Creating The Perfect Pitch

By Ariel Hyatt

In the current state of the music business information overload happens to us all very quickly. To cut through the noise and get your message through clearly, one of the most critical things you as should know how to do is describe yourself to a perfect stranger in less than 15 seconds.

Two things happened recently to inspire this article.

Scenario #1: I was out at the Mercury Lounge seeing music and between bands I was standing at the bar talking to some friends and someone handed me a show flyer. I always appreciate anyone who is self-promoting because its not easy to do and it's especially not easy to do at a crowded bar on a Wednesday night in downtown Manhattan. So, I looked down at the flyer and my heart sank. It said the following:

Name of artist (name is not mentioned to protect the innocent)
Venue (which was the Mercury, where I was)
Date & showtime

There I was, a perfectly primed potential fan, a customer, standing at a bar, out at a live music show, and he lost me forever. Why?

Because not one word was included about what genre of music this artist played much less what his music sounded like, who he was compared to (sound alike). In other words what I could expect by coming out to his show. In short I had no idea what this artist sounded like.

That was an opportunity LOST. Unbeknown to him he also handed his flyer to one of the most successful entertainment attorneys I know who was in the middle of signing 6 artists to record deals, an A&R executive and one of the best booking agents in the business.

We all looked down at the flyers in our hands, shrugged and carried on with the conversation we were having. He had totally BLOWN it.

Scenario #2: The second thing that happened was an artist called my PR firm to talk about hiring us for a Cyber PR campaign, and two minutes into the conversation started, my blood was beginning to boil. It went something like this:

Me: What do you sound like?

Artist: I sound like absolutely nothing you've ever heard before.

Me: (annoyed and now understanding why he's not where he wants to be as an artist) Really? So you have invented a new genre of music, and you don't sound like anyone else in the history of music?

Artist: Yes

Me: Can you at least tell me what type of music you play?

Artist: It's old school Hip-Hop

OK finally we were getting somewhere and, I totally understood his point, but here's the problem with having an approach like his:

People are constantly looking for a context to put things into. And if you don't provide them with one, they will move on to the next thing that their brains can grasp.

The critical thing that was missing in both scenarios was: The Pitch

So, you need a pitch, or as marketers call it a USP (unique selling point). Call it what you want, this thing, will change the way you market yourself and your music. It is critical that you have a concise and easy to understand pitch that will help you shape your brand.

It does not have to be lengthy to be effective, it just has to explain your sound in a few words or sentences.

Here are some of my clients' pitches to help jump-start your brain:

Leftover Salmon - Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass

John Taglieri - If Vertical Horizon and Third Eye Blind got hit by Train!

FIGO - Influenced by Primal Scream, NIN, The Misfits, The Chemical Brothers, and The Ramones, the band fuses intense raw live energy with pounding beats and samples.

Devil Doll - Jessica Rabbit meets Joan Jett.

How To Create Your Pitch

First, take a deep breath, clear your head, and tell yourself that what you are about to do is exactly like writing a song. You do not record the first thing that comes out (or at least I hope you don't but that's a different conversation), it takes some honing and some tweaking and possibly some collaboration.

Take out a clean piece of paper, and write down the following:

I suggest writing this by hand with a pen and paper instead of using a computer because the ideas flow differently through a pen.

1. Write out the type of genres you play. Roots, rock, reggae, folk, punk, jazz, AltCountry, Chillout etc. No more than two or three should actually be selected in the end.

2. Write down all the artists that other people say you sound like.

3. Write down a list of all artists (or authors or famous people) that influenced you.

4. Write down all of the feelings and vibes that you want to create or convey with your music

Use these elements as a guideline to help come up with a few words or sentences that sum you up.

Now, go to this fabulous website: http://www.15secondpitch.com

This will help you structure and hone your pitch and it will TIME you too!

Test It:

When you have arrived at one you like, write out on a blank note card. Read it out loud standing in front of the mirror. Do you love it? If you don't, then don't use it. I once worked with a band that chose the term "Soul Rock" to describe their sound and after it was published many times, they were hating it, so make sure it's something that you can deal with in print over and over again. Now stand in front of the mirror and practice saying it. Does it feel comfortable or do you feel like a dork? If you feel like you're speaking your truth, you will absolutely know, and then it is the perfect pitch for you.

Still not sure?

Read it to a bunch of friends and fans and ask them to work on it with you!

Don't overthink it. Keep it simple and as concise as you can.

Placing your pitch

Now that you have it you want to use it to brand yourself:

Online Branding:
1. On your website's homepage (not buried in the site).
2. On your MySpace.
3. On your Facebook.
4. Anywhere else you have an online presence.

Offline Branding:
1 On your postcards.
2 On your show flyers.
3 On your posters, and anything else you have in print.

So now when you're out somewhere and you hand someone a flyer announcing your show, you're handing someone your brand. People will know exactly what you do, and it will be effectively marketing instead of just spinning your wheels.

Not sure if you hit the nail on the head? E-mail me your pitch and I'll give you my honest feedback. ariel@arielpublicity.com

About The Author

Ariel Hyatt founded Ariel Publicity & Cyber PR 12 years ago and her firm has worked promoting over 1,400 musicians and bands of all genres. Her PR is now 100% digital and helps artists increase their online exposure on blogs, podcasts Social Networking sites and at Internet radio stations. Her new book Music Success in 9 Weeks is available now at http://www.cyberprbook.com and Amazon.com

Ariel Publicity's Sound Advice is a free bi-weekly e-zine for musicians & music entrepreneurs who want marketing, branding and promotion tips for navigating the new music business. Sign Up here: http://www.arielpublicity.com

Good luck!