News Hijacking Playbook

OPPORTUNITY IDENTIFICATION

News Monitoring Setup

Source	Type	Monitoring Method	Alert Setting
Google Alerts	Industry keywords	Email alerts	Immediate
Twitter/X	Industry hashtags	Lists, TweetDeck	Real-time
Industry publications	Breaking news	RSS, newsletters	Daily
Competitor news	Competitor announcements	Google Alerts	Immediate
Regulatory bodies	Policy changes	Website monitoring	Daily

Alert Keywords

MONITORING KEYWORDS

INDUSTRY TERMS:
• [Core industry keyword]
• [Product category]
• [Technology term]
• [Trend term]

COMPETITOR TERMS:
• [Competitor 1 name]
• [Competitor 2 name]
• [Competitor category]

TRIGGER TERMS:
• "Breaking"
• "Just announced"
• "New report"
• "Study shows"
• [Industry] + "trend"

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RELEVANCE ASSESSMENT

Opportunity Evaluation Framework

NEWS HIJACKING EVALUATION

NEWS ITEM: _______________
SOURCE: _______________
TIMESTAMP: _______________

RELEVANCE CHECK (Score 1-5):
☐ Directly related to our expertise: _____
☐ Our audience cares about this: _____
☐ We have something unique to add: _____
☐ Timeliness - can we respond fast enough: _____
☐ Brand alignment - appropriate for us: _____

TOTAL: _____/25

RECOMMENDATION:
☐ Respond (Score 18+)
☐ Consider (Score 12-17)
☐ Pass (Score <12)

RESPONSE TYPE:
☐ Expert commentary
☐ Data/insight contribution
☐ Contrarian perspective
☐ Supportive commentary
☐ Social only

Go/No-Go Decision Tree

NEWS HIJACKING DECISION TREE

Is this directly related to our expertise?
├── No → PASS
└── Yes ↓

Can we respond within 2-4 hours?
├── No → PASS
└── Yes ↓

Do we have something unique to add?
├── No → PASS (or social-only response)
└── Yes ↓

Is it appropriate for our brand?
├── No → PASS
└── Yes ↓

GO → Develop response

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RESPONSE DEVELOPMENT

Response Types

Expert Commentary

EXPERT COMMENTARY TEMPLATE

FOR: [Publication/journalist]

REGARDING: [News item]

EXPERT: [Name, Title, Company]

QUOTE:
"[Opening context - acknowledge the news]. [Your unique insight or
perspective]. [Why this matters/implications]."

AVAILABLE FOR:
☐ Phone interview
☐ Video interview
☐ Additional written comments
☐ Background briefing

CONTACT: [PR contact info]

Data/Insight Contribution

DATA CONTRIBUTION TEMPLATE

REGARDING: [News topic]

FROM: [Company]

RELEVANT DATA:
"Our data shows [specific finding related to the news]. This suggests
[implication]. [Additional context if helpful]."

SOURCE: [Survey of X, analysis of Y, customer data showing Z]

AVAILABLE FOR: [Interview, additional data, expert commentary]

CONTACT: [Info]

Contrarian Perspective

CONTRARIAN RESPONSE TEMPLATE

REGARDING: [News/conventional wisdom]

FROM: [Name, Title, Company]

THE COMMON VIEW:
"Most people are saying [conventional take]. However, [why we disagree]."

OUR PERSPECTIVE:
"[Contrarian view with supporting evidence]. This matters because
[implication for audience]."

NOTE: Be genuinely contrarian with evidence, not contrarian for attention.

Supportive Commentary

SUPPORTIVE COMMENTARY TEMPLATE

REGARDING: [News item]

FROM: [Name, Title, Company]

COMMENT:
"[News item] confirms what we've been seeing [specific evidence]. This
is significant because [why it matters]. For [audience], this means
[implication/action]."

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EXECUTION PROCESS

Rapid Response Protocol

Timeframe	Action	Owner
0-15 min	Identify opportunity, alert team	PR
15-30 min	Assess relevance, decide go/no-go	PR + Exec
30-60 min	Draft response, get approval	PR + Spokesperson
1-2 hr	Pitch to journalists	PR
2-4 hr	Respond to interest, schedule interviews	PR + Spokesperson
Same day	Social amplification	Marketing

Journalist Outreach for Newsjacking

REACTIVE PITCH EMAIL

Subject: Expert available: [Topic] - [Exec Name], [Company]

Hi [Name],

I saw [publication] is covering [news item]. Wanted to quickly flag
[Expert Name] from [Company] as an available expert source.

[Expert] can speak to:
• [Specific angle 1]
• [Specific angle 2]

Quick quote if helpful:
"[Ready-to-use quote]"

[He/She/They] is available [timeframe] for a quick call. Let me know
if useful.

[Your name]
[Mobile number for fast response]

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SOCIAL AMPLIFICATION

Real-Time Social Response

SOCIAL RESPONSE TEMPLATES

BREAKING NEWS RESPONSE:
"[News] is significant because [why]. Here's what this means for
[audience]: [insight]. #[relevant hashtag]"

DATA CONTRIBUTION:
"Our data confirms [news]. We've seen [specific finding] across
[sample]. Key takeaway: [insight]. [Link if relevant]"

EXPERT TAKE:
"[Expert Name]'s take on [news]: '[Quote].' Full perspective:
[Link to expanded commentary]"

CONTRARIAN VIEW:
"Everyone's saying [common take]. But here's what they're missing:
[Contrarian insight]. Thread: [if doing thread]"

Timing Guidelines

Speed	Response Type	Best For
<1 hour	Social post	Being part of conversation
1-4 hours	Expert pitch	Media inclusion
Same day	Byline/blog	Deeper perspective
24-48 hours	Analysis piece	Thoughtful response to major news

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GUARDRAILS

Appropriateness Criteria

NEWS HIJACKING APPROPRIATENESS CHECK

ALWAYS APPROPRIATE:
☐ Industry news directly in our expertise
☐ Competitor announcements (neutral/positive response)
☐ Market trends we have data on
☐ Policy changes affecting our industry
☐ Technology developments in our space

PROCEED WITH CAUTION:
☐ Controversial topics
☐ Political news (even if industry-related)
☐ Competitor struggles (don't pile on)
☐ Sensitive social issues

NEVER APPROPRIATE:
☐ Tragedies or disasters (for promotional purposes)
☐ Unrelated trending topics
☐ Anything that could be seen as opportunistic
☐ Topics outside our expertise
☐ Situations where we have conflicts of interest

Risk Assessment

Risk	Mitigation
Looking opportunistic	Add genuine value, not just visibility
Being wrong	Verify facts, acknowledge uncertainty
Timing insensitivity	Wait appropriate amount of time
Off-brand response	Review against brand guidelines
Legal exposure	Legal review for sensitive topics

Brand Alignment Check

BRAND ALIGNMENT CHECKLIST

Before responding, confirm:
☐ Response is consistent with brand voice
☐ POV aligns with stated company positions
☐ Spokesperson is appropriate for topic
☐ Timing is respectful (not too soon for sensitive news)
☐ We have genuine expertise/value to add
☐ Response can't be misinterpreted
☐ Executive approval obtained (if required)

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