In manufacturing, staying competitive and relevant makes keeping up with current affairs and industry trends crucial. Sometimes, a breaking news story that directly impacts your sector may lead you to ponder the possibility of responding. That’s where the subtle art of ‘newsjacking’ comes into play.
While the term newsjacking sounds like a buzzword, it is one of the most common and effective strategies used by savvy PR professionals. Done correctly, newsjacking could get your view heard in the media, positioning you as an expert in your field.
Here, Cherelle Jones, Senior Account Manager at Partners PR breaks down the delicate art of newsjacking, and how to use it effectively in your PR strategy.
Put simply, newsjacking is all about seizing opportunities presented by current events, trends, and industry news to boost business visibility, present yourself as a thought leader, and connect with your audience in innovative ways using timely and relevant content.
The term was originally coined by marketeer David Meerman Scott, but it has become a tactic that many businesses employ to remain heard in a busy media landscape.
To be successful, the first thing you need to do is monitor the news, and if you see something that relates to your industry, delve deeper and strategically plan your input. From PR to social media, newsjacking can be used across the content creation sphere to get your story heard by the people who matter.
How it works
While in theory, newsjacking seems like a very simple concept, it is actually a very delicate art. It is important to be mindful that your approach often dictates your outcome, and there is a fine line between what topics should and shouldn’t be commented on, which is why we advise you to rely on a PR professional.
A PR expert understands newsjacking inside out and will understand the best way to approach each topic to ensure the best outcome.
Our knowledge of the media, and the news agenda means we can spot relevant opportunities and craft an effective strategy to place your company at the forefront.
The first step in newsjacking is research. A PR expert's natural curiosity means we like to delve into any given topic, see every side, and have all the facts to hand. From there, we will begin crafting our approach.
The approach will depend on the platform, and how much you have to say around the given subject. If it's a small comment, it could be carefully weaved into your social media agenda or shared as an opinion-led blog post to help drive traffic to your website.
However, if you have insight, data, or an opinion to present that differs from others, you can consider broadening things out and targeting the news agenda. Whether it's comments, a press release, or a case study, we use our in-depth knowledge of the media to reach out to the relevant journalists. From there, we can tailor a response around your data, statistics, or expert commentary to aid the news agenda or enhance the story, increase your brand visibility, place you as the expert in your field, and encourage audience engagement.
Sounds great, right? However, there are two important things to note. Not everything needs a comment, and timing is everything.
Think before you act
The news agenda moves on very quickly, so if you want to get your voice heard, you need to strike while the iron is hot.
If it’s a specific event you are considering newsjacking, your spokesperson and overall response should be lined up ahead of time. From a PR perspective, press releases can be planned weeks in advance, but we are always prepared to tweak and adapt last minute to maximise impact.
Another thing to consider around newsjacking is sensitivity. It goes without saying, that there are some situations, such as natural disasters, tragedies, and personal misfortune that should never be seen as an opportunity for gain.
If your comment or story has the potential to be taken out of context, comes across as insensitive, or could be offensive, it's best to avoid it. You don’t want negative attention surrounding your business, this can have a detrimental effect on the reputation you’ve worked hard to build.
So, in the spirit of making things a little easier for you, we have listed some simple questions a PR guru would ask before planning an approach.
- Is this topic relevant to you and who you are as a business?
- Would you want to be associated with this news agenda?
- Who is the target audience?
- What relevant messages do you have?
- Is there an interesting take on the situation?
- Do you have up-to-date statistics and a spokesperson?
- Could anything we say be taken out of context?
- What will we add to the conversation?
To give you an example: recently, a national news story broke around net zero and how the government could help homeowners prepare for upcoming changes. We issued a response to the contributing journalist to add insight from a heating manufacturer and get their voice heard at a national level.
If you decide a newsjacking is the way to go, act fast. Executed tastefully, it can help elevate your brand and influence public perception, but strategy is everything.
Here at Partners PR, we are a talented bunch of wordsmiths, creative thinkers, and PR strategists with more than 35 years of experience in the business. We work with B2B organisations across the UK in the manufacturing, engineering, food, and drink processing, building products, construction, and professional services sectors, helping them tell their story to the right people, at the right time.