If you’re working in the content creation field, then you are probably familiar with the concept of Newsjacking. Newsjacking is an essential part of content marketing and many content creators depend on it when it comes to promoting a brand or a product as the brand can benefit a lot from it; using Newsjacking brings a different type of content to the table. However, you can’t always depend on it when you’re creating content.
If you want to know more about Newsjacking, then you are in the right place. Today we will tell you what Newsjacking is and why it is important to use.
What Is Newsjacking?
Newsjacking is a term introduced by David Meerman Scott in 2011 in his book about how to use newsjacking in order to generate media coverage. Newsjacking is the practice of making use of current events or stories in a way to promote or advertise a product or a brand.
In fact, we had an interview with David Meerman Scott back in 2013 to talk about measuring social media ROI
How To Use It In Your Content
Newsjacking requires a lot of attention and speed.
First of all, you have to always pay attention to the industry news; some of the news you see will gain a lot of attention and might even be a trend. So, always stay alert to what is going viral.
Second, be aware of the timing. Put in mind that news fades fast; one moment the topic is viral and trending, the next, no one is talking about it and it is replaced. So, in order to take advantage of the viral news, you have to be fast.
Third, choose the right keywords. When news goes viral, people will always be searching for more info; this is the time you play it smart. You need to use SEO so your piece of content can be found on search engines, which will lead to many people seeing it and gaining many interactions.
Fourth, you have to produce good content. If your content is low quality then you won’t get the results you’re hoping for and you might even lose some of your audience. So, you have to make sure you’re producing high-quality content.
The last thing to consider is that not every piece of news can benefit your brand. So, newsjacking can’t be used all the time except for these two conditions,
1- The news is related to the same industry as your brand
2- Even if it’s not related, you can find an angle to use it to benefit your brand.
Here is an example of a successful newsjacking done by Vodafone Egypt to support Egyptians living in Ukraine right now.
This is a great initiative from Vodafone to help every Egyptian struggling in Ukraine currently.
The Ugly Side of Newsjacking
If you’re wondering how a brand can misuse newsjacking, then there’s no better example than what Microsoft Bing did in 2011.
How you can #SupportJapan – http://binged.it/fEh7iT. For every retweet, @bing will give $1 to Japan quake victims, up to $100K.
— Bing (@bing) March 12, 2011
The brand used a country’s and people’s tragic news and death to gain retweets! The brand received a huge backlash from people all over the world for taking advantage of such a tragic event!
It later apologized.
We apologize the tweet was negatively perceived. Intent was to provide an easy way for people to help Japan. We have donated $100K.
— Bing (@bing) March 12, 2011
Why Is Newsjacking Important?
Newsjacking can grab a lot of attention to your content and brand.
When you leverage from the viral news, you will gain wide recognition; in fact, some companies have received national media coverage by just using current news topics to push their image with a relevant message.
It also earns you online visibility, as we mentioned with the right SEO, whenever someone searches for the news, your brand or content will pop up. Also, it will improve the traffic on your social media page; in other words, your content will gain a lot of engagement.
Newsjacking will also make you popular.
Remember, when you use newsjacking, make sure it will benefit your brand and content because sometimes it can destroy it.