Brant’s “aha” moment occurred when he realized something about Taffer: he’s a man with a huge, over-the-top personality – but he also has a lot of expertise in his field. He wasn’t just a character; he was also a longtime business owner and consultant in the food and beverage industry. It was this winning combination of personality and depth that modern audiences craved. And it was this same combination that led to the success of celebrities like Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay.

So Brant talked about this in his opening. He simply walked into the room and said, “Hello, everyone, I‘m here because I found you a talent with a big personality, but also a lot of depth.” He then proceeded with his pitch, describing Taffer in more detail and laying out the premise of the show that would be built around him.

So that was Brant’s opening. If you need more help with figuring out your own “aha” moment, here are some questions to get you started: What makes you excited about the thing you’re pitching? When did you discover it? And what surprised you when you started looking into it?

Jan 05, 2024 8:22:35pm

Preempt your audience’s skepticism by acknowledging the elephant in the room.

You know that moment in a movie when the protagonists seem to be on the edge of defeat? It’s called an “all is lost” moment. Inspired by Brant’s experience in Hollywood, it’s also the name of the next element that will help you take your pitch to the next level.

To create your own “all is lost” moment, you simply tell your audience about a problem that jeopardized – or continues to jeopardize – the viability of the thing you’re pitching. Then, you tell your audience the way you overcame or plan on overcoming the problem. For example, if you were pitching an app, you might talk about a major technical issue you encountered during your development phase, and then you’d talk about how you resolved it.

The rationale here is that your audience wasn’t born yesterday. They know that every major human endeavor faces challenges and setbacks, and they know that the road to success is a bumpy one. If you tell them that everything has been and will be hunky-dory with the thing you’re pitching, they’ll be skeptical. They’ll start looking for problems. That means they’re going to be approaching your pitch from a critical standpoint, rather than a receptive one. It also means they’re no longer going to be fully listening to you; they’ll be drifting off into their own thoughts, wondering what you’re not telling them.