Issues Hijacking 101
News releases. Everyone uses them, from small businesses to large government agencies. You name the organization – they probably issue releases to the media. But despite its ubiquity, creating a release isn’t always the best course of action.
If you’re a large and established company, issuing a press release about the new service/study/product/initiative you’ve just unveiled can be tempting. It’s quick and easy – and if interesting enough, the media will call you. Such is the luck of big organizations like ICBC, whose day-to-day business has a huge impact on the lives of the majority of British Columbians. When it issues a press release, the media listens and will almost always call back. Coverage, understandably, is widespread.
Then there’s the rest of us. Though the powers that be may be convinced of the news value of an announcement, you need to be realistic with yourself and your organization. With the exception of your narrow target market, will people really be interested in this? If the answer isn’t an emphatic “yes,” don’t bother bombarding your media contacts with a release that’s doomed to die an ignoble death at the bottom of an assignment editor’s inbox. Instead, consider the more tactical approach of issues hijacking.
Issues hijacking involves piggybacking on a current issue, trend or hot topic already in the news cycle that gets ears to perk up. That’s when you mention you’ve got a suitable spokesperson, outline what they can speak to and highlight that they’re available to chat right away. All of a sudden, you’ve manufactured a great new angle to propel the story forward. If it is a particularly slow news days, this can be a godsend for both the media and your organization.
The key components to any successful news hijack are relevancy, timing, currency and localization. All media outlets need to be able to demonstrate the relevance of a story to their audience. This is why one of the first questions a good reporter will ask is “why should my viewer/listener/reader care?” Communicators must make sure they ask the same thing. Timing involves getting your spokesperson talking to the reporter before anyone else. That requires Batman-like reaction time and on-the-ball media monitoring. Currency entails recognizing a trend for what it is and identifying when and where you can squeeze your idea into a larger story. Localizing the story means taking an angle that may be of national interest (i.e. interest rates) and making it relevant for a local audience (i.e. real estate prices of the home next door).
In order to accomplish this, the first step is to keep an eye peeled for any stories that have relevance to your organization or its sector. There is usually no shortage of these. Imagine you’re working for a mining company in Vancouver and see a story mentioning rising metal prices. If you think quick, you can reach out to the Vancouver Sun or Global TV, connect the rising prices to a localized angle by emphasizing how price spikes have affected your client’s local operations and offer up the CEO as a spokesperson. If you work in health services, investigate if there is an interesting story featured in media south of the border. Can you tie that issue into what’s happening in your region? If so, you may have a fresh story for a new audience. Abracadabra, you’re in the news, and without anything new to announce.
