Mike Verret last joined the show in 2021, back when it was still finding its way under a different name. He's back with a sharper, more focused message: the reason most pitches, whether for a speaking gig, a podcast guest slot, or a networking room, fall flat isn't the words. It's that the person pitching is thinking like a business when the person listening is thinking like a human.
Mike spent fourteen years in advertising and agency work before six years on-site at Hasbro Toys, where his job flipped from "think like the audience" to "think like the business," and back again once they discovered he could actually talk to a room. That whiplash is where his framework comes from.
In this episode, John and Mike cover why an "I help" statement is the fastest way to sound like everyone else on LinkedIn, how to turn an elevator pitch into an eight-floor conversation instead of a monologue, why the order you deliver information in matters more than the information itself, and why AI-written pitches are becoming easier, not harder, for audiences to spot. Mike also shares the Hasbro Monopoly Cheaters Edition story: a single audience insight and three slides that sold 500,000 units.
If you've ever frozen up trying to explain what you do in under thirty seconds, or wondered why your polished LinkedIn "I help" line isn't landing bookings, this one's for you.
Guest: Mike Verret, founder of Pitch Lab, former agency and Hasbro Toys communications director.
Connect with Mike: linkedin.com/in/mike-verret
Pitch Lab (membership, founding rate $99/month for the first 30 members) connect with Mike on LinkedIn to find out more.
Want to check out my chat with Mike from 5 or so years ago? https://player.captivate.fm/episode/5d6eb0be-87a4-427c-b568-7ff34507c7e5/
CHAPTERS
00:00 Business vs Human Pitch
00:35 Meet Mike Verret
04:02 Hasbro Pitch Lessons
06:27 Instant Audience Connection
10:52 Set Expectations Fast
12:23 Pitching Speaking Gigs
14:43 Ditch the I Help
17:11 Practice for Authenticity
18:46 AI Voice Pitfalls
24:51 Order Beats Content
26:34 Taming the What Ifs
28:46 Stop Catastrophizing
29:30 Emotion Beats Logic
30:03 Curiosity And Closure
30:17 Rethinking Elevator Pitches
31:42 Eight Floor Pitch Framework
34:21 Benefits And Proof
36:11 Fixing Bad Guest Pitches
40:04 New Offers Pitch Lab
43:53 Think Like A Human
45:57 Monopoly Cheaters Edition
48:18 How To Connect
50:38 Wrap Up And Next Episodes
FAQ Section
Why do most professional speakers' pitches sound the same? Most speakers pitch from a business mindset rather than a human one. They lead with credentials, services, or an "I help X achieve Y" statement, all of which are common phrasing patterns that blend into every other pitch an audience or booker has already heard.
What's wrong with the "I help" statement in a LinkedIn bio or pitch? The "I help" opening, sometimes called StoryBrand Mad Libs, is one of the most common ways professionals open a pitch, which means it carries no differentiation. Using verbs like "I guide" or "I assist," or reframing the sentence around the audience's outcome rather than the speaker's service, creates more distinctiveness.
Is the elevator pitch still relevant for professional speakers? Yes, but not as a scripted monologue. An effective elevator pitch is structured as a conversation with predictable stages: what you do, who you help, how you help them, the benefit to them, and proof it works. Each stage should prompt the listener to ask a follow-up question rather than switch off.
Why do audiences disengage from AI-written pitches and bios? Audiences increasingly recognise AI-generated phrasing, including consistent cadence and punctuation patterns such as em dashes. Once a listener or reader identifies content as AI-written, their engagement and trust in it drops, even if the underlying information came from the person themselves.
What causes stage fright before a pitch or presentation? Pre-presentation anxiety is often driven by catastrophic "what if" thinking: imagining unlikely negative outcomes before speaking. Naming this pattern and consciously redirecting attention toward likely positive audience responses reduces its grip.
Why does the order of information matter in a pitch? A pitch organised in the order the speaker's business thinks in (services first, credentials first) rarely matches the order an audience needs to understand and retain it. Presenting connection, then problem, then process, then benefit, then proof follows how a listener processes new information, which increases retention.
Are you a speaker who wants to be better known, more booked and paid what you're worth? The Known, Booked & Paid Blueprint might be just the ticket. Check out our founding member offer: https://presentinfluence.com/kbpb
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For speaking enquiries or to connect with me, you can email john@presentinfluence.com or find me on LinkedIn
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Mentioned in this episode:
The Known, Booked & Paid Blueprint (Founding cohort)
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