# The 72-hour review-crisis playbook

> What to do in the first three days of a review-bombing, brigading, or viral-video pile-on — with the exact template we've used to help clients recover.

_Published 2026-07-22 · Updated 2026-07-22 · 8 min · By The HappyReplies Team_

Source: https://happyreplies.com/resources/review-crisis-management-playbook

A pile-on is different from a bad month. If you're getting more than five 1-star reviews in 48 hours from accounts that don't cluster with your usual customer profile, treat it as an incident.

## Hour 0-6

1. Do not reply to any of the reviews yet.
2. Screenshot every reviewer profile — Google removes accounts after action.
3. Flag the reviews via the Google Business Profile flag flow with the 'off-topic' or 'conflict of interest' reason.
4. Post one holding statement on your main channel.

## Hour 6-24

Start replying to the reviews that appear genuinely from customers, in the standard voice. Ignore the obvious brigade accounts — replying to them provides oxygen.

## Day 2-3

Ask a small group of loyal recent customers to leave honest reviews. Not to counter the negative ones — to restore the recency signal Google weights. Never offer an incentive.

## The holding statement template

**Example — Public statement**

> _Review:_ (Not applicable — used on your own channels)

> _Reply:_ We've seen a spike in reviews over the last 24 hours and we're working through each one. If you're a customer with a genuine issue, please email us on hello@yourbusiness.com and we'll respond within the day. Thank you for your patience while we do this properly.