Over three decades, Riley helped generate more than $2.5 billion in sales through home shopping networks like QVC and HSN, as well as nearly 200 infomercials. Her work helped turn everyday products into major sellers by understanding what makes people connect, trust and eventually buy.

But in 2020, Riley made a major career shift. Instead of continuing to sell products on TV, she decided to teach others the skill that had shaped her success: how to pitch effectively.

She launched the Ultimate Pitch Academy, and the business grew quickly. Within nine months, it reached $1 million in revenue. Today, the company brings in millions of dollars each month and has trained more than 100,000 people, including entrepreneurs, executives and stay-at-home parents.

Riley’s journey into pitching started unexpectedly. As an actress, she once walked into an audition and saw a note asking her to “sell this pen.” At first, the task felt uncomfortable because she did not grow up wealthy and did not like the idea of selling. Instead of giving a basic sales pitch, she told a personal story about her mother writing her letters when she went to college at 15. That emotional approach caught the attention of Jake Steinfeld, who helped launch one of the early 24-hour fitness cable networks. He immediately recognized her talent.

From there, Riley began pitching all kinds of products on television, including fitness equipment, kitchen tools, whitening products and more. Over five years, she pitched around 1,500 products. She says many parts of modern influencer marketing can be traced back to the format they were building during that era.

Riley’s main belief is that a great pitch should never begin with the product. Instead, it should begin with the listener’s problem, desire or pain point. She teaches an eight-step system called the Ultimate Pitch Formula, which includes ideas like relatability, assumptions, the springboard story and the “question flip.”

The question flip is about asking a question that helps the listener recognize their own need. For example, instead of immediately promoting a weight-loss product, a person might ask whether someone would want fast results if it meant risking their long-term health. Once the listener agrees that they want a safer option, the person pitching can introduce the solution.

Riley says people often make the mistake of starting with their story or explaining every detail of their product too soon. In her view, the origin story should come later, after the listener is already interested. The first goal is to make the person feel understood.

She also teaches that a pitch should change depending on the audience. A consumer, investor, media outlet or potential partner all need different messages. A strong pitch requires understanding who the listener is, what they care about and what value they would receive.

During the pandemic, Riley’s business changed again. Her husband had been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, and the shutdowns created uncertainty around manufacturing her fitness product, SpinGym. Around that time, her 17-year-old daughter suggested that Riley start teaching pitching online. Her daughter, who had already learned how to build websites and had saved $100,000, helped launch the new business.

Their first webinar had only 25 people, but it brought in $25,000 overnight. After repeating the webinar a few more times, they made $100,000 in the first month.

For Riley, pitching is different from traditional selling. Selling often feels transactional, while pitching should feel helpful. When done well, the person being pitched may even say thank you because the solution feels valuable to them.

She believes many founders struggle because they spend too much time talking about themselves, their product or their company history. Instead, they should focus on the listener first. The biggest mistake, she says, is treating everyone the same and failing to read the room.

On QVC and HSN, Riley learned to adjust in real time. She would think carefully about who might be watching at a certain time of day and speak directly to those people. If sales numbers slowed down, she changed her approach. If they increased, she leaned further into what was working.

Riley also believes pitching is useful outside of business. She says people use pitching in networking, parenting, fundraising, job interviews and everyday communication. Even with her own kids, she used pitching instead of yelling. Rather than simply demanding that they clean their rooms, she would connect the task to something they wanted, like cookies or playing cards together.

Her overall message is simple: pitching is not about forcing people to buy something. It is about understanding what people want, helping them see the value in your solution and creating a win-win situation.

Riley believes pitching should be taught in schools because it affects so many areas of life. Whether someone wants to get a job, raise money, sell a product, build relationships or communicate better, she says learning how to pitch is one of the most valuable skills a person can develop.