In an environment where everyone is bombarded with information, it can be difficult to stand out apart from your competition. Although creative messages, launches, and breaking news can easily get noticed by key audiences, these can sometimes seem few and far between. What can you do in between major announcements and company news that will hold your recognition? Piggyback on current events and news through a technique called newsjacking.
News breaks every day, and it generates a lot of online and social media traffic as a result. People are naturally curious and always tapped into their devices. When something interesting or exciting happens, the modern inclination to click your way down the rabbit hole takes over. As a public relations or marketing specialist, you can jump on the bandwagon and tie your story to the news of the day.
Constantly Monitor
It’s easy to find technology solutions that can feed you important industry or even general news as it happens. Be sure to monitor these feeds and keep your eyes open for opportunities. The key here is to always be aware of a potential hook and be creative enough to take quick advantage. However, work hard to be tasteful and relevant in how you connect yourself and your organization to the breaking news. It can be easy to grasp at irrelevant connections or try to capitalize on some tragedy, which may easily backfire.
Be Creative and Agile
Successful newsjacking is conducted in rapid reaction to breaking news, and most news only stays hot for a matter of hours or days at the most. If you want to take advantage, you’ll have to give a talented professional the authority to develop promotions or highlight how your organization can provide solutions to the issue. If done right and quickly, newsjacking can result in hundreds or even thousands of new visits to your company’s website as well as social media recognition.
Keep Your Strategy in Mind
Although the idea of newsjacking may sound like fascinating way to earn recognition, be sure that it plays into your overall business strategy. What is the use of increased web traffic if there is no plan or purpose to do anything with the traffic? Instead, consider your overall goal and whether a successful newsjacking campaign will help you meet that goal. If more visits means potential new sales, supporting votes, or increased awareness of a particular issue, product or service, then newsjacking may be a great way to drive that traffic.
If you’re seeking public relations in Las Vegas, check out GYC Vegas. Our public relations firm has nearly 20 years of experience in a wide variety of industries. When you’re looking for great newsjacking ideas as it relates to your industry, our Las Vegas PR agency can help you brainstorm and strategically align a campaign with your business goals.