It may be summer - and baseball season - but that's not the kind of pitching I am talking about.
Pitching - sharing your ideas, books, expertise in an effective and persuasive manner - is essential, no matter what your business. On a recent GoalChat, I discussed Pitching with Dave Bricker, Paula Rizzo, and Michael Roderick. Dave Bricker is a Business Storytelling Expert, Speakipedia; Paula is a Media Consultant and Trainer, Listful Living; and Michael is a Connector, Small Pond Enterprises. The trio shared what is pitching … and what it is not. Dave, Paula, and Michael also talked about how to create a pitch, as well as what it takes for you and your pitch to stand out and succeed.
What Goes into a Pitch
- Paula: The hook, the twist, and the takeaway
- Michael: Accessibility, influence, and memorability
- Dave: A pitch is a CAST Call: Conflict, agitation, solution, transformation, and then a call to action
Watch Our Conversation:
Goals
- Dave: Stop talking about yourself and start talking about the person you are serving
- Paula: Make a list of the questions you are always answering; a pitch is not about what you know, it’s what others care about
- Michael: Step out of the longest line; those are full of the people who do not think they have a shot and getting access. Instead, find innovative ways to do the outreach; you never know the amazing results waiting for you
No matter what your genre, format, or expertise, being able to pitch yourself to publications, audiences, and decision-makers is a skill that will serve you well.
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For more inspiration and motivation, follow @TheDEBMethod on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin!
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How do you pitch yourself, your books, and/or your business? Please share in the comments.
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Debra Eckerling is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B METHOD, which is her system for goal-setting simplified. A goal-strategist, corporate consultant, and project catalyst, Debra offers personal and professional planning, event strategy, and team building for individuals, businesses, and teams. She is also the author of Write On Blogging and Purple Pencil Adventures; founder of Write On Online; host of #GoalChatLive aka The DEB Show podcast and Taste Buds with Deb. She speaks on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.
3 comments:
Great advice on knowing what pitching your story is and is not and how to do it. Thanks for sharing!
Debra,
Great information in your article about something we all need to do as writers: pitch. From my years of writing and reading submissions, the best way for any writer or any genre to pitch is to create a book proposal or business plan. Yes it takes a lot of work to create this document but it's important for the writer but also can be used to pitch a literary agent or publisher and even if you independently publish or self-publish, you will have a game plan for your book.
Terry
author of Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success (Revised Edition) [Follow the Link for a FREE copy]
Thanks, Karen. Thanks, Terry.
Terry, as someone who also specializes in/assists people with how to write a winning book proposal, I cannot underscore the value of having a plan to pitch yourself, as well as your book.
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