Fri, 2021-May-21 19:11 (BST)
Cold pitches are not something I usually do, but a SR member was kind enough to PM me an interesting potential lead. But, I have no idea how to write a query for a cold pitch. I could write it the same as I would for any query, but I might be missing something. Any tips?
Personally, I use the term 'cold pitch' interchangeably with 'query' and a half dozen other terms in use out there. Strangest one I heard was 'thaw pitch'.
Basically, if we're talking email pitches, they all consist of something directed to a person (not an info@ unless that's all there is) to a company you've researched well, with the content being a great title, genre, log, a tasty marketing blurb and/or a brief synopsis that may or may not contain the 'big reveal'. I've had success (ie. read requests) from brief pitches and long ones, formal ones and chummy ie. conversation ones, so like everything else there doesn't seem to be an absolute that works 100 percent of the time.
Anybody have any great stories that are also consistently successful?
Heh, thaw pitch, I love that.
Back when, I was first sending out letters and CVs to all any graphic design jobs I could find (I was a recent graduate and had absolutely no idea what I was doing), I wrote letters like a business letter. Dear (Always use person's name), I'm applying for the position (fill in the blank) as seen in your (ad, poster, help wanted, etc), here's my education, things I've finished, etc, etc, etc, I look forward to hearing for you. Sincerely, me.
One, count them, one letter out of hundreds, landed me a job interview. Everything else, word of mouth, referrals.
The thing is about cold queries, or rather, thaw query, I'm unsure how to start with, well, nothing.
Lily: I don't know the secret sauce for query letters. That being said - I'll share two I have recently written (different formats for each) to see if the approach helps you at all (note - not including any of the too/from contact info - obviously - you would include that:
SAMPLE ONE
My name is David Lambertson and I've written a romantic comedy called "Baggage" that I'd like to send your way. I won the Silver Award for comedy in Page's 2018 screenwriting competition My short script, Meeting the Other Woman, has won awards at several film festivals.
TITLE: Baggage
GENRE: Romantic Comdedy
LOGLINE: A small-town wannabe writer creates short stories based on the items she finds in baggage at the lost luggage center where she works. Her life changes when she writes a story that is based on the emotionally charged items lost by a Hollywood producer.
The story is about the unlikely meeting of JENNA (35), an army widow who crafts fictional romantic stories based on the contents of the lost luggage she opens at her job at the Unclaimed Baggage Center in small Alabama town and, BILLY (45), a hot-headed, impulsive Hollywood producer. Jenna posts all of her tales on her blog: BAGGAGE STORIES. One day, Billy stumbles upon Jenna's blog and realizes that her most recent story is based on the contents of a suitcase he had lost at the airport months earlier. Billy storms off to Alabama to confront Jenna and reclaim his possessions. Of course, Billy's items have long since been sold off. But the trip is not wasted as he discovers a surprising connection with Jenna and has an epiphany - Jenna's blog would be the perfect basis for an anthology series that he has owed to Netflix for quite some time. He gets Netflix's buy-in, but there's a very problematic condition - someone other than Jenna needs to write the series. A condition that threatens to undermine this budding romance.
"Baggage" is written along the lines of films like "Notting Hill" and "As Good As It Gets." and will appeal to a wide audience. There is laughter, tears, and most importantly, personal growth. Please let me know if I can send you the script, and thanks for your time and consideration.
I can be reached at-----------
Best regards,
David Lambertson
SAMPLE TWO
My name is David Lambertson. I would like to submit my feature-length script to you for your consideration. This script was a PAGE Finalist as well as a Nicholls’ quarterfinalist.
Title: The Last Statesman
Genre: Dramedy
Logline: An old and cranky local politician goes publicly bananas in an effort to draw attention to an important social issue. This inadvertently puts the career of his son, the Governor of California, at risk.
Comps to other Films.
It’s basically a cross between “The Candidate” and “Network.”
Production Considerations
The film should be able to be produced on a modest budget. It is based in Los Angeles and there are limited locations. No special effects.
Target Audience.
A dramedy for adults. Suitable for either the big screen or small screen.
A brief synopsis of the story follows. I would like to send the script to you for your consideration. I can be reached at:
Interesting, I was leaning toward a format similar to sample two. It didn't occur to me to include a potential targeted audience. I'll have to give that some thought.
Best of luck with it, Lily.