How to Pitch You and Your Project

Whether writing your steam page, talking to a publisher, trying to recruit talent, or just convince your friends and family you aren’t crazy for making this thing: you are always pitching.  May as well get good at it.

Key Principle

Whether tabletop or electronic, your game is entering a crowded noisy marketplace that doesn’t care who you are and what you made.  You’re going to overcome that hurdle in 30 seconds or less and get them interested in both.

Key Verse

Nehemiah 2:3-4
I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven.

Homework

• Read Nehemiah 1-2:10
• Read 12 Tricks to Selling Your Ideas, Your Game, & Yourself
• Read the first half of How to Pitch & Sell Your Game at a Con (stop at “The Booth”)
• With all of the above in mind, design and write out your 30-second elevator pitch with a Hook, Differentiator, Why, and Wow.  You’ll be working with it in the group session.  (An elevator pitch does not have a Call to Action or a Close).

Pitch Session

1. Review the Nehemiah passage again.  What do you think of his pitch to the king based on all you’ve learned?
2. One at a time, each person gives their pitch.  Prepare for possible humiliation and direct frank criticism.
3. Now everyone else gets a turn to give honest direct feedback: (Stick to one comment per question per person, keep each pitch within 10 min) 
   1. What was strong in the pitch?
   2. What was weak?
   3. Based on what you know of the game, what should they have said?
4. Take 10 minutes and everyone revise your pitch.
5. Re-pitch your game. (4-5 mins per pitch)
   1. Get feedback on what (if anything) improved, and what is still rough.
6. Offline, revise your pitch again and email out the new version to the group for feedback.  Repeat until your pitch is stellar at hooking and wowing strangers within 30 seconds.  Use the CGDC Facebook group or Discord server as an additional resource for feedback from people who don’t know about your game.
7. If your group followed the advice of filming pitches in the first session, have the members review them and contrast where they are today vs. then.