No One Wants to Be Pitch Slapped: 5 Common Pitching Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
You know that feeling when a pitch goes sideways...
Eye contact gets weird.
Someone checks their watch.
You hear yourself talking, but even you aren’t buying it.
Yeah. That.
It’s not just nerves. It’s usually a crime—against clarity, structure, or the poor soul in the front row.
That's where Pitch Slapped enters the chat. It's our living, breathing thesaurus of pitching crimes and how to avoid them.
Here are 5 Pitch Slaps to avoid:
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1. DUMBCOMFORTABLE
That sinking feeling when you follow a killer pitch—and know you haven’t put in the work.
DITCH: Assuming you’ll “figure it out on the day” because you’ve done this before.
PITCH: Respect the room. Prep like it matters. Block out thinking time—not just delivery time.
WHY: The gap between average and excellent isn’t talent—it’s intention. When you underprepare, you undermine the value of your own idea.
TRY: Get time in your calendar today to think through your pitch’s core belief.
If it matters, prioritise. Then diarise.
2. COMPOSTER SYNDROME
The belief you have worked hard when really all you did was punch a few lazy questions into ChatGPT.
DITCH: Copy-paste content disguised as thinking.
PITCH: A hard-won idea with your fingerprints all over it.
WHY: If it didn’t cost you anything to land the insight, it probably won’t move anyone either. Audiences feel the difference between repurposed and earned.
TRY: Use AI to challenge your thinking:
“What part of my pitch am I too close to see clearly?”
Then close the tab—and wrestle with the real work.
The insights are in the struggle. Do the work. Don’t recycle it.
3. EGOSYSTEM
What every pitch does well to navigate.
DITCH: Kicking off with your background, brilliance, and backstory.
PITCH: Their challenge, clearly solved by your work.
WHY: A missionary pitch isn’t a TED Talk. Authority isn’t claimed—it’s earned by proving you get their world better than anyone else in the room.
TRY: Use language in your next pitch like:
“The real challenge here isn’t [surface issue]—it’s [underlying belief shift].”
Your memoir is not their moment.
4. RAMBULANCE
What you call in when your pitch has no structure and you’re bleeding clarity.
DITCH: Winging it with a stream of smart-sounding thoughts.
PITCH: Use a clear structure that builds belief—like the Outcomes Pyramid.
WHY: No matter how sharp your insights are, if your audience can’t follow, they won’t buy in. Confusion kills confidence.
TRY: Before you walk into the room, know your outcomes pyramid. If someone interrupted you mid-pitch, could you pick it back up without losing the thread? If not—you're not ready.
Structure isn't optional—it's a pitch saver.
5. ROUTCOME
When you missed the mark completely.
DITCH: Building the pitch before doing your homework.
PITCH: Start with reconnaissance—interviews, intel, and inside insight.
WHY: If you skip the scoping, you may solve the wrong problem. And no one buys a solution to something they don’t care about.
TRY: Pressure-test your pitch with a trusted insider. Ask: “What’s the real blocker here?” If your pitch doesn’t speak to that—don’t pitch yet.
Time in reconnaissance is seldom wasted.
Save it. Share it. Dodge the pitch slap.