Newsjacking

2018 is quickly approaching. No time to lament those tweets that never caught air. Newjacking is one technique to try in the new year as your team looks for creative ways to juice things up. Why not add newsjacking to the growing list of 2018 resolutions? Work out more-check! Use those Groupons-check! Newsjack-oh yeah! You get the idea.

What is newsjacking?

Not a new concept, newsjacking has been around for years, gaining momentum thanks to author David Merman Scott. According to Scott: “Newsjacking is the art and science of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story to generate tons of media coverage, get sales leads and grow business.”

In the world of content creation, coming up with fresh and valuable ideas can be a challenge. Don’t start at ground zero! Capitalize on recent news stories to build your own brand attention via the newsjacking tool. Backing up, if you still don’t have brand clarity, visit us here. Don’t worry, we’ll wait for you…

…Well hello again! Continuing on, newsjacking is especially effective when done artfully well via social media or utilized in a brief and timely blog post. Now, in homage to Stranger Things’ Jim Hopper, here we give you Three Simple Rules to get your feet wet with newsjacking in 2018.

Newsjacking the Right Way with 3 Simple Rules

Be Sensitive

This is rule #1 of newsjacking. There are numerous examples of newsjacking gone wrong in times of natural disaster or crisis just to further content. If in doubt, don’t do it. It can take your brand and business goals in the opposite direction, especially in these socially-heightened times. Just like positive content gains you a new fan base, content done in poor taste can build an arsenal of naysayers.

Be Timely There is actually a formula for newsjacking. You must be quick enough to respond to a story with your own interwoven idea. Next, inject this idea between the time the story breaks and the time the press locates new information. To make jumping on a story less tedious, take some time to set up alerts for about five to ten of your favorite news channels as well as Google Alerts. As these specified alerts make their way to your inbox each morning, you’ll be armed and ready to newsjack.

Be B.I.G.

Do you know any salespeople? Maybe you’ve heard of a concept they used called B.I.G.: be Brief, be Impactful and be Gone. While this perhaps brings to mind your in-laws, here it applies to newsjacking. Some of the most successful newsjacking efforts were one-liners with great images. No need to get wordy or pen the next Moby Dick. Moby Dick 2.0 is impossible given rule #2 plus it’s just not necessary. Simply put your creativity cap on, stay tuned to the news, give it a try and watch your engagement. Adjust and retry and you’ll get the hang of it.

Have you had success with newsjacking? Tell us how! We’re interested!