Newsjacking is the practice of capitalizing on current events or breaking news to boost your brand's visibility. By quickly and creatively tying your brand to trending stories, you can enhance engagement and reach. However, it’s crucial to be relevant, timely, and authentic to avoid appearing opportunistic.
Let's dive into the world of newsjacking—a powerful marketing tactic that involves leveraging current events or breaking news to boost your brand’s visibility. Newsjacking is all about riding the wave of trending stories to capture more attention and engagement on social media and other platforms.
Fun Fact: Newsjacking was first coined by David Meerman Scott in 2011. He described it as the art of injecting your brand or message into a breaking news story to grab attention. It's like jumping onto a moving train—if done right, it can take your brand to new heights.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, newsjacking is a fantastic way to get noticed. By aligning your brand with popular topics, you can enhance visibility, increase engagement, and drive traffic to your site. Plus, it can position your brand as a thought leader. But, there’s a catch—this strategy must be handled with care to avoid coming across as opportunistic or insensitive.
Let’s check out an example of newsjacking: After McDonald’s lost its Big Mac trademark, Burger King seized the opportunity by launching marketing campaigns featuring its own "Big Mac-ish" sandwiches and a limited-time flame-grilled Big Mac.
Let’s explore the key elements of effective newsjacking:
Let’s dive into the benefits of newsjacking-
When executed well, newsjacking can:
Let’s look at another newsjacking example: In 2019, as the Area 51 raid meme went viral, Oreo tweeted, "What flavors do you think they're hiding in #Area51?" This clever response generated thousands of replies and shares, capturing the buzz around the trending topic.
Let’s see how you can start newsjacking-
To effectively newsjack, start by tracking relevant stories and trends. Here’s how:
Here’s the newsjacking to-do list you should follow:
Newsjacking can be ethical if handled responsibly. It involves leveraging current events to promote your brand, but it must be done with relevance, respect, and sensitivity. Avoid exploiting tragedies or controversies, and ensure your message aligns with your brand’s values to maintain credibility and trust.
Newsjacking can be more successful than traditional marketing in terms of immediate visibility and engagement due to its timely nature and relevance to current events. However, its effectiveness depends on execution, relevance, and sensitivity. Traditional marketing offers long-term brand building and consistency, making it complementary to newsjacking.
For successful newsjacking on social media, start by staying informed about trending topics and breaking news to spot relevant stories. Act swiftly to engage with the news cycle before it peaks. Ensure your content is directly relevant to both the news story and your brand’s message. Creativity is key—offer a unique angle or perspective to make your content stand out. Maintain authenticity by aligning your message with your brand’s voice and values. Encourage audience interaction through likes, comments, and shares to boost engagement. Finally, promote your content strategically using relevant hashtags and tags to maximize reach and visibility.
Yes, any brand or company can employ newsjacking as a marketing strategy, provided it’s done thoughtfully. The key is to ensure the news is relevant to the brand and to approach the topic with sensitivity and creativity. Properly executed, newsjacking can boost visibility and engagement for a wide range of businesses.
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