The newsjacking blog post template

Newsjacking, the name says it all. The word newsjacking refers to the English “highjacking” or hijacking of, in this case: news. It refers to using a news item or current event to attract attention, increase your number of followers and boost your sales.

Now that everyone can be found online, we are constantly confronted with 'news'. Marketers can take advantage of this, because this way you can easily benefit from the success of a story or news item. The popularity of such a news item decreases quickly, sometimes hours (with any luck weeks) after its creation, but the impact it can make on your business is great! Especially compared to the little effort you have to make.

There are quick, unplanned newsjacks and in-depth, planned newsjacks. 

Sometimes you want to respond quickly to a current event (unplanned newsjack) and you have to be there within a very short time, when something suddenly happens that is picked up by the media and widely discussed by the general public. Think of sports results, scandals, statements, disasters, etc. This can be a very short message that you shoot into the online world within a short time. This way you can sometimes be faster than other media.  

“The consequence of publishing hijackers early is that you are more quickly adopted as a source by other media, which means you are more likely to surface in search engines and get more traffic through other media.” – www.dutchblogger.nl

If you want to explain your own perspective, you go for an in-depth, planned newsjack. A plug-in calendar is often used. You can research theme days in advance and write them down and prepare them in advance. Think of King's Day, World Animal Day, etc. The advantage is that you can do a lot of preparatory work (see template below). Most of the work is then done, you just have to post on the day itself.

What news item or current event makes sense for you to “newsjack”?

Once you've found an event that's relevant to your readers, the template below can help you write a detailed newsjacking blog post. This is to share depth and own perspective. (If you want to quickly respond to a hot topic, use your creativity! If you use this template you may be too late…) 

Free work file

We have created a work file where you can enter everything in the text fields. These fields become larger the more you type, so you never run out of space. Good luck!

Prepare your newsjacking blog post

Take a few minutes to think about what you want to write so that you stay on topic as you write and keep your readers engaged. If you wander, chances are they will too.

1: Identify your target group

Who are you writing this blog post for?

2: Think of your unique perspective

What new perspective or spin do you give to the news?

3: Identify your main topic

What should your target group know or be aware of after reading your blog post? 

4: Think carefully about some possible titles

You don't have to come up with the perfect title before your blog post is ready, but it certainly helps to write down a few ideas in advance. This ensures that you focus better on your subject while writing.  

On our Trackler blog we go for one temporary title. A title that guides you through the blog post, and that helps to stay on topic. Once your post is ready, you can fine-tune the title so that it fits the content of the post, attracts the reader's attention and is optimized for the search engines.

For example: before we this blog live, we brainstormed about a few titles, from which we chose a temporary title.  

1. 14 questions for better results
2. 14 questions you can ask yourself for better results
3. 14 questions to really achieve your results (temporary title)
4. 14 questions you can ask yourself to really achieve the desired result (final title)

5: Make an overview

The typical Newsjack blog post consists of:

• An introduction: this introduces and briefly summarizes the news/current event and indicates what you want to teach your reader.
• A center piece: Expand on the news with a deeper analysis or unique perspective. 
• A conclusion: End your blog post with a brief summary of what your readers just read or learned.
  

What are all the things you need to discuss in detail to make your blog post as complete as possible?  

Completing the newsjacking template 

6: Write the introduction

When writing the introduction, keep the following question in mind: How can I inform my readers of this news succinctly and arouse their interest in reading my perspective or analysis on it?

Also, feel free to write the introduction at the end. Sometimes it's easier to create these after you've written the entire post. 

7: Write the center piece

Remember that the body should cover what you promised in the introduction. You can write this body in paragraphs, bullet points, numbered lists, different headings or a mix of the above. As long as you ensure that it is clear and conveys the message. 

Keep the following question in mind: What is my opinion on the news item or event in question, and can I add images/videos to clarify my words?   

8: Write the conclusion

Your conclusion is the summary of the most important steps you mentioned earlier. What can also be fun is to close with a relevant question. This in turn triggers interaction.

9: Link to additional resources in your blog post

Sometimes it's difficult to share everything about one topic in one post, so it's helpful to direct your reader to additional resources for more detail and credibility. 

Hyperlinking to other blog posts or pages on your site can result in increased search engine visibility, page views, and the duration of a page visit. Hyperlinking to third-party content can complement your perspective and help you appear more trustworthy to your readers.

What sources can you refer to to supplement your blog post?

When you copy your text to your blog, hyperlink these sources so that they point to the correct page with one click. 

10: Finalize your title

Take one last look at your temporary title and see if you can make it clearer, more specific, more attractive and more SEO-optimized, in short: final. 

11: Choose a Call-to-Action

Do you want your readers to sign up for your newsletter? Would you like more information? Buy something? Download something? 

What do you want your readers to do after reading your blog post?

12: Copy and paste your text to the platform where your blog can be found

Now that you have completely figured out the content of your post and have developed it, you can prepare it for publication. 

An easy way to do this is to copy everything and paste it plain into your blogging platform. This ensures that the text appears 'bare'. 

Then it's time to make your blog readable by using headlines, bold text, quotes, bullet lists, hyperlinks, photos and videos.

13: Edit, edit, edit!

Everyone could use a fresh look before sending a blog post out into the world. Ask a friend, colleague or roommate to read your post carefully.

14: Choose an image

Every blog post must have an image. Not only for aesthetic purposes, but also so that you have an appropriate image when you post your blog on social media. This greatly increases click through rates. The eye also wants something. 

We often look for photos via Pexels. 

15: Optimize your post for search engines 

You spent so much time writing your blog post. Then you also want it to be found easily in the search engines. With a newsjacking post, the general public searches en masse for content about the event. That is why it is important to put yourself in the reader's shoes. What is your target group looking for? Include these keywords in the title and also in the blog post itself. Be careful not to exaggerate, it must remain readable and appear natural to the visitor. 

16: And then you can finally… Publish! 

Publish your blog post and analyze the results! 

Additional tips

If you missed the first opportunity for a quick newsjack, or you feel like there's more to be said, you can follow up with a more extensive newsjack shortly afterwards. Such an extensive newsjack goes into further detail, and tells the reader not only what happened, but why it is an important event, how this affects her/his work and the profession itself. 

Here are a few more things to keep in mind when writing quality newsjacking blog posts:

Think carefully about the news item

Ask someone else for a second opinion before sending your blog post out into the world. And put yourself in the shoes of your reader/target group and think about how they might react. This of course applies to every blog post, but because you sometimes want to be very quick with a newsjacking post, this step can sometimes be skipped. Experience shows that when responding to current events, negative reactions can follow if your post is not well received.

Be accurate and thorough

No matter what kind of newsjacking blog post you write, the facts must always be correct. Take the time to double check everything to make sure what you write is true. You would rather publish an article 10 minutes later than share incorrect information with dozens, hundreds or perhaps even thousands of people. 

Cite your sources

Extra important for quick newsjacking posts: always mention the source where you got the news from. And, try to find the original source. For example, if you read something about a new LinkedIn tool on the IMU website, look for a statement or blog post from LinkedIn itself. They are the most reliable source and you get your information first hand. So less chance of misunderstandings.

Working file newsjacking blog post

Other blog post templates

You can find the other templates here. Enjoy reading!