Newsjacking and rapid response are two invaluable and absolutely crucial weapons in any PR’s arsenal. When executed well, these two strategies are an excellent way to raise you or your company’s profile and position spokespeople as credible experts in their respective fields.

Having said this, both newsjacking and rapid response are delicate tactics that, when executed poorly, can do more harm than good to an individual or brand. In this article, we’ll explore the difference between the two, how to execute both strategies and if your company should be doing this.

Newsjacking

In its simplest forms, newsjacking is the process of aligning a spokesperson or brand to the current news agenda to generate media coverage and boost exposure. In practical terms, it involves identifying a trending news topic that aligns with a company’s messaging and providing either commentary or other material to push the narrative forward. 

Rapid Response

Conversely, rapid response differs to newsjacking in that, as the name suggests, it involves identifying breaking news stories and providing expert commentary, an interview opportunity or relevant statistics in real time. Timeliness is of the essence as breaking news moves fast and the story could grow cold in a mere number of hours.

The Strategy

A well planned and executed newsjacking or rapid response opportunity affords your spokesperson and company the possibility of being profiled as thought leaders or experts in whatever field you’re commenting on. It lends a level of credibility that only media exposure can garner and positions you as the go-to provider for the topic at hand.  

Short term, it provides valuable media exposure but the benefits extends far beyond that. Should all go well, it strengthens your relationships with reporters and producers and sets you up as a credible expert that the media can call upon for insights should anther relevant story break.

However, this approach can backfire when not executed in the right way. When a breaking news story goes live, reporters, journalists and news producers are at their most time constrained. Consider carefully if the narrative you’re pitching actually adds value to the news agenda. If you’re pitching an expert commentator, are you absolutely sure they’re prepared and readily available to speak to media? A misstep in the execution could, at best, weaken the relationship you have with that outlet, or worse, if you waste a producer’s time, could get you blacklisted. 

For larger or more well established companies that aren’t as agile as startups, coordinating the interview of a spokesperson or pitching an official comment can be tricky. To ensure the process is seamless and various stages of approvals don’t roadblock the flow of communication with the media, it’s important to have an official comment ready and approved so that your PR can jump on a relevant opportunity and maximise the chances of being profiled. 

So, should newsjacking and rapid response be part of your corporate communications strategy? Before launching into any potential opportunity, it’s important to recognise that not all news items are appropriate to comment on.  Appreciate that some stories are highly sensitive in nature and trying to take advantage of politically delicate breaking news segments may come off as opportunistic and disingenuous. Moreover, if the link between your commentary and the narrative behind the news story isn’t legitimate, you risk the ire of the media.

However, if all these eventualities are carefully considered and your commentary can genuinely move the story forward, newskacking and rapid response is a highly effective way of getting your message out there and generating incredible exposure that both boosts trust and adds credibility.