The first time I heard the term news theft I was a bit withdrawn. News theft? What the hell is that? He showed images of criminal activity.
But after doing some research, I realized that Newsjacking is a powerful way to get noticed by the media AND potential customers.
According to the official site of news theft it’s the art and science of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story and generating tons of media coverage and social media engagement.
That’s pretty complicated to basically say, “Newsjacking is a way of using trends in media to improve traffic to various locations, including your social media channels and blog posts.”
find trends
So how do you find trending stories? Actually, it’s as close as Twitter, Google, and pretty much any search engine.
According to David Meerman Scott, who wrote the book on Newsjacking, “When there is news in their market, reporters and analysts seek out experts to comment on the story. Newsjacking gets media attention.”
As a story unfolds in real time, people, who could be potential customers, become interested in what is happening right now.
With all forms of social media including blogs, podcast shows, videos, and social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and many others, this is one strategy that can be an absolute game changer for you and your business.
Specific details to find trends
There are quite a few ways to find what’s hot in an up-to-date way.
A simple Google search on the keywords, “Trendy News Stories” will bring up many places where you can get ideas on how to position your message.
All the major media outlets keep abreast of the trends. You can also go to Twitter and find out what is trending for Twitter users.
For example, let’s say you are a company that offers storm protection insurance. At the time I wrote this post, there was a hot topic about a huge storm brewing off the coast of the United States.
What about those who deal with ethics in fundraising? With Donald Trump in the offing about his fundraising practices, he could get a lot out of Newsjacking on the subject.
Then there’s the trending theme of National Boyfriend Day. If you are a relationship coach, what better than Newsjack this epic day.
If a book launch is coming up, keep in mind any holidays or celebratory days when you might position a story. As you get closer to your launch, check out the latest trends.
During your launch, keep an eye out for any trends that allow your book to make a connection. This is Newsjacking at its finest.
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