Free checklist
72-Hour Issue Moment Checklist
Free PDF
- Severity ladder (4 rungs)
- Roles at a glance
- Hour-by-hour checklist (0-72)
- Speak / Hold / Correct / Escalate tree
- Three holding-language starters
First 72 hours
Help through the first 72 hours of a reputation issue
Small businesses and trade associations do not always have a crisis team ready. Issue Moment helps you name what is happening, put one person in charge in the first hour, and use holding language while the facts come in.
Self-serve. Not a 24/7 hotline. Not legal advice.
Toolkit
Issue Moment Toolkit
$129
- Editable master + PDF
- Full readiness sheets (roster, channels, approval)
- Stakeholder notification matrix and spokesperson prep with tough-question bank
- Complete 72-hour operating system + comms log
- Scenario packs C1-C4
- Templates, moderation posture, post-moment review
- Single-organization license
Built for lean teams
Small business owners, association comms leads, and chiefs of staff who need ownership and holding language before a full crisis program. Async and built for lean budgets. Dignity-preserving by default.
For audience-specific guides, see crisis communications for small businesses and crisis communications for trade associations.
How to use this
Path 1 · Interest
Start here or from LinkedIn. Get the free 72-Hour Issue Moment Checklist.
Path 2 · Practice
Use the checklist on a quiet day. Fill roles. Practice the severity ladder.
Path 3 · Toolkit
When you need scenario packs and the full operating system, the Toolkit is $129.
FAQ
What is an issue moment?
An issue moment is the early window when something threatens reputation and you still have time to respond with proportion. It sits between a watch item and a full crisis. Issue Moment helps small businesses and trade associations use that first 72 hours well: name what is happening, put one person in charge, and use holding language while the facts come in.
What should we do in hour one?
In hour one, put one person in charge of communications for the organization. Capture what is being asked, open a simple log, and agree who speaks so five people do not freestyle five answers. That stabilize step is section one of the free 72-Hour Issue Moment Checklist.
What is the free 72-Hour Issue Moment Checklist?
It is a short PDF that walks small businesses and trade associations through the first 72 hours of a reputation issue. You get a severity ladder, roles, and hour-by-hour checks. Get it free at issuemoment.com. Checkout asks for an email only, with no credit card needed.
What is in the Toolkit, and what does it cost?
The Issue Moment Toolkit is $129 and expands the checklist into more scenarios, templates, a stakeholder notification matrix, spokesperson prep with a tough-question bank, and a complete plan for those first hours. You receive an editable master + PDF. It is self-serve. It is not a 24/7 crisis hotline and not legal advice.
Who is this for, and who is it not for?
Issue Moment is for small businesses and trade associations that do not always have a crisis team ready. It is not for organizations that need a live hotline, legal counsel, or retained agency coverage.
What is the severity ladder?
A simple severity ladder (watch → issue moment → escalating → full crisis) keeps the first 72 hours proportional. Most teams either over-call every hiccup a crisis or under-react until the narrative hardens. The free checklist includes this ladder plus roles and hour-by-hour checks.
About Issue Moment
Issue Moment (issuemoment.com) is a self-serve checklist and Toolkit for small businesses and trade associations in the first 72 hours of a reputation issue.
Contact [email protected]
Not a 24/7 crisis hotline.
Not legal advice.
Toolkit delivery: editable master and PDF.
