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If you’ve ever watched a local news segment and thought, “Why is that guy always the one that’s giving their opinion?,” you’re not alone. What might look like luck or coincidence is actually a deliberate marketing strategy known as ‘newsjacking.’ And for MSPs who know how to work the angles, it can  actually put you on a fast track to credibility and trust in your local market.

At its core, newsjacking is all about being seen as the go-to expert when something timely or technical hits the headlines. Whether it’s a cyberattack at a nearby school district or a new security regulation making waves, the opportunity is there for MSPs who know how to insert themselves into the conversation. But what makes it actually work?

Why Newsjacking Works For MSPs 

The idea behind newsjacking is simple: comment on current events in a way that positions you as the expert. But the impact goes deeper than just getting your name out there. According to Paul Green of MSP Marketing Edge, it’s more about leveraging that trust. “Even in 2025, getting on local media is still a powerful implied endorsement. You lose control over the message, but you gain a massive credibility boost. That’s the opposite of advertising — high control, low trust vs. low control, high trust.”

That contrast between control and credibility is exactly what makes newsjacking such a compelling strategy for MSPs. Rather than paying to push your message out, you’re invited to share it and that ‘invitation’ changes everything. As Taher Hamid, Founder of MSP Camp explains: “People associate authority with media appearances. If you’re on the news, people assume you’re legit. If you’re in an industry publication, same thing. You don’t have to explain why—you just have to be seen there.”

With that said, here’s a step-by-step guide to leveraging current events to build authority in your community: 

Step 1: Understand What the Media Actually Needs

Before you can insert yourself into a breaking story, you need to understand the newsroom’s real pain point and (spoiler alert) it’s not a lack of news. It’s a lack of trusted experts to help them parse through, prioritize, and make sense of the massive amount of news that hits their desk every single day. Paul Green explains, “What you call newsjacking, a journalist would call finding a reliable expert. Most of the time, the challenge isn’t covering the story — it’s finding someone who can comment quickly, clearly, and credibly. That MSP you see on TV all the time? They get picked because they’re fast, consistent, and easy to work with.”

This is a critical distinction. Journalists aren’t chasing the deepest technical mind. They’re looking for someone who can show up on short notice and make their job easier. Paul continues, “Journalists use local experts because being local is their differentiation. It doesn’t matter that they could call someone in Silicon Valley — they want someone from Philadelphia, or Dallas, or wherever their readers are, because it keeps the story grounded.”

This is where MSPs have a home-court advantage. You’re not just another cybersecurity or technology expert. You’re their cybersecurity expert. When something hits close to home, that local angle matters more than any certification or technical merit you have. In reality, being the smartest person in the room isn’t the requirement. Being the most accessible, articulate, and audience-friendly often is. As Paul puts it, “Is that person on the news the most technical expert? Probably not. But from the producer’s point of view, they tick all the boxes — they’re available on short notice, speak in sound bites, and relate to the audience. That’s what matters.”

Hamid portrays how this plays out in real time. “If a local municipality, school district, or hospital gets hit with a cyberattack, news stations are looking for experts to comment. Even if you’re not involved in the incident, positioning yourself as someone who can break it down in simple terms builds trust and authority.” In other words, media outlets don’t need you to be at the center of the storm with a poncho on. They just need you to explain the weather so their audience can understand what’s happening.

Step 2: Build Your List Of Local Media Targets

Once you understand the needs of a media organization, the next move is figuring out where you want to show up and why. Not all exposure is created equal. In fact, Paul Green says your best bet might be the outlets whose best days are behind them. “Take the local newspaper that’s been around for 100 years… no one reads the print edition, their website’s awful, but it’s still a trusted name. If someone sees that a journalist has chosen you, there’s a perceived credibility that comes with that.”

This is where legacy still matters. The more institutional trust an outlet carries in your community, the more that trust rubs off on you. The local newspaper might have ten readers left on their route and a website that looks like it’s hosted on Geocities, but if your name shows up next to their logo, it still means something. According to Paul, that’s the first filter: “So in terms of saying which outlets do I want to be featured in—you ask yourself, ‘Where is the most credibility?’ It’s probably the old-fashioned local newspapers, certainly TV and radio.”

But once you start getting attention, exclusivity becomes part of the game. “If you appear regularly on one radio station, the others won’t be interested in you. All professional media outlets are looking for some level of exclusivity. They’d rather use you a few times a month and know they’re not sharing you with their competition.” That might feel counterintuitive at first, but in the media, being everywhere can oversaturate your message and make you look like a talking head. Paul suggests, “It’s better to have deep relationships with two or three key outlets than to spread yourself thin.”

His final piece of advice on this topic is to know the game you’re trying to play. “Consume the media you want to be on. Even two TV stations in the same market will have different styles, audiences, and expectations. You have to match that if you want to be invited back.” Put simply, it’s all about showing up in the right places, with the right tone, in a way that feels native to the outlet. Play their game (not yours) and you may have a shot.

Step 3: Prep Like a Pro (Before the Story Breaks)

If you want to be the expert the media calls, you can’t wait until your phone rings to get ready. You’ve got to prep like it’s already happening. This is because when that call does come in, you’ll rarely have time to scramble and get ready. Nate Freedman, Founder of MSP Sites, shares a perfect example: “A client of mine, Dave Henderson, has been featured seven times on Cairo News 7. He’s their cybersecurity expert now. That didn’t happen by accident—he made himself available and built the relationship.”

Availability is step one. But looking the part is how you make it past the first booking. Nate continues, “Dave didn’t just get lucky—he totally looks the part. He wears business casual, has a well-thought-out Zoom background, and positions himself as an expert. If you show up in a hoodie and bad lighting, you won’t get called back.” Media readiness is all about the packaging. You don’t need a studio, but you do need a clean, consistent visual and a confident delivery. You’re not just informing the audience; you’re also reassuring the producer that you’ll make them look good too.

It’s important to remember that the first appearance often comes on short notice, and if you can’t move fast, someone else will. “The first time Cairo News 7 reached out to Dave, it was a same-day deal,” Nate recalls. “They called and asked, ‘Can you do an interview right now?’ If he wasn’t ready, he wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity—or the next one.” Paul Green distills the formula down to three essential traits: “Packaging, Presentation, and Performance. That’s what matters. You need to look the part, understand the outlet’s style, and deliver every time. One bad interview and they may not call again, so you better be ready.”

Step 4: Watch for the Ideal Type of News Story

When CrowdStrike’s faulty update brought down systems across the globe (including grounding major airlines and disabling point-of-sale terminals) it wasn’t just an IT crisis. It was dinner plans canceled, vacations delayed, and businesses brought to a standstill. This is exactly the kind of moment where MSPs can step up and explain what the heck just happened, and why it matters. But not every story has that kind of reach. That’s why Paul Green warns against trying to insert yourself into every headline. “Don’t chase every story. Watch what stories the mainstream media actually picks up. That’s your signal. You want to be the local voice that makes national tech stories relatable.”

The CrowdStrike outage didn’t just take out enterprise systems. It spilled into the daily life of regular people. That’s the difference between the chatter on r/MSP and a story on the 6 o’clock news. If you can translate that technical domino effect into language a parent, small business owner, or city official can understand then you may get a chance to do exactly that. 

Paul adds, “When something does break — a big outage, a breach that hits the mainstream — that’s your moment to jump. Call the newsroom. Say, ‘Hey, I’m a local tech expert, I’ve been in this game for 30 years, I can explain this in plain language.’” Taher also emphasizes just how powerful that positioning can be: “If Facebook, Microsoft, or other major tech providers have a major outage, reporters probably want to know—how does this affect local businesses? What should they do? That’s a great moment for an MSP to step in and offer commentary.”

Step 5: Reach Out The Right Way (At The Right Time)

Once you spot the right kind of story, the clock starts ticking. The difference between getting featured and getting ignored often comes down to how (and when) you reach out. Paul Green lays it out in simple steps: “Call, email, then press release — in that order. Press releases are mostly useless now. Journalists get hundreds of them a day. What works is a simple, human message that says, ‘I can help — what do you need?’”

That shift from broadcasting to offering is huge. You’re no longer begging for exposure. You’re offering expertise that helps them get the story out faster, clearer, and with local relevance. Nate Freedman shares exactly how he coaches MSPs to do it. “If there’s a big cyberattack, I’d call the local news station that morning and say, ‘Hey, I’m a cybersecurity expert in [city], and I can provide insights on this breach if you’re covering it.’ You’re making their job easier.”

And timing is everything. “You want to reach out early in the day, before they finalize their stories for the evening news,” Nate adds. “The best time to get in is right after a major cybersecurity event happens—before they start scrambling for experts.” So if you’re wondering when to send that email or make that call, the answer is: now. When the story breaks, don’t wait for an invitation.

Step 6: Deliver, Then Multiply the Impact

Let’s say you nailed the interview. You looked sharp, spoke clearly, and made complex topics digestible. Congrats! But the real value of newsjacking doesn’t end when the red light turns off. In fact, that’s when the real marketing begins. Paul Green offers a simple but critical reminder: “If you’re scheduled to be on the 5 PM news, don’t blast it out to everyone beforehand. You might get cut last minute. Instead, focus on what you do after — rip the clip, post it to social, write about it, turn it into your own content.”

In other words, treat every appearance like raw material. Whether five people saw it live or 500, it doesn’t matter. What matters is how many people see it next on LinkedIn, in your newsletter, or baked into a sales presentation. Taher Hamid sees this as a leverage point most MSPs miss. “Even if five people watched it live, it does not matter. Take that clip and put it into an ad—whether you’re running an influencer ad on LinkedIn or Facebook, or whatever. Even if it’s a six-second clip of you talking to a news person about one statement, your authority goes up like 10x immediately.”

This is the compounding effect of credibility. A single appearance, when repurposed across your channels, can elevate your brand perception for months. Nate Freedman points to his client’s experience as proof. “After Dave got his first news feature, we used that credibility everywhere—webinars, ad campaigns, his website. ‘Cairo News 7 Cybersecurity Expert’ makes him stand out in every marketing effort he does.” That one TV spot became the headline for everything that followed. And that’s the real power of newsjacking done right: one moment in the spotlight can fuel long-term credibility.

Step 7: Build a Long-Term Relationship

While the first media hit can be a bit of a sugar rush, the second one is where your credibility really starts to stack. The key to becoming a recurring expert isn’t luck. It’s being the person the newsroom knows they can count on when things go sideways. Paul explains: “Your ‘lucky break’ is just a moment when someone in the newsroom is stuck and needs help. You’ve been emailing them, maybe calling, and one day their regular expert isn’t available. They remember you — and that’s when the phone rings.”

This is the slow burn strategy. It starts with small but intentional business development habits: follow local producers and journalists on LinkedIn, comment on their stories, and stay visible in their feed. If you’re already top of mind before the next crisis hits, you won’t have to reintroduce yourself when it does. Nate explains how this consistency pays off: “If you can help them create a compelling local angle on a national story, they’ll keep coming back to you.”

But don’t stop at being available. Always look for ways to add value between appearances. If you come across a great guest, expert, or resource that aligns with their coverage, send it their way. A well-placed referral shows you’re thinking like a partner, not just a subject. If you’re running paid campaigns or promoting your own content, consider targeting newsroom employees or media accounts directly to reinforce visibility. The media world runs on relationships. Keep showing up. Stay helpful. Be generous with your network. That’s how a one-time segment becomes an ongoing platform for trust and thought leadership.

Conclusion 

For MSPs looking to punch above their weight in a crowded market, newsjacking is a trust accelerator. You don’t need a national PR firm or a viral moment to make it happen. You just need to be visible, valuable, and ready when your local media needs your help. Whether it’s explaining a high-profile cyberattack in plain English or showing up clean-shaven with a soundbite-ready opinion, the opportunity is there for those who treat it like a long game. Remember, the MSPs who win this game aren’t always the most technical. They’re the most accessible, the most prepared, and the most persistent. So don’t wait for a story to fall in your lap. Start building your media list. Practice your talking points. Reach out when the timing’s right. And when the next tech crisis hits the headlines, be the voice that helps make sense of it.