All Collections
Filmmakers - Listing & Managing Your Projects
Assembling Your Team
How to write a strong query to someone who matches with your project
How to write a strong query to someone who matches with your project

What to say when you send interest to a opportunity match

Mary C. avatar
Written by Mary C.
Updated over a week ago

When an opportunity you've created matches with another member's interests, Slated alerts you both of this match. The person you've been matched with likely hasn't viewed your project page yet, but their profile indicates they're open to projects just like yours. Now what?

Use the "Send Interest" button on the Matches for Your Projects page, or the "Message" button at the top of a member's profile page to start a conversation and see if the member is interested in learning more about your project.

DO:

  • Keep it short and sweet! No more than 4-5 sentences.

  • Lead with any financing or talent you already in place. Otherwise, tell them what makes your project special.

  • Tell them about your past success as a filmmaker (have you directed commercials, produced films before, placed in major competitions, etc?).

  • Make it clear why you're reaching out to them in particular. It's best if you've actually seen and like their past projects.

  • Close by offering to share your script, teaser, pitch deck, or rough cut.

DON'T:

  • Include long summaries of the plot. At most, you should share the genre and a very condensed logline/pitch.

  • Write generalized pitches that look like they've been copy/pasted a million times. If it's not worth your time to customize a short message, it's not worth their time to respond.

  • Be overly familiar or goofy in your query. Professional, succinct, and polite is the way to go.

Here are some examples:

Example#1 - Directors seeking talent

"Hi ____, Slated surfaced you as a potential match for our film, and we're fans of your work on _______. Our project, _____________ is a horror-comedy about ________________. As a writing/directing team, we've done commercial and narrative work for companies like Apple and Comedy Central. Our short film _____, has over 1M views on Vimeo. We'd love to share the script and our directors' reel if you're interested in learning more. Thanks!"

Example #2 - Producer seeking investor

Slated surfaced you as a match for my project, _____. Currently, we have raised $____ in soft money, have ___ secured for the lead role, and have ____ selling worldwide. We'd love to share the script and estimates with you if you'd be interested. Thanks!

Example #3 - Writer seeking producer

Hi ____, Slated surfaced you as a match for my project, _____, a sweeping romance about ___________ that received a ___ Script Score last week. As a writer, I've had several scripts optioned to companies like ____, and recently placed in the Nicholl semifinals. I'm a big fan of your film, ______ and would be honored to share our script and pitch deck with you. Thanks!

Did this answer your question?