Switch My Pitch

In another post, I spoke about “diarrhea of the mouth” and gave some pitching tips to help you avoid having your pitches flushed down the toilet.

In this post, I thought I’d show you some of my actual pitches to media people. Each of these pitches was successful–they hooked the recipient enough to request additional information AND then “turned into something”. My pitches vary in length based on who I was pitching to and what they had asked for. The last of the three pitches will actually give you even more pitching tips. Click on the link in the pitch to see what it resulted in. Feel free to “use” them as a template–just switch my pitch into your pitch by changing the basic info.

I hope you can use this information to improve your pitch so that you’re always “pitch perfect”.

In my next pitching post, I’ll have “Pitch Perfect with Cristin Mitchell”, a former Boston news producer and…my sister! She’ll give some great pitching tips AND peeves.
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1. Just a quick note to let you know that I’d love to be considered for a “Working Mother Blogger” gig!

My name is Heather Allard and I’m a mother of three children (Hope, Grace & Brendan) and I’m the founder of The Mogul Mom, a blog for mom entrepreneurs that offers coaching, camaraderie, information and resources. I started The Mogul Mom after selling my safe sleepwear company, 2 Virtues.

The Mogul Mom has over 1000 subscribers and is growing rapidly! I love Working Mother (just made the “Filet Mignon & Barley Stew” on Sunday and our family of five gave it rave reviews!) and would love to be part of your blog community.

Thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Heather

2. My name is Heather Allard and I recently sold my children’s sleepwear business, 2 Virtues, to Summer Infant.

I just started another business called The Mogul Mom, a blog offering coaching and resources for mom entrepreneurs.

Have a great night.
Heather Allard

3. My name is Heather Allard and I’m a Rhode Island mother of three children and the President of 2 Virtues Inc, the company I started in 2004.

Last spring, I contacted a large baby products company to see if they wanted to buy my company or form some kind of partnership. I spent several hours learning everything I could about the company and key executives and several more hours crafting the perfect pitch. I knew this initial contact had to be brief but compelling, professional but personal. I wanted to leave them wanting more. How did I do this?

-I introduced myself just like I did in this email—showing them that I’m both a mom and business owner. (a growing niche!)
-I summarized the success/achievements of my company and my products in two short paragraphs.
-I stated why I was writing to them in one short paragraph.
-I told them what I knew about them AND how our companies were similar.
-I asked for a meeting.

When writing any pitch or letter, it’s important to keep it brief but informative and to know your reader or audience. How do you do that?

-Have a 1-2 sentence “introduction” ready.
-Be able to describe what your company does or offers in a few sentences.
-Make sure the right person receives—and reads—your pitch/letter by addressing it to the correct person.
-Know your reader/audience—I’ve found that Google search and Google alerts are the most effective tools to do this.

Finally, make sure they received it! How do you do that?

-Send your communication using a program like Constant Contact that shows you if and when someone opens your email.
-Send your email with a “request read receipt” on it.
-If sending a letter or fax, include “I will call you in a few days to see if you have any questions…” and then DO IT.

I hope these tips help. They worked for me—I received a reply to my email from the CEO about an hour after I sent it. We then set up a meeting and I closed a licensing deal that day. Now, I’m spending more time with my three kids AND writing a blog for other mom entrepreneurs.

Have a great day.
Heather Allard
Mom | President
2 Virtues Inc.
Safe Sleepwear for Infants & Toddlers

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1. Pitch Perfect With Cristin Mitchell This post was originally published on October 27, 2008. To...
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3. Diarrhea of the Mouth & Other Pitching Peeves Remember that saying “diarrhea of the mouth”? I remember using...
4. How Will Your Start Up End Up? From Aliza Sherman’s Small Business Resources: “Not every entrepreneur expects...
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