- Newsjacking has two paths: planned reactive (e.g. budget announcements) and breaking reactive (e.g. heatwaves, celebrity feuds).
- Think like a journalist: anticipate story evolutions, focus on audience interest, and aim to move the narrative forward.
- Build case study content: use brand spokespeople or real customers to add credibility and increase media pickup.
- Evolve with media consumption: tailor content for live blogs, TikTok, and SEO-focused formats to meet modern newsroom needs.
- Treat journalists like clients: prioritize usefulness, build trust, and offer fast, relevant, well-packaged assets.
I met Katie Storey, former journalist turned Director and Head of Consumer at Press Box PR, at BrightonSEO last year after she gave a fantastic talk on the reactive PR and newsjacking process.
Her talk should be updated on the BrightonSEO site soon, so I highly recommend checking it out. However, in the meantime, our discussion covers some of the most critical points, as well as a few additional ones.
I thoroughly enjoyed her five keys to newsjacking, which I’ll tease here:
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News is evolving — evolve with it
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Relevancy is key — know when to hold back
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Be first to the punch
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Assert your authority
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Be engaging but concise
As you know, I’m very bullish on newsjacking and reactive PR, especially since the launch of ListIQ.
Enjoy!
