Newsjacking: how to break in to breaking news

The news cycle is 24–7. We are overwhelmed by breaking news, scandals, politics, and celebrity gossip on our computers, phones, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. How do we, as communicators, get our own message out?

One way to do it is through “newsjacking.” You may have heard the term before. Heck, you may have done it before and not known it! The term newsjacking was invented by David Meerman Scott and he defines it as the “art of injecting your ideas or brand into a breaking news story.”

Recently, Suzanne Turner of turner4D and I were chatting about newsjacking. She suggests that every organization should have a calendar of opportunities to newsjack. For instance, depending on your organization’s mission, Mother’s Day, Tax Day, the 4th of July, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Black History Month, or Martin Luther King’s Birthday could be a golden opportunity for you to promote your cause. Think about all of the opportunities you have to get your message out there and plan for those opportunities in advance.

Then there are the opportunities that are not on the calendar. I explored some examples of good newsjacking and really liked the following examples.

Nike: Colin Kaepernick made a name for himself as a professional football player for the San Francisco 49ers. But he became mega-famous in 2016 for taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem to protest racial injustice and systematic oppression in our country. His actions spread into a wider protest movement and a national dialogue on racism and patriotism. Colin’s actions probably ended his football career.

Yet, in 2018, Nike took the daring step of signing him on as the face of the “Just Do It” campaign with an “in your face” advertising campaign launched at the start of football season.

The ad was simple: a close up of Kaepernick’s face, with the words, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

The “unveiling video” had 80 million views within one month. Along with the advertising campaign, Nike also introduced the Kaepernick Icon Jersey, calling it a “celebration of those who seek truth in their communities, and those who remain true to themselves.”

Nike’s commercial prompted massive amounts of media coverage and a high level of controversy — with some declaring they would boycott the company for supporting Kaepernick. But Nike-Kaepernick t-shirts sold out within hours, even with the high price of $150.

Nike took a risky stand on a high-profile controversial issue with a high-profile controversial “celebrity” to make a point. Big corporations don’t do this without thought: clearly, they had determined that the attention they would get and the increase in costumers and consumer loyalty would outweigh any backlash.

And according to Nike co-founder, Phil Knight they were right: “It doesn’t matter how many people hate your brand as long as enough people love it. You have to take a stand on something, which is ultimately I think why the Kaepernick ad worked.”

Newsjacking not only works for brands, but causes too.

Take for instance the border wall. In 2006, President Bush signed the Secure Fence Act for a Boarder Wall. Conservation groups were outraged that a wall would be built through some of the most important and pristine habitat for wildlife along the border. They got little traction in the press. But today, with thousands of immigrants fleeing their countries and the high stakes political debate over building more wall, the border wall has taken over the news cycle on and off for months. With stories like this, reporters get to the point where they are looking for a new angle on an issue. Environmental groups have taken advantage of this by again pitching the impact of the wall on wildlife. This time, it worked.

National news outlets like CNN and CBS and regional news outlets coast to coast reported on the impact of the proposed border wall on a little Texas Butterfly Sanctuary. Environmental groups have sued the government against the Trump imposed national emergency declaration. Environmental lawsuits and not too newsworthy, but this one got national attention and so did the groups that are engaged in this fight. A recent Google search yielded over 5000 news results. Not only did these groups get the attention this issue deserves, but they also used it for fundraising purposes to support their cause.

As David Meerman Scott says, everyone can do this. Follow the news, think about how you can inject your mission, your message, your brand, into a big press story and then as Nike says, “Just do It!”

Have you had success with newsjacking? Share your story.