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Ever since Oreo’s famous tweet seizing on a blackout during the Super Bowl, managers of major brands have sought to piggyback their message on breaking news.
Newsjacking, however, needn’t wait for moments when the eyes of a nation are glued to a single television event. Opportunities crop up all the time—for those who have a nimble newsroom whence they can launch their message, tethering it to a suddenly hot topic.
David Meerman Scott, who is credited with coining the term, defines newsjacking as “the art and science of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story to generate tons of media coverage, get sales leads, and grow business… But you’ve got to be quick and you’ve got to be on pitch.”
Here are a half-dozen recent instances of newsjacking generated from or heavily supported by newsrooms:
1. Cleveland school marks Valentine’s Day with its ‘Wall of love.’
Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Campus International K-8 School drew numerous stories recently when it sponsored a Wall of Love event by collecting warm hats, gloves and other winter gear, then hanging them in plastic bags on a fence across the street. A sign invites the needy to help themselves to whatever items they lack.
What drew news coverage, however, was not just the charitable act, but its occurrence on Valentine’s Day. The district shot and uploaded a video to its newsroom, catching the attention of journalists and the public.
2. Pittsburgh airport writes an open letter to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.
When Amazon