all online commentary related to your college or university, so you are never caught off-guard if something negative is posted. Responding quickly can be the best way to bring a potentially damaging situation under control.