How to be memorable without taking your clothes off

Last weekend I went to my favourite creative event of the year; Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

If you’ve never been, you MUST go! Every August, Edinburgh explodes with creativity. From clowning to comedy to cabaret, you can find every type of performer in one of the pubs, theatres or STREETS of Edinburgh.

Last year I had the pleasure of working at the Pleasance which is one of the biggest venues at the Fringe. This year I returned as an enthusiastic audience member with the two friends I made working there.

Being around so much creativity and seeing so many story-tellers also made me reflect on what makes a show REALLY memorable.

There’s a lot to be learned from the fearless performers at Fringe on how to be memorable when it comes to pitching your business.

It’s a saturated market out there in the small business world. Being able to stand out from the crowd is crucial, because if people remember you they will be more likely to reach out and use your services.

Here are 3 tips taken from my inspiration at Fringe that you can use to make your pitch more memorable.

Do the unexpected

No I do NOT mean take your clothes off (unless you really want to and you run a business for nudists).

I watched a show that involved 4 people running on treadmills while completing tasks such as cooking pasta and playing the piano for a WHOLE HOUR. It was exhausting to watch BUT it was very memorable.

I recently went to a networking meeting where people brought props. One woman showed two bras as a way of demonstrating the support she gives her clients. It was unexpected, it was funny, and guess what - it was memorable.

Think of how you could break the mould of how you usually pitch.

Be 110% yourself

I saw a comedian who wore a three-piece suit and talked very candidly about having autism. Not what you might expect from comedy but it worked because he was being 110% himself.

I often hear clients saying, “I don’t want to put people off!”. When you try to please everybody, you please nobody. The clients who are right for you will be drawn to you because they like YOU not someone you are trying to be.

I spoke to a woman recently who is a dance teacher. Her energy, even online, is infectious. I suggested that she use this strength to her advantage and try giving her pitch while standing up so she could use her energy to help grab people’s attention.

Reflect on something you are already brilliant at and how you can use it to your advantage.

Use a catch phrase

Over the weekend, me and my friends kept saying, “Big heart!” and “Do it for the memoir!”. These were two phrases from shows that stuck in our minds that are now our own catchphrases.

My clients often struggle to explain what they do in one sentence and end up trying to pack every single thing they do into one breath.

My client Sharon uses the phrase “uncork your potential” in her pitch. I love this phrase. The word uncork makes me think of champagne bottles and it’s a word that I rarely hear.

Try writing one line that summarises the outcome of what you do and have fun with the language. You can explain the detail of what you do on a discovery call.

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The beauty of a pitch is that it is yours to play with. There’s lots of ways to be more memorable, so enjoy the process of experimenting with how to make yours stand out from the crowd - without taking your clothes off.

For more advice and insights on how to be memorable when presenting, please sign up to my newsletter, Present with Grace.