In the agency world, "pitch theater" has long been the norm for wooing potential clients with an engaging, in-person experience. You‘d bring your most charming team members, maybe some fun swag, and deliver a multi-sensory presentation to win the account.
However, the shift to remote work in recent years has changed the pitching landscape. No longer can agencies rely on commanding a conference room and working their interpersonal magic to land new business. Now, many pitches happen virtually via video conferencing.
If you‘re a marketer who thrives on live presentations, you may be struggling with how to translate your persuasive style to the small screen. But fear not! With a bit of creativity and preparation, you can bring your A-game to a virtual pitch and outshine the competition.
Here are 15 tips to help you plan, practice and present winning virtual pitches for your marketing campaigns in 2024 and beyond:
Preparing Your Virtual Pitch
1. Map out a detailed game plan
When you pitch in person, you can often vibe off the room and adjust on the fly. But virtual pitches require more structure and contingency planning. Map out in advance:
- Which specific parts of the presentation require screen sharing
- Who from your team will present each part and in what order
- How you‘ll adapt any interactive elements (like live demos or audience polls) to work well in a virtual format
- Technical details like what video conferencing tools and features you‘ll use
Have everyone practice their parts using the actual tech setup until it feels natural and glitch-free. Do a complete dry run at least once, and appoint someone to manage the technical aspects so the presenters can focus on their delivery.
2. Respect the timeframe
In-person pitches often have a bit of buffer time built in, whether it‘s chit-chatting before getting started or fielding follow-up questions after wrapping up. But virtual pitches tend to be more constrained by the calendar invite.
Assume you have a hard stop at the scheduled end time and plan accordingly:
- Get right to the point and concisely convey your idea, rationale and evidence
- Proactively address the prospect‘s likely questions or concerns
- Bake Q&A time into your agenda so you‘re not scrambling at the end
- Have a plan B if key decision makers are running late or drop off unexpectedly
Being respectful of everyone‘s time will reflect well on you and help keep the meeting focused and productive.
3. Create a compelling slide deck
Since your audience will be staring at their screens the whole time, your visuals need to do a lot of heavy lifting. Invest effort in crafting slides that are engaging, informative and memorable:
- Use high-quality images, videos and data visualizations to illustrate key points
- Incorporate your branding and graphic elements to reinforce your agency‘s identity
- Test how everything displays on different devices and internet speeds
- Avoid any graphics or videos that may buffer, look blurry or have poor sound quality
The goal is to create a seamless experience that keeps your audience interested and focused on your message, not distracted by technical issues.
4. Practice, get feedback and refine
Once you have your content and flow nailed down, it‘s time to rehearse. A lot.
Record yourself giving the pitch and watch it back critically. Note any areas that felt awkward, confusing or too salesy and revise them. Share the recording with colleagues who weren‘t involved in the creation process and get their honest feedback.
Also do trial runs with your pitch team where you use the exact tech setup you plan to use with the client. Check that everyone knows how to smoothly pass off from one presenter to the next. Test all technical aspects like screen sharing, sound quality, lighting and so on.
Incorporate the feedback you get to tighten up your timing, clarify your message and resolve any technical kinks before the big day. Preparation breeds confidence!
Delivering Your Virtual Pitch
5. Prepare a professional setting
While no one expects a Hollywood production setup in your home office, putting some thought into your environment will help you look and sound your best:
- Choose a space with good lighting, a clean background and minimal ambient noise
- Ensure your camera is at eye level and your face is clearly visible
- Use an external microphone if possible for optimal sound quality
- Close any unnecessary programs running on your computer to avoid lags
A bit of effort on the front end will minimize distractions and allow your audience to focus on what you‘re saying rather than your messy bookshelf or barking dog.
6. Leverage video "waiting rooms"
Most video conferencing tools now offer the ability to place attendees in a virtual waiting room before admitting them into the main meeting. As the host, use this to your advantage:
- Arrive a few minutes early to welcome each person individually as you let them in
- Take a moment to check in with your team before bringing the client onboard
- Confirm everyone can see and hear before launching into your presentation
This extra touch makes the prospect feel valued while giving you a chance to collect your thoughts and put on a smile before show time.
7. Open with a friendly greeting
While you may be eager to launch straight into your pitch, fight that instinct and take a minute to warmly welcome everyone:
- Thank them for carving out the time to meet with you
- Make a little small talk to build rapport, like asking how their week is going
- Have all your team members briefly introduce themselves if they‘re not well known to the client yet
These small gestures help compensate for the lack of in-person chemistry and remind the prospect that there are humans behind the talking heads on their screen.
8. Maintain "eye contact"
In an in-person pitch, you‘d make eye contact, read body language and adjust your energy accordingly. The virtual equivalent is looking directly at the camera, not down at your slides or notes:
- Position your camera at eye level and imagine you‘re speaking to a good friend
- Paste a small photo of the client near your camera as a visual reminder to look there frequently
- Coach your team to look up as they‘re speaking to simulate a natural gaze
It may feel strange at first, but this technique creates a much stronger connection with your audience than if you appear to be constantly looking away.
9. Engage your audience
To avoid your pitch feeling like a passive, one-way broadcast, get your audience involved early and often:
- Kick off with a quick poll or ask them to drop an emoji in the chat to take the room‘s pulse
- Pepper in moments for them to give live feedback or ask questions via chat
- Share relevant links and resources as you reference them so they can follow along
Think of it more as a guided conversation than a monologue. Giving your audience ways to interact keeps their attention and provides you with valuable real-time feedback.
10. Use clean, skimmable slide design
When you‘re not there in person to walk through every nuance, your slides need to be streamlined and crystal clear:
- Limit text to key stats and takeaways, not long paragraphs
- Rely on images, charts and graphics to convey your points at a glance
- Ensure the overall flow is easy to follow and uncluttered
Compelling visuals and concise copy will be far more effective than slides overloaded with information that no one will remember.
11. Keep private notes separate
If you‘re like most presenters, you probably have speaker notes to keep you on track. But the last thing you want is to accidentally share those with your audience. Avoid that awkward fate by:
- Printing out your notes or keeping them on a separate screen not being shared
- Using presenter view which lets you see your notes while the audience only sees the slides
- Appointing someone to privately message you key points in case you get stuck
A little planning ahead will ensure you come across as polished and professional, not caught off guard.
12. Leave time for live Q&A
Chances are your audience will have questions and comments that can‘t be fully addressed via chat. Leave at least 5-10 minutes at the end for live discussion:
- Stop screen sharing so you can see everyone‘s faces and get a read on the room
- Call on people by name to ask their thoughts or if they have any questions
- Have a few seed questions ready in case there‘s an awkward pause
This is a prime opportunity to gauge reactions, clarify any confusion and demonstrate how much you value their input.
Following Up After Your Pitch
13. Provide a video recording
Even if all the key decision makers attended live, they‘ll likely want to review parts of your pitch again later or share it with other stakeholders. Since virtual pitches are easy to record:
- Let everyone know at the start that you‘ll be recording for internal use
- Edit out any irrelevant chit chat at the beginning or end
- Upload the file to a private sharing site and include the link in your follow up
This simple step makes it easy for them to revisit your brilliant ideas and puts you top of mind with anyone who may have missed it the first time.
14. Send a detailed follow-up email
Within 24 hours of your pitch, send a friendly email to everyone who attended as well as any decision makers who couldn‘t make it live:
- Thank them again for their time and participation
- Recap the key points you covered and why you‘re excited about the potential partnership
- Attach the slide deck and any other relevant resources you promised
- Reiterate your contact info and next steps
Prompt follow up shows you‘re eager, organized and already thinking ahead about how to bring your ideas to life.
15. Stay in touch
Successful pitches are rarely a one-and-done affair. To seal the deal:
- Schedule a call the following week to get their candid feedback and reactions
- Send periodic updates on how your plans are progressing or evolving based on their input
- Look for small ways to provide value and show that you‘re a proactive partner
Persistence can pay off, but balance it with respect for their time and decision making process. The goal is to stay top of mind without being a pest.
Embrace Virtual Pitching With Confidence
While virtual pitches may lack the energy of a live room, they offer some unique advantages. You can integrate multimedia elements more easily, share resources in real-time, and connect with people across time zones.
The key is to compensate for the format‘s limitations through careful planning, creative engagement tactics, and commitment to building genuine rapport. With practice, you can project confidence, passion and expertise through the screen.
Implement these tips to boost your virtual pitching game and you‘ll be well on your way to landing exciting new marketing accounts in 2024 and beyond.
