Brands are always looking for new and innovative public relations and marketing strategies to stand out in a crowded market and capture the attention of their target audience. A very effective strategy is INFORMATIONwhich involves leveraging the momentum of trending news to significantly increase visibility and engagement for businesses.

This article explores the concept of outreach, including its origins, mechanics and the key benefits it can provide your brand, with practical insights drawn from our team's expertise.

What is notification?

Newsjacking is a concept introduced by David Meerman Scott in 2011. It involves participating in discussions about current news about gain visibility for your brand. This strategy uses trending news to draw attention to your brand. News reports have gained popularity due to its simplicity and effectiveness, especially in the digital age with the widespread use of digital and social media.

People are naturally curious and drawn to current events. By using this curiosity, you can display your brand in a compelling way and capture the attention of target audience. Moreover, news coverage effectively taps into existing media attention. When a story is trending, there is already a large audience paying attention to the topic. By associating your brand with trending topics, you can divert some of that attention to your brand.

We've seen firsthand that news stories work. You will soon discover how effective it can be in increasing your brand's visibility and engagement.

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Key principles of effective reporting

• Time: When breaking the news, the most important thing is to respond quickly. If you're taking too long to respond to a trending event, there's a good chance you're not getting noticed anymore.
• Importance: Provide a clear connection between the story and your brand. There's no point in just reacting to everything, because if there's no real connection, your content will quickly be labeled as inauthentic. For example, in 2023, we drew attention to a major event in our industry – the Money20/20 Conference – and created a guide with practical advice and insights based on our experiences to help attendees prepare. As a result, this agenda resonated well among the fintech media.
• Creativity: Add a unique twist or value to the news. For example, when we joined the Google Cloud Program for Startups, we tied the news to Google's 25th anniversary to make it more newsworthy.
• Sensitivity: Avoid controversial or sensitive topics that could damage your brand. Always consider the possible reactions to your content.

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Steps to implement news theft into your communications strategy

To implement successfully INFORMATION in your PR and marketing strategies, follow this step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Monitor the news

• Use tools like Google Trends and Google Alerts to track trending topics.
• Follow relevant journalists, bloggers and news websites.
• Example: As a result of following relevant trends and discussions using Google Alerts and researching the media in the ad tech, marketing and business sectors, we identified climate change as a hot topic. We leveraged our existing initiatives and created an article that mentions global statistics and highlights our green actions. This matched the trending theme and showed our commitment to sustainability.

Step 2: Assess relevance

• Evaluate whether the news fits your brand, products, services and values.
• Ask questions like: Does this news resonate with our audience? Can we provide one unique perspective?
• Example: For the guide we created for the Money20/20 Conference, we identified its relevance to our audience in the fintech industry and pitched it to the media we knew were covering the event, resulting in gained media coverage.

Step 3: Draft the message

• Determine the appropriate tone (informative, humorous, analytical).
• Provide original and valuable content tailored to your audience.
• Example: We adopted an informative tone for our announcement to join the Google Cloud Program for Startups and tied it to Google's 25th anniversary, making our news more relevant and engaging. As a result, we had extensive media coverage.

Step 4: Distribute

• Share your message with everyone multiple platforms.
• Use a combination of social media, press releases, blog posts, emails and online communities frequented by your target audience.
• Example: Our climate change article was sent to different media, resulting in publication in both BEGINNING and business sectors, strengthening our reach.

Big brands also use news reporting

Case study 1: Oatly and Patagonia Mobilize EU citizens to vote for the planet

In May/June 2024, Oatly and Patagonia joined forces to mobilize EU citizens to vote for the environment during the European Parliament elections. Both companies released their 1,000 EU employees to vote and organized educational programs to emphasize the importance of voting.

They also called on other companies to encourage their teams to vote for the planet. This campaign demonstrated their shared commitment to environmental protection.

Effectiveness: The campaign emphasized shared values ​​and encouraged active participation. This was strengthened brand loyalty and positioned both companies as leaders in environmental protection.

Lessons: Connect your brand to relevant social issues to highlight your values ​​and reach a wider audience.

Case study 2: British Heart Foundation 'Till I die campaign

On the eve of UEFA Euro 2024, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) launched 'Till I die campaign, in partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi. The campaign featured large murals commemorating young football fans who died of heart disease. The murals were strategically placed in nine cities across the UK to maximize visibility during the European Championships and were accompanied by a wider media campaign on social media and radio.

effectiveness: This campaign linked the upcoming sporting event to a major health issue, increasing viewership and awareness of heart disease among young people.

learning: Two seemingly unrelated topics, football and heart disease, can be cleverly linked to convey a powerful message.

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Potential pitfalls of news theft and how to avoid them

There are some mistakes you can make when sending news, such as replying too late, choosing irrelevant stories or being too promotional. This can make your brand look opportunistic and uninspiring.

Another common mistake is posting inappropriate or sensitive content without fully understanding the context. This can lead to public outrage and negative reactions, as with Fashion Nova's latest campaign about body positivity.

If you receive backlash or negative feedback to your news campaign, it's important to respond quickly and effectively. You must be willing to admit mistakes and take responsibility, even when making a move that centers on a sensitive and divisive topic. According to a survey conducted by Salesforce, 90% of customers say how a company acts during a crisis reveals his credibility.

Showing empathy and offering solutions can help restore the situation and regain public trust. A good example of this is Unilever 'Lost the pot' October 2022 campaignwhere they used all the negative consumer feedback in their new campaign.

CONCLUSION

Newsjacking is a powerful strategy that allows you to take advantage of trending news to put your brand in the spotlight. As shown in this article, connecting your brand to current events can resonate deeply with your audience and highlight your values. Conversely, potential pitfalls, such as engaging with irrelevant or sensitive topics, can lead to negative publicity.

But more importantly, the announcement isn't just for large enterprises with massive budgets and broad strategies. As our experiences show, even small and medium-sized companies can effectively use news theft, resulting in significant media coverage and audience engagement, despite limited resources. This shows that with a timely, relevant and creative approach, messaging can be a valuable tool for any company looking to increase its reach and impact.

In summary, when executed thoughtfully and strategically, advertising offers a unique opportunity to connect your brand to trending topics, thereby increasing your reach and influence. By following best practices and learning from past examples, you can effectively leverage the power of advertising to benefit your brand, regardless of company size or budget.