I often state that for innovators, there's not much difference between strategy and marketing, if any at all. Β Mostly, innovators don't have much time or bandwidth to get early adopters on board, so they must be practical about what they want to communicate. In my book, it should always be about the problem they solve or their added value (rarely, if ever, their product or technology).

And no, this is not so easy. Worse, the ways to get there might seem unbelievably numerous and complex. But they aren't. Β 

From the earliest to the latest stages of innovation, from the most aspirational to the most tangible forms of pitches, here are the eight most reliable pitch strategies I would suggest:

1. Vision of the Future

Required product readiness: πŸ”΄πŸ”˜πŸ”˜πŸ”˜πŸ”˜

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Present a vision of the future as an enticing open world of new possibilities.
Mastodon (Twitter alternative)
Lemonade (online insurance)
OpenAI (artificial intelligence software)

Use cases:

  • Moonshot technologies and early-stage ventures working on deeptech.
  • Technology platforms without a clear idea of what will be the first product to connect with the market.
  • Targeting very early adopters without having to unveil a finished solution.

Potential downside: