6 ways organizations have used newsrooms to launch newsjacking

Ever since Oreo’s famous tweet seizing on a blackout during the Super Bowl, managers of major brands have sought to piggyback their message on breaking news.

Newsjacking, however, needn’t wait for moments when the eyes of a nation are glued to a single television event. Opportunities crop up all the time—for those who have a nimble newsroom whence they can launch their message, tethering it to a suddenly hot topic.

David Meerman Scott, who is credited with coining the term, defines newsjacking as “the art and science of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story to generate tons of media coverage, get sales leads, and grow business… But you’ve got to be quick and you’ve got to be on pitch.”

Here are a half-dozen recent instances of newsjacking generated from or heavily supported by newsrooms:

1. Cleveland school marks Valentine’s Day with its ‘Wall of love.’