Perfecting The Artist Pitch (ECA Workshop 2/2)

It's time to perfect the pitch section of the artist resume in three simple steps.

This article is to be used in conjunction with the free ECA Workshop Piece about creating the one-page artist's resume to expand the artist's reach.

By now, you’ve hopefully put roots down into your artist resume and can visualize the benefit of having it handy when favorable circumstances seem to present themselves. Today, we’re going to talk about and create the two most effective paragraphs on the entire piece of paper: The Pitch. This article goes deep into several industries to showcase strategies that provide you with a professional leg-up toward even the most far-fetched artistic opportunities. I’ve dissected this down again and again to bring you a strategy that seems to work time after time. So, what are you waiting for?

Breaking Down Linguistic Barriers

Before we get into the line-by-line construction, it’s important to remember our goal with the pitch: to provide a tangible buy-in point for the person reading it. This means we have to narrow down our work to a single series, album, set, or collection that can live happily in the same thread. You’re going to have to change your pitches as you step into new eras of your artistic process. The good news is that you’ll have this article forever to support your many journeys.

As we move into the detail of pitching: call on the storyteller within yourself. I’m going to give you the skeleton that I’ve studied the science behind when it comes to narrative design and the language pairing that proves effective inside of it. But, if you find yourself taking your own spin: remember that you are telling a story that the person reading or listening to your pitch has the opportunity to cast themselves as a character in. We’re making space with our language that gives someone the opportunity to be a part of your creation. And we do that by getting very clear and specific in three major areas. Let’s dive into the first one.

Step One: Introduce The Open Window

Remember, we do not want to aimlessly throw ourselves in front of people who can help our artist journeys and careers without a clear ask. We don’t want to be the person who shows up at the table and says: “Alas! Here is my art, my work, my passion! Do you like it? If so, what can you do for me?” While this is effective at times, there is no organization within such a strategy that communicates you respect yourself as an artist that does business. The lack of design here instead reveals a power imbalance between you and the stakeholder. Showing up and knowing what you need is where opportunities are won. You’ve provided a track record already. Don’t make the mistake of leaving room for gatekeeping. These two pitch paragraphs are designed to redistribute artistic control back to you: the creator.

Note: this article is for paid ECA subscribers only. Change your membership if you wish to continue further. Memberships can be canceled at any time. Signing up as an ECA by 7/28 equals two non-expiring 1:1 review sessions to perfect your own evolving pitches.