Roma Singhal · pitch strategist · Sydney and remote across APAC
Pitch strategy for agencies
Win more pitches with a sharper strategic answer. I help creative, design, digital and PR agencies crack the prospective client’s real problem, find the insight and build the strategic idea the creative work answers, then shape it into a pitch story the client remembers.
What is pitch strategy?
Pitch strategy is the strategic thinking behind an agency’s new-business pitch. It answers the questions every client is really asking: do you understand our business, have you found something true about our customers, and is your idea the right one to solve our problem? Great creative work wins pitches, but it wins far more often when it answers a sharp strategy.
Many agencies bring in a senior pitch strategist for one to three weeks to lead this thinking alongside their team, especially when their own strategists are stretched across client work.
Where I help in a pitch
Decode the brief
What the client asked for, what they actually need, and the business problem behind both.
Category and competitor scan
Where the category is heading, what competitors own and the white space your idea can take.
Consumer and cultural insight
A human truth that reframes the problem and gives the creative team somewhere new to go.
The strategic idea
The platform or positioning the creative work answers, written so it is easy to remember and hard to argue with.
The creative brief
A single-minded brief that gets the team to great ideas faster.
The pitch story
The argument and flow of the pitch, so strategy and creative land as one clear story.
How a pitch strategy sprint works
- Brief decode: a working session with your pitch team to agree the real problem and early hypotheses.
- Immersion and insight: desk research, data, social listening and conversations with real customers where time allows.
- Strategy: the insight, strategic idea and creative brief, shared early so the creative team can start.
- Pitch story: the strategic chapters of the deck, the flow of the argument and the proof points.
- Rehearsal: pressure-testing the story and preparing for the client’s hardest questions.
A sprint usually runs over one to three weeks, sized to the pitch. For agencies with a busy new-business pipeline, a fractional strategy director can lead every pitch.
Why bring in an independent pitch strategist?
- Senior thinking, fast: 20+ years of brand and creative strategy across Sydney, Singapore and Mumbai, with an EFFIE Gold.
- Fresh eyes: an outside view of the client’s category and your agency’s story.
- No extra overhead: add strategy muscle for the pitch, without a permanent hire.
- Experience across categories and markets, from food and drink to technology, finance and purpose-led brands, across AUNZ, APAC, ASEAN, MENA and India.
“I had the pleasure of working with her on a cultural insighting project, and the insights she provided were both refreshing and invaluable. … Her findings significantly enriched our new business pitch, equipping us to engage in intelligent and meaningful conversations with the client.”
Lachlan Gill, Founder, Seen Agency
EFFIE Gold winner · EFFIE Australia judge · 20+ years at Ogilvy, McCann, BBDO and Publicis Groupe
Pitch strategy: FAQs
What does a pitch strategist do?
A pitch strategist leads the strategic thinking in a new-business pitch: decoding the brief, finding the insight, building the strategic idea and briefing the creative team, then shaping the strategy into the pitch story.
When should we bring in a pitch strategist?
As early as possible, ideally as soon as you receive the brief. The strategy shapes everything that follows, so starting early saves creative time later.
Can you work alongside our own strategists?
Yes. I can lead the strategy or support your team’s thinking, depending on who you have and how busy they are.
Do you work on pitches outside Australia?
Yes. I work remotely with agencies across AUNZ, APAC, ASEAN, MENA and India, and bring market knowledge from Sydney, Singapore and Mumbai.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes. Pitches are confidential, and confidentiality is standard in my work.
Got a pitch coming up?
Tell me about the brief and your timeline, and we will work out how I can help you win it.