Week 3: Pitching by Daniella Sousa

After researching advice about pitching ideas for podcast and radio shows I have come up with these three reliable sources:

CBC Radio: Pitch to CBC Radio (www.cbc.ca/pitch/radiopitchguide.html)

CBC is a well-known broadcasting channel and is where a few of the assigned radio shows are broadcasted (i.e.: Under the Influence), which is why I think this is a reliable source. A few useful tips I found from this source are:

1.     Listen to other shows from CBC, NPR, BBC, ABC, private radio, and listen to podcasts.

2.     Really ask yourself, what makes this show a GREAT idea?

3.     Shoot for the moon.

4.     Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

5.     Ask for unbiased feedback and be open to it.

6.     Ask someone you don’t know well to read your pitch and then tell you what the show is about in a couple of lines.

7.     Fall in love with your ideas, but don’t marry them just yet.

  

BBC: The Killer Pitch – Pitching Tips (http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112135673)

BBC is similar to CBC, but is a British version instead of Canadian. BBC is also a very popular broadcasting channel that many people are familiar with, which is why I deemed this site to be reliable. Some of the useful tips I found from this source are: 

1.      Research and plan: know the audience, the channel and the network. Match the tone of your pitch to these

2.      Be passionate:  Genuinely believe in what you are pitching. Have a clear, exciting and enticing idea that will cut through the other pitches seen that day

3.      Be clear: Be succinct, don’t pitch too many ideas; pick your best one. Don’t use gimmicks unless they’re vital.

4.      It is not a lecture: have a conversation with the commissioners. Make them curious, make them laugh.

Transom.org: Notes from a Pitching Novice (http://transom.org/?p=30815)

Transom.org was suggested as a reliable site in lecture and the author of the page, Bianca Giaever, has been pitching for a long time to radio shows. Some of the useful tips she gave are:

1.     Find a good story that fits the podcast show

2.     Practice your pitch thoroughly. Do not change it after you have practiced it and are comfortable with it

3.     Capture the editor’s attention by highlighting the most important part of your show(climax)  and the purpose for it(bigger picture)

Based on the advice I have gathered, the important information that I need in order to create an effective pitch is to watch more Under the Influence podcasts in order to fully understand the style they use, come up with a very exciting hook and make my pitch very interesting for the class. I need to find out how I can present my pitch in a way that will make the class feel like they really need to hear more. From all the advice I have read about pitching I have found that curiosity and excitement is what will capture the audience’s attention.