03 Sep 3 Ideas To Effectively Newsjack a Story
Newsjacking, or inserting your brand’s perspective into a piece of breaking news, is a tried and true communications tactic that has gained steam in the digital age.
Corporate newsjacking has the potential to be great when…
A brand shares its view at the right moment in the news cycle and helps to elevate the news by contributing something unique and relevant to the story.
We like this chart and agree- newsjacking needs to happen at a strategic moment in time, and not after the peak. However, newsjacking at the moment when public excitement begins can sometimes be effective.
If the timing or value proposition is off base, it’s likely that a newsjack will fall flat or go unnoticed.
There are a number of effective ways to newsjack a story. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Hijack a meme
Memes are images that are passed and altered across groups.
If a meme is catching fire online, take a look at the origin of the meme. If it’s not in conflict with your brand and it can help you expand your brand’s story, think about fun ways to jump in.
For example, the brand Halo Top successfully utilized the Straight Outta Somewhere meme, a promotion for an unaffiliated movie, to share its own brand flavor.
Several of us at BRG are regular Halo Top consumers, and we’ve definitely eaten it straight outta the freezer. Still, we prefer to leave it on the counter for 10 minutes as their packaging recommends.
Engage another brand
Most content marketers have their eye on monthly observances and consider them when developing content. Consider engaging another brand to bring more awareness to an important observation. You can either team up with them and plan it together or engage the other brand in a surprise like fashion. If done well, brand engagement around events can be a great way to increase brand affinity.
For example, Burger King took out two full-page ads in the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune urging McDonalds to join them on September 21, 2015 to “prepare and serve the McWhopper and get the world talking about Peace Day.” They then elevated the effort online via a McWhopper microsite. Though McDonalds is uninterested in the union in this way, it was a great way for Burger King to newsjack an observational day, and increase brand affinity.
Piggyback on an event
Newsjacking doesn’t always need a high entertainment factor to be successful. It can be as simple as tying brand news to a key moment in time when key audiences are paying attention.
For example, BRG has helped brands introduce news in conjunction with industry conferences, make corporate giving announcements in tandem with annual industry reports, and more. Taking advantage of a moment in time can be an effective newsjacking tactic to elevate news and help reporters take their stories to the next level.
