'Newsjacking' - How to Share the Limelight

Your business could be a part of water cooler talk for weeks after your product/service or event makes headlines. While some marketing trends come and go and evolve over time, there's one that doesn't: publicity. That's right, good, old-fashioned media coverage--a feature in the local daily's business section or a two-minute story on the TV station's nightly news. Kelowna marketing agency Twin Creek Media offers clients a surefire way to build their brand with something a recent Globe and Mail article called 'newsjacking.'

How does 'newsjacking' work? You hire someone to write a press release about something interesting your business is doing that is relevant to current events. A news editor receives it and says, "Ah. Perfect for page four." The next day, your phone is ringing with "Hey, I just saw you on...". What's the best part about your business getting coverage in the newspaper or on TV? Well, let's see½

There's the instant exposure to hundreds of new potential customers.

People read newspapers, in print or online. When an article runs about something your business is doing, you're introducing your product or service to a huge new audience.

The invaluable credibility generated by an article rather than an ad.

If a newspaper or news station runs a story about your innovative little business, readers or viewers think, 'Wow. They must be good.' Anyone can pay to place an ad, but only the deserving stories make it to the air or the articles.

Oh, and it's free.

While paid ads can translate into sales too, they take time. If you can convince an editor your business is doing something newsworthy, the article runs at no cost to you, and yet the return is incredible: hundreds of people now know about and want to buy your product or service overnight. You really can't go wrong. What's the catch? It's all in the press release. You need a press release that's going to catch editors' attention. It has to have a snappy headline, great quotes, and the right information, but more than that, it needs to convince the editor that there's some news value to the story. You can't just say, 'Little City Carwashing Opens for Business.'

There has to be a hook--something new and different your business is doing that separates you from the competition and that will make the reader care. One way is through a unique product/service: 'Little City Carwashing Offers an Organic Clean.' Participating in a charity event usually works pretty well too: 'Little City Carwashing Suds Up for the Cure.' If your business hasn't jacked the news, you're missing out on one of the most valuable marketing tools out there.

Is your business ready to reach hundreds of new customers with a winning press release? Twin Creek Media in Kelowna helps clients build brand awareness and increase sales with smart press releases and other tools such as SEO, social media, and web development. Contact us today.