The Ultimate Blueprint to Mastering a Killer Pitch
This is the third video and article on pitching I’ve put out this month, and I want to offer a sincere thanks to those of you who have been watching or reading these, to the folks who’ve been reading my emails and sending me replies, and to the folks that have been talking to me on twitter.
As much as I get from running the WGA Showrunner Training Program and the CBS Writers Program — and I love those jobs — it’s really fun and exciting to be able to connect instantly with writers and other creatives all over the world, and talk about the craft and skills that go into a successful career in this business. So thank you.
I’m so excited to talk about and teach this stuff, because pitching is has been a transformative skill for so many of my clients and students. It’s what people sometimes call a “force multiplier” for your writing career — if you’re already a great writer, mastering the art of a “killer pitch” can transform your life.
I’ve coached upper-level writers who felt trapped on shows they didn’t love, and watched them take charge of their destiny and put their own stories and voice into the world for an audience of millions. And, I’ve had students go from getting coffee and writing on the weekends to running their own show in a matter of years.
Sharpening this skill is a powerful and transformative opportunity, and I love that I get to share what I know about it with people at all different levels and stages in their career.
In my last two blog posts, I talked about the elements of a killer pitch in terms of structure, and we did a deep dive into a few elements of that structure.
What I want to do today is to take things a step further, by offering you a blueprint. A strategy you can use to take your pitching skills — and your career — to the next level.
Why a Blueprint?
Well, in the last few days, I’ve gotten similar feedback and questions from several people. The general shape of it is, basically:
The past two videos were helpful
I think I get the 10 steps to a killer pitch, at least in broad strokes
But… I don’t know where to go from here
Here’s one message that sums that last part up:
“My problem now is all the rest of it. I feel like I get the shape of a pitch, and what I need to say when. But the rest feels overwhelming. How to actually, like, write it, and also, I guess, the idea of pitching itself. (I’m fine in the writers room, but pitching in front of execs feels like a whole different animal.) My question is really broad, but: how do you suggest I tackle all this?”
This question makes complete sense, because the idea of getting better at pitching can feel both crucial to your success as a working writer, and also completely overwhelming.
Because it’s not enough to just know, abstractly, what things to say in what order (although that’s a great start!) There’s more to it. A lot more.
This Problem is Solvable
The good news is, this challenge is solvable. I’ve seen so many clients, great writers who struggled with pitching, unlock new levels of confidence as they mastered these skills.
It is not innate. It’s something you can get better at with practice, coaching, and feedback from your reps and peers.
There’s work involved, but the work is worth it —
The knowledge that you can go into a room and express yourself — honestly, clearly, powerfully — that you can move a jaded executive to laughter or tears just with your words and story — it’s incredibly powerful.
(Not to mention the impact this kind of skill can have on your career, and your life, in a financial sense.)
That’s why we’re talking about pitching — it’s a skill that is often neglected, not talked about much, but also so important.
That brings me to the blueprint. My overall strategy on how to tackle this. If you were my one-on-one coaching client, and you said to me: I want to become great at pitching — these are the steps we would work through together to get you there.
The Blueprint
AKA My Blueprint for Learning how to Give a Killer Pitch
Step One: Learn the Market.
Your pitch is a work of creative fiction, but it’s also a plan for a business — one that will ultimately have hundreds of employees and millions of paying customers. You need to take the time to understand, deeply, how scripted shows are sold, what buyers are looking for, and the key differences between comedy, drama and dramedy.
There are many ways to do this yourself, even if you’re not already in Hollywood. Reading the trades (like Deadline and Variety) to keep an eye on what’s getting bought, and familiarize yourself with the movers and shakers, is a great place to begin on this.
If you’re already in the business, look for peers, at your level, on the business side. Go to meet ups, get drinks and coffee, or do drinks or coffee over zoom. These don’t need to be meetings. Just making a friend and learning, from their pov, a little more about how Hollywood works.
Step Two: Learn the Structure, Put It Into Practice
I’ve already given you the ten elements of a killer pitch. But, just like there’s a difference between skimming Save the Cat and writing a screenplay you’re proud of, there’s a difference between reading those ten elements once, and using them to structure and craft a pitch that works for your story.
The Inspiration Story, the Hook, the Logline. The Tone, the World, the Coda. Each of these elements is a skill you can sharpen.
The first key to this is to put it into practice.
Go through the process of creating a pitch from the steps I’ve provided. You don’t need to wait for someone to give you permission, by the way. There’s no time like the present to start getting better at how to craft each of these pieces.
If you’re waiting for someone to tell you to start writing your next pitch, this is me telling you to start writing your next pitch!
Step Three: Get Feedback
Once you’ve taken the structure I’ve showed you, and turned that into a written down pitch, you need to get notes — you need someone who understands the business to give you honest feedback, so you can make sure you’re not just practicing, but getting it right.
If you have reps already (and I know many of you do), talk to them. Especially managers — tell them you are trying to improve your skill at pitching, and ask them if they have time to hear you practice a pitch over zoom or in person.
If you don’t have a rep or peers in the business, that is a solvable problem, especially with the advent of social media. Screenwriting Twitter is alive, thriving, and generally a very positive place to meet people. You can search for hashtags like #screenwriting and #prewga. Find the big accounts, interact, and talk to people in the comments. Look for online and in person meet-ups, like #wgavirtualmix.
Either way, feedback is crucial — you need to know if you’re headed in the right direction, or if you’re being confusing or emphasizing the wrong elements.
Step Four: Get Great at The Pitching Part.
Every script you write is a blueprint for the TV show or movie that, hopefully, it will become. A pitch is the same way. The difference is, with a pitch, it’s up to you to deliver a great performance.
I have a TON of stories about brilliant writers who wrote brilliant pitches, and then — because of nerves, lack of practice, or not understanding the importance of emotion and passion — failed to sell their project in the room.
For the “Behind the Camera” People
I know this is a sore subject for many writers. I talk to a lot of folks who consider themselves “behind the camera” people. They assume that improving their ability to deliver the pitch is beyond them, a skill they’ll never learn.
I understand this line of thinking, but I’ll just say bluntly: this is simply not true.
Sure, actors and comedians have a leg-up in this department, because they’ve put a lot of time in to practicing adjacent skills.
But even someone who is shy or doesn’t see themselves as a natural performer can deliver an emotional, compelling, awesome pitch, if they know how to approach it, and are willing to invest some time to practice.
No Right Way To Perform
And there’s no single right way to perform a pitch, either.
Some personalities are big, some are quieter. Some people are animated, others are calm and steady. All of these can be equally effective.
Importance of Practice
I’ve worked with many, many showrunners, and one thing I can tell you, across the board: pros practice their pitches.
They run their pitch as many times as they need to, in order to feel relaxed and confident when they’re delivering it in a room.
Some very experienced pros can feel relaxed and confident after running the pitch just a handful of times. Other pros I know will drill a pitch over and over, until they have it down cold. Many of them wouldn’t think of going into a pitch without having practiced it at least 30 times.
The thing that unites them all, is that they would never choose to go into a pitch meeting without having practiced enough — whatever that means for them.
And, crucially, they run the pitch in front of peers, to get a sense of how it plays, and solicit feedback. This is incredibly important.
Practice delivering your pitch, both by yourself, and with an audience of peers. The more awkward that feels, the more you need to do it. Putting the time in doesn’t make the nerves go away, but it DOES help you deliver when you do feel the nerves.
Step Five: Selling Your Show
I wish I could summarize this here, and give you a silver-bullet answer to how to attract the attention of Execs (and reps), but as we all know, it’s incredibly complicated.
There’s a great quote, commonly attributed to the acting teacher Lee Strasberg, that goes: “How do you get to New York? It depends on where you’re starting from.”
In other words, your next step depends on where you are now. There’s no one-size-fits-all here.
I can tell you that the more time you spend getting excellent at steps one through three, the more you’ll stand out from your peers, and the more doors will open for you. Getting good at this is powerful.
It’s also crucial — regardless of your level — that you start getting ready for your next opportunity now, and not wait until things start happening to learn these skills. In this business, when important doors open, they don’t tend to stay open for long. So the time to get great at this stuff is now, not tomorrow.
So, that’s the blueprint, the 30,000 foot view.
Step One: Learn The Market.
Step Two: Put the Structure into Practice aka write a first draft
Step Three: Get Feedback, then revise and repeat
Step Four: Get Great At The Pitching Part and put the time into practice, and
Step Five: take the next step toward Selling Your Show
What’s Next?
I’ve loved creating these videos for you, and hearing all the great feedback, comments and questions you’ve left for the last two, both here and on twitter. It’s so exciting for me to see everyone really getting this, how big a deal it is, and the kind of impact it can have on your life and career.
Now, in my next video, what I’m going to be sharing is how to go even deeper. Because I’m going to be opening up a limited program, and I’m going to be taking on a number of clients, that want to more detail, techniques and support, to mastering the skill of delivering a killer pitch.
It’s going to be virtual, so you can attend from anywhere in the world. And, I’ve written it to be helpful for writers at ALL levels, from pre-wga to showrunner.
I know how tricky and intimidating this stuff can be to dial in, so I’ve decided to keep this one small and intimate, which will give the opportunity for you to be with me live, ask questions, and get real-time feedback on your ideas.
So if you’re ready to move forward, really master this skill, and transform your life and career, then I can’t wait to share what I’ve put together.
I’ll have more about this in a week or so. Keep an eye on your email!
And, if you have any questions or comments on this video, please scroll down and leave them below.
Until then, thank you for giving me the chance to support you!
Cheers,
Carole
