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.

Watch "What is Newsjacking? Advice for content creators" on YouTube

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.

What is newsjacking in simple terms?

Newsjacking is creating content that connects to a trending news story or viral topic. You add your own take while people are already searching and talking about it.

The point is to be timely and helpful, not to repeat the headline. A strong newsjack gives context, explains what it means, or shares an expert opinion.

If you want a quick refresher, see the full newsjacking definition.

How fast do I need to act for newsjacking to work?

Usually, you need to publish within hours, not weeks. Most trends peak quickly, so the earlier you post, the more attention you can catch.

Start by watching what is trending each day, then pick stories that match your niche and audience. If it does not fit your brand, skip it.

To move faster, outline your angle first, then write and publish. After that, share it right away on social and email to ride the wave.

How do I pick the right trending topic for my niche?

Pick a trend that your audience already cares about and that you can connect to your topic in an honest way. If the connection feels forced, readers will bounce.

A good test is this: can you teach something useful, share real experience, or explain the impact? If you can only comment on the drama, it is probably not a good fit.

If you are stuck, use a tool that helps you brainstorm angles and headlines from current topics. RightBlogger can help you generate trend ideas you can tailor to your niche.

What should I include in a newsjacking post so it adds value?

Start with a clear summary of what happened, then give your take. Your take could be a quick analysis, a checklist, a timeline, or what to do next.

Add proof when you can, like examples, steps, or common mistakes to avoid. This makes your post more than just a reaction.

Close with a simple next step for the reader, like how to apply the lesson or where to learn more. That is what turns attention into trust.

How do I find the best keywords for a trending news story?

Use the words people are already typing into search, like names, locations, and the main event phrase. Then add a second layer of keywords based on your niche, like “what it means for marketers” or “impact on small businesses.”

Put your main keyword in the title, first paragraph, one or two headings, and the meta description. Keep it natural and do not stuff keywords.

If you want help brainstorming search terms fast, RightBlogger can generate news keywords you can use in your headline and subheads.

How can RightBlogger help me publish a newsjacking post faster?

RightBlogger can speed up your workflow by helping you plan, draft, and optimize your post in one place. That matters because newsjacking works best when you move quickly.

You can draft a fast, well-structured post with the RightBlogger AI Article Writer, then polish your message so it sounds like you using MyTone.

After publishing, you can double-check on-page improvements with SEO Reports to make sure your post is easy for Google to understand while the topic is still trending.