Your pitch is one of the most crucial components of networking. Let’s nail it then, shall we? If you can, the first thing to do is ask any presenter how they prefer to be approached. Wherever their preference lies, your pitch will usually fall somewhere along the lines of either:

Regardless of the context of how the pitch originates, there are some golden rules for talking about your work to a potential presenter:

1. Understand what kind of work the person you’re communicating with programs – if you can, then research them first; if it’s a chance encounter and you’re not sure, ask them about their venue, their Festival or what they’re interested in.
2. Prioritise talking about what the event is, not what it’s about. The ideas behind your event, or a full rundown of the plot are less important than a concise discussion about the style, content and key themes it engages with.
3. Your pitch should prioritise plain language over art-speak, and be easy to understand from an outsider’s perspective – a great way to test this is to run it by someone who doesn’t know your work and see if they understand what it is you’re actually talking about.

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Want more info on the different types of pitches? Click the ▸arrows▸ to dropdown additional info.

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A. The “Cold” Pitch

B. The Social Pitch

C. The Industry Pitch