Hello Professor Jennifer Andreae and class,
As many of you may be experiencing yourselves, pitching a podcast is difficult. The technicality aside, choosing, narrowing and pitching a podcast seems more daunting, I find, than recording the podcast itself. However, after reading a few articles I feel more confident in my abilities to pitch my podcast.
1) The Atlantic: How (Not) to Pitch
This online and print magazine was originally a literary and cultural magazine, established in the 1800. It has published works by Martin Luther King, Julian Ward and Mark Twain. The Atlantic is a pioneering authority on literature, expanding its scope in recent years to include economics, politics, health and other topics. Its history of providing new articles and authors to Americans, as well as its recognition from author authorities such as the New York Times, has lead me to trust The Atlantic.
Garance Franke-Ruta, the author of "How (Not) to Pitch" was a former senior editor at American Prospect, and has appeared in The Washington Monthly, as well as other papers of note. Her history and involvement in journalism lends authority to her words, making them seem reliable and accurate.
In this article she advises journalists not to pitch topics but to pitch stories. In order to captivate my targetted, though imaginary audience I should consider hooking them through a story involving music and its influence. A good topic is great, but a story is easy to see and grounds absact ideas in concrete experiences. I need to have a story that I can use as an opening for my pitch.
2) CBC Radio: Radio Pitch Guide
CBC Radio is a leading producer of Canadian generated content and talent and serves as the national public radio and television broadcasting provider for Canada. This CBC Radio appeared reliable because it has been responsible for providing a primary source of television and radio to Canadians for decades. CBC's body of broadcasts, podcasts and programming speaks to its credibility, as many scholars, journalists and people reference and depend on its work. CBC produces good quality and engaging content, so I trust them to provide me with good tips on how to pitch topics.
On CBC's page for guiding pitches it advises potential writers, producers and hosts to pitch he most interesting part of their idea, often what get's their audience most excited. This seems to be obvious, but what I may find to be interesting as a pitcher, may not necessarily excite an audience that does not have as much information o the topic as I do. Before pitching my show, I will have to pre-pitch it before an audience to see if my idea is captivating.
3)BBC: The Killer Pitch
BBC Academy is an internationally recognized for being a centre for training. It houses a school for journalism, leadership, production and technology. BBC is responsible for British programming and is funded by the government. The British government's investment in the company suggests trust, reliability and authority, and because of this I trust the recommendations and tips BBC provides.
BBC Television's chief creative officer, Pat Younge, provides advice to beginning and seasoned journalists on crafting pitches. Particularly, he addresses the anxiety that plagues most journalists, the fear that everyone else is better than you. I've learned that in order to successfully reach my audience I need to get over my anxiety of inadequacy and focus solely on the podcast. I have to believe that I am the most qualified individual to speak on music and advertising. Therefore I will be conscious that my tone conveys authority and ease. I need to make sure I have done extensive research on my topic, so that I appear knowledgeable and credible during my pitch.
All these pointers seem easier written than said, but I plan to apply each tip in my podcast pitch.
Bernice
Works Cited
Franke-Ruta, "How (Not) to Pitch." The Atlantic. The
Atlantic Monthly Group, 30 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Jan. 2014.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/08/how-not-to-pitch/279193/
"Pitch to CBC Radio." CBC. CBC, 2014. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
http://www.cbc.ca/pitch/radiopitchguide.html#lookingfor
Younge, Pat. "The Killer Pitch." BBC. BBC, 2014. Web. 26
Jan. 2014.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112135669
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