Newsjacking, a term coined by David Meerman Scott, refers to the process of injecting your own angles or ideas into a breaking news item or current trend to generate media coverage for your client. The technique can be incredibly effective because it hinges on one of the most important criteria of every news story – timeliness.
However, the immediacy of the news cycle and the controversial nature of some current events can make successful newsjacking difficult to achieve. Following are a few tips to help master the art of newsjacking.
Strike while the iron is hot. The lifecycle of a news story can be very short, so it’s imperative to reach journalists when a trend first emerges or your opinion will no longer be relevant. In order to act quickly, set up an approval process with clients ahead of time so you can engage in real-time pitching on the spot. In addition, be sure to plan ahead for events that you know are happening such as New Years, the Super Bowl or the World Cup. For example, the organization that plans the Super Bowl uses our client Smartsheet’s project management tool to track all of the details that go into planning the event. We began strategizing weeks in advance and pitched our story with plenty of lead time so journalists could publish their stories on game day.
Nail down key messaging. Newsjacking can produce incredible results, but it can also backfire if you and your team aren’t prepared to speak with the media. In order to represent your client’s brand accurately, work with your client to develop their key messages prior to conducting media outreach. It can also be helpful to develop an FAQ document that outlines appropriate responses to common media questions so everyone is prepared to speak with the media if necessary. If you think a newsjacking effort could result in controversial questions from the media, make sure you have prepared answers to those questions ahead of time.
Get strategic. Be sure to identify specific goals for your newsjacking efforts. Positive media coverage is always an overall goal, but what are you trying to achieve within that? Which audiences are you trying to reach? Are you trying to position your client’s brand in a certain way? Are you trying to grow your following on social media? Once you have identified your goals keep them in mind as you shape your strategy for media outreach. For example, our client Attachmate offers enterprise software solutions and would like to raise their social media presence, so when Microsoft ended support for Windows XP we published an infographic detailing the consequences of staying on the operating system when support ended. It was well-received on social media and by various tech publications.
Newsjacking is a tricky tactic to execute, but it can lead to big results. What other tips do you have around newsjacking?