- 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:
As you know, I’m very bullish on newsjacking and reactive PR, especially since the launch of ListIQ.
Enjoy!
Vince Nero
Vince is the Director of Content Marketing at Buzzstream. He thinks content marketers should solve for users, not just Google. He also loves finding creative content online.
His previous work includes content marketing agency Siege Media for six years, Homebuyer.com, and The Grit Group. Outside of work, you can catch Vince running, playing with his 2 kids, enjoying some video games, or watching Phillies baseball.
