What Is Newsjacking and How to Use It?

Newsjacking is the practice of capitalizing on breaking news to boost your organization’s sales and marketing results. This marketing strategy works by redirecting the momentum of a breaking story in your organization’s favor. You inject a fresh perspective on the topic in real time.

In simple terms: pay attention to what is trending on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (hashtags, company news, artists, movies, events, and more). Then create a post that links your brand, message, company, or service to that trending topic. Tag relevant accounts or hashtags.

Example:

• Context: NBA, end of the season. A player has a chance to win the game for his team with a dunk in the final second but misses. His failure goes viral on social media.
• Your company: Cookies you can dunk in milk.
• Newsjacking: Tag the player, the NBA, and any media outlet with the most popular post about the miss. Publish a photo montage of a player from the winning team dunking your cookie into a glass of milk.

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Types of Newsjacking

There are several types of newsjacking. Not all of them are memes or jokes. They can also be serious, informative, or corrective posts.

Public events, artists, gossip, sports…

If you can connect your brand to the world of sports, artists, or any other public entertainment scene, you will find plenty of opportunities for newsjacking inspiration. Companies usually use this channel to create humorous content that spreads more easily.

Science, discoveries, various causes

Linking your brand to science, discoveries, and other causes such as animal welfare can be an effective way to gain followers and generate buzz. In these cases you usually complete missing information or correct details through a post so people want to visit your website or social profiles.

Legal, politics, matters of public opinion

This area can be delicate because your customers may hold different views (another political party, another opinion, and so on). You must be extremely careful with the content you create. Lawyers and other subject-matter experts often use blogs to add context to a breaking news story that is still incomplete. Media outlets then publish their opinion or comment because they want to be first with the information before competitors. News media live on views, clicks, and page visits. They constantly look for expert opinions so they can offer more information than everyone else.

What to Do and What Not to Do

If the answer to any of the following questions is “yes,” do not move forward with the newsjacking idea. You risk damaging your brand and destroying your organization’s reputation.

• Could the point we are making be misinterpreted?
• Could this offend someone?
• Could this negatively affect someone’s first impression of our brand?
• Are we trying too hard?
• Does the story elevate our brand at the expense of someone else’s misfortune?

In the end, the way you use newsjacking can be good or bad. Everything depends on who does it and how they do it. Remember that the goal is to bring people to your organization, not to sell to them in the moment. It is about public relations, marketing, and image, not direct sales.