How To Get On Shark Tank In 2 Months
How To Get On Shark Tank In 2 Months
I stood in line with 500 other entrepreneurs for nine hours at an open call audition for Shark Tank in New York on April 9th. I pitched my business in front of Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, and Robert Herjavec in Hollywood on June 24th. I am now going to air on ABC’s Shark Tank on Friday, January 29th at 9:00PM!
Many entrepreneurs have tried for years to get on Shark Tank. Here’s how I was able to do it in just 76 days.
(1) Open Call Audition Giveaway
The open call casting directors are Shark Tank’s gatekeepers. And you only have 60 seconds to impress them. Because I run a service-based company, I didn’t have a product to show during my 1-minute open call pitch. The casting producer seemed unimpressed during my pitch, but at the end I gave him a copy of my #1 bestselling SAT book that students use in our prep classes — his eyes lit up! He seemed more impressed with the physical book than anything in my pitch. Give away something memorable, preferably at the end of your open call pitch!
(2) Be Entertaining on Video
Remember that Shark Tank is a TV show for entertainment. You could have the best business in the world, but if you’re boring on camera, you’re not going to be invited to pitch the Sharks. To decide whether you’re good for TV, Shark Tank producers will ask you to submit a 5-10 minute video clip pitching your business after you have passed through to the next round. Being entertaining for an introverted perfect SAT score student like myself can be a challenge. But for my pitch video, I tried my best. For example, here was one funny line:
“So I’m an Indian-American who got a perfect score on the SAT, got straight A’s, my parents own both a gas station and motel (yes “Patel Motel” is a thing), and I’m in med school to become a doctor. So I’m pretty much every Indian stereotype rolled into one.”
(3) Write to a Stranger
The written application is no joke. It’s 20+ pages of questions that ask you detailed questions about your business. And Shark Tank producers read every word. There is likely so much you want to tell the Shark Tank producers. Although you may know everything about your business or product, remember that the person reading your application knows nothing. So think of what a stranger would want to know about your business first. Include that information in the response to the first question. What would a stranger want to know next? Include that information in the response to the next question. Repeat this process until you have conveyed everything you want to about your business in a logical order.
2400 Expert airs on ABC’s Shark Tank on Friday, January 29th at 9:00PM. Enter Our $100,000 SAT Prep Course Giveaway & Join Our Online Viewing Party Here. Share this post on Facebook/Twitter to help us break the record for most viewers of all-time for any Shark Tank episode: 8.6 million. #breaktherecord
(Photo Credit: Disney | ABC Television Group / Flickr)
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How To Get On Shark Tank FAQ
Who do you have to first meet when getting onto Shark Tank?
The open call casting directors are Shark Tank’s gatekeepers. And you only have 60 seconds to impress them.
How can I better impress the casting directors?
Give away something memorable, preferably at the end of your open call pitch!
What’s the next important step for getting onto the show?
Remember that Shark Tank is a TV show for entertainment. You could have the best business in the world, but if you’re boring on camera, you’re not going to be invited to pitch the Sharks. To decide whether you’re good for TV, Shark Tank producers will ask you to submit a 5-10 minute video clip pitching your business after you have passed through to the next round.
How can I be successful in the application process?
The written application is no joke. It’s 20+ pages of questions that ask you detailed questions about your business. And Shark Tank producers read every word. There is likely so much you want to tell the Shark Tank producers. Although you may know everything about your business or product, remember that the person reading your application knows nothing. So think of what a stranger would want to know about your business first.