Three tips to successful news hijacking
Organisations should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of developing trends in their industry. One way we help our clients to do this is through news hijacking. Here are three tips to ensuring your news hijacking is a success:
Get your comments out early
The key to a successful news hijack is being able to spot a story, and then issue a comment as it is being covered. Follow up pieces do happen, but the best opportunities to get your name and expertise in the press are earlier rather than later.
Be brief and stay on topic
Once you’ve identified a piece of news you wish to comment on, keeping points brief is essential. Journalists are looking for just a few sentences of on-point, relevant, commentary, so as a rule try not to exceed four sentences. Make sure each sentence can carry on its own so that if only one is used, it still remains meaningful and on topic with what you want to say.
Stick to your areas of expertise
As you start to build a reputation, it can be tempting to try to comment on any news that comes your way. We advise our clients to avoid commenting on things they don’t know about as it could bring undue criticism and negative sentiment.
Stick to subjects you can provide unique insight into. You want your business to be showcased in publications and news stories that are relevant to the work that you do to appeal to new prospects in your target audience.
When used effectively, news hijacking is an extremely valuable PR tactic. It can help to drive brand recognition and demonstrate expertise, essential to winning your category.
For more information on news hijacking and how we can help to drive awareness of your brand, please get in touch at hello@jargonpr.com
