Newsjacking or how to take advantage of a news story for an unprecedented impact

Newsjacking is a technique that can be defined as the fact of creating very relevant content about the brand, directly related to an event of maximum current, in such a way that the media will echo it, and refer it, thus catapulting the brand To stardom. It is a moment of glory, which has a great reputation for your brand.

When can you do Newsjacking?

Whenever an especially news event occurs, or an important event of maximum magnitude is given, such as:

• A sporting event, such as the opening of the Olympic Games, a derby, the Super Bowl.
• A natural catastrophe
• Choosing a New Pope or Spiritual Leader
• A change of government
• A controversial political or economic performance
• A royal wedding or even the white smoke announcing a new Pope .

How to do Newsjacking?

As you can see, this type of cases does not occur very frequently, not every day comes the opportunity to implement this technique, so it is important to be alert:

• Study trends.
• It measures social conversation, especially in the case of issues related to politics, economics or religion.
• Get ahead of the situation. The key is to be in the right moment, with the right content.

When do I have to send my message? What characteristics does the content have?

When there is finally a particularly important situation, a clear opportunity for Newsjacking, you have to act efficiently:

• Be quick. As you know, whoever hits first hits twice.
• Overpower creativity. It’s the key to being different, and getting the most impact. In many cases Newsjacking is a good example of side marketing.
• Use clever humor. It is the resource that works best, it makes the spark jump and the audience welcomes it willingly, fomenting the virality.
• It has the necessary means, so that the result is of quality. The one that is fast does not imply that it is wrongly executed, it takes care of all the details.
• It is important to take care of the tone of the communication, especially in the most sensitive issues, such as in the case of accidents or natural disasters. An inappropriate, or out of tune, comment may turn against you.

Is Newsjacking a guarantee of success?

No, unfortunately, not all actions that try to take advantage of a punctual event to impact the audience get the expected results. To optimize the impact of your message, it is important that you keep in mind that there is a natural cycle, which characterizes this type of current:

• In the first place, the news is released.
• Subsequently, the media launches to the search and capture of information and complementary material.
• Then, the audience’s expectations grow, and they are eager to learn more about events.
• From here, its repercussion reaches its highest point, to gradually begin to lose interest, until finally disappears.

Well, the most appropriate time to launch our Newsjacking strategy is just after the news is produced ; In order to be there when the media actively seek out more information. It is at this point, when those responsible for publicizing our content are particularly interested. If we are able to produce a really notorious, creative and different piece, we will have the desired impact.

As you can see, this practice has great potential, still not very exploited, so it is a great opportunity to make known our brand in a spectacular way.

Do you dare with Newsjacking?