Newsjacking is a powerful tool for attracting the attention you want, but to be effective, it has to be done properly. This guide will lay out a decent basic strategy for a one-month newsjacking campaign. I’m focusing particularly on two of the toughest techniques to master: How to structure your initial outreach email, and how to craft a comment that gets lots of press attention.
Here are the four basic steps to follow as part of this casino niche link building strategy:
1) Have Your Spokesperson Ready
Make sure the personality you’re presenting to the press will satisfy their curiosity. Build a robust bio page to tell them who your comment is coming from. You should also have a headshot (or, ideally, multiple headshots) ready to go — this is important to a lot of outlets.
2) Pick Your Authority Position
What is it that’s going to make your comment appealing to reporters? There are three main strategies here: You can be reactive, be an expert on the company in question, or be a thought leader in the relevant industry. With the right preparation, you can combine two or even all three of these strategies for backlinks and coverage.
3) Set A Schedule
Build a calendar for your newsjacking month, focusing particularly on company reporting dates. I like to check investing.com to find reporting dates for the most well-known companies; those are the ones that are going to attract the most press attention.
Once you know the reporting dates when the media will be hungry for commentary, prepare your spokesperson’s comments in advance so you can send them out as early as possible. Pro tip: company reports tend to come out early, about 8 AM.
4) Reach Out To The Press
When you’ve chosen the right moment, you have the right spokesperson, and your comment is prepared, it’s time to get down to the real work of newsjacking: delivering to journalists.
Crafting The Perfect Newsjacking Comment
When you’re looking to get media traction and online attention by commenting on financial news, I would say the most important thing to offer to journalists is a distinctive opinion. It’s the reporter’s job to craft a basic description of what’s happening; when journalists seek out comments, they’re looking for added value and new information. Here are three basic questions a good comment should answer:
* What does this news mean to the reporter’s audience?
* What’s your spokesperson’s opinion? (Is this news good or bad?)
* What happens next? This is the most valuable commentary you can give a journalist early in the news cycle. Predict with confidence what ramifications the latest developments will have on the company you’re considering.
Building Your Comment Email
An effective newsjacking email obeys the classic KISS (keep it simple, stupid) principle. The comment is what matters to your recipient; don’t load it down with excess material.
Make sure your subject line includes “COMMENT” to catch the reporter’s eye.
In the body, simply provide the comment itself, your spokesperson’s name, and a link to the bio page you have ready for them.
Have additional information about your spokesperson and your brand ready to go — but wait until the journalist asks for it.
This will help your website and your overall SEO in the casino niche.