Ugh. So. The frustration of trying to figure out a way to narrow my topic into a specific, 15 minute-long cohesive presentation continues, with my computer keyboard suffering the brunt of things under irately harsh Google-search typing, and my shoulders now locked in fresh disgruntled-hunch knots... but more to the point (and away from very caffeinated grumblings), here's what I've come up with for this week's post, specifically.
The following are the sources I gathered for pitch-writing, and the highlights of the advice they provided:
1) "BBC Academy - Production":
i) "Know the market -- Research and understand the network and slots that you're writing for." In other words, in the context of this assignment: do enough research to know exactly the type of show you're emulating, and the audience you're meant to be broadcasting it to.
ii) "Build a character -- If you have a great idea for a character, rather than a situation, then you could be onto a winner." Meaning for us that focusing on a specific point rather than a broad topic will give the show clear focus and interest for whoever you're pitching it to.
iii) "Know what's already out there -- Be aware of what's already on radio and tv and don't pitch for similar ideas." This one will certainly be more challenging, but the importance of it is clear in that while we're emulating a specific show using topics likely already explored in other such podcasts or via radio/tv, our own podcast's ability to be successfully pitched, not to mention successfully produced, relies on it being a fresh and (at least in some ways) new take on whatever topic we've picked.
2) "How to Write a Business Pitch" (Not strictly speaking dedicated to podcasting pitching, but upon reading it, the principles apply very well nonetheless):
i) "Get to the Point" -- In your pitch, don't save the core idea of what you're really talking about for the middle of your presentation or the end; get to the heart of the matter quickly to allow for immediate understanding of your idea, and the chance for interest to build.
ii) "Pay Attention to Details" -- Once the idea is established, hammer out the specifics of what makes it such a good idea, such as with the ways which you plan to develop it so that it comes to a good and complete payoff of the core idea.
iii) "Do Your Research" -- Having a range of information (from reliable sources) that you can draw on to fortify and/or validate your idea and the direction you want to take with it goes a long way to making the core idea and principle development of it as concrete and appealing as it can be.
3) "How to Pitch a Podcast" (Written more towards a podcast doing self-promotion for authors, but once again, with applicable core principles):
*This article primarily discusses the physical format of a type-written pitch, but it also discusses the importance of quickly stating the idea and its relevance and making the connection to the target market/audience. It makes the point that you need to catch the attention of whoever you're pitching to, and quickly convince them of the interest and relevance of whatever you're bringing to the table.
Based on the "CRAAP" test mentioned in lecture, I determined these sources were reliable because: the sites are current, with recent copyrights and functioning links; the authors of the articles/sites are authoritative in their credentials and affiliations; the information presented appears reliable and accurate; and the purpose of the sites and articles are not to sell anything or promote any real bias, but are instead meant to be informative.
With all of the information contained in the above three sources, the common line of reasoning going through each seems to determine that for my own podcast pitch, the most important things I can have are a direct purpose and audience, a quick and focused description of what the concept is for my podcast, a fresh take on whatever topic I want to explore, and plenty of research to back it up in order to be confident and informed in the direction I'm presenting in the pitch.
Work Cited
"Tips: Writing Radio Comedy." BBC Academy. BBC, 2014. Web. 26 Jan 2014. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112136343>
"How to Write a Business Pitch." Scribendi. Scribendi.com, 2014. Web. 26 Jan 2014.
<http://www.scribendi.com/advice/how_to_write_a_business_pitch.en.html>
Barko, Stephanie. "How to Pitch a Podcast." San Francisco Book Review. San Francisco Book Review, 13 Feb 2013. Web. 26 Jan 2014.
<http://sanfranciscobookreview.com/2013/02/how-to-pitch-a-podcast/>
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