By Fiona Donnellan

In public relations, newsjacking refers to the practice of capitalising on the popularity or momentum of a breaking news story to promote or draw attention to a brand, product, or cause. It involves injecting your own angle or client's message into a trending news story to gain media coverage, enhance brand visibility, or spark conversations.

Here's how it typically works:

Monitoring news trends: PR professionals keep a close eye on news cycles, looking for stories that are gaining significant attention or traction.

Quick response: Once a relevant news story breaks, PR teams act quickly to develop a strategy for how they can tie their client's message into the ongoing conversation.

Crafting content: This could involve drafting press releases, blog posts, social media updates, or other forms of content that provide a unique perspective related to the news story.

Pitching to media: PR professionals then pitch their content or angle to journalists and media outlets, hoping to get coverage or mentions alongside the breaking news.

Engagement: They also actively engage in social media discussions surrounding the news story, using hashtags and participating in relevant conversations to increase visibility.

By leveraging the attention surrounding a breaking news event, organisations can potentially reach a wider audience and generate more buzz than they might otherwise achieve with standalone marketing efforts. However, it's crucial to be sensitive to the context and tone of the news story to avoid coming across as opportunistic or insensitive.