Newsjacking isn’t about trying to be on-trend by just hashtagging during a popular event.

According to the legendary founder of the Content Marketing Institute, Robert Rose, it’s also “not just covering breaking news or providing your perspective on that news.”

“To make newsjacking work, you must bring your unique angle or point of view in a way that motivates people to explore that angle.”

The best thing is your product or brand doesn’t have to be directly linked to the news story.

You can take inspiration from it for clever marketing angles (as we’ll discuss below.)

If you take a look at the image above, it shows the optimal time to “newsjack” a story.

The Barbie Movie was a big part of the cultural context over the past weeks….and at its peak,there was no escape from it. 

So now is a good time to look at some ways this story could have been newsjacked so you’re ready to ride the viral wave of the next big news event.

Newsjack for Content Virality

To get some virality for your affiliate content, think about how you can connect your next blog post to the breaking news event.

For example, affiliates in the fashion niche could have written a blog post about the fashion trends seen in the Barbie Movie titled “Get the Barbie Movie Look: Fashion Trends and Where to Find Them”

Whatever niche you’re in, there might have been a way to connect the movie storyline, quotes, actors/actresses, scenes, props, or other related events to your content.

Newsjack for Product Virality

Merchants have to be a bit more creative to tie a deep connection with their brand to news events.

Think about the values promoted in the event and tie them to your business values if there’s a match. For example, a brand selling products predominantly to women may have considered tying the value of female empowerment portrayed in the Barbie film to the brand’s products.

This is a great way to show your brand values in a meaningful way without seeming like you’re trying to catch a viral train to stardom.

Newsjack to Make Yourself Famous

Coaches and consultants could have used the Barbie Movie to illustrate various principles in their field.

A lifestyle coach could have created content around the themes of the movie, such as empowerment and self-confidence, and tied them back to their coaching principles.

Personal brand driven businesses could always have their founder dress like Barbie or Ken and post it on social media for some cheap likes….

….but make sure you have an underlying message that shares some value or perspective that actually helps drive marketing results!

Newsjack for Course Virality

Newsjacking to promote courses is similar to promoting personal brands. 

For example, to promote your marketing material in your entrepreneurship course you could’ve talked about the “Barbenheim” campaign that made the Barbie Movie the fourth-biggest box office weekend in history.

You could’ve related 1+ of the core marketing strategies to what you teach in your course.

A course on personal development can use the movie’s themes to teach lessons on self-esteem and goal setting.

The Dangerous Power of Newsjacking

The power of newsjacking can rocket your content, product or brand into virality. You may get a surge in sales and expand your brand reach. But this is where the danger lies.

If you get your content messaging wrong, it could be damaging for your brand.

Be careful with how you position your brand and what marketing angle you take. The more ‘viral’ something becomes; the less control you will ultimatley have over the message & how it gets received by people.

But done right and you could not only get the benefits of going viral, you could increase the loyalty and love of your current audience.

And that’s the key to newsjacking, really.

Like all marketing, it’s about understanding your audience. As a little thought experiment, ask yourself how you could tie the Barbie Movie into your audience’s needs, wishes and pains.

So, did we just “newsjack” the Barbie Movie? What do you think? Let us know when you give your rating below 👇

Hope you enjoyed today’s Deep Dive. See you in a few days!