Why Newsjacking Should Be Part of Your Firm’s Marketing Strategy

by Jenny Madison | May 5, 2020

Newsjacking is a term coined by popular online marketing strategist and author, David Meerman Scott. You may recall Meerman Scott and his book, Newsjacking from Chad’s Dudley DeBookshelf April pick.  As is always the case, there’s a good reason why Chad chose this book: newsjacking is something your firm should be integrating (if you haven’t already) into your long-term marketing strategy.

Newsjacking in a Nutshell

The practice works by simply piggybacking on trending news topics. When there’s a news story your firm relates to, you inject your brand’s ideas and perspectives into the narrative in real time. And real-time media like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs makes that easy to do. 

Anybody can newsjack, but you have to be quick. But as important as it is to act fast, it’s just as important to only associate with news you can contribute to authentically. 

But How Can This Concept Apply to Lawyers?

Newsjacking is an effective way for you to increase your firm’s visibility among potential clients and drive traffic to your website, where people can learn more about what your firm has to offer.

Here are a couple of recent examples of cj clients newsjacking the COVID-19 pandemic. 

When the news broke about frontline healthcare workers being overworked and overwhelmed, the Bottaro Law Firm was on the ball. The firm started promoting a campaign to buy lunch for healthcare workers in their community on April 10, and the lunch was April 15.

Their social media campaign drove a significant increase in site traffic during the days of the campaign, and the local news media picked up the story.

Fuicelli & Lee wasted no time launching cj’s Serving Those Who Serve Us, an ongoing campaign that provides meals for frontline healthcare workers while supporting local restaurants during their time of need.

The social campaign started the week of April 13, and in that first week they saw an 82% increase in web traffic from the week before.

Both Bottaro Law Firm and Fuicelli & Lee displayed excellent newsjacking skills in two key ways:

  • They acted fast when news stories emerged about the challenges medical professionals and local restaurants were facing.
  • They used real-time media to promote their campaign. 

As a result, both firms saw notable increases in their web traffic. And the Bottaro Law Firm got picked up by the local news.

Although COVID-19 continues to provide many newsjacking opportunities, it’s something law firms should be doing all the time. 

Here is an example of a client newsjacking a viral story in their market that made it all the way to “Good Morning America.”

Dudley DeBosier attached their firm to a touching viral story on Facebook involving fans who met at a New Orleans Saints game and were reunited through social media. The story and Dudley DeBosier’s response secured them a spot on both local and national news.

This particular example is an ideal one. Because they saw a moving viral story, jumped in at the right time, and related it right back to their brand. Timing and sincerity made this a win-win newsjacking experience.

You can follow the full story from Dudley DeBosier’s Facebook Live announcement to local news coverage to national news coverage

The More People See You, the More They Believe You

Newsjacking efforts like these go a long way toward presenting your firm as a trusted source in your field. When you engage with your online audience regularly, your firm enters broader social conversations and sometimes garners media attention. Maybe you don’t strike gold with every newsjacking effort, but a small investment of time and money could generate a huge return.

If you haven’t already, we recommend you read Newsjacking and make the practice of leveraging breaking news a part of your long-term marketing strategy. 

A newsjack is just a Tweet, a blog post, or an article away. Breaking news is always happening, and if you’d like help brainstorming how to leverage the news in your market, reach out to your cj Brand Strategist. We’re always here to help.

Not a cj client? Contact us at askus@cjadvertising.com today to learn how you can take your advertising to the next level.