What is Newsjacking & Why It’s Important

Your brand could make it into the news and reap the rewards with this one simple strategy.

Missing out on PR and attention is not only frustrating, but it also puts you at a disadvantage compared to your competitors.

Newsjacking could be your answer to gaining publicity and an influx of new customers. This tactic is easy to implement once you understand it.

Here’s how you find trending news and put your brand at the forefront. If you’re brand could benefit from more attention, and a positive image, then aim at your target audience with these simple strategies in 2024.

What is Newsjacking?

Newsjacking is the art of leveraging current events to promote your brand.

Coined by David Meerman Scott, newsjacking involves inserting your brand into breaking news stories to gain media coverage and engage with a broader audience.

This strategy allows businesses to capitalise on the news cycle, making their message more relevant and timely. Effective newsjacking requires quick thinking, creativity, and a deep understanding of media trends.

It’s a great way to gain free publicity, aim at your target audience, and expand your brand’s image.

Why is Newsjacking Important?

Newsjacking could catapult your business to the next level. Here are three of the important benefits of newsjacking:

Enhanced Visibility

Newsjacking enhances visibility by aligning your brand with trending topics.

Connecting your brand to current events increases your chances of being noticed by a wider audience, driving more traffic and engagement.

In turn, this leads to more brand awareness. Get your business seen and subsequently find more leads and opportunities for new customers.

There’s no better way to get free press and advertising than to use intelligent newsjacking strategies.

Boosted Engagement

Engaging with trending topics boosts audience interaction.

Newsjacking prompts conversations and shares on social media, enhancing your brand’s reach and engagement metrics.

Engagement helps your brand grow, increasing the number of eyes on your social media and websites. Engagement is important for the algorithm, whether social media or SEO.

By boosting engagement through newsjacking, you will be able to find more opportunities for customers.

Improved Credibility

Aligning with news events improves credibility and relevance.

Demonstrating awareness of current events positions your brand as knowledgeable and up-to-date, fostering trust among your audience.

Being present in the media, especially when done correctly, can improve your trustworthiness. This can lead to more sales and a boost in business.

Improve SEO Efforts

Newsjacking can improve your site’s SEO by attracting natural backlinks.

Your brand will not only grab attention in the media but this can also help you organically improve your search rankings on search engines such as Google.

SEO improvements often come from getting backlinks to your website and also by mentioning your brand on major outlets.

Backlinks are seen as a vote of confidence from big websites, and having your brand mentioned also improves what’s known as ‘parasite SEO’.

For more details on SEO advice for your website or brand, be sure to check out my full guide on SEO tips.

Beat Competitors

Get an advantage over your competitors by having your brand seen in the media.

While your name is mentioned and associated with trending topics, you’re being seen over competitors, which is a positive.

How to Newsjack

Get your brand seen with newsjacking, here are five strategies to shoehorn your company into the news with trending topics:

Monitor News Trends

Regularly monitor news trends to identify opportunities.

Use tools like Google Alerts and social media platforms to stay informed about breaking news relevant to your industry.

There are many ways to look out for trends and the art is to get in at the right time. You want to find news stories right before they peak.

You can use Google, seeing what’s being searched for or social media such as X. Find out what’s being hashtagged and trending.

Act Quickly

Timeliness is crucial for successful newsjacking.

Respond to news events promptly to ensure your content is relevant and capitalizes on the news cycle’s peak interest period.

Get this wrong and you could waste your time. It’s no good arriving late to a story, you need to find the trending topic and react instantly.

Create Relevant Content

Create content that aligns with the news story.

Ensure your message is relevant to the event and offers value or insight, making it shareable and engaging.

Getting into the news is great but only if it is relevant. Find trending topics that are in-line with your brand.

Leverage Social Media

Utilise social media to amplify your newsjacking efforts.

Share your content across platforms, using relevant hashtags, and engaging with trending discussions to maximise reach.

You can insert yourself into a topic or subject by using your social media accounts. In doing so, also keep a lookout for potential trends.

You have the option to tap into huge audiences in your niche by using influencer outreach.

Measure Impact

Track the performance of your newsjacking efforts.

Use analytics tools to measure engagement, traffic, and conversions, refining your strategy based on what works best.

It’s no good newsjacking if you don’t know what impact it is having. You want to monitor your newsjacking efforts to find out how much time it’s worth and if you’re channelling your energy into the correct topics.

Be Careful & Avoid Negative Impacts of Newsjacking

As beneficial as newsjacking can be, it doesn’t come without risk. Here are some of the potential negative impacts from newsjacking:

Sensitive Topics

Commenting on sensitive topics can potentially alienate your audience and damage your brand’s reputation.

I’d advise steering away from sensitive subjects. Although you can use these topics for newsjacking, you will need to tread carefully.

If you do decide to get involved in these types of cases then you should prioritise readers and not self promotion. Offer help, resources or advice that could benefit people.

Controversial Topics

Polarising content is a tricky one for newsjacking, as it could leave a stain on your company’s name.

Choosing a side or an opinion in controversial topics can put you up against a portion of your audience.

You’d be better off not entertaining controversial topics due to the risk of negative attention.

Align with Your Brand

Don’t overreach or dip into subjects you have no understanding of. The aim of successful newsjacking is to find topics that are relevant to your company.

Stay true to your brand’s message and don’t try to go outside of your values and beliefs. Being authentic is an essential part of creating marketing campaigns that convert into paying customers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is newsjacking suitable for my company?

Newsjacking can be beneficial for most companies, offering a chance to be seen and to control the narrative.

With that said, it can backfire if not done correctly. Newsjacking should be done with a smart strategy to avoid any issues.

Be sure to find stories that are relevant and are likely to be aimed at your target audience.

Can newsjacking be used for crisis management?

Newsjacking can be used as an effective crisis management tactic, giving your brand the power back.

Control the narrative and expand on what your business is about with newsjack marketing. There are various other ways to prevent crises and also react, with tactics such as proactive PR and reactive PR strategies.

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James Dooley is a forward-thinking AI entrepreneur, known for pioneering innovative solutions in the field of artificial intelligence. James has led numerous successful projects, cementing his reputation as a leader in the AI industry and leverage SEO as a digital marketing strategy for growth. He loves to talk about betting, SEO, entrepreneurship and AI.