🧨 When a Viral Post Turns Into a Brand Crisis
A Simulation You Should Run This Week
Hi all. Welcome back to PR@ctical. Let’s go. This is going to be our AI era.
In 2025, the first five hours of a viral social post can shape the next five months of your brand narrative.
You’ve probably asked yourself: What would happen if a viral social post attacked our brand?
But have you actually run a mock crisis simulation to pressure-test your team, comms strategy, and response plan?
Thanks to today’s AI tools (like ChatGPT), you don’t need a crisis agency or days of prep to simulate one. You just need the right prompt.
Today, I’m sharing the exact AI prompt you can use to generate a tailored, high-stakes crisis scenario — one your team can practice with this week.
🚨 THE SCENARIO
An influencer with 250K followers drops a video falsely claiming your product is harmful. It hits 2 million views in 24 hours and trends under the hashtag #YourCompanyExposed.
It’s compelling. It’s visual. It’s wrong, but that won’t stop it from spreading.
🛠 The AI Prompt Template
Prompt:
“You are a crisis simulation expert. Please generate a detailed mock scenario where [describe the triggering event, e.g., ‘an influencer spreads viral misinformation about our product’]. Include:
Simulated media coverage (trade, local, national, international if relevant)
Public sentiment on social media (including hashtags and general tone)
Influencer reactions (partners, amplifiers, critics)
Internal stakeholder concerns (sales, customer support, legal, leadership)
Please cover the first 24–72 hours of the crisis timeline.”
✅ How to Customize It
When you write the prompt, add details like:
Your industry (e.g., consumer tech, healthcare, SaaS, fintech)
The specific trigger (e.g., “a product failure video goes viral,” “a CEO comment is taken out of context,” “an employee leak spreads on Reddit”)
The type of influencer or account that sparks it (e.g., lifestyle TikToker, industry analyst, activist X user)
Example:
“You are a crisis simulation expert. Please generate a mock scenario where a mid-tier TikTok influencer (250K followers) posts a viral video falsely claiming our wearable health device causes skin burns. Cover media coverage, social reactions, influencer amplification, and stakeholder concerns over the first 72 hours.”
💡 What You’ll Get from the AI
A realistic scenario you can practice internally.
Simulated public sentiment and media reactions your team may not have anticipated.
A safe, no-stakes space to test your holding statements, FAQ prep, and internal briefings.
A reusable framework: just swap the trigger and rerun the prompt for a fresh scenario.
📈 Bonus Tip: Add Variables
If you want an even more advanced simulation, tell the AI to run:
A worst-case version (your slowest response, highest amplification)
A best-case version (you respond quickly, influencers rally in your favor)
A real-time update sequence (what happens at the 12-hour, 24-hour, and 48-hour marks)
🚀 Want Me to Send You a Pre-Written AI Prompt Library?
If you’re interested, reply to this newsletter or drop a comment and I’ll share a free prompt kit I’ve developed for:
✅ Viral crisis simulations
✅ Product recall scenarios
✅ Executive reputation crises
✅ Data breach or security incidents
It’s part of my mission to help communications leaders integrate AI into their strategy—not just as a tool, but as a force multiplier.
Stay sharp,
Sarah