It feels like I’m spending a lot of time with pitches these days. No, that’s not a World Series joke, although that would be timely. I mean the “a form of words used when trying to persuade someone to buy or accept something.”
For example, PR agents pitch guests to come on my How to Share podcast. I pitch sponsors, guests and hosts for why my platform is good for them. Anytime an author comes on, we ask for the elevator pitch for their book. It’s a tough but fascinating exercise.
Here are three things I’ve learned about the art of the pitch:
- Don’t get discouraged. There are 8.2 billion people aged 15 and older on this planet. If I were to sell a million listens or subscriptions, it would be fantastic. But that is only 0.01219% of the target population. Numbers like that mean I could convince 1 out of a 1,000 people and be wildly successful.
- A two -three sentence pitch is like a diamond: it has incredible potential to shine but takes a lot of work to create. Something like (and I fiddle with this all the time): My podcast, How to Share, shines a light on all the different ways we share our knowledge and experience. We learn, teach, give and grow when we share as mentors, writers, creators, parents, grandparents, and volunteers. Featuring in-depth conversations with authors, executives, creatives, community leaders, you will be amazed and inspired by all the ways we can creatively and effectively share.
- The pitch the works best is the one that resonates with the speaker. Passion, authenticity, and enthusiasm come through when we pitch from the heart. It doesn’t come organically – it needs to be practiced,edited, fiddled with and said out loud. It’s a marvel when it just rolls off the tongue but that comes through repetition.
The baseball metaphor is apt because pitches are a key part of the game. No one can hit it out of the park unless there is a pitch. It’s all a part of how we share!
If you want to hear more, you can listen (and please subscribe) to How To Share on Spotify, Amazon Music, or Apple Podcasts.
My personal blog site is Surprised by Joy. You can also find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon
(featured photo from Pexels)