How to write PitMad pitches for all the hearts?

PitMad is upon us once more. Many unpublished writers like myself find this to be an exciting opportunity as we throw pitches for our finished manuscripts out into the world hoping someone will beg for more. It’s a pitch. It’s a chance. It’s using social media for optimal feedback and response.

It’s an opportunity for an agent to HEART your pitch in request for more….whew everybody take a breath. Pitmad Pitches commence…

But how?

Much like the actual pitch above, a great story with the wrong pitch will fall flat. Poor girl.

There’s a simple formula for pitches used in PitMad, queries, elevators and the like. What, pray tell, is it? Tell us, tell us. We want to know. We beg you.

Okay, I’ll succumb.

Superb pitmad pitches = character + situation + stakes

You can do this in many well-written ways.

Easy right?

Oh my dear sweet naive friend. Pitching is anything but easy. You’ve written anywhere from 65,000 to 100,000 words for your manuscript and now you must clench your teeth and dwindle all of that down to a mere sentence.

Remember, this isn’t a query letter. This is a 250 or less character tweet about your finished manuscript. Narrowing down your PitMad pitch is hard work. Especially if you want to stand out among the thousands. Yeah, that’s right, I said thousands.

Look at all of us writers trying to find our place among the world. So many!!!!

Let’s look at an example of a simple formulaic pitch:

Thanks to Carly Watters blog on the topic, below are some examples.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

When escaping WWII, 4 children go to magical, tyrannical land through wardrobe to fulfill prophecy & save both worlds. #PitMad #SFF

Breakdown: characters = 4 children escaping WW2; situation = land in a new world through a wardrobe; stakes = fulfill prophecy and save worlds.

My Humble Opinion: While the stakes are clear, they don’t seem as imminent or dangerous. You could say something to the affect of “if they don’t fulfill the prophecy, then both their world and the new might be lost forever.”

The Three Little Pigs

Brothers devoured by a killer known as Big Bad Wolf, third pig fights for his life with a pile of bricks between him & death #PitMad #A

Breakdown: characters = brothers, pig, wolf; situation = pig’s brothers killed by wolf and wolf after him; stakes = bricks are all that keeping him alive

My Humble Opinion: I think this example pitch is very clear. The only suggestion I would make is to introduce the characters as pigs sooner on. If I didn’t know the story, the sudden announcement of the “third pig” might throw me off.

Alice in Wonderland

Girl abducted by rabbit from family picnic to fight war in magical dimension. When put on trial for her life, will she wake up? #PitMad #YA

Breakdown: characters = girl as protagonist, rabbit possible antagonist; situation = abducted to magical world; stakes = her life in an unknown world or possibly dream?

My Humble Opinion: Some people love pitches that end with a question, some do not. You have to make that personal decision because a good question can be very powerful. Also, I’d like to note the use of the word “abducted”. This shows the importance of word choice. It’s powerful, evocative, and proper considering the story line.

NOTE: These are not entirely grammatically correct due to the constraint of the 240 character max in Twitter. I believe these were written under 140 characters before twitter changed the world with the new 240 allotment. You can play with the structure as long as the “soul” of the pitch remains intact and clear.

On top of it all, you need a few sizzle features to help ensure as many hearts as possible. Trust me, those agents are scanning quickly so yours needs to STAND OUT!

Sizzles:

Uniqueness — what about YOUR story is special? If it’s just another romance, why would any agent pick it up? But if it’s a romance between a human and a vampire….knock it all you want but it sold…like a lot.
Clarity — it’s important to keep things clear with your manuscript. Don’t be too vague. Be sure to clearly define the stakes. If it’s survival or issues of the heart, be clear. Don’t say something to the effect of “or worse….” We don’ need the dum dum dum. We need the STAKES.
Desirability — leave the agent wanting, no begging, for more. You want him or her to say “I’ve got to know what happens.” (Warning: There is a fine line between clarity and desirability.)
Marketability — define your market. In this case, use hashtags. #YA #Romance #NewAdult #Horror. Whatever it is, be sure to mark it with the appropriate hashtag including #PitMad. For more suitable hashtags go here. For all PitMad rules go here. (Please follow them.)

Great question and no, no it’s not.

On to TIPS:

Finally, we come to the tip portion of the article. These are overall suggestions for a superb tweet.

Don’t use character names — use descriptive words instead. Instead of Harry Potter, put young wizard or orphaned wizard or “the chosen one”. Okay, you get it.
Do use book comps. GAME OF THRONES X HARRY POTTER; PRINCESS DIARIES meets CRAZY RICH ASIANS. Whatever comparable you find, make sure the connection is authentic, relevant (don’t use obscure titles) and helpful.
Rephrase each tweet (you get 3 for one manuscript) and disperse the timing of tweets. Don’t tweet all three in the same hour unless you’ve made some divine connection with social media and feel that hour is the one. Usually, timely dispersal is best.
SUPPORT YOUR FELLOW WRITERS — retweet other pitches you think sound awesome (according to the rules please). Don’t recluse yourself. It’s twitter, not a conference so you’re still hidden well enough behind a computer. Also, no hearts. Those are reserved for agents. (And there’s nothing more devastating than seeing a heart as a writer and realizing it was another writer and not an agent.)
If time allows, have fellow writers review your pitches before you send them out. They can address anything that may sound unclear or unexciting. Also, they can encourage you — we all need that. Either way, it’s good to share. Mom always said so right?
Be mindful of characters (max 240) so that you can include the proper hashtags. Defining the category (#YA #Fantasy) is extremely important. Don’t overlook it.
Less can be more but not always
Have fun. I know it sounds silly, but this is just as much for you as for the agents out there. This is a way to shout your manuscript and your achievements from the rooftop of social media. Be loud. Be proud. And if you don’t get a heart, wipe the tear away, congratulate the friends who did, and start the query process.

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER

Below are a few tweets that landed each writer an agent and/or publisher. See PitMad pitches success stories for more. If they can do it, so can you!

“Falling in love with a man whose mother was murdered isn’t easy, especially when Molly’s father is the one who killed her.” Natasha Raulerson, REDEMPTION, landed the lovely agent Laura Bradford

“Alone in a foreign land, Rasha’s ready to end it all when she learns her brother is alive. Not only that, but he’s possessed by the vengeful spirit of a fallen god. She’ll risk anything to save him – even her feelings for the princess she once served. #PitMad #YA #F #LGBT #IRMC (Look at all those hashtags) K. Parr, contracted with NineStar Press — a publisher

“Mom and Dad are Christian superstars. When Faith’s secret gig (erotic author) is exposed, she risks losing her family and her guy. #PitMad #R #A” Dylan Crush, signed with agent Jessica Watterson

In conclusion

I say all of this to encourage you. Write those pitches and send them out with hopes and dreams dripping off of them. Write them as I’ve suggested or totally different. In order to share your stories with the world, you have to start somewhere… why not with PitMad twitter contest. Happy pitches.

Nailed it.

Comment below with your PitMad pitches. I’ll try to provide you with a quick critique. Thanks for reading.