A few weeks ago I put out a call for loglines and short film scripts. 67 pitches later, I’ve done a round up of the 8 most important tips to remember when you’re contacting potential producing partners

1: Send them *exactly* what they asked for

There were plenty of people who sent me full scripts when I’d specifically asked for the logline

No matter how good the script was, I always turned those people down

Read more: Reasons I turned down short film scripts this week

2: Do your research

It pays to do even 10 mins of research before you email someone. Mention the trailer of their most recent film, mention any mutual contacts or any institutions you’ve both studied at

The other person will always be more open to speaking with you if you have something in common

Read more: My second year as a film festival judge: what’s changed

3: Skip the fancy fonts

They don’t make you stand out. They just make it harder for the other person to read your email

And if it’s hard to read, they’ll skim or skip it

4: Follow up if you don’t hear anything after 2 weeks

I didn’t manage to get back to everyone within 2 weeks, simply because of the sheer volume of emails and messages

A quick ‘Hi, I just wanted to double check you got my last email?’ is actually fairly helpful (as long as you’re not too pushy about it)

Read more: Why producers aren’t replying to you (don’t make these 5 mistakes)

5: Always ask first if they’re currently looking for projects

Even though I’d asked people to send me loglines, I appreciated the ones who emailed me 1-2 weeks later saying they’d just seen my post, and ‘are you still looking for projects?’

It shows a level of consideration for the other person which marks you as a great person to potentially work with

Read more: The Basics: 3 Essentials for Making Your Own Films

6: Check your email address

I’ve seen my fair share of nickname-style email addresses and it never creates a good first impression

You don’t necessarily have to pay for a domain email address, but at least make it as professional as possible

7: Make it clear why you’re contacting them specifically

Yes I said ‘send me loglines’, but the emails and the people that got the best response from me weren’t the emails that just contained loglines (yes that’s what some people sent me – a logline in an email and nothing else)

Do a quick intro paragraph of ‘I saw your post on so-and-so and wanted to send over …’

Read more: 6 steps to get producers asking for your script

8: Only contact them on one platform

Don’t email them, and then PM them on Facebook to say you’ve emailed them – you’re just creating double the work for them

Read more: What to do when film producers don’t accept unsolicited scripts