Points for Pitching [Shantelle Shakes]

While researching podcast pitching tips, I couldn't help but think to myself, 'well obviously! That's common sense! Why wouldn't I be clear and focused with my story?' But I know from experience that simple rationale doesn't always translate into the work that I do so I took none of the advice for granted. And neither should you! But before I delve into what I need to do for my pitch, allow me to add some credibility to everything I'm going to say.

                I consulted three internet sources in order to compile a list of helpful tips for podcast pitching:

                The first website I consulted was CBC Radio . I found this source credible because it's a well established national news station. I was familiar with the station prior to this assignment so it's familiarity and national recognition in radio broadcasting put my mind at ease.

                The second website I visited was The Association of Independents in Radio . The title sounded pretty formal and the website ended in .org so I clicked the link. I found a page called "Pitches that Work" which claimed to provide podcasting advice from "experts": Tanya Ott and Margo Melnicove. I searched their names and discovered that Ott is a public radio veteran and Melnicove is a journalism trainer with expertise in  broadcasting and TV script editing among other things . Yay credibility!

                Grassroots DC is the third and final source I consulted; this is also a .org site and the name practically screams "community!" so I wasn't worried about any intentions the site might have to lead its readers astray. There were also no ads on the website, (ads can be a sign of monetary motives,) and as mentioned above, the site briefly references The Association of Independents in Radio when providing tips for successful pitch podcasting.

                Now, I've slightly modified my focus from my topic selection here to better cater to my time restraints. I've ditched the customer service aspect and will focus specifically on strangers telling other strangers to smile and why I feel this is absolutely wrong to do.  I think this is important because we deal with human interaction every day and may not be aware of how what we say can affect people we don't even know. With that in mind:  

1.  I still have to figure out how my podcast should sound. I know I want an informal, humorous approach to the issue, but I'm not sure how to achieve this tone as yet.

2. I need to be realistic about what I can and can't do. How will sound play a factor in the tone? Will I solely rely on my voice? Will there be natural sounds/sound clips/ inserted background music?

3. Another challenge would involve how I would advance my story. The podcast pitch should promote discussion/dialogue and intrigue.

4. I also don't know if the pitch will mention only my perspective or mine and someone else's and to what extent secondary research would play a factor in the show.

5. My podcast should answer the 5 W's (Who, What, When, Where, Why). I'll have to ensure that before my presentation.

6. And finally, no thy audience. I don't even know who my audience would be. This is probably the most important information that I need for an effective presentation.

Well, that put things into perspective. I hope this blog post helps you as much as it helped me. Ciao!

Pitch Perfect

It's Becky again. A little early for Sunday, because earlier is always better!

Because there was no requirement to find scholarly sources for this blog, I did a simple Google search, trusting my own common sense to determine which sites were reliable. I did manage to find a few, from each of which I gleaned some potentially useful advice on pitching for podcasts and radio.

For the first, AIR Media, I took a look at its highly-detailed "About Us" page in order to assure myself that the site was reliable. The page itself constitutes a Q and A with an expert on pitching. I learned:

• Always make the pitch before the "story," so the editors can have a sense of contributing to the final product
• The pitch needs to be focused, and specific enough to set it apart

The second site I found, Last Word, didn't have a very descriptive "About" page, but it did have a list of some of its clients, which included a number of respected institutions in the UK: I was satisfied. From here, I learned:

• Know the show you're pitching to: the types of programs they usually run, their audience, etc.
• Introduce any "characters" who will be in the program

My third site required no verification beyond the url; CBC Radio looks reliable enough for me, considering how established the CBC is. Although the page is designed as guidelines specifically for pitching a show to CBC Radio, it had a lot of information that I find useful in a more general way-- such as:

• Consider what excites people most when I talk about my topic-- start with that
• Tell them who I am and why they should want me doing the show for them
• Have someone else read my pitch and tell back to me what the show's about

Based on what I've been reading, I think the most important thing for me to do before next week is get talking to friends and family about my podcast topic-- that way, I can refine my topic while seeing what others think, and what gets them enthusiastic.