Ways To Jump On a Newsjacking Opportunity – For any content maker, the newsjacking concept has a lot to like about it. The term “newsjacking” was coined by marketer David Meerman Scott to describe how widely disseminated media and the public interest would provide everyone with helpful information on breaking news.

A brand that responds to trending topics would receive extensive press coverage and enhanced social media interaction if done correctly. A well-timed blog post or media placement can increase website traffic and improve brand awareness. However, if done poorly, an effort to deliver timely information would fall flat.

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As tempting as it is to jump on a trend, particularly one that gains traction quickly, effective newsjacking necessitates a great deal of patience and selectivity. Keep an eye on your brand’s most important issues and make sure you have the tools to react quickly. Although you can’t plan for a theme pattern, you can prepare your team to create when it is right.

Fail to prepare and prepare to fail

As corny as the word might be, such procedures mean that you can comment on hot topics before they fade away.

First and foremost, do you have the tools and frameworks in place to monitor trending topics over time? Using Google Trends and social listening, you can keep an eye on real-time changes and delve deeper into online conversations. For example, you can use Google Trends to see what people are searching for worldwide and the top search terms.

The question of what to do next after you’ve identified the pattern that your organization would want to use as a source of content inspiration. Before you start making, make sure you’ve answered the following questions to ensure that any newsjacking opportunity goes smoothly:

• What is your specific point of view about this subject concerning your brand?
• Who needs to be looped into the conversation?
• Which projects can you pause or prioritize to start with a timely subject?
• Who will lead in building a blog or social media content and have the ability to do so?
• If you’re pitching media, do you have a thought leader who can provide commentary?

One of the worst feelings is knowing that you are on the verge of falling off because you could not prioritize a new project or obtain the creative assets you need promptly. When your brand’s right trend to newsjack emerges and challenges your everyday workflows appear, the responses to these questions are the only way to keep them at bay.

Wait for the “right fit.”

As I previously said, it is worthwhile to exercise caution and seek out relevant topics to your brand. It has the potential to propel you to the forefront of current trends.

Although we don’t talk much at Sprout, we’ve managed to start a trend with a company you might have heard about recently: GameStop.

The electronics retailer made headlines a few weeks ago when its stock doubled in 24 hours. The Sprout Social marketing team saw this as an opportunity to comment on the social activities that occurred in the wake of the growing GameStop discussion. Our senior marketing and communications manager used Sprout to create a GameStop-themed listening theme, focusing on GME inventory trends and social interactions with our investor relations manager.

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The resulting article, which was published one day after GameStop’s stock price reached three figures, earned 3.456 percent more page views than a typical 24-hour update. The article received a boost after it was linked to a viral tweet that illustrated GameStop’s phenomenon, and it has since gained traction. In addition to increased blog traffic, we saw an increase in social shares and numerous media opportunities.

For two main reasons, we decided to adopt the GameStop story and why it worked for our brand:

• The GameStop news started on social: Sprout does not work for video games or financial markets, but our social media expertise dates back to the beginning of the GameStop saga. Much has been said about GameStop’s meteoric rise on Twitter and Reddit, two places that can be analyzed using Sprout’s Advanced Listening product. With our investor relations managers’ help, we’ll show how our readers can use social data and understand the value of social listening in the investment community.
• Sprout had unique data to share: Allow us to use Sprout’s advanced listening to gain more information, such as message volume and feeling, to add color to our commentary. The conversation with GameStop started on a social level. We tracked the debate’s progress over time and provided social data to brands and financial institutions who wanted to make predictions. We exchanged information that the average person didn’t have and set ourselves apart from other blog posts published simultaneously.

If you’re trying to find an angle or figure out where your brand fits into a more detailed conversation, it’s a good sign that this trending topic isn’t for you. It’s important to remember that it’s just the things that make sense for your brand. You do not believe that you need an opportunity to obtain information.

Ready to move at a moment’s notice

There’s a lot to like about timely material. A trendsetting problem, if treated correctly, will increase brand recognition, increase web traffic, and even affect your brand’s public image.

However, using an attack plan, similar to any other campaign tactic, will help ensure that your newsjacking attempt succeeds while not jeopardizing your other job objectives. Be patient, choose your themes, and be ready to strike on the spur of the moment. With the right tools and processes, you can transform any hot topic into a news jacket for your business.