Why Your Brand Needs a Newsroom Team

How we 'trendjack' for clients and why it drives success for brands

With social trends living and dying faster than you can say “brat girl summer”, staying relevant and engaging with your audience can be a challenge. Perhaps you’re struggling to get concepts over the line quick enough, or – you don’t have the resources to scour the internet for relevant trends in the first place.

That's where our Newsroom service comes in.  

You might not be familiar with this concept, or perhaps you consider it a ‘nice to have’, but actually, this can be the key to scoring that virality we’re all seeking. For us, a Newsroom is more than just a weekly dive into trends. It's a tailored insight and recommendation service that can transform your brand's social presence, and throw you into the cultural zeitgeist

How can having a Newsroom benefit my brand?

Newsroom goes beyond the surface of jumping on the latest meme or viral sound (that’s not to say this doesn’t happen!). At its core, it’s about converting key messages aligned with your brand strategy into social-first content that resonates with your audience. This service offers a unique opportunity to boost engagement and cultural relevance, fostering deeper connections through community-driven content.

When we started trendjacking for one client, creating content that tapped into trends like the reactions to the new Overground line names, we witnessed a staggering 584M combined impressions over a 6-month period. With our support the client has doubled their posting frequency and tripled their impressions YoY on TikTok – leading to a 77% increase in organic impressions. This is a testament to the power of a well-executed Newsroom strategy.

And we’re not just here to talk Gen Z’s language. The adaptability of this service means that it can flex from industry to industry – after all, every brand should see some value in keeping eyes and ears to the ground.  

So, how do we do it?

1. Staying Ahead of Trends: We leverage social listening tools to stay tuned into the conversations that matter most to your brand's market and communities. This enables us to react promptly to trending topics and create content that feels timely and relevant.

2. Brand-Specific Insights: We don’t just follow the trends. We tailor them to align with your brand’s voice and strategy, providing personalised insights and recommendations. This approach makes your brand a part of the conversation rather than just an observer.

3. Timeliness is Key: In the world of trendjacking, timing is everything. You have to be ready to act quickly. This isn't a strategy you can afford to sit on; the timing has to be just right to maximize impact.  

Social media trends generally have a very short lifespan, often measured in hours or days rather than weeks or months.  

Our Senior Strategist, Sarah Jardine, adds: “Trends can fly then die within 48 hours, so it makes sense that internal teams may struggle to identify and turn around creative ideas within such a small window.  

That's where Connects’ Newsroom comes in, we act as an extension to your internal team, here to get your brand in the spotlight for all the right reasons – and ultimately driving that brand awareness piece.”

How can we measure success?

Just look at the metrics. The success of a Newsroom strategy is easily spotted in the metrics, in our experience. For example, we observed a community growth of over 100k across the core social suite of one client. Additionally, a reactive meme is one of our best performing posts of the year so far, with an ER of 11.4% and over 109k impressions, showcasing the power of being timely and relevant. In the last month we have created five viral IP video assets, with the largest garnering over 18 million impressions and 40k shares on one TikTok asset alone.

A Newsroom team can be a game-changer for your brand. By staying ahead of trends, offering brand-specific insights, and acting promptly, this service can drive engagement and build stronger connections with your audience. Don't underestimate the power of a well-executed Newsroom strategy—it could be the key to your brand's social success.