The value of newsjacking

 

Building links using digital PR tactics throughout your marketing strategy and campaign efforts can produce results that your business would struggle to attain otherwise.

However, whilst there are plenty of different techniques you can utilise to boost your results, newsjacking has become a popular tactic for many digital PR professionals. And there’s good reason for it too…

 

The definition of newsjacking

 

Newsjacking was first defined by David Meerman Scott, who explained it as a process of adding your thoughts and opinions into ongoing breaking news stories. Broken down, the principle focuses on harnessing the energy and reaction to a news story and using it to propel tailormade communication from your business. 

 

Why is newsjacking helpful

 

Making sure a business’ voice is louder than its competitors isn’t an easy task, and can often end up being a blaring horn in a users’ face, instead of a well placed message.

Newsjacking is a great way of taking ownership of the news megaphone, without it being overbearing or awkward. Instead, it is an opportunity to have a business’ message feel thoughtful, genuine and highly relevant, which is a difficult thing to achieve in every day content marketing efforts. 

Of course, you also increase the amount of people you’re reaching exponentially. Newsjacking gives you the chance to put your brand at the forefront of a hot topic, and consequently a much larger audience. However, it’s important that the business has a link to the trending topics its reacting to, so that the introduction of the business to brand new eyes gets off to a good start.

When done correctly, the business can clearly demonstrate its expertise, knowledge and authority on a specific subject. This reinforces credibility and trustworthiness, which creates a much more positive first impression to drive more traffic, attract new leads and convert them into sales.

There are so many businesses trying to build links through newsjacking efforts, so getting into the inboxes of journalists before the peak of the story hits is absolutely essential, and when done correctly can have amazing results.

 

Why newsjacking can be harmful

 

The draw of newsjacking’s results can be appealing, but we recommend taking into consideration the potential downsides before you begin.

Any marketing team working to reach their target audience should remember that all media attention doesn’t lead to positive brand awareness. Having clever web content management and social media strategies that enable quick content turnout can lead to mistakes and oversights that can be detrimental to the business.

Also, using the buzz around a news story that is particularly sensitive can come across as ignorant or exploitative of a bad situation, especially regarding controversial or upsetting news such as war or death. Users can see right through these types of business communications, especially if it is promotion heavy or seemingly out of touch. 

 

What successful newsjacking looks like

 

To have a positive newsjacking campaign, a strong understanding of the brand, the breaking news and the type of communication that works well within the news is a great start. 

Consistently monitoring relevant news sites, means you’re likely to get into the story before it peaks so any communication from your brand is more likely to land as the first authoratitive voice involved in the story. 

There’s tough competition for trending traffic, so having the best content available for the publications to use is absolutely essential. A lot of companies get in early to earn backlinks, so creating hyper-relevant, useful and applicable content in the form of advice or expert insight is a great start. 

 

How can Tecmark help?

 

At Tecmark, we constantly monitor the news using a variety of tools, including Google alerts and regular reviews of recent media coverage relating to your brand’s industry.

The key is speed. News cycles can shoot up and die down within hours, so being quick off the mark is the only way to place your brand at the forefront of the latest trending topics. Wasting time is not an option, so our team will have to spot any relevant breakthrough topics or hot conversations and get to work on our newsjacking tactics.

Leveraging a viral news story to your benefit can place your brand’s voice as the expert, highlighting your authority within your industry and improving the trust of potential customers.

So, bolster your brand marketing strategy and get newsjacking to reach new audiences, earn virality, expert status and fruitful relationships with journalists.

 

Get in touch with Tecmark today!

 

Like what we had to say and want to learn more? Our expert team has plenty of digital PR tips and tricks for you to check out in our brand new e-guide!

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