Molly McPherson shares a 90-second rule for handling online attacks: recognize outrage as cyclical, treat the algorithm as your real opponent, pause to regain judgment, and never apologize publicly on the platform where you were attacked.
I want to start this episode with a quick invitation. I'm hosting a free webinar called the first how to Respond to Any Crisis Before It Spirals. Because here's the truth. When a crisis breaks, the clock starts ticking. And what you do in those first 60 minutes will either calm the storm or pour gas on it. In this session, I will walk you through a proven framework for managing that critical first hour. You'll learn the three steps every communicator must take immediately. The biggest mistakes people make, that t trust, and how to draft a holding statement in minutes instead of hours. And finally, why speed and clarity matter more than being perfect. These are the strategies and tactics I use with my clients. I am holding two sessions on October 22 at 12pm and 3pm Eastern and a third session on October 23 at 1pm Eastern. Spots are limited, so grab yours now. I'll drop the link in the show notes. All right, now let's get to today's episode. Today, I want to give you my 92nd rule for handling haters online. The people who come at you pile on and try to hijack your peace of mind. I know. 90 seconds. This is going to be a quickie. Ready? The rule is simple. Imagine you're a brand online, or maybe you own a business online, and all of a sudden the haters are coming for you. Caveat. This is if you didn't do anything wrong. Sometimes people say things or reduce things or there's something in our business practice that we could have done differently. In that case, you need to do a whole different set of rules. This 90 second rule is just for handling the haters. Just the people who come at you when it's not warranted. All right, ready? Set your watch. Here we go. Step one. Remember, you're not the first and you won't be the last. Online outrage is a revolving door. People come for you, and then they'll move on to the next target. Don't take it personally. It's a cycle. Step two, know your real enemy. It's not the person leaving comments. It's the algorithm. The algorithm thrives on outrage. It wants you rattled, defensive, and reactive. Your job is to outsmart it. Don't feed it. Step three, reclaim your brain when haters attack you. When you read all the comments, your amygdala in your brain fires up. That's your fight or flight response, and it clouds your judgment. The fix. Pause, breathe. Call someone you trust. Give your rational mind a chance to catch up before you hit, post or make that next decision. Which could be a bad decision. And here's my golden rule. Don't post an apology video on the same platform where you're being attacked. Many times. You don't need to apologize. That's like throwing blood into shark infested waters. If you truly need to clarify, do it somewhere else. Your podcast, Facebook, or even a live interview. And if you really haven't done anything wrong at all and it's just a coordinated smear, ignore it. But keep an eye on it. You can respond indirectly, on your own terms and in your own space. There it is. 90 seconds. That's all it takes to shift from panic to power. Forget the haters, outsmart the algorithm and keep moving forward. That's all for this week on the podcast. Thanks so much for listening. Ignore them. Bye for now.
