The clip that closed a $35K deal

I sent one email last month I want to tell you about.

A founder I'd been talking to went quiet on me back in February.

Then a client of ours sent over their latest TV clip.

And it reminded me of a play we'd been running for our e-commerce clients for months: sending media clips into dead pipelines.

So I tried it on myself.

I copied the link, opened that February email thread and wrote one line:

"Small update — we just did this. Thought you'd want to see it."

That was the whole email.

The reply came back the next morning:

"Wait, I didn't realize you were such a big deal. Sorry I went dark. I've got your proposal in front of me. Let's talk."

I'd written that deal off.

The clip walked it back from the dead.

Let me show you three plays that get you paid from one piece of media.

Play #1: The stalled-deal revive

This is the one I just ran on myself.

Pull twenty prospects who went dark.

Open the thread and send the clip with one short line:

"Quick update — we just did this. Thought it might land at a better time."

The proposal sitting in their drive that felt risky last month suddenly feels safe.

Our e-commerce clients have closed five-figure deals doing this in the $25K to $35K range.

Play #2: The investor-deck weapon

If you're raising, or you ever might raise, your media coverage belongs in the deck.

I had a client at Coya Therapeutics use TV appearances in conversations around their $26.5M raise.

I'm not claiming we closed the round.

I'm saying that when an investor is deciding whether to trust a team, a 90-second NBC clip does more work than any slide you can build.

A 30-second clip of you on TV, speaking with authority about your own market, changes the temperature of the room in a way a wall of customer logos never will.

Play #3: The partnership reopener

You have a list of people you've been meaning to reconnect with:

Send the clip:

"Hey, I know it's been a while. Wanted you to see what we've been building. Coffee in the next few weeks?"

The clip does what a cold catch-up email can never do.

It gives the other person a reason to feel proud they know you.

The throughline across all three plays.

You stop selling and let the clip do it. Your only job is putting it in the right inbox.

Your takeaway for this week: Take your last decent piece of media - ideally one link with one clip. Send it to ten people from a dead conversation: a few stalled prospects, a skeptical investor, an old partner who went cold. See what comes back.

Problem: You've got a pipeline full of warm prospects who stopped replying. You've already followed up two or three times. Another "checking in" email feels weak. And is.

Tactic: Use your most recent media clip as the new reason to write. The clip resets the conversation. You're not chasing them. You're updating them.

Message #1: The clean drop (Day 0)

Open the original thread with one line:

"Quick update — we just did this. Thought you'd want to see it." [clip link]

Send to twenty dead prospects in 30 minutes.

Message #2: The soft reopen (Day 5)

Reply on the same thread with:

"No need to reply to the last one, just saw this come out and your name came to mind. Curious if [their specific use case] is still on your radar this quarter."

Message #3: The dignified close (Day 12)

"Last note from me on this thread. If the timing isn't right, totally understand. The clip's there if you ever want to forward it to someone on your team. Will keep you on the list for when we have other things worth sharing."

You stay in the picture without begging.

And the door stays wide open if the timing changes.

Four ways to land coverage this month. We'll start with our own.

What: We host the Thought Leaders America podcast. We sit down with founders and dig into how they built real authority. We're booking guests right now.

Who it’s for: Founders with a sharp opinion, a good story, or a lesson learned the hard way.

Deadline: Rolling. Free — it's our show.

How to get on: Reply to this email with the word PODCAST and one line on what you'd talk about. If it's a fit, we'll set it up.

What: Free journalist-to-expert platform. Clean interface. 24–48 hour reply windows.

Who it's for: Any founder with a sharp angle on a current story.

Deadline: Rolling.

Link: qwoted.com

What: Peter Shankman built this after Cision sunset the original HARO. Free email digest with journalist requests, up to three times a day. Nearly 40,000 members since 2024. Cleaner signal than the bigger platforms because the founder still curates it personally.

Who it's for: Any founder who wants journalist queries hitting the inbox without a paywall.

Deadline: Rolling.

Link: sourceofsources.com

What: TED's standing open call for new speakers. Submissions reviewed year-round. Long shot, but real.

Who it's for: Founders with one big idea they've never given a stage to.

Deadline: Rolling.

Link: ted.com/participate/nominate

Media Coaching — Pro coaching so you nail every interview, every time — on camera, on mic, on stage. We turn measured experts into bookable voices.

TV Appearances — Get booked on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and more with our done-for-you placement service.

Podcast Booking — We book you on 4+ top-rated podcasts every month so you build authority on autopilot.

Custom Research Studies — We create original research that turns you into the expert the media calls first.

Book a call with us → thoughtleadersamerica.com/book

Know a brilliant founder who freezes on camera?

Forward this. They'll thank you.

— Dom