How To Pitch A Project

I’m always happy to hear someone ask a question about how to pitch a project. That lets me know that the person is being proactive, trying to create her own path of success in her acting career. I'm an ex-corporate manager turned actor, author, seminar leader and motivational speaker . When I'm not acting, I give seminars, sometimes about this very subject: Persuasive communication.

As you start to think about how to pitch a project of yours, ask yourself these three questions:

1) What is my ultimate goal in pitching this to them? Be specific!
2) Why would THEY want to listen to me pitch this?
3) What is it that I want THEM to think, feel or do differently when I am finished with my pitch?

One additional question you want to make sure you answer as you are making the appointment is, “Are these the right people to pitch the project to?” In other words, are they the right people who can decide on whether to accept your project or not? If not, you might be wasting your time. Either that, or you will have to rely on whomever you pitch to, to relay the information to those who can decide? Do you want to do that? If not, then you need to make sure you make the appointment with the right people!

The answers to those questions will be your guidelines for preparing your pitch. 7 Step Guide On How To Pitch A Project

Now, for more in depth preparation, here is a 7 step outline to follow on how to pitch a project:

First Part:

1) Title: Give your pitch a captivating title, one that creates curiosity and interest in wanting to hear your pitch. Always think about it from your listener's point of view.

2) Background Don't assume anything when you start talking. Make sure that before you start your proposal, that you put everyone in the room on the same page. Don't assume that everyone knows what you know about your project, how it was born, what the background behind it is, how the story came to be or anything else. If you don't do that, you risk having people sit there looking at you with puzzled looks on their faces trying to figure out what you're talking about and more importantly, not understanding your inspiration behind the project.

3) Problem: This is the last step in the set up before you launch your proposal. Here you want to lay the groundwork. You should have done your homework and know what kinds of projects they normally deal with, get offered and maybe in general just some of the difficulties they have in finding good material. If possible, you might want to find out what some of the issues are that they have with having to re-work projects, writing their own projects (I'm just guessing here, but the more you know about them and what they do and their trials and tribulations, the more you will be able to bring relevant examples to them and speak their language.). You'll want to drive this point home to make them think and say to themselves while you are talking, "Yeah, she's right!" or "Wow, this girl is sharp!", so that even if the proposal in the end isn't what they are looking for, you might win them over anyway and they might offer you the possibility to work with them or create a project for them...maybe. Be positive!

How To Pitch A Project Second Part:

4) Proposal: Now that you've set everything up, now it's time for your proposal. And yes, I would try to be as professional as possible, but keep it simple. Remember, it's more about the content than about the bells and whistles. Don't over do it. Only use visual aids that really help you to get your point across. Less is more.

5) Objective Proof: This part can make or break your pitch. Make sure you include here some objective proof as to why you believe that your proposal is valid. You CAN NOT SAY, because "I'm sure it will be good." or "I'm convinced it will work." At this point, they already know what you think and they don't care about that. They know that the reason you are there is because you believe in your project. Bring some proof from an outside source, something that was published about your project, a review, testimonials, a film clip, a magazine article about your project, a magazine article about a similar type project that got rave reviews. Think hard about this step and don't go in there without any OBJECTIVE and NEUTRAL proof!

How To Pitch A Project Third Part:

6) Conclusion: Wrap everything up. Briefly reiterate each point, especially the ones they seemed to like or agree with you on.

7) Plan of Action: YOU MUST finish with this. Don't just say, "Thank you very much." at the end of your pitch. Suggest some plan of action. For example, "So, if you agree, I will be back on Tuesday to present to your partners. I will be free that day and would be more than happy to present to them." or "I know you will be deciding soon, so I will make it a point to come back in next week...shall we say Thursday?" or (the alternative approach) "I could come back again next week to discuss further and bring you some of the samples you asked about during my presentation. What works better for you, Tuesday afternoon or Thursday morning? (Notice that there is no alternative that includes NOT meeting them! It's one or the other.)

There's really so much more to say and I hope that I have at least given you something to think about in your preparation. But I believe if you do these things well that I listed above, the people in your audience just might be asking you for tips on how to pitch a project!

One last thing is about controlling your emotions. Be confident! Practice in front of someone you know or in the mirror first. Be prepared and if you are one who has difficulties controlling her emotions, then read this page that was really written for you. This page, together with the 7 steps I mentioned above, will have you feeling very confident about how to pitch a project!

Good luck!

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