Yes, a video can replace the PowerPoint when you pitch to a board, and it does something a slide deck can’t. It walks into the room already believed. A deck asks people to evaluate. A video makes them feel something first, and once they’re on side, the conversation about figures flows because they want it to.
The pitch that only needed one meeting
In 1999 I made one presentation video, took it into one board, and walked out with a sponsorship deal worth about $30,000 at the time. They signed on the spot.
It was for Pam Ann. The idea was for a sponsor to take her on as their mascot, back her show and take her to the UK. We shot the video on a blue screen, so the sponsor’s brand could be dropped straight in, whether it was an airline, a travel site or whoever we were pitching. We planned to take it to five different companies. The first was travel.com.au, and the first one said, “Where do I sign?” We never needed the other four.
Why did it work?
Pam Ann is a performer. Before she went on stage in a pub, we’d play something to rev the crowd up, get them laughing and get them on her side before she’d said a word. When it came to the board, we didn’t change the approach. We just changed the room.
That’s screen psychology. You put the brand, the product and the people on screen together, and you find the comedy or the feeling in it. You bring objects into the frame the viewer recognises, and they stop watching a pitch and start identifying with what they’re seeing. Relationship first. The conversation follows.
I’ve used the same approach for the Making Waves Foundation, showing where the organisation has come from and where it’s going. Same job, different tone. It’s closer to a music video than a report.
What a pitch video actually does in the room
It helps to think about it the way you’d think about a social post.
- A like is the emotional response. Board members are time poor, and feeling is faster than evaluating.
- A share is the one people underestimate. The person you pitch is rarely the only one deciding. A video gets forwarded to the board member who wasn’t in the room, and it says exactly what you said, the same way, without you there.
- A comment is engagement, and it’s the hook. Questions aren’t interruptions, they’re what you want. The video does the persuading, then you present the figures and take the questions live.
- A follow is what you’re really after. Not one yes, but them wanting whatever you bring next.
Who is this for?
Anywhere one meeting decides a lot of money: a not for profit pitching to a funder, a founder pitching to investors, a manager asking their own board for budget. Almost nobody does it, because we think of video as marketing, something you post. It’s also something you can walk into a boardroom with.
Common questions
Do I still need slides and figures?
Yes. The video warms the room and carries the story. You still present the numbers and take questions yourself. The video earns the room’s attention, and you keep hold of it.
Does a pitch video have to be expensive?
No. What makes it work is the idea and the feeling, not the budget. A clear story, the right people on screen and a few recognisable details do more than expensive effects.
Can one video work for several pitches?
It can. That’s why we shot on a blue screen in 1999, so each sponsor’s brand could drop straight in. Planning for reuse from the start keeps the cost down.
Want help getting the real story on camera?
I’m Phil Mace, a Sydney video producer. I help small businesses and not for profits find the story that’s actually worth telling, then capture it on video. If you’ve got a shoot coming up and you’re not sure where to start, send me a quick message or put your question in the comments on YouTube. The good questions become the next video.
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