Injecting your content into trending news can be a great tool to increase your exposure and following, but be careful -- it can make or break your strategy. Newsjacking is taking advantage of the next big story or breaking news by incorporating it in to your content. The most frequent examples of this technique are things like snack recipes around Super Bowl that have a title along the lines of “Tailgating snacks before the Big Game” or wardrobe tips along the lines of “How to Watch Oscars in Style.” Savvy content creators know that there is an obvious interest in these big events and that they can boost their exposure by simply aligning their knowledge with trending topics. Oreo Super Bowl Tweet Perhaps the biggest awakening to the power of social media newsjacking was the brilliant Oreo tweet when the power went out during the 2013 Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. The cookie company jumped on this seemingly unrelated opportunity to create one of the most memorable social media moments. The tweet was retweeted 10,000 times in one hour, according to AdAge. Activity Keep time constraints in mind when creating such content. Not only will your content reap the most initial exposure, live blogging will also get you in a habit of creating content fast. Cleverness You can create “meh” content and get that initial exposure, but readers will leave your content as soon as they start reading. It’s always great to have a plan, so check the calendar and see what celebrations, events, and anticipated news might come your way.
Injecting your content into trending news can be a great tool to increase your exposure and following, but be careful — it can make or break your strategy. Learn how to “newsjack” properly before setting out on this risky, yet rewarding way of promotion.
What is newsjacking?
Newsjacking is taking advantage of the next big story or breaking news by incorporating it in to your content. It’s pretty popular and it’s clear why: whenever there is a trending hashtag on social media or a spike in searches for articles about the next big story, your content has a chance of getting in front of the people who otherwise wouldn’t see your messages.
The most frequent examples of this technique are things like snack recipes around Super Bowl that have a title along the lines of “Tailgating snacks before the Big Game” or wardrobe tips along the lines of “How to Watch Oscars in Style.”
Savvy content creators know that there is an obvious interest in these big events and that they can boost their exposure by simply aligning their knowledge with trending topics. Could they post these same snack recipes some other time and just call it “yummy snacks you can enjoy whenever?” Absolutely; but that would not get as much interest.
Oreo Super Bowl Tweet
Perhaps the biggest awakening to the power of social media newsjacking was the brilliant Oreo tweet when the power went out during the 2013 Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. The cookie company jumped on this seemingly unrelated opportunity to create one of the most memorable social media moments.
The tweet was retweeted 10,000 times in one hour, according to AdAge. During that same game, Oreo had their traditional 30-second commercial, which cost an estimated $2 million. Arguably, the tweet was much more meaningful, memorable and way cheaper.
Arby’s Grammy Hit
Arby’s huge move during the Grammy’s was with its joke about Pharrell Williams’ hat. The tweet received nearly nine times the number of retweets and favorites of Oreo’s well-played social game.
You can do this too.
You don’t need to own a multi-million corporation to win big at the Super Bowl or any other major TV event. Be sure you are ready to create and send out your message fast, using a good sense of humor, and a good graphic to go along with it.
Let’s examine these two instances as a fine example of successful and effective “newsjacking.” What does your content need in order to succeed at this undertaking?
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