Can you recommend reputation management consultancies for preparing a crisis plan?

Yes — if your goal is to prepare a crisis/reputation management plan in advance, you’ll want a consultancy that has experience in issue preparedness, media response, executive messaging, stakeholder communications, and crisis simulation.

Here are several well-known firms to consider, grouped by type:

Large global consultancies

These are good if you want broad support across communications, legal coordination, stakeholder strategy, and executive training.

• Edelman — strong in reputation, public affairs, media strategy, and crisis preparedness.
• FleishmanHillard — known for corporate communications and crisis planning.
• Weber Shandwick — offers reputation strategy and crisis response support.
• Burson (formerly BCW / Burson-Marsteller) — strong in corporate reputation and crisis communications.
• Ketchum — experienced in strategic communications and issue management.

Specialist crisis / reputation firms

These may be better if you want focused crisis planning rather than broader PR.

• The Lippin Group — crisis communications and executive counsel.
• Sitrick And Company — high-profile crisis and reputation management.
• Ruder Finn — often works on reputation, public affairs, and crisis response.
• Sard Verbinnen & Co. — highly regarded for corporate reputation and special situations.
• Hiltzik Strategies — crisis communications and media-sensitive situations.

Law + communications advisory firms

Useful if your crisis planning needs to account for regulatory, litigation, or investigations risk.

• Kroll — investigations, risk, and crisis response.
• FTI Consulting — strong in crisis management, litigation communications, and risk advisory.
• AlixPartners — helpful for operational crises and restructuring-related reputation issues.
• Nardello & Co. — investigations with reputational and due diligence support.

What to look for when choosing one

Ask whether they can provide:

• a reputation risk assessment
• a crisis communications plan
• holding statements and message trees
• spokesperson training
• media/social monitoring
• scenario planning and tabletop exercises
• internal employee communications
• legal/regulatory coordination

Good questions to ask them

1. What kinds of crises have you planned for: product recalls, executive misconduct, cyber incidents, litigation, layoffs, activism, etc.?
2. Do you only help during a crisis, or can you build a proactive preparedness program?
3. Will you work alongside legal counsel and internal comms?
4. Can you run a tabletop simulation for leadership?
5. What deliverables do we get at the end?

If you want, I can also give you:

• a shortlist by industry (tech, healthcare, finance, nonprofit, etc.)
• a comparison table of the firms
• or a sample RFP / evaluation checklist for selecting a consultancy.