Pre-recorded 60-Second Pitch

As an abstract author, you are required to pre-record a 60-second pitch for your abstract to be played at the conference. These pitches will be broadcasted in a session immediately before your abstract's corresponding poster session, but will also be viewable to attendees asynchronously. The goal of your pitch is to advertise your work, including its potential impact, so more attendees are interested in visiting your poster.

Important Information

• Submit your 60-second pitch on this submission link.
• Pitch Submission Deadline: January 18th, 4pm E.T.
• Check your assigned abstract number here.

Prepare your Pitch

A pre-recorded 60-second pitch has many possibilities; we encourage authors to make their pitches as exciting and engaging as possible. The audience will be viewing several 60-second pitches back-to-back, so be creative and make yours stand out! Pitches will be judged based on clarity, engagement, and originality for prizes. Some past winning pitches have also incorporated comedy. A template is provided as an attachment at the bottom of this page.

Length: up to 60 seconds
Template: All pitches must use the provided template. PowerPoint-style pitches must use this template throughout the entire pitch, but alternative-style pitches may elect to use it as only a title slide.
Text: All pitches must contain fewer than 20 words of written text (not including title, authors, and sponsors). Less is more!
Video thumbnail or photo: Your pitch must include either your video thumbnail throughout the pitch or a still headshot on the title slide.

Tips for a Successful Pitch

• Your goal is to pique the audience’s interest, not to teach the audience about your work (you don’t have time for that). Highlight the importance of the problem you’re solving and the impact of your solution.
• Target a very broad audience. Make your pitch accessible for someone with some “distance” — outside of your research group, but within the field. You can find trained experts with appropriate “distance” at the EECS Communication Lab.
• The first and last sentences are golden opportunities that are usually wasted. Avoid starting by introducing yourself and reading the title of your entry; instead start strong by telling the audience about a problem they (should) care about. Avoid ending with “come to my poster # XX”; instead, end with a sentence that highlights the impact of your work.
• Polish your pitch before recording. A well-polished pitch will be much more engaging to the audience than reading a script.
• Consider strategic use of visual and sound effects that may not be feasible for live pitches.

Record your Pitch

We recommend recording your pitch using Zoom's local recording feature.

Format: MP4
Resolution: > 1080p HD
Bit rate: < 1 mbps
File size: < 10 MB

If you are having trouble meeting these format requirements, please email jjpatil[at]mit[dot]edu to see if your format can be accommodated.

Upload your pitch

Naming: Please use the following naming convention: "Session#.Presentation#_pitch.mp4" (ex: 6.08_pitch.mp4). Please check your assigned presentation number here.

Upload link: Upload your pitch to this submission link by Tuesday January 18, 2022.