It can be chic to crash a party. As you might imagine, being a lion who roams the streets of San Francisco means I know a thing or two about showing up where I’m unexpected. You arrive, people look at you like, “how did he get in?” and you get to carry on, surrounded by an air of intrigue. However, sometimes, the move to show up uninvited can be a real faux-paw.
When it comes to PR and brand storytelling, newsjacking is the party-crashing equivalent. If it’s done well, it can amplify your core messages, position your brand as timely and insightful, and deepen relationships with the media. If it’s not, it can be a fast track to irrelevance, or worse: getting blocked.
Don’t worry. This party-crashing feline can help you understand what it takes to pounce on a juicy news cycle. To do it right, you only need three things: fit, speed, and substance.
Fit: Know When to Pounce
Not every trending topic is a fit for every brand. Knowing which moment is the right one requires some preparation, starting with the spokespeople. If you have worked with a PR agency in the past, you may be familiar with spokesperson intro calls. These are conversations between your PR team and the executives most open to representing the brand. They tend to be casual conversations about the executives’ experience, focus at your company, and areas of interest. If done well, your PR agency should be able to walk away with much more than “The CFO can speak on finance topics,” instead having enough information to begin mapping out how far that executive’s expertise and comfort level providing commentary reaches.
In addition to spokesperson mapping, another element of preparation is understanding your company’s risk tolerance. Topics trend for a reason, and often that reason is controversy. Whether it’s a data breach, legislation, regulation, a big lawsuit, or even a hot new technology, no story is entirely risk-free. It’s important to draw lines early so your PR team isn’t stuck backing out of an interview and hurting your caché once the legal team steps in.
Some PR pros may argue that there’s no harm in trying to comment on everything, that our job is to secure the opportunities and let the company say no. But there is little point in commenting on every breaking story in any news outlet, especially those irrelevant to your company’s audience. You don’t want to waste your spokesperson’s or communications team’s time chasing low-value opportunities. . The truth is, smart newsjacking is selective. It’s a tool, not a strategy. Focus first on your proactive narratives and planned campaigns. Then, when a truly relevant opportunity appears, you’ll be ready to act.
Speed: Be the First, or Be Forgotten
Once you’ve mapped out your areas of expertise, the real challenge begins. Set up alerts for the topics you’re tracking. And here’s a tough one: learn to read the future. The best PR pros are avid readers. They don’t just pay attention to the outlets they would like to be in, though they should absolutely be doing that; they are genuinely interested in the news. They subscribe to newsletters, follow journalists on social media, and listen to their podcasts. They consume so much journalism that they can intuit news cycles and take educated guesses at what might come next.
Of course, some moments can’t be predicted, but knowing the general shape of things and how the news cycle churns makes it much easier to shorten timelines and be the first to respond. External messaging almost always requires multiple stakeholders. Legal might need to weigh in. Your CEO may want to wordsmith. Any number of other stakeholders in your company may want to add their two cents. But while you’re stuck accepting tracked changes, your target journalists’ inbox is filling up.
You are never the only public relations team working to jump on a newshacking opportunity. Unlike proprietary news, where the story is yours to own and manage, this is unmarked territory that has been spotted by a few prides. This is why your upfront preparation matters. When a relevant trend breaks, you shouldn’t be starting from scratch.
Substance: Offer More Than an Opinion
When everyone has something to say, concrete examples are what make your voice stand out. Rather than just weighing in with a general opinion, look for real stories, customers, or past experiences that bring your quote to life. Some examples:
- Does your spokesperson have a personal anecdote about the issue at hand?
- Do your customers or partners represent the trend in motion?
- Is there a parallel moment from the past that offers context and clarity?
- Do you have data that illuminates your point of view?
You may be tempted to say, “Our thought leadership speaks for itself,” or to point to your own brand as the proof point. But journalists are hunting for usable, specific, vendor-neutral insight. Remember, newsjacking is only one part of a smart public relations strategy. Other tactics allow for more spot-on messaging, like announcements and bylines. This tactic is about showing relevant journalists that your spokespeople are helpful and knowledgeable beyond your company’s interests — and hopefully getting a name check in a publication your buyers admire.
The more relevant and example-driven your quote is, the more likely it is to earn ink. Or as big cats like to say, a roar with no claws doesn’t leave a mark.
Newsjacking’s Payoff: Relationships, Relevance, and Reputation
Done right, newsjacking doesn’t just get your quote in a story. It strengthens your relationships with reporters, builds trust in your expertise, and keeps your brand front-of-mind for future coverage.
And while it might feel like a small win, those wins compound. Journalists remember the sources who help them meet a deadline with clarity and insight. They come back to the brands that add value, not noise. So be prepared. Be a fit. Be quick. And above all, be the kind of party crasher who gets the next invitation: tail high, whiskers twitching, headline-ready.
