News-jacking may seem like a strange word, but it’s a strategy that can yield great results for public relations professionals and their clients. What is news-jacking? It’s mining the daily news for issues that are relevant to the work of your clients and then getting leaders interviewed by reporters who are covering those issues. Recent Teak examples include getting Project Bread mentioned in a Globe article about the federal boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), using a study on heat islands in cities to get Roxbury Community College President Dr. Valerie Roberson’s op-ed on local solutions to climate change placed in the Boston Business Journal, and Boston Schools Fund founder and CEO Will Austin responding in the Boston Globe to the release of a preliminary plans on the spending of federal education relief funds.
Here’s how to do it:
- Know your Client – Laying the groundwork before the story happens saves time. Ask good questions and listen to your client, so you know what topics he or she is comfortable talking about to a reporter. Develop a concise expert source pitch explaining the client’s expertise that you can easily adapt when you see a story they could comment on. Be sure to give your client a heads up before sending a pitch about them based on a story and have a quick approval process in place so you can get a fast OK to send the copy you have written that ties their expertise to the story.
- Know the News – Be a voracious news consumer, not only 9-5 Monday through Friday, but in the early morning, nights, and weekends. In grad school, I took an 8 a.m. journalism class that started with a very intense news quiz, which required me to have read the local papers, listened to the radio and watched TV news – all before 8 a.m. — in order to pass. The point the professor was making is that before you start your day, you need to know what is going on from multiple outlets so you can be ready to respond. Setting up google alerts using key words and subject lists on Twitter are two ways to efficiently keep up with the issues your clients care about.
- Know the Story – Look before you leap into action. Make sure the story is a good fit for your client and the work they do. If it’s too much of a stretch, the reporter be unlikely to respond, which is a waste of everyone’s time, and could hurt your credibility as a publicist.
- Know the Media – Stay on top of which outlets and reporters are covering the key issues and how to get in touch with them, so you know to whom to reach out when news happens and how to get your message to them quickly. Referencing an article that a reporter has written about the topic in in your pitch shows the reporter you’ve been reading their work and know why they would be interested.
- Know the Clock is Ticking – Time is not your friend in this strategy. The news cycle moves so fast that if you hesitate, the moment to get your client in the story is easily lost. Since reporters are also working to the rhythm of a ticking clock, delivering a source to them when they need it is often greatly appreciated.
News-jacking is a great way to make crucial connections while demonstrating to both reporters and your clients that you understand them and are committed to helping them do their important work. Good luck!
