Six Principles of Sentiment Response

Most companies have sentiment response principles in a policy document. The wording is proper and nobody opens the file during an incident. The reason is simple: the principles are abstract and cannot answer a concrete question like "do we respond to this now". Good principles work like scoring criteria that anyone can apply in ten seconds.

1. Six Principles as Self-Check Questions

The first four govern what you say. The last two govern how you close. Do only the first four and the issue recurs; do only the last two and you have already lost the narrative.

2. The Two Most Often Broken

Consistency breaks internally. Management agrees on a line, but service and sales have not been briefed, so a customer hears a different version. The fix is unglamorous: within an hour of deciding, push the line to every customer-facing role.

Record-keeping breaks in the scramble. Everyone is on the phone and nobody writes anything, so three days later the timeline comes from memory. Assign one person to log three things only: time, action, reasoning.

Without these two, the principles stay on paper.

3. Writing Principles Into a Protocol

A protocol turns principles into actions, not adjectives. Four parts:

Trigger: what starts the protocol, with metrics and a named decision maker.

Roles: who sets the tier, who drafts messaging, who speaks publicly, who records. Three people can cover four roles, but they must be named.

Action list: what happens in the first two hours, the first six, and the first day, by tier.

Escalation and closure: what triggers escalation, what conditions end it.

Then run a tabletop exercise on a hypothetical scenario. It usually surfaces three to five gaps, including questions nobody has answered, such as who is authorised to speak publicly.

4. What External Support Covers

Monitoring and alerting, analysis and assessment, and drafting messaging and materials. All three support decisions rather than replace them.

Any service whose purpose is removing content falls outside compliant practice. Scope should be written explicitly at purchase.

When selecting a provider, check two things: whether you receive raw data rather than conclusions, and whether they will rehearse with your internal protocol. Providers that only deliver conclusions have limited long-term value.

5. Execution Depends on People

Even a complete protocol needs an operator. Nominate a sentiment liaison. The role need not be full-time, but the person must know the business, reach decision makers and be able to call people at night.

Rotate the role quarterly to avoid single-point dependency. Handover covers three items: keyword list, contact list, and the last incident review.

6. FAQ

What is the difference between principles and a protocol?

Principles are judgement criteria; a protocol is an execution sequence. One answers whether, the other answers who and when.

Do small companies need a protocol?

Yes, and one page suffices. State who owns it, who sets the line, and how fast you respond.

Can we do this without a PR function?

Yes. Assign it to the marketing lead and add a recorder, then follow the protocol.

How often should the protocol be updated?

Annually, and immediately when people change. A stale contact list is the top cause of protocol failure.

See also

• Tiered response in online sentiment handling
• Three layers of monitoring keywords
• Five daily routines in brand PR

GrowLab focuses on integrated content marketing, offering brand strategy, website development and search marketing (SEO/GEO) as a full-chain service. Contact us for an assessment of your own promotion plan.