The Super Bowl tends to be remembered for its game-winning touchdowns or stellar commercials, but in the 2013 contest between the Ravens and the 49ers, it was a single tweet that won the night. As the lights suddenly blacked out in New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome, fans took to Twitter to figure out what was happening, Oreo’s tweet, “You can still dunk in the dark,” stole the show. Proclaimed as one of the most buzz-worthy “ads” of the entire Super Bowl, it’s an example of newsjacking that resulted in millions of impressions and helped illustrate the Oreo brand’s cultural resonance.

What is newsjacking?

As a common public relations tactic, newsjacking is all about promoting your brand within the context of breaking news. David Meerman Scott, first coined the term, describing it as the art and science of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story. The best newsjacking examples are those easily identified with a breaking news story as it unfolds.

Once you know how to newsjack, you’ll be able to utilize this tool to gain valuable impressions for your brand like Oreo did. Newsjacking allows your brand to join a larger conversation, aligns it with ongoing trends and builds awareness without having to create your own narrative.

If you’re curious about how to use newsjacking in PR, let’s dive in.

Monitor For “Newsjacking” Moments

Successful newsjacking requires a certain degree of finesse in understanding what’s making news and then responding quickly with key messaging about your brand that’s aligned with that breaking news. Thankfully, social media and the 24/7 news cycle today allow us to stay abreast of what’s happening around the world.

Keeping a close eye on trending hashtags, local and national news, important upcoming events, and industry alerts will allow you to monitor opportunities for newsjacking in real time. Tools like BuzzSumo, Google Alerts, and Mention provide valuable alerts as well.

Last year, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum had a perfect opportunity to newsjack following the announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would be leaving their Royal Family duties. The museum almost immediately removed their Harry and Meghan statues from the Royal Family wax display, creating their own narrative within the broader news story. Keeping track of the ongoing story of Harry and Meghan allowed Madame Tussauds to determine how they could strategically insert themselves into the worldwide media fascination with the British Royal Family.

Plan Strategically in Advance

Strategies for newsjacking can be planned around timely events such as the Olympics or national elections or built off existing campaigns that are already scheduled. Utilizing a campaign already budgeted into your editorial calendar will provide your PR team with the agility to insert yourself into a timely event.

For example, Google stepped up its typical #YearInSearch video to capitalize on the unique 2020 year. They took a yearly project that typically focused on new features to insert themselves into the pandemic storyline. This is a great example of not sticking to what is always done or expected year-after-year and surprising your target audience with a new twist.

Just as Google didn’t know 2020 would be a tumultuous year, you won’t know what might occur during a planned event. That’s why the most successful brands are constantly watching the news for opportunities to strategically insert their story into the trending media narrative.

Avoid Going Off-Brand

One key tip for effective newsjacking is picking the right stories and events that are closely aligned with your brand. It is imperative to understand your brand’s voice and identity. Any off-brand messaging will come off as disingenuous and could potentially be harmful.

Things to consider as you evaluate newsjacking opportunities include:

• Is it aligned with what your brand stands for or against?
• How will your brand highlight this narrative year-round?
• What is the tone and voice for the brand that will be utilized across all platforms?
• What key messaging will be top of mind for your spokespeople?

Having clarity around messaging and training your spokespeople on this framework will advance the interests of your brand when newsjacking, especially for social media managers. Just ask DiGiorno.

DiGiorno Pizza flopped in 2014 when the brand tried to join the #WhyIStayed and #WhyILeft hashtag on Twitter without reading into the context. The hashtag was regarding domestic violence and a Baltimore Ravens running back. While the tweet was pulled quickly, DiGiorno’s brand received negative backlash and was considered insensitive to the situation.

Don’t Shy Away from Hard News

Many newsjacking examples can seem humorous or poke fun at an event taking place; newsjacking can also be relevant for hard news stories such as war, poverty or public health issues like the global water crisis.

Our team at Wilks Communications Group was able to insert former client Partners Relief and Development into the media conversation when Turkey invaded Syria in the fall of 2019. As an international NGO and humanitarian relief organization, Partners Relief & Development works with children and refugees across Syria, Iraq and Myanmar. Our goal was to elevate public awareness for Partners Relief’s life-saving efforts for Syrian refugees and secure donations for on-the-ground programs.

To bring this much needed attention to the work Partners Relief was providing during the Syrian humanitarian crisis, our team targeted media relations outreach to reporters covering international and breaking news around the invasion. The media push secured 126 earned media placements within a short time to support the organization’s on-the-ground programs.

As you can see, all brands can utilize the valuable benefits of newsjacking within their PR efforts. Use this guide to newsjacking as a framework for setting your brand up for success when inserting yourself into breaking news stories.

As an integrated marketing and communications agency, Wilks Communications Group can help you identify the best public relations strategy for your business. Email us at hello@wilksgrp.com to learn more about how we can catch your audience’s attention.