Landing Links at CES: Your Winning Newsjacking Angle
Major tech events create a flood of announcements, but savvy PR teams know the real opportunity lies in strategic newsjacking that cuts through the noise. This guide reveals nine proven tactics—backed by insights from industry experts—for turning CES buzz into high-authority media placements and backlinks. These approaches move beyond surface-level coverage to deliver the analysis, speed, and substance that journalists actually want to link to.
Deliver Same-Day Buyer-Focused Teardown
The angle that worked best was publishing a same day teardown of what CES launches actually meant for buyers, not hype. We paired it with a simple comparison table journalists could embed without edits. The pitch led with one clear takeaway and a quote ready to run. Speed plus usefulness beat big opinions every time.
Launch Free AI Bias Auditor
I pulled off my biggest PR win by "newsjacking" the massive CES tech show. I launched a free AI Bias Auditor which was a simple tool that checked new gadgets for privacy leaks and ethical flaws. That made me a part of the story which is different from just watching the show.
Here is how I made that happen:
I shared with the journalists an exclusive look at the bias scores of the hottest products before they even launched. As I gave them valuable data, and "quote-ready" insights while they were under deadline, the major sites like TechCrunch and Wired linked to me. At the event, I put up QR codes. People could scan them to get an instant audit of the gadgets they were looking at. This led to a ton of social media shares.
The result was, I got a 300% surge in traffic and high-quality links from globally renowned websites.
Turn Rapid Floor Polls into Trends
For me, the biggest PR win at CES is creating same-day data reporters can't ignore. I run quick polls or track buyer interest on the show floor, then package it into a tight insight report by end of day. My pitch is dead simple: "We talked to X people today, here are three trends shifting from last year, plus quotes and visuals ready to use." Reporters love this because I'm handing them an actual story, not just another product announcement. They need trend angles to stand out from all the launch coverage, and I'm giving them exclusive data nobody else has. The key is speed. I'm not waiting a week to analyze stuff. I'm packaging insights while the show is happening so they can publish immediately.
Reveal What Announcements Leave Unsaid
CES has taught me that digital PR link building only works when you respect how overwhelmed journalists are during that week. Early on, I made the mistake many founders make at CES by trying to compete with hardware launches and celebrity keynotes. We sent broad trend commentary and got polite silence in return. The breakthrough came when we stopped chasing the headline and started chasing the subtext.
The most authoritative backlinks we've earned around CES came from a newsjacking angle focused on what wasn't being announced. One year, while everyone was talking about AI-powered everything, we analyzed real-time coverage and exhibitor messaging to identify where AI claims were vague, repetitive, or unsupported. We packaged this as a simple asset that showed patterns in language and promises, essentially a mirror held up to the show itself. Editors covering CES are constantly looking for a smarter angle than product roundups, and this gave them one.
The pitch that consistently landed coverage was intentionally restrained. Instead of saying "here's our take on CES," we led with "here's what journalists may start noticing by day three of the show." It positioned us as a support tool rather than another voice competing for attention. On-site, this worked even better when paired with short briefings where we walked reporters through one insight they could immediately use in their coverage that same day.
From both my own experience and client campaigns, I've learned that CES PR success comes from helping journalists see the signal through the noise. The most effective assets aren't flashy; they're clarifying. When you help an editor make sense of the chaos in real time, the links tend to follow naturally.
Create One Magnetic Sustainability Story
Hi,
At CES, most brands waste time chasing every headline instead of focusing on one sharp, newsworthy angle. In our experience, timely "trend hijacking" works best like when we helped an outdoor travel website leverage a surge in sustainable adventure gear interest. By creating a single, visually engaging asset highlighting eco-friendly travel trends, we earned backlinks from over 30 authoritative sites and saw a 420% traffic increase in six months. The key is not spreading your PR too thin, but creating one story so compelling that journalists can't ignore it.
The lesson goes beyond CES. Brands that treat digital PR like link building prioritizing high-value coverage over volume see measurable results. For instance, a pitch that clearly ties your product to a current trend or news story consistently lands coverage, and the on-site asset itself becomes a link magnet. Less noise, more authority, and measurable impact.
Publish Immediate Search Impact Brief
The strongest CES links came from publishing a same day technical impact brief instead of a product roundup. At Local SEO Boost, the winning angle focused on how announcements at CES affected search behavior within weeks, not years. One example was tracking how new in car displays and voice interfaces changed branded search queries and local discovery patterns immediately after keynote coverage broke. Reporters needed context fast, and the data answered that need.
The asset stayed practical. A short report showing early shifts in query language, crawl requests for automotive feature pages, and changes in mobile click behavior gave outlets something usable without speculation. Timing did the heavy lifting. Publishing within hours of major announcements positioned the piece as analysis, not commentary. Local SEO Boost learned that CES newsjacking works when it explains consequences, not features. Authority links follow when the content helps journalists interpret what just happened while everyone else is still summarizing press releases.
Provide a No-Hype Operator Playbook
When we've done CES-focused digital PR, the highest authority backlinks didn't come from trend summaries or product roundups. Instead, they came from interpretation assets that helped journalists do their jobs faster during the show chaos.
The best angle we pursued was framing ourselves as a 'signal filter' for CES announcements. Rather than trying to pitch what was announced, we produced a live-updated insight brief entitled, "What CES announcements actually matter for operators in the next 6-12 months." This re-positioned CES as a decision-making problem, rather than a spectacle.
The asset that earned the most quality links was a concise, data-backed explainer that was hosted on-site and refreshed daily during CES. It linked new announcements to real-world implications—budget changes, timelines for adoption, and operational risk. It was a reference source for journalists because it provided context without the hype that is CES.
Our initial approach to pitching was consciously simplistic and effective across the board:
"CES is super overwhelming. Here's a one-page breakdown of what announcements will impact businesses this year, and what won't. Updated daily during the show."
We did not include any products, prices, or brand promises. We provided just the facts, and because of that, we were able to earn links from trade publications, technology desks, and industry newsletters that were seeking authentic commentary amidst the chaos.
The lesson for CES coverage is clearly that utility outweighs novelty. When an asset makes life easier for time-pressured reporters, backlinks happen automatically. Newsjacking is most effective when you aid the media in thinking rather than merely in reporting.
Connect Innovations to Real Pain Points
Most eyewear brands get stuck trying to cover the latest lens technology or frame materials at CES. That's not what journalists care about. What worked was tying product innovations back to real customer pain points that CES attendees experience, such as how blue light from conference center screens affects vision or why traveling with contacts creates logistical headaches. We made a simple comparison asset showing how different lens coatings perform during high-screen environments, then pitched it to tech and health reporters as a wellness angle rather than a product launch. Framed that way, editors saw it as genuinely helpful for their readers. The backlinks came from outlets covering the intersection of health and technology, not traditional eyewear publications. Those sites carry more authority with B2B audiences anyway because they're talking to decision makers who care about employee wellness and productivity. The key was to skip the obvious newsjack and find the angle only your category can own.
Expose Privacy Risks behind Showpieces
Headline: The "Privacy Stress Test": Newsjacking the Hype with a Security Audit
Response: My most successful CES link-building strategy wasn't about breaking the news of a product launch (which major outlets like The Verge do instantly), but about breaking the safety analysis of that product.
The Angle: While the mainstream press covered the "shiny features" of new AI wearables and smart home robots, my team published a "Privacy Stress Test" of these trending devices within 24 hours. We analyzed the privacy policies and data collection methods of the "Best of CES" winners.
The Result: This contrarian angle earned us authoritative backlinks from privacy-focused blogs and consumer advocacy sites that needed a "security perspective" to balance out the hype. By positioning our content as "The Warning Label" for CES gadgets, we captured traffic from users searching for "is [New Gadget] safe?"—a long-tail keyword that explodes during the show.
