Freelance illustrators and writers will often pitch ideas to clients. Your chances for success are better if you’ve already done work for the client, and established a good relationship.
You’re trying to sell your idea, of course, but a pitch is also a chance to demonstrate your expertise and stay top-of-mind. To show you’re an idea person, a collaborator, someone who’s invested in promoting the client’s brand.
For me, it means presenting the idea, then showing how it could be expanded or spun in different directions.
Here’s an idea I pitched to Chick-fil-A. It’s a storyboard in animated GIF format. Basic idea: nobody can resist a Chick-fil-A Original Chicken Sandwich.
I submitted the pitch via email, and included the following thoughts:
- it doesn’t have to be the Original Chicken Sandwich; you could feature any menu item– perhaps something seasonal
- you could change the plot line; for example: have the Easter Bunny give up in disgust, then have a Chick-fil-A employee show up to save the day
- using an animated GIF makes sense strategically, because most content being consumed today is video-based (it’s what people want)
- the GIF has a nice seasonal tie-in (Easter); brands score points (=credibility) when they acknowledge seasons and current events
- the single frames of the GIF could be repurposed and used separately: digitally, or even for placemat decorations, coloring handouts for kids, etc.
It was in the animated GIF, right?
Actually, no. It looks right because it’s a stand-alone sketch: kid gives bored yawn, bunny reacts with frown and hand on hip.
But if you scroll up and watch the GIF again, you’ll see the yawn-frown combo doesn’t occur in a single slide. The kid yawns in one slide, the bunny reacts in the next. That’s the only way it “works.” It’s just the nature of animation.
Did I already know that? No. I learned it while I was constructing the GIF.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thoughts? I’d appreciate your feedback.
