What to Do When Everything Goes Sideways

From Chapter 6 of Bulletproof Your Marketplace

By Jeremy Gottschalk

I wish I could tell you that building a great trust and safety program means you’ll never have an incident. But here’s the truth: things will go wrong. And when they do, it’s how you respond that defines whether your platform recovers—or collapses.

In Chapter 6 of Bulletproof Your Marketplace, I tackle one of the most overlooked (and mission-critical) topics in platform risk: incident response. Because while it’s easy to think about risk in the abstract, nothing gets real faster than a crisis.

Whether it’s a serious user complaint, a viral post, a data breach, a physical safety incident, or a threat of legal action—you’ve got to be ready. This chapter is your blueprint for preparing, responding, and coming out stronger.

It’s Not a Matter of If—It’s When

I say it all the time: incidents are inevitable. Especially when your platform facilitates real-world interactions.

Even with the best safety features, the best policies, and the best intentions, things slip through the cracks. Why? Because platforms scale faster than policies do. Because humans are unpredictable. And because no system is perfect.

If you think your startup is too small to need an incident response plan, think again. It’s much easier to build a basic framework now than to figure it out in the middle of a PR firestorm.

The Anatomy of an Incident

In this chapter, I walk through what a typical platform incident looks like—whether it’s a user being harmed, a media inquiry about a controversial policy, or a regulator reaching out about a complaint.

Here’s what happens when platforms don’t prepare:

• Panic sets in

• People point fingers

• Legal and comms are out of sync

• Users feel ignored

• Journalists get stonewalled

• The story snowballs

  
  

And here’s what happens when platforms are prepared:

• The team knows who’s responsible

• There’s a checklist to follow

• Statements are clear and consistent

• Users feel supported

• The press gets answers

• The brand stays intact

  
  

The difference? A pre-built response plan.

Build Your Crisis Response Team

No matter the size of your company, you need to know: who does what when something goes wrong?

Your crisis response team should include:

• Legal – To assess exposure and coordinate with outside counsel

• Comms – To draft internal/external messaging and handle media

• Ops – To coordinate action on the platform (blocking users, removing content, etc.)

• Product/Engineering – To investigate and patch issues

• Executive leadership – To sign off on strategy and messaging

Even if that’s all the same person—you—you still need to define those roles.

Document Everything

When an incident happens, documentation is your best friend. Record everything:

• What happened

• When it was reported

• Who was involved

• What actions were taken

• What laws or policies were implicated

• What was communicated (internally and externally)

Why? Because if litigation or regulatory inquiries follow (and often they do), a well-documented incident record will save you. It shows you were acting in good faith, following protocol, and responding with care.

This is also how you improve your systems over time. After every incident, debrief. Ask: What worked? What didn’t? What should we change?

Communication Is Everything

This is where most platforms blow it. When something bad happens, you have to talk to your users.

Silence looks like guilt. Evasion feels like neglect. Vague statements get picked apart.

You don’t need to say everything—but you need to say something. Quickly. Authentically. With empathy.

I always recommend having pre-drafted messaging templates for:

• User safety incidents

• Fraud reports

• Platform outages

• Media inquiries

• Legal complaints

And here’s the key: coordinate legal and comms. You can’t lawyer your way out of bad press, and you can’t PR your way out of liability. You need both perspectives at the table.

Know When to Call the Experts

Not every incident needs outside help—but some do. In this chapter, I cover when to bring in:

• Outside counsel – for legal analysis, regulatory inquiries, or complex litigation

• Cybersecurity experts – for breaches, attacks, or suspicious activity

• Crisis communications firms – when your brand is in the headlines

• Law enforcement – for serious safety threats or criminal activity

There’s no shame in needing help. The mistake is waiting too long to ask for it.

Your Brand Is Built in Crisis

Here’s something I’ve learned over two decades in this space: how you respond in crisis says more about your platform than your marketing ever will.

The companies that come out the other side stronger are the ones that lead with clarity, humility, and action. The ones that hide, deny, or delay? They don’t usually get second chances.

This chapter gives you the tools to lead in those moments—not just survive them.