What Is Newsjacking? A Plain-English Definition
Newsjacking means injecting your brand into a breaking news story while it's still trending. Here's a clear definition, where the term came from, and why it works.
Newsjacking is the practice of injecting your brand, product, or point of view into a breaking news story while that story is still trending. Instead of trying to create attention from nothing, you add a timely, relevant angle to a story the world is already watching — and ride a wave of demand that already exists.
The term was coined by marketing strategist David Meerman Scott in his 2011 book Newsjacking, and the word was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017. For the full history and framework, see our complete guide to newsjacking.
Why newsjacking works
- Borrowed attention. You tap demand that already exists rather than buying it.
- Earned media. A timely expert take can land you in a journalist's story.
- Cost efficiency. The most famous newsjacks cost almost nothing to produce.
- SEO and AI search. Fast, relevant content on a surging topic ranks in Google and gets cited by AI answer engines.
A quick example
During the 2013 Super Bowl blackout, Oreo tweeted “You can still dunk in the dark” — and earned millions of impressions for free. That's newsjacking. For a deeper list, browse our newsjacking examples, or see how Ryan Reynolds' newsjacking strategy turned it into a repeatable growth engine.
How to get started
The hardest part of newsjacking is speed. By the time you spot a story manually, the window has usually closed. That's why most teams use software to monitor the news, score opportunities, and draft content automatically — see how to newsjack step by step and the best newsjacking tools. You can also start a free trial of Trendedly and set up your first alert in minutes.