After a tumultuous night including a delicious dinner in downtown Miami Beach, unicorn puzzles and champagne, and a harrowing late night adventure in an elevator, the Bullicorns showed up for breakfast bright and early.
After a breakfast on the veranda, Jennifer Wright kicked off the day, explaining How to Sell Yourself Without Selling Out. She explains that the essence of pitching is about getting people to like you. Most of the time, this process takes a few months, but pitching speeds up the process, and there are certain ways to make a good impression.
There are certain elements of a pitch. Although it can be written, oral, or over the phone, it should be highly tailored. Prospective writers should pitch their ideas to appropriate publications, and match those publications levels of formality; i.e. don’t pitch a blog with a formal business letter. Also, it is helpful to remember that your pitch will be read by an actual person. Make sure you are pitching to the right person, and even try to play to their interests. If you’ve met them before, mention it; there’s a chance they will see you again, and a potential awkward social interaction can be quite motivating.
On your end, you must believe in your ideas, and be able to sell them. Make sure to justify how your story relates to your audience, and justify your credentials. Credentials may not be a long list of articles in various publications, but could be your specialty knowledge of a subject, or your lifelong residence in a city. Additionally, prospective writers can increase their chances of successful pitches by attending every networking event ever. Go to all the parties and talk to all the people.
Once your pitch has been accepted, write your article to the best of your ability and turn it in on time. Following these simple, obvious rules will put you ahead of the pack. Borrowing the ethic of show business, the show must go on, and the article must be written, even if your sources have dried up. Jennifer suggests you write to the best of your ability, noting that “done is better than perfect.”
Emily is the winner of the Bullish Blogger Scholarship. For her very first Bullish post, click here. Follow Emily at @ebrowndowntown on Twitter.
