Stop using the same slide deck for every prospect. Here is how to tailor the CTV narrative to the specific business needs of your client.
One of the most common mistakes agencies make when selling Connected TV (CTV) is relying on a generic "TV is great" pitch.
They talk about "cord-cutters" and "streaming growth" to everyone.
While those macro trends are true, they don't solve specific business problems. A local car dealership has entirely different anxieties than a national e-commerce skincare brand. If you pitch them the same way, you will lose one of them.
To increase your close rate, you need to pivot the narrative based on the client's primary objective.
Here are the three most common client archetypes and the specific CTV Positioning Strategy for each.
1. The D2C Growth Brand (E-Commerce)
The Client's Problem: "Social Saturation."
This client lives in Meta Ads Manager. They have scaled their spend to $50k or $100k/month, but their efficiency is dropping. They are hitting the "audience ceiling," simply showing the same ads to the same people more often.
The Wrong Pitch: "TV is great for brand awareness."
Why it fails: This client hates "awareness." They want sales. They fear that TV is a black hole where money goes to die.
The Winning Pitch: "Incremental Reach."
Position CTV as the solution to social fatigue. Explain that there is a massive segment of their target audience that is not scrolling Instagram but is watching 3 hours of streaming content a day.
The Hook: "You have maxed out your social audience. CTV allows us to reach the 'unreachables,' the fresh prospects who aren't seeing your Facebook ads, and lower your Blended CPA."
2. The Local Business (Service & Retail)
The Client's Problem: "Wasteful Spend."
This is the lawyer, the HVAC company, or the auto group. They may have tried local cable TV or broadcast radio before and felt like they were "spraying and praying," paying to reach the whole city when they only serve a 10-mile radius.
The Wrong Pitch: "Advanced Programmatic Algorithms."
Why it fails: It sounds expensive and over-complicated.
The Winning Pitch: "The Zero-Waste Radius."
Focus entirely on Geography and Precision. Explain that unlike cable, where they pay for every subscriber in the DMA (Designated Market Area), CTV allows them to target only the specific zip codes that matter.
The Hook: "Stop paying for eyeballs that can't drive to your store. With CTV, we draw a digital fence around your service area. If a household isn't in your zip code, our ad doesn't play. It is the precision of direct mail with the power of television."
3. The B2B or High-Ticket Service
The Client's Problem: "Trust & Authority."
This is the SaaS company, the financial advisor, or the luxury real estate firm. Their sales cycle is long. They don't need impulse clicks; they need to be seen as a legitimate market leader so that their cold calls get answered.
The Wrong Pitch: "Low CPMs and Cheap Traffic."
Why it fails: Cheapness signals low quality. This client wants prestige.
The Winning Pitch: "The Legitimacy Leap."
Focus on the "Big Screen Effect." Explain that seeing a brand on a TV screen (alongside premium content like sports or news) triggers a psychological trust signal that a LinkedIn ad cannot replicate.
The Hook: "We use CTV to 'warm up' the room. By the time your sales team makes contact, the prospect already recognizes you as a major player because they saw you on their living room TV last night. We aren't just buying views; we are buying authority."
Summary: Match the Narrative
Before you open your slide deck, ask yourself: What is this client actually afraid of?
Client Type | Their Fear | Your Keyword | The Core Promise |
|---|---|---|---|
D2C Brand | Rising CPA | Incrementality | "We find new customers." |
Local Biz | Wasted Budget | Geo-Fencing | "We only target neighbors." |
B2B / High-Ticket | Being Ignored | Authority | "We make you look big." |
By aligning your CTV pitch with their specific anxiety, you move from being a vendor selling "ad inventory" to a partner solving a business problem.