Newsjacking: A Guide to Leveraging Trending Topics

Last Updated March 11, 2024

Newsjacking is a powerful strategy that can help you quickly gain attention and drive traffic to your content. By piggybacking on trending topics in the news or on social media, you can add your unique perspective and commentary to the conversation.

What is Newsjacking?

Newsjacking involves leveraging current events or popular topics to create timely and relevant content. This could be in the form of a blog post, video, or social media update that ties into the trending story. The goal is to ride the wave of attention surrounding the topic and attract viewers who are already interested in it.

Benefits of Newsjacking

Quickly gain attention: By tapping into a trending topic, you can quickly capture the interest of a large audience already engaged with the subject matter.
Establish thought leadership: Adding your unique insights and analysis to a trending story can help position you as a thought leader in your industry.
Drive traffic: Newsjacking can lead to a surge in traffic to your website or social media profiles as people seek out additional information and perspectives on the topic.

How to Effectively Newsjack

Monitor trends: Keep a close eye on news outlets, social media, and industry publications to identify trending topics relevant to your niche. A great resource is Google Trends or Exploding Topics to find what is trending.
Act quickly: The key to successful newsjacking is to move fast. Create and publish your content while the topic is still hot.
Add value: Don’t just regurgitate the news. Provide your own insights, analysis, or unique angle to make your content stand out.
Optimize for search: Include relevant keywords in your content to improve its visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Promote your content: Share your newsjacking content across your social media channels and email list to maximize its reach.

Long-Term Benefits of Newsjacking

While newsjacking is often seen as a short-term tactic, it can also have long-term benefits, particularly on platforms like YouTube. If you create an entertaining or informative video related to a trending topic, it may continue to attract views and engagement long after the initial buzz has died down.

Conclusion

Newsjacking is a powerful tool for bloggers and content creators looking to quickly gain attention and drive traffic. By adding your unique perspective to trending topics, you can establish yourself as a thought leader and attract a larger audience.

While newsjacking may not be a long-term strategy on its own, it can be an effective way to supplement your regular content and expand your reach.

How is newsjacking different from just writing about the news?

Newsjacking is not just repeating the news. It means taking a trending story and adding your own angle, opinion, or tips that your audience will find useful.

Instead of reporting what happened, you explain what it means for your niche. For example, if there is a big change in social media rules, a marketing blogger could share “what this means for small business owners” and give clear action steps.

This makes your content stand out from basic news updates. It also helps you build authority, because people come to you not just for facts, but for insight and guidance.

Is newsjacking good for SEO and long-term traffic?

Yes, newsjacking can be good for SEO if you do it the right way. When you cover a hot topic early and use the right keywords, you can capture search traffic while interest is high.

To help with this, you can use a keyword tool like RightBlogger Keywords to find related phrases people are searching for. This helps you write headlines and subheadings that match real search terms.

Some newsjacking content will be short term, but the best pieces stay useful even after the news fades. If your post includes “evergreen” tips, clear how-to steps, or strong opinions, it can keep ranking and getting clicks over time.

How can I newsjack without being insensitive or clickbait-y?

Start by avoiding sad or tragic events unless you can offer real help and speak about them with care. Your goal is to add value, not to use pain or fear just to get clicks.

Choose topics that relate in a natural way to your niche. For example, a personal finance blogger could cover a new tax law, but should skip stories that do not connect to money or budgeting.

Also, write honest, clear headlines instead of clickbait. Make sure your content delivers what the title promises, with helpful tips, context, or examples your readers can actually use.

How can RightBlogger help me create newsjacking content faster?

RightBlogger can help you move quickly, which is key for newsjacking. You can use the Blog Post Ideas tool to spin breaking stories into angles that fit your niche, like “what this means for creators” or “how to respond to this change.”

Once you have an angle, the AI Article Writer can turn your outline into a full post in minutes. You can then edit the draft to add your personal voice, examples, and opinions.

To improve your chances of ranking in search, use SEO-focused tools like SEO Reports or Auto Optimize features to fine-tune your keywords, headings, and meta data. This workflow lets you publish fast without giving up quality, which is ideal for newsjacking.