Whether you’re in charge of PR, social media, marketing, or media relations, you may have heard of the “newsjacking” concept. In fact, you may have it on your list of goals for this year, but you may not entirely be sure where to start.
Newsjacking, a term coined by David Meerman Scott, is the art of inserting yourself into a news story. This strategy can be truly effective to help your brand become part of the dialogue by adding your perspective on the issue via social media.
Before the advent of Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, PR pros would reach out to reporters covering a story, either by email or phone, in an effort to try to shoehorn their way into the ongoing coverage.
With social media, newsjacking has become so much simpler as there’s no longer the need to work through the media to participate in the conversation.
Where you would have had to compete with other companies to hopefully be an expert source or commentator, you can now simply publish your own response. Your content can have an instant impact, connecting with your target audience as the news is happening.
For newsjacking to be most effective, it should be a well-thought-out part of an overall social media and PR plan. In short, you shouldn’t go into work one day and decide that today is the day you should engage in some newsjacking.
Preparation Meets Opportunity for Newsjacking Success
Newsjacking is a social strategy, so your organization will need to have an established social media platform with strong engagement for it to work. Without an audience that is engaged and already knows, likes, and trusts you, your efforts will fall short.
Consider what social networks are best suited for your organization and how you can possibly leverage them. You want to ensure that your networks are primed for this type of activity and that you are ready to create content native to that platform when the opportunity arises.
As you look at creating a plan for newsjacking, keep in mind that response time is key. Getting stuck in corporate approval cycles means that your newsjacking effort is becoming less and less relevant by the minute.
You may need to go as far as to get sign-off from your VP of marketing or the C-suite so your social media/PR teams can act without approval as required.
Remember, the most effective newsjacking efforts are spontaneous and capitalize on opportunities as they arise. Imagine if Oreo’s social media team had been sitting around waiting for approval on the now infamous blackout tweet during the Super Bowl?
In the pre-social media days, we were able to secure media coverage in high-profile media outlets, even as a small player in a big market. The reason? Response time. We were first to the punch thanks to a solid rapid response protocol, where we could contact reporters in mere minutes after a hack or breach was reported.
The same principles apply to newsjacking. You want a low-friction, easy-to-execute plan without the need for approvals.
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Avoiding a Newsjacking Fail
While newsjacking has become a lot easier, it has also become a lot more complex. Using social media, a simple misstep can quickly become a PR disaster. There are many high-profile examples of newsjacking done with terrible judgment around events such as Hurricane Sandy.
To avoid your organization being a newsjacking fail (or worse yet, disaster), as a team, you will want to get very clear on what areas are suitable for newsjacking. You may choose to focus only on pop culture or positive current events versus controversial or tragic news items.
Consider creating a test for whether a news item is appropriate for newsjacking, including such questions as:
- Are we able to add value or humor to this story?
- Is it a fit with our brand and values? Is it ridiculously self-serving?
- What are the possible downsides of being associated with this story?
In short, an effective newsjacking strategy requires some careful planning, getting buy-in from everyone involved, and the ability to react quickly as opportunities arise. Newsjacking is a fine art, but it can be extremely powerful for building social media reach and engagement.