Develop a longer pitch script

In the last step, you developed your short elevator pitch. Next, we’re going to take all the pieces we have so far to develop a longer pitch for pitch meetings, calls, and more in-depth email pitches.

Introduction + Problem + Solution + Action 

The difference between this pitch and your shorter one is the level of detail you will go into. The general structure is the same as in the last step:

Introduction + Problem + Solution + Action

Introduction

• Who are you?

• What's your title?

• Why are you pitching this business specifically?

Problem

• What problem do you solve overall?

• In what niche?

• What pain point/s have you identified?

Solution

• What's the expertise you bring to the table?

• What relevant examples of work do you have?

• How can you solve the problem?

Action

• What's the result of the problem-solving?

• How will this move the prospect’s business forward?

Building your in-depth pitch for meetings and emails

1. Use your elevator pitch as the base

Use your elevator pitch as your introduction. Connect it to your longer pitch script by using transitional sentences that explain why you’re getting in touch. Keep in mind who your prospect is—are they someone you’ve spoken to before or not? This will change the way you word your pitch script.

Here’s a template for cold prospects:

Elevator pitch + I believe I can help you __________________.

Here’s one for warm prospects:

Elevator pitch + Considering our history working well together/considering my strong work with [other client who referred you], I’d like to put myself forward for ________________.

Mo would say:

I am a freelance travel writer helping travel websites reach more audiences interested in budget travel. I've several years of experience traveling by using points (airline, hotel, credit card, etc) instead of buying expensive flights and staying at overpriced hotels. 

2. Make them feel seen by referring to the prospect’s pain points

Refer back to the list of your prospect’s pain points and condense the points into 1-2 sentences for your pitch. 

When I took a look at your _____________________________________, it became clear to me that you haven’t seen the most success with _______________________________.

You don’t want to be negative, instead, you should be focused on how you can help.

Mo: When I was looking at your website, I noticed that you don’t have any content focused on ways your budget-minded audience can travel using points, and I’m interested in pitching two ideas to you.

3. Show how you’re a solution provider

Explain the specific ways you can help prospects solve their problems. This is the most important part of your pitch, so make sure it’s genuine and tailored to each individual prospect. Feel free to elaborate and really get into the details.

In a past role/job, I helped __________________________ with a similar situation. What I did was ___________________________ and the result was ________________________.

Of course, feel free to add more than one solution, if you have them!

Mo has a strong example of this from a previous job:

I have a range of experience writing on this topic. Specifically, I helped a similar business that was struggling to publish content that resonated with its audience who wanted to travel more thoughtfully by writing a monthly budget travel column. This resulted in a significant increase in page views, audience engagement, and click-throughs to their affiliate marketers.

4. State the value you’re going to bring to them

Wrap up the pitch by clearly stating what you want the prospect to do next.

This solution could also work for you and result in ____________________________. I’m keen to help you reach this goal and ultimately move your business forward, so if you’re interested let’s discuss further.

Mo has two examples he wants to speak to:

For your website, I’d suggest starting with topics like these:

Idea 1:A breakdown of a recent trip I took, how I used my points, and how much I saved with real-life numbers.

Idea 2: A listicle about budget travel in general, emphasizing traveling and stays using points.

These pieces would ensure your page views and click-through rates increase significantly, as well as your returns from affiliate marketing.

5. Put everything together

Once you have all these pieces, it’s time to put your longer pitch script together.

Here’s Mo’s:

I am a freelance travel writer helping travel websites reach more audiences interested in budget travel. I've several years of experience traveling by using points (airline, hotel, credit card, etc) instead of buying expensive flights and staying at overpriced hotels. 

When I was looking at your website, I noticed that you don’t have any content focused on ways your budget-minded audience can travel using points, and I’m interested in pitching two ideas to you.

I have a range of experience writing on this topic. Specifically, I helped a similar business that was struggling to publish content that resonated with its audience who wanted to travel more thoughtfully by writing a monthly budget travel column. This resulted in a significant increase in page views, audience engagement, and click-throughs to their affiliate marketers. You can see some examples of this work here, and my full portfolio here.

For your website, I’d suggest starting with topics like these:

Idea 1: A breakdown of a recent trip I took, how I used my points, and how much I saved with real-life numbers.

Idea 2: A listicle about budget travel in general, emphasizing traveling and stays using points.

These pieces would ensure your page views and click-through rates increase significantly, as well as your returns from affiliate marketing.

It’s important to note that a pitch script isn’t only for formal in-person pitch meetings. You can also use your script for:

• Introductory video calls.

• Phone calls.

• Longer email pitches.

• Follow-ups to elevator pitches.

• In-depth social media posts (on LinkedIn, for example).

• And more!

Recap

• Crafted a longer pitch script.

• Learned how and where you can implement written and verbal pitch scripts.

• Prepared a longer pitch script for cold and warm prospects.