Newsjumping is one of the best and most effective ways to garner press attention and position yourself as an expert to the public eye, but if not done right, you’ll miss out on a lot of opportunities that come as quickly as they go.
At Nardi Media, newsjumping is a topic that comes up all the time, but what really is it, how does it work, and why does it matter?
I had the chance to sit down with our Lead Publicist here at Nardi Media, Blaine Heck, and hear her expert insights on newsjumping. Blaine is a seasoned PR pro who, through the power of newsjumping, has placed some of our clients in top-tier media outlets including Forbes, Fortune, Business Insider, Newsy, CNBC, and many more.
Here are highlights from our conversation:
A: What does “newsjumping” mean?
B: “Newsjumping” is scanning through the news to see if there’s a breaking story your client can speak to. If there is and it’s urgent, jump on it!
A: Do you have a recent example of newsjumping?
B: We have two clients who were a perfect fit for the Colonial Pipeline story – one is a cybersecurity expert and the other is an energy expert. Between the two of them, we landed 42 placements!
A: Share some of those placements!
B: News Nation, Newsy, US News & World Report, CNBC.com, Forbes, Fortune, Business Insider, and more.
A: How important is it to be timely when you’re jumping on the news?
B: Very! There are some cases when you have seconds. For example, the Colonial hack was announced on the weekend. Our clients shared talking points on Sunday so I could prepare and be ready to pitch the media Monday morning. It happened that fast.
A: How can experts have the best success at newsjumping?
B: Experts need to be available to take an opportunity ASAP and to provide talking points to their publicists. If possible, I recommend they clear their schedule because it’s very important to take advantage of a newsjumping opportunity. Also, if we tell journalists that our clients are available ASAP, they’re more likely to book them.
A: Can you clarify what talking points are?
B: 1-2 sentences or bullets on what you’re offering an outlet that will help their audience understand a situation. I ask our clients to think about the expertise they bring to a story and use it as a teaching opportunity.
A: Is it possible to be too opportunistic?
B: You definitely have to be sensitive about what you’re pitching and when you’re pitching it. When George Floyd was murdered, we took a step back for a couple of weeks to let the story unfold and let his family grieve. Compassion goes a long way.
A: With so many people presenting themselves as experts, what can you do to make your client stand out when pitching producers?
B: Position your expertise into your title. Don’t just be an “expert”, make it more specific. For example, our client who is a cybersecurity expert is also an ex-CIA hacker – you better believe we put that into his title! Also, make sure your subject line reflects news if it’s breaking by leading with “BREAKING”.
A: Anything else we haven’t covered?
B: Some of our clients are authors, but sometimes there are producers who don’t want to promote their book. If this happens, you have to understand that getting your name out there is a win in itself because you’re being seen as an expert! At the very least, producers will put “author of…” in your title which is still a huge win!
CLICK HERE to watch the full Instagram LIVE with me and Blaine.