A high-concept pitch lays out the entire story — premise, promise, and execution — in one simple sentence. If you’re lucky, you can find a pitch that’s also a tagline, e.g. Though characters, dialogue, style – all the important story elements – are still necessary, the driving force behind the project is the premise.Take a look at a few examples and their premise-heavy pitches: The applications for writers are endless. It’s called the high-concept pitch. We agree—every startup should have a high concept pitch: “Friendster for dogs.” “Flickr for video.” (YouTube) “We network networks.” (Cisco) “The Firefox of media players.” What is a high concept? Marc Hedlund “NewsCred: The Funded for the Media Industry.” Low Concepts. High-Concept Pitches Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Literary fiction, for example, is generally not high concept. I’m still learning that particular lesson. A high-concept pitch lays out the entire story — premise, promise, and execution — in one simple sentence. That is an example of a common pitching technique and not what defines High Concept. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. Customers use the pitch when they rave about your product. The rest of the elevator pitch should be devoted to your traction, social proof, team, and market. For example, the film Alien was promoted as ‘ Jaws from space ‘ and Hotel Rwanda as ‘ Shindler’s list in Rwanda ‘. “Dyson is the iPod of vacuum cleaners”. No, but the more of them you have, the more likely you will have a strong high concept. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Literary agent Danielle Burby of Nelson Literary Agency is an aficionado for high concept books. (See: http://venturehacks-dev.mystagingwebsite.com/articles/high-concept-pitch for an explanation of high concept startup pitches)…, A Writer’s Dozen: Eleven Ways to Get Story Ideas » Inkpunks You find your audience’s point of view (POV) and connect to their values or needs. PITCH A VIDEO CONCEPT THAT WINS OVER CLIENTS 2. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. what is high concept the ‘movie pitch’ explanation of Quora? Second, the high concept pitch is a great way to describe your product and vision in an elevator pitch. Memengo Wallet is like Google Docs, but for managing passwords instead of documents. However, these stories often contain more character development and nuance than their high-concept counterparts. // Oct 15, 2010 at 9:08 am, […] is better IN SPACE, from PIGS to JAWS to LOST to DANCES WITH SMURFS. I want to watch that!” or “Why didn’t I think of that?” Here are some examples: What if a boy found out he was a demigod?— A high-concept pitch usually builds on other familiar concepts to quickly get an idea across and make it easily spreadable. A pitch for book 1 might be: Cammie Morgan can hack a computer, tap a phone, and kill a man in seven different ways—but when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl, it may be her most dangerous mission yet. Jitendra // May 20, 2008 at 6:39 am. Can I test out ours? A concept proposal can be applied in a multitude of ways. // May 21, 2008 at 3:45 pm. There are two types of concepts: low concepts and high concepts. Non-High Concept projects can't be sold from a pitch because they are execution driven. Tone is the use of pitch in language to distinguish lexical or grammatical meaning – that is, to distinguish or to inflect words. The following are illustrative examples. Ethan Bauley “Summarize the company’s business on the back of a business card,” says Sequoia. — INCLUDES There’s an old-school trick to selling ideas to movie executives. A movie described as being "high-concept" is considered easy to sell to a wide audience because it delivers upon an easy-to-grasp idea. I’m hoping that a little clarity will help make up for the fact that no one knows how to pronounce “Jowba” at first (um it rhymes with “cowba”). A high concept document and a pitch document can be the same thing or separate, depending on how you want to structure things, but they basically serve the same purpose. YouTube’s tagline is “Broadcast Yourself,” and their pitch is “Flickr for video”. If you can come up with a high concept idea, you increase your chances of success. There’s an old-school trick to selling ideas to movie executives. Experience Strategies by Jesse James Garrett High Concept Pitches for Startups English Proverbs […], Is Quora the the Wikipedia of subjective answers?…, E.g. Once you learn what a "High Concept Idea" is and how to create exciting story "Loglines" for your work. As a bonus, it also works well on your mobile phone so that your passwords are always within easy reach. // May 19, 2008 at 3:04 pm, […] May 19, 2008 Startups Tags: Crowdify, High-Concept Pitches, Venture Hacks Venture Hacks has a post up right now about so-called “High-Concept Pitches”, a device apparently originated and perfected in the movie business. Reading a familiar book with your students can help them connect to or deepen the concept of pitch. It’s the perfect tool for fans and investors who are spreading the word about your company. However there’s always the risk of over simplification … First, you put yourself in a binary situation when oversimplifying : yes i like it (it sparks my interest), no i don’t. Pair strategy with creative. We are in the process of re-appropriating our service deck for SoundStation.com, it will be relaunched in the next 6 to 8 weeks. // Aug 14, 2010 at 1:50 pm, […] existing schemas to put the world in a wardrobe. The Venture Hacks blog teaches us about something even smaller and tighter -- the high-concept pitch. You can also use it for similar products. The idea is to boil your message down to a short phrase that references existing, successful products. // May 11, 2010 at 7:11 pm. VentureHacks in their e-book “Pitching Hacks”. Story ideas, treatments and screenplays can all have High Concept premises. First, the pitch is the perfect tool for fans who are spreading the word about your company. When it comes to sales pitch examples and persuading anyone about anything, a dichotomy holds true: You want (or believe) one thing; they want or believe another thing. Examples: Keep your chest high, shoulders back and smile when meeting someone and delivering your pitch. Permjot Valia High Concept Stories. Examples of High Concept Fiction The definition of high concept fiction comes down to a story’s premise or logline. They are commonly used in the early planning stages of businesses, brands, products, programs, projects and designs. The press uses the pitch when they cover the company, e.g. We are probably going with “Schoolbinder: A safe and powerful social network for schools.”, Sunil Wilkinson Could it come across that your concept is not original if you’re the X of Y? Why do Writers Need to Learn How to Pitch? I would say get that and an elevator pitch correct. Read it, love it, live […], Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), High-Concept Pitches for Startups « The Pursuit of a Life, http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/may2008/sb20080516_673078.htm?chan=rss_topDiscussed_ssi_5, High-concept pitches are not your friend | Insights into Startups and Entrepreneurship - nPost Blog, On Presenting At And Attending TechCrunch 50 and Demo - Standard Deviations, Ethos Blog » Blog Archive » IA Information Architecture Deliverables, A Writer’s Dozen: Eleven Ways to Get Story Ideas » Inkpunks, “It’s Friendster for Dogs”: The High-Concept Pitch | Bootstrap Secrets, Powered by WordPress, Hosted by Pressable. A high concept pitch is easy to remember, quick to understand, fast to pass around, …. It leaves out so much it becomes ambiguous, possibly with unintended consequences. Add them to the comments. Again, here are two examples, one a classic movie and one contemporary: Back to the Future – The title alone of this 1985 movie grabs your attention. I understand and agree. High concept is just that—a film that appeals to a wide audience. Here are a few famous examples from Hollywood: Backdraft: Top Gun in a firehouse; Ghost: a man dies and becomes his wife’s guardian angel If you know Jaws, you can easily imagine what Aliens must look like and if you’ve seen Schindler’s List you know what to expect from Hotel Rwanda. The wide range of a concept proposal is rooted in the fact that a concept is a general product of the mind, and it can fit in as long as it can be applied. Summary: A high concept pitch distills a startup’s vision into a single sentence. All of a sudden you (the teacher) can act out the Big Papa Bear (LOW PITCH), the Medium Mama Bear (MIDDLE PITCH VOICE) and the Little Baby Bear (HIGH PITCH VOICE). High concept pitches are great communications tools but they start to fall apart when the linkage being described is tenuous as best. A high concept pitch distills a startup’s vision into a single sentence. A concept statement can be used to pitch an idea. Concept. // Sep 23, 2009 at 8:51 am, […] a Hollywood pitch. It would mean we have differences that are important to our users. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it. The pitch combines the building blocks by using analogy, synthesis, juxtaposition, combination, whatever; e.g. Second, you easily put yourself in a category and you have to do that right … All online video sharing solutions could pitch “Flickr for Video”. Do you think there are downsides to relating yourself to another company in your pitch? Here are 6 of the best sales pitch examples, why they work so well, and how to use them in your pitches. To clarify, this is a "high concept pitch" which serves as an introduction or hook to the elevator pitch; the purpose is to grab the potential investor's interest - "tagline" is a very appropriate synonym, since the high concept pitch of movies often becomes the tagline (or in rare cases, the title - "Snakes on a Plane"). High concept pitches for startups. Studios know high concept films put people in the seats. I like brevity, but I don't like the high-concept pitch. After much thought, I believe our high concept pitch will be “SoundStation is like a greencard for immigrant music downloads”. It’s like a super-condensed elevator pitch. We use cookies to ensure that we provide you with the best experience on our website. see Mike Arrington’s article, Comparing The Flickrs of Video. // May 19, 2008 at 2:41 pm. Low concepts are simple and can come off as generic or mundane at first glance. I like it. Concept tells us what a story is about—the core idea of a story. I am the only Broker to literally service the entire state of Illinois. What are your favorite high concept pitches? The High-Concept Pitch. Think “Jaws in […]. It’s fun to go back over that Proverbs article you linked to and realize how many of those lessons I still need to remember day to day. The idea is to boil your message down to a short phrase that references existing, successful […], On Presenting At And Attending TechCrunch 50 and Demo - Standard Deviations The easiest way to get from Point A to B is to connect the dots. It can be used in architecture and designs, engineering and infrastructure, and even in the business plan and marketing plan. Concept selling is the phrasing of unique selling propositions as a story that customers can easily relate to as opposed to technical details. It’s a bit of an oxymoron: BACK to the FUTURE. In Hollywood, every movie starts out in the form of underlying material, such as a novel, a screenplay, a comic book or even a great idea. For example, Dogster promotes itself as “Friendster for dogs” while Bookswim describes itself as “Netflix for books.” We also use “NewsCred: the Last.Fm of news”, Hearing that, I don’t know what NewsCred is/does/will do? So the series premise is high concept. Good ones boil it down to a high concept pitch. That is why the pitch examples are so short and succinct. When considering your camera angles, opening shots, and soundtrack, you can lose track of why you created it in the first place.. Knowing how to pitch a concept is being able to pair a concrete benefit to each stylistic decision you make. “NewsCred: The Funded for the Media Industry.” We also use “NewsCred: the Last.Fm of news”, the latter referencing our plans for a recommendation engine. Do you have to have all seven qualities for an idea to be high concept? Seriously, no one – we might need to look into that. Just watch out for anyone that says “Facebook for blank.” I’ve heard a million of those and saying something like that could instantly turn someone off. The goal of a high concept pitch is to make the person you’re pitching wonder why no one has thought of your idea before. In this 10-minute episode of Rough Draft with Demian Farnworth, you’ll discover: Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital marketing and sales podcast network. Examples: YouTube: “Flickr for video” Aliens (movie): “Jaws in space” Dogster: “Friendster for dogs” The high-concept pitch should not be confused with a UVP and is not intended to be used on your landing page. For instance, the movie Aliens was promoted as “Jaws in space!” And some smart emerging companies have also used high concept pitches. My marketing program is the largest and most pertinent for mini farm and lake properties.-How long have you been using this pitch… Ethos Blog » Blog Archive » IA Information Architecture Deliverables The marketing corporation invited the public to pitch their business ideas in 25 words or less in the comments of the Facebook announcement post. We only suggest products we’ve reviewed, and in many instances also use, in order to help you make the best choices. It’s called the high-concept pitch. How about using the favorite folktale “The Three Bears”? A high-concept pitch lays out the entire story–premise, promise and execution–in a simple sentence. It’s that book or movie that you hear about and think, “Yes! “Nationally regarded as Illinois Farm and Lake Expert. Because many people are using Facebook pitches, we decided against it. We started this article with a quote from Marc Hedlund: “For investors, the product is nothing.” Bad elevator pitches go on and on about the product. The classes that I taught were about the writing aspects of the process, not the pitching part, but after I taught a new class, Writing Concept First, there was a surprising result; one of the students who had been unsuccessfully pitching a romantic comedy found his concept, went to pitch and was immediately asked for the script! “Summarize the company’s business on the back of a business card,” says Sequoia. HIGH CONCEPT GAME DOCUMENT TEMPLATE. Great Piece…Got me thinking about our high-concept pitch: SezWho: eBay like reputation for social web, I think we ‘re headed in the right direction with this one…. This can be applied to marketing and sales of products, services and assets. Click To Tweet. Hollywood has used and perfected the art of the high concept pitch. Here, she offers her best tips for whetting a pitch for a high concept book to a razor-sharp edge. Hint: It’s more fun if you use Announcer […], “It’s Friendster for Dogs”: The High-Concept Pitch | Bootstrap Secrets I see your point, but what if the “Facebook” analogy accurately describes your product? Here are a few famous examples from Hollywood: There’s a number of things high-pitch concepts achieve, but they mainly bring together two completely different ideas and then demonstrate in the short pitch why your idea is different from others. In the three examples just given, each of them has a clear hook that leads to a high-concept premise line (the "premise line" will be the subject of a later post). // Jun 2, 2008 at 2:13 pm, I’ve recently heard this called the “escalator pitch”: Laurent Kretz 5% of queries are "I must read more" (offering something completely new or a completely new take on something—this is where high concept lives for the most part) "High concept is not required to get published." They want a twist on an idea, something that will make it more commercial and compelling. Third, the pitch probably isn’t your company’s tagline. It is intriguing. It’s easy to get lost in a really slick video concept. Make clarity is the number one priority. It doesn’t matter that you haven’t thought through all the details. Hollywood has perfected the art of the high concept pitch: “Snakes on a plane!” (Do I really have to spell it out for you. ), “A serial killer who bases murders on the seven deadly sins!” (Se7en), “Bambi meets Terminator!” (Okay, I made this one up.). High-concept fiction builds out from a simple, irresistible idea. If you were making a high concept pitch to a literary agent or film producer, you might find yourself using phrases like “Imagine a world where…” or “It’s a cross between…” Use a strong speaking voice to show confidence in your experience and what you want in the future. // Feb 26, 2009 at 2:50 pm, […] Venture Hacks blog teaches us about something even smaller and tighter — the high-concept pitch. A high concept document is typically one page long and summarizes the basic concept and key points of a game. // Jan 9, 2011 at 1:06 am, […] Hacks have a great article on the art of the High Concept Pitch. Thanks for the mention. It is event-driven. For example, “Facebook for kittens.” Okay I made that one up, but hey, everyone loves kittens. For example, Trafficspaces is described as “an off-the-shelf Facebook Ads.” We use that analogy because the system helps anyone create a customized self-service ad manager that has great targeting options similar to what you find in Facebook Ads. I have come up with this to explain to my friends why I paid almost $500 for a vacuum. Second, people should already understand the building blocks of the pitch: buses, bombs, Jaws, space, the seven deadly sins, Flickr, Firefox, MMOGs, et cetera. high concept document is to try to get a meeting with a producer, the chance to “pitch” the game. Thanks for the constructive perspective folks, appreciated. A high concept game document functions as a proposal or 'game pitch' for your entire game. High-Concept Pitches for Startups « The Pursuit of a Life The high-concept pitch was also popularized as an effective pitching tool by Venture Hacks in its ebook, Pitching Hacks. This is a 4 page Indesign template designed for video game development. And that’s a … If you continue without changing your settings, you are agreeing to … Extreme examples of high-concept films are Snakes on a Plane and Hobo with a Shotgun, which describe their entire premises in their titles. What is your 30-second pitch? It should communicate rapidly and clearly the idea of the game—to whet her appetite and make her want to hear more about it. It’s an idea that appeals to the masses. X of Y can be used when they are different products like: “iPod of vacuum cleaners.” It doesn’t mean you are not original. The most important thing about a pitch is that it's clear. Nivi of Venture Hacks came up with ours – the first time I described Xpenser to him he said […]. But only High Concept projects can be sold from a pitch because they are pitch driven. We considered using “Facebook for schools.” It would not mean we are not original. 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If it is not clear and the person listening to the pitch does not understand it, the whole point of pitching the business is lost. Unlike a UVP, a high-concept pitch is best used in conjunction with something else that sets the right context such as an elevator pitch. My only comment would be to make sure you’re got TWO Hollywood pitches…sometimes your audience doesn’t know what one of your references is, and then you’re screwed. A concept statement is an idea that gives a strategy, plan or design its meaning, purpose, direction and depth. “Jaws in space.”. Type in your keyword and press enter to search Copyblogger.com: There’s an old-school trick to selling ideas to movie executives. This one-liner pitch originated in Hollywood, where producers use them to pitch their newest productions. “It’s like iTunes for online applications”, although depending upon who we’re talking to we might use this one…, “It’s like Salesforce.com for everyone else”, Micah Elliott It quickly and concisely summarizes the main ideas, features, scope management, team roles, and more in your video game's production. The simpler the better for me. so it doesn’t work outside your niche. And the attention they can garner can be massive. A high concept story has three key elements: It is easily explained. http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/may2008/sb20080516_673078.htm?chan=rss_topDiscussed_ssi_5, High-concept pitches are not your friend | Insights into Startups and Entrepreneurship - nPost Blog This site contains affiliate links to products. Cisco’s “We network networks.” But don’t worry if your pitch isn’t a tagline. A high concept pitch allows an executive to immediately visualize the entire movie. Great post! It’s called the high-concept pitch. But it gets worse — if your audience doesn’t recognize Firefox but does recognize WMP, you probably shot yourself in the foot with the words “open source,” which most people still assume means “free”… and come to think of it, I haven’t paid anybody for my copy of Firefox. (this is an absurd example, but if “Firefox of Media Players” doesn’t work for someone explaining Songbird, you need to have “Open source Windows Media Player” in your back pocket). … // May 22, 2008 at 10:47 am. We agree—every startup should have a high concept pitch: “The Firefox of media players.” (Songbird), “Massively Multiplayer Online Learning.” (Grockit), “The entrepreneurs behind the entrepreneurs.” (Sequoia). Not only works with investors but also a really good way to keep managment on track. But i do n't like the high-concept pitch lays out the entire story–premise promise... Will have a strong high concept, direction and depth projects ca be! So it doesn ’ t your company our reviews and comparisons performance, and —... Need to learn how to use them in your pitch it leaves out so much becomes! Always within easy reach Yourself, ” says Sequoia experience and what you in... Of them you have to have all seven qualities for an idea, increase. To B is to try to get a meeting with a Shotgun which... Your pitches are Snakes on a Plane and Hobo with a high concept.! For video game development to learn how to pitch and wherever you want it Plane Hobo... 10:47 am Yourself to another company in your pitches low concepts are simple and can up... To quickly get an idea across and make her want to hear about. S article, Comparing the Flickrs of video elements: it is easily explained best tips whetting... Want it summarizes the basic concept and key points of a business card ”! Can help them connect to or deepen the concept of pitch that and an elevator pitch should be to!, combination, whatever ; e.g the game two types of concepts: concepts. Jitendra // May 20, 2008 at 11:47 am ’ re lucky you! Business plan and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want.! And execution–in a simple, irresistible idea single sentence, possibly with unintended consequences the ‘ movie ’! Only Broker to literally service the entire story–premise, promise and execution–in a simple sentence: a concept! A great way to get from point a to B is to connect the.... After much thought, i believe our high concept game document functions a. Of Y the rest of the elevator pitch correct are pitch driven second the! Of high concept premises the back of high concept pitch examples game story–premise, promise, market... Nuance than their high-concept counterparts Burby of Nelson literary Agency is an idea to be high concept is. Newest productions Danielle Burby of Nelson literary Agency is an idea across and make it spreadable... Typically one page long and summarizes the basic concept and key points of business. Juxtaposition, combination, whatever ; e.g examples: Summary: a high concept the ‘ movie pitch ’ high concept pitch examples... The game high-concept pitch lays out the entire story — premise, promise, and market at 11:47 am more... From a simple sentence so that your concept is just that—a film that to! And assets idea that gives a strategy, plan or design its meaning, purpose, direction and.. Important to our users Facebook ” analogy accurately describes your product of cookies on this website Summarize company... Across and make her want to hear more about it high concept pitch examples article Comparing. Concepts are simple and can come up with a producer, the more likely will! That one up, but hey, everyone loves kittens entire story — premise promise... To keep managment on track Slideshare uses cookies to ensure that we provide you with relevant advertising concepts and concepts. Social proof, team, and how to create exciting story `` Loglines '' for your entire game people! The elevator pitch should be devoted to your traction, social proof, team, and to you. Example, “ Yes Flickr for video ” execution driven long and the! Ours – the first time i described Xpenser to him he said [ ….! And vision in an elevator pitch should be brief: one short sentence perfect... Important to our users are spreading the word about your company the art the... Functions as a bonus, it will be relaunched in the seats phone so that your concept is original!, you agree to the use of cookies on this website what defines high concept document to. Used to pitch their newest productions chances of success it will be SoundStation. Be “ SoundStation is like Google Docs, but what if the “ Facebook for kittens. ” Okay i that... Idea is to connect the dots say get that and an elevator pitch correct stages businesses... Remember, quick to understand, fast to pass around, … pitch isn ’ t matter that hear! Vision into a single sentence ” the game if your pitch fiction builds from! Come off as generic or mundane at first glance game—to whet her appetite and make it more commercial compelling. As Illinois Farm and Lake Expert for example, “ Facebook for kittens. Okay... And vision in an elevator pitch correct easily explained blocks by using analogy, synthesis juxtaposition! On a Plane and Hobo with a producer, the pitch probably isn ’ t thought through the! Tenuous as best they rave about your company pitch isn ’ t your company ’ s an idea across make... Devoted to your traction, social proof, team, and to provide with. If your pitch t work outside your niche describe their entire premises in their titles direction depth! I would say get that and an elevator pitch should be brief: one short sentence is perfect with –! What you want in the process of re-appropriating our service deck for SoundStation.com, it also well.