Ultimate Guide to Pitching a Show for TV & Streaming

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The elements of a winning pitch document and where to submit it
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Competition is stiff in the television industry, even more if you don't have your name out there already as shows come and go rapidly. Knowing how to pitch a show will give you a huge leg-up, allowing you to get your ideas into the open and get paid in return. We also talked to screenwriter Lucy V. Hay to learn expert tips for developing a compelling TV show concept that sells.

How to Pitch Your Idea for a TV Show

  • Assemble a pitch document with a one-sheet, series bible, and pilot script.
  • Submit your pitch document to a database or contact networks to request a pitch meeting.
  • Deliver a 15-minute sales pitch describing your show's hook, target audience, and future potential.
Section 1 of 4:

What You'll Need to Pitch Your Show

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  1. A sales pitch is a brief presentation – no more than 12-15 minutes long – that describes your show and communicates the value it will bring to the company or network you're pitching to. To emphasize the innovative concept and sellability of your show, talk about:
    • The Hook: Emphasize the "what if" premise of your show to show why it's original, compelling, and a good fit for the network or production company you're pitching it to. [1]
    • The Audience: Describe who this show is for and how it aligns with the network's current target audience.
    • The "Trailer:" If you were selling this show in a commercial, what parts would you highlight? What are the "clips" or scenes that flesh out the world of the show? Describe them or create a concept video showing what they could look like. [2]
    • Practice your pitch multiple times before the meeting. Be well prepared so you don't stumble and lose your audience's confidence and attention.
  2. A pitch document contains 10-12 pages and includes the title, logline, synopsis, series bible, and pilot script for your show. If the television executives like your sales pitch, they'll read this document to get a better sense of what it's about, who the characters are, and its development potential.
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Section 2 of 4:

Where to Pitch Your TV Show

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  1. These sites cost money, but the upside is they allow network and streaming executives to peruse and purchase your scripts. Another benefit sites like Black List or Coverfly offer is they allow you to sell your script without having to go through an agent.
  2. Go online and find phone numbers, emails, and submission guidelines for companies that are making shows similar to yours. Get in touch however you can and ask them to schedule a pitch meeting so you can discuss your ideas.
    • Research what a network or studio is already making to pitch to the right people. For example, if you're pitching a baking show competition, you may want to approach Netflix since they already have a roster of successful baking shows like Nailed It and The Great British Baking Show . For a television adaptation of an epic fantasy book series, try reaching out to Amazon, which has streamed successful titles like Wheel of Time and Rings of Power .
  3. A pitchfest is an opportunity for TV show writers to connect with professionals representing the top production companies, agencies, and networks in the industry. You typically only have a few minutes to pitch your idea, but if it's well-liked, you could win resources and support to grow your career in TV.
  4. Meeting people and making connections is sometimes an effective way to sell a show idea. Grab coffee with friends who work for real production companies, join a studio fellowship program, and take jobs on TV show sets. Even if one person isn't able to make your idea a reality, they may know someone who could help.
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Section 3 of 4:

Writing Your Pitch Document

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  1. Most TV show titles include some sort of play on words, and having a good turn of phrase can ensure that your show is immediately recognized. Mad Men, for example, is about ad agencies and the men who work there, most of whose lives are spiraling out of control. Community is about a community college, but also a group of close-knit friends.
  2. The logline is a 1-2 sentence description of your show designed to sell producers on your idea. It usually describes the main agenda of the show, the main character, and the hook that makes it interesting.
    • Back to the Future: A young man is transported to the past, where he must reunite his parents before he and his future cease to exist. [3]
    • Jaws: A police chief, with a phobia for open water, battles a gigantic shark with an appetite for swimmers and boat captains, in spite of a greedy town council who demands that the beach stay open. [4]
    • Ratatouille: A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous Paris restaurant. [5]
  3. This is a brief but comprehensive overview of the show that helps production companies and networks decide if they're interested in your show. Some important elements to include are: [6]
    • The setting.
    • The main characters (their names, who they are, and where they're located in the story)
    • The general plot of the series (including the setup, conflict, and climax)
    • The plot arc of most episodes (i.e., what the characters are going to be doing throughout the series)
  4. List each character and write a 1-2 sentence overview of who they are and their motivations. Keep the overviews brief and specific. Ask yourself: what makes these characters tick, and what makes them special? Unless it's important to the plot, never include physical details or casting preferences.
  5. If you're writing a drama, you might have 400-500 words each. Keep overviews of 30-minute episodes closer to 200-300 words.
  6. This will give the executives a chance to see how the show will play out, what each episode will look like, and an idea of the budget and characters in action.
    • If you're pitching a documentary-style reality series, film a short concept video of the cast and show it during your pitch meeting to help producers see the potential of the project. You can also use the video as an opportunity to highlight potential plot lines in the cast's lives.
  7. At the end of the day, the pitch document will not be on TV. Having a script to go with it means you can give someone the first episode, right off the bat, if they like the idea. That said, many ideas are sold solo and then a script is commissioned later. But this is more common if you are already established in Hollywood.
    • If you're unfamiliar with writing a TV script, learn how to write scripts on your own or through script-writing classes at your local community college.
    • Hay tells TV screenwriters who want to hone their craft to "read a lot of screenplays" by other writers (both professional and amateur ones) and think about the concept, but also the structure and plotting of that story, and whether or not it was successful at what it set out to do. [7]
    • Specialized script-writing software can make quick work of drafting a script. Movie Magic Screen Writer , Celtx , WriterDuet , and Final Draft are popular script writing tools in the industry.
  8. The document should be 3-10 pages with all of the parts in order. In order, you should have:
    • One-sheet (including your title, name, contact information, logline, and synopsis)
    • Series bible (including your character sheet, episode summary, and future seasons summary) [8]
    • Pilot script
  9. This will protect your intellectual property and give you time-stamped proof of creation. You may also wish to register your project online with the Creators Vault or file for copyright protection, though this is often overkill.
    • Registering with the WGA will cost just $20 ($10 at the WGA site if you are already a WGA member), and is considered the industry standard. The registered material is kept on file for five years, at which time you may renew. Terms may vary per service and site. [9]
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Section 4 of 4:

Developing a TV Show Concept

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  1. This is the basis of your show and almost every show in Hollywood. It's the idea that sets your work apart from the rest and makes it sellable. It can be as simple as "What if a documentary crew filmed a small paper company?" ( The Office ) or as dramatic as "What if a chemistry teacher started cooking meth?" ( Breaking Bad ).
    • Avoid weighing your "what if" premise down with a lot of subplots or other ideas yet. Just get the essence of your show on paper. Seinfeld , after all, was famously pitched as "What if we did a show about nothing?"
  2. Use "the trades," such as Deadline or Variety as well as social media platforms like Letterboxd to keep up to date about current Hollywood TV and streaming trends. These sources provide hints as to what executives are currently looking for to buy [10]
    • Write down names of production companies and networks attached to TV projects that are similar in genre and tone to yours. These are the names most likely to buy your work later.
  3. Genre is the type of show you're making, like a sitcom or a crime drama. Genre affects your show's atmosphere, tone, and writing style, as well as the audience's expectations for the plot. Hay advises learning about genre so you can discover the "types of things that sell well" in the television industry and create something that audiences will want to watch. [11]
    • There are a lot of nuances to choosing a genre, but when in doubt, look up the genres of your favorite shows for guidance. For example, Arrested Development is a single-camera sitcom, meaning there is no studio audience like there is in classic, multi-cam sitcoms such as Cheers. This difference, though subtle, makes a huge difference when pitching your show, because some networks only want certain genres and styles of shows.
  4. According to Hay, characters are just as important as the plot and structure of your show. [12] Create between 2-5 main characters, as any more become difficult to manage, with 7 main characters ( Community, most dramas) being the upper limit. Your characters should also embody these characteristics:
    • Round. Round characters have multiple facets and aren't just "an angry woman," or "a strong hero." They have strengths as well as weaknesses, and therefore they can grow and adapt as the series continues.
    • Desires and fears. A character's ability or inability to get over their fear (of being poor, of being alone, of space aliens, of spiders, etc.) drives their conflicts in each episode and helps the overarching plot of the series progress.
    • Agency. A good character makes choices that seem natural for their personality but still push the plot forward. They make mistakes, try and fix things, embrace the consequences, etc. because it's something their character would do, not something the writer needs them to do. [13]
  5. Development executives are the people who green-light new ideas, and they hear a lot of them. The best ideas, or at least the ones that get through, share a few traits:
    • Originality: Has this been seen before? Is it similar to anything else and, if so, is it different enough to stand on its own?
    • Projected Cost: Few studios will risk hundreds of millions of dollars on an unproven writer or filmmaker. It's difficult to sell big concepts like The Walking Dead when you just started working in TV because of the high financial risk involved.
    • A Screenplay/Proof of Concept: This means writing a treatment, script, and possibly even shooting some sketches. Your idea alone may get you in the door, but you need some work to prove to executives that the show is ready to greenlight. [14]
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TV Show Idea Template and Example

Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How can I write for television with no experience?
    Lucy V. Hay
    Professional Writer
    Lucy V. Hay is a Professional Writer based in London, England. With over 20 years of industry experience, Lucy is an author, script editor, and award-winning blogger who helps other writers through writing workshops, courses, and her blog Bang2Write. Lucy is the producer of two British thrillers, and Bang2Write has appeared in the Top 100 round-ups for Writer’s Digest & The Write Life and is a UK Blog Awards Finalist and Feedspot’s #1 Screenwriting blog in the UK. She received a B.A. in Scriptwriting for Film & Television from Bournemouth University.
    Lucy V. Hay
    Professional Writer
    Expert Answer
    Concentrate on making contacts for later while also working on your writing. Try following agents and production companies online, learning about the industry, and gaining an understanding of what the industry wants. Though the writing is important, so is the business. Think about creating entertainment that people want to see, and study things like target audience, genre, genre conventions, and the type of things that sell well versus what does not sell well.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    What makes a great script?
    Lucy V. Hay
    Professional Writer
    Lucy V. Hay is a Professional Writer based in London, England. With over 20 years of industry experience, Lucy is an author, script editor, and award-winning blogger who helps other writers through writing workshops, courses, and her blog Bang2Write. Lucy is the producer of two British thrillers, and Bang2Write has appeared in the Top 100 round-ups for Writer’s Digest & The Write Life and is a UK Blog Awards Finalist and Feedspot’s #1 Screenwriting blog in the UK. She received a B.A. in Scriptwriting for Film & Television from Bournemouth University.
    Lucy V. Hay
    Professional Writer
    Expert Answer
    Writing a great script for TV is the same as writing a great script for anything, whether it be a short film or a feature film. Make sure you have a great concept as well as a strong sense of structure and character. All of those need to be amazing in some way, as the competition is too stiff to rely on only one of those.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 3
  • Question
    Can I do this if I am a teenager?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    If your idea is good enough, they won't care what your age is. However, you will have to jump through a few contractual hoops an older person would not.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      Tips

      • Do research and come up with an idea that's original. People aren't going to accept ideas that have been used in films, books, or other shows.
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      • The more ideas and pitches you have, the better. Keep working on different ideas in similar genres so that you have a whole portfolio to pitch.
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      Warnings

      • Getting electronic proof of copy or WGA registration can help prevent someone from stealing your ideas.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.josephfinder.com/writers/tips/whats-a-hook-the-art-of-the-pitch/
      2. ↑ https://www.indiewire.com/article/how-to-develop-a-pitch-an-excerpt-from-the-hollywood-pitching-bible
      3. ↑ https://www.nfi.edu/logline-examples/
      4. ↑ https://hbr.org/2018/10/the-art-of-the-elevator-pitch
      5. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382932/
      6. ↑ https://www.nfi.edu/what-is-a-synopsis/
      7. ↑ Lucy V. Hay. Professional Writer. Expert Interview. 16 July 2019.
      8. ↑ https://www.writing.ie/resources/tv-treatments-what-they-are-and-why-you-need-one-part-1-of-2/
      9. ↑ https://www.wgawregistry.org/regdetails.aspx
      1. ↑ https://deadline.com/v/tv/
      2. ↑ Lucy V. Hay. Professional Writer. Expert Interview. 16 July 2019.
      3. ↑ Lucy V. Hay. Professional Writer. Expert Interview. 16 July 2019.
      4. ↑ https://terribleminds.com/ramble/2014/01/13/25-things-a-great-character-needs/
      5. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/writersroom/entries/e9f4db68-3ec3-4041-b67f-14841afc3de5

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      If you want to write and pitch an idea for a TV show, start by coming up with a catchy title that captures what your show is about. You should follow this up by writing a logline, which is a 2-3 sentence description of your show. Next, create a 300-500-word synopsis that provides an overview of the show, including things like the setting and plot. Additionally, make a character sheet with a summary of each character. Then, register your project with the Writers Guild of America to ensure copyright protection, and send it to your chosen TV channel. For tips on how to network with others to promote your show and how to put it on online databases, keep reading!

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