LINKS AND FURTHER READING:

25 Responses to “Pinkcast 2.23: This is how to pitch your idea like a Pixar producer”

  1. Joe Fischer says:

    Love the Pixar pitch and also the TravelCard – great idea and I just ordered one.
    Really enjoy your newsletters. Compulsory reading.
    Cheers,
    Joe

  2. …and freed up more time… to tackle the over-packaging problem. Love it, Dan! Nice dash of spice there at the end.

  3. Jamie Dunham says:

    Love the simplicity of this. I like simple formulas that are easy to remember! BTW – thanks so much for sending me the t-shirt after we talked at Parnassus. My fav – When?

  4. sarrah says:

    Daniel,
    Your video pitch
    Is an easy one which
    Can be used easily
    Onward! Let’s see!
    Sarrah

  5. Ivan G says:

    Once upon a time Dan Pink decided to regularly publish pinkcast.
    Everyday he would go to work and think of ideas he could present via that pincast and some ideas made it and some did not.
    One day he did a pincast on a Pixar pitch where he used an example of a Koran company solving a banana ripeness problem with what appeared to be a common use of readily available plastic packaging.
    Because of that the plastic pollution problem got worse.
    Because of that Dan Pink used his talents (specifically the ones he mentions in his book “To sell is human”) to bring about awareness of the platstic pollution problem and to bring together the best minds on the planet to start solving this problem.
    Until finally, his efforts brought about change in plastic consumption behavior in general population and the problem began to get solved. And the world forever learned the potential catastrophic effects of unintended consequences that come with every new innovative product. The end. 🙂

  6. Kate says:

    As a writer, this video was a great reminder to keep things simple when pitching to literary agents. It’s also a useful way to approach writing a book because it follows such a logical progression and is very problem/solution oriented. Thanks for sharing!

  7. Dan good one. I read this first in your book “To Sell is Human”. Now story telling is considered a critical skill for all leaders to navigate the 21st century disruption. The Pixar Pitch is another tool in our kit bag to build our persuasive muscles to pitch successfully.

  8. I’m a big fan of The Story Spine (aka the Pixar Pitch), and teach it in my Storytelling workshops for everyone from Boards of Directors to healthcare providers to changemakers of all kinds. Thanks for sharing it. Credit for the Story Spine goes to Kenn Adams, who originated it as an improv exercise back in the 90s. Here is an article (https://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2013/06/05/back-to-the-story-spine/) where he comments on its long life. Glad to see it being useful for bananas and beyond!

  9. Stella says:

    I used the pixar pitch to tell a success story of my business in a networking lunch. I noticed that everyone was paying close attention to my pitch! It really captures everyone’s attention right from the beginning.

  10. I love your short and sweet Podcasts. Thanks for this one. As noted in another comment. Storytelling gets the point across; even very complicated ideas.

  11. Mark Gavagan says:

    Once upon a time, there was ____________.
    Every day, _____________.
    Then one day, __________.
    Because of that, _________.
    Because of that, __________.
    Until finally, ________________.

  12. William says:

    Fabulous idea, Dan! Simple, yet effective.

  13. Your newsletters are insightful, entertaining, and I continually learn something new from you. I especially appreciated your books To Sell is Human and Drive, and I have just started reading your new work, When.

    I particularly like your videos – your mastery of the short, content-rich video makes me consider how I can do something similar in my field of nonprofit strategic planning and organizational development.

    (Mind if I ask what camera you use for your videos? I’ve considered acquiring a GoPro for these short takes.)

    Thank you very much for your great work!

  14. Cdr Pratap Pawar says:

    Amazing, how you simplify things. Thanks, Daniel. Indian TVs are airing your shows nowadays and we are hooked.

    Best.

  15. Rhae says:

    Love simple, easy to remember formulas like this. Also LOVE 170 second videos.
    Thanks for the great content Dan!

  16. Lisa Sansom says:

    I’m so glad you mentioned the “excessive packaging” – always a good twist in these PinkCasts – gotta stick around to the very end, like a Marvel movie.

  17. William T. Trigleth, III says:

    Hi Daniel,
    I have had great success with a like type approach. I learned it from The Marketing Maven blog by Marie Swift March 28, 2011. For a Sales pitch it is a little clearer construct then the Pixar story outline. I hope you find it useful.
    Writing Content in Half the Time-
    Open a blank word processing document and copy the questions below into it. Type in your answers and watch your message take shape.
    1. What’s the target audience’s pain, predicament, or problem? Describe it in two or three sentences.
    2. Why hasn’t the problem been solved? Remind prospects of the failed attempts, which leads to the next
    question.
    3. What’s possible? Give a specific answer in two or three sentences. Your answer must make your readers
    want what’s possible.
    4. What’s different now? Answer in two or three sentences or in a bulleted list that says what sets your product
    or service apart and will alleviate the pain, problem, or predicament.
    5. What should the reader do now? This gives your call to action, the part telling your prospects exactly what
    you want them to do.
    For story selling or for generating white-papers, or presentations in general, this approach has never failed me.

  18. Excellent tip for pitching a story!! I will practice it along with my photography projects.
    Thank you!
    Jane Crothers

  19. Carmen Amato says:

    Simple formula with multiple uses for this mystery author; book sales pages, guest post pitches, etc. Thank you!

  20. Another great Pinkcast that I’ll use with my Teacher Education program. Keep it up Dan, Mike

  21. Love the way you ended the pinkcast, Dan. Appreciate your irony.

    • Lizz Robb says:

      Hi Patrick! I’m not surprised to see you here. You are a great storyteller. I’ll never forget the Change Management course you ran for us in Brisbane, Australia. Everyone loved the stories you told and the way you delivered them. Cheers, Lizz

  22. Ms. Lizz Robb says:

    Once upon a time, there was a business owner in Australia, named Lizz Robb.
    Every day, she read lots of business books.
    Then one day, while she was doing a PhD in project management through a University in Sydney, she came across a book, “A Whole New Mind” by Daniel Pink, which she read from cover to cover.
    Because of that, she realized she needed to radically change her game plan in order to develop her creative skills.
    Because of that, she gave up her PhD studies and studied design and art with an Academy in Milan for four years.
    Until finally, she found her real passion in life was not the delivery of strategic change, it was design and art.

  23. This is such a simple and great way to pitch a story and idea. 6 simple sentences. It’s a great framework to work with. Thanks again Dan!

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