Do you have an invention that is ready for prime time? Have you ever heard of the Snuggie, Total Gym or Ped Egg? All three were mega hit infomercial products and inventions that generated hundreds of millions in sales making their creators very rich in the process (Total Gym generated over a billion in sales).
If you are an inventor with a great product invention that solves a real problem, appeals to the masses and is highly demonstrable, the “As Seen On TV” / infomercial industry may be the way to go. The challenge is convincing one of the industry companies to take a shot at market success with your product.
If and when you have a chance to meet and pitch your product invention to an As Seen On TV company, here are a few tips to consider.
Tips for Pitching your “As Seen on TV” Invention
- Understand the DRTV Industry. Take the time to learn what a company is looking for in a new product so that you can position your product to meet their needs. In general, companies are looking for products that solve a common problem, demonstrate well, have mass consumer appeal, sell at 5 times the cost to produce and add value or improve the quality of life.
- When it’s time to pitch, hit the pavement running! Get immediately to the value your invention holds for the consumer. What does your product do and what exactly does it do for the consumer? The company does not want to hear a long-winded story about how you came up with the idea. They review far too many products for that and their time is valuable.
- Great TV products are highly demonstrable so show that yours is too. Your demo should include the “wow factor”, some feature that really impresses your audience. Remember, the goal of an infomercial is to motivate the viewer to pick up the phone or go online and order your product. Your demo must be compelling.
- Convince them that your product has what it takes to sell on TV. If you’ve done your homework in step #1, this should be easy. Tell them the information that you discovered while doing your homework that are good selling points. Note, just because your family and friends love the product does not mean the mass market will too, so be careful referencing those close to you as good research.
- Accept feedback with a positive attitude even if it feels like criticism to you. Companies tend to shy away from “difficult inventors” that are highly sensitive to their product suggestions. Offer to give them a sample/prototype or ship one to them. Don’t leave without finding out what the next step is. Thank them for the opportunity and ask when you might expect to hear from them again. Each company has their own internal product review process that lasts from a few days to several months.
Note: The 2014 DRTV Product Summit provides inventors with a chance to pitch directly to 6 of the leading As Seen On TV companies. Each inventor receives 10 minutes with each of the 6 companies attending the summit. Submit your idea to the DRTV Product Summit Today.
If your idea is not ready to submit or you need patenting or marketing help, contact InventionHome at 1-866-844-6512.
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