Newsjacking is exactly what it sounds like: leveraging breaking news to share commentary that adds insight or perspective.
When done well, it gives brands a rare opportunity to cut through the noise and gain visibility alongside bigger players. This is especially powerful when spokespeople amplify their commentary across blogs and social channels.
But while it sounds simple, there’s a fine line between adding value and adding to the noise. A clear media strategy is essential to identify which stories to engage with, how to contribute meaningfully, and where to draw the line.
Here’s how to get ahead:
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail
Preparation is the foundation of successful newsjacking. While you can’t predict every headline, you can anticipate themes and trends relevant to your industry.
Start by mapping out key dates and events, looking at industry reports, seasonal trends, and regulatory updates and aligning them with your brand’s expertise.
You can also use this time to discuss and agree on opinions and messaging, preparing for multiple eventualities when appropriate and identify who you want to get your message out to.
Monitor the news
Once the conversation starts, speed matters. Use tools like Google Alerts, news apps, and social media lists to track breaking stories. Social platforms often surface news first, so curate your feeds carefully.
Creating a culture of news sharing within teams and with clients will also help with oversight of a broad range of stories, topics and sources. You want to make sure you’re finding out about any updates as they happen.
Deployment insightful commentary, fast
The critical component of newsjacking is commentary that is appropriate, insightful and fast.
When a story breaks, journalists need spokespeople on hand who can add to the conversation by offering analysis, insight and advice or who can approach the topic from a unique perspective. This is not a time to plug products and services, but to highlight expertise.
Preparing well should allow for thoughtfully crafted insight on the topic so that when the full story comes to light, only minor updates are needed before commentary is shared with media contacts. Being one of the first people in a journalist’s inbox offering them extra information that cuts through the noise will greatly increase the chances of being included in coverage.
Ethical considerations and best practices
- Company values and messaging alignment – avoid wading in on conversations just because you can. Ensure you are truly qualified to be commenting and that newsjacking output is congruent with your wider comms strategy.
- Be selective – there is always a lot of PR noise around new policies, so commenting can sometimes be a time-consuming and high-stress tactic with low reward. Choose when you employ it carefully.
- Don’t sit on the fence – one of the biggest downfalls of reactive commentary is a lack of punchy opinion. Simply saying something is great won’t get cut through, so don’t be afraid to be bold.
- Mindful spokesperson selection – there is a tendency to default to CEOs as spokespeople, but they might not always be the best option. Assess experience in the wider team, as someone with previous civil service, government or NHS experience may well be more authoritative.
Building blocks for success
When it comes to newsjacking, getting the foundations right is key. Start with a topic that your brand has a genuine perspective on – one relevant to your industry or your values – and only comment if you have something insightful and authentic to say.
Establishing a media strategy which helps you determine what topics you want to comment on, what your key messages are around them, and what types of events you want to look out for will help you get that critical balance between acting fast and delivering valuable commentary that truly adds to the conversation.
Want to respond to breaking news with confidence and credibility?
We help brands build agile media strategies that enable fast, insightful commentary when news breaks.
If you’d like to develop a clear framework for high‑impact newsjacking, get in touch at [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is newsjacking?
Newsjacking is the practice of responding to breaking news with timely commentary that adds expert insight, analysis or perspective.
Why is newsjacking effective for brand authority?
Newsjacking is effective because it places brands into high‑attention conversations and positions spokespeople as knowledgeable voices when audiences and media are most engaged.
