Examples of Elevator pitches and How It Can Prove to Be a Game Changer

Let us get one thing straight to understand the concept of elevator pitch examples.

 

You may be connecting with a prospect for the very first time. Then you should never paste your elevator pitch into your email. You should also not say it as soon as they pick up the phone. That never works. 

 

This is because you sound like a salesperson trying to sell them. This makes the modern buyer run for the hills.

 

So when are elevator pitches compelling? Situations when you are talking to a stranger, and they ask, “What do you do?” or “Where do you work?”. 

 

Then, you need a short, snappy, easy-to-grasp explanation. It will give a clear picture of your company and its products. The person you are speaking with might turn out to be a perfect fit — or know someone who is.

 

So, what exactly is an elevator pitch?

 

In a nutshell, it is just what it sounds like: a short, 30-60 second well-crafted business pitch telling someone who you are and why they should want to hire you.

 

It is called the elevator pitch because it is meant to represent the amount of time you would have if you were stuck in an elevator with someone.

 

This guide will show you what an elevator pitch is and when to use it. It will give you step-by-step instructions on how to nail your elevator pitch in every situation.

 

We will show you how to write a universal elevator pitch you can later adjust. You will even find elevator pitch examples for various scenarios.

 

Benefits of Elevator Pitches

It is a Twitter version of your business proposal. You may use more than 140 characters to communicate your ideas during a 30-second elevator ride; however, do not share more than three tweets’ worth of information in “first contact” situations.

 

Because the average English word has 4.5 characters (5.5 with spaces), a 140 character tweet equals roughly 25 words.

 

Most people speak 120-200 words per minute; use a comprehensible 75 words (slightly slower than the average speaking speed) in your 30-second elevator pitch.

 

Speaking slowly (while still showing your passion for the subject) demonstrates confidence and competence.

 

Do not just wing it and stumble your way through a rambling, improvised elevator speech the next time you get a chance to speak with an industry influencer.

 

Create and practice your elevator pitches right away–you never know when you will run into that next ample opportunity.

 

How to Create an Effective Elevator Pitch

 

 

Your elevator pitch should answer the following questions:

 

• Who are you?
• What do you do?
• So, what is your value proposition?
• Also, what is your Call to Action?

 

1. Start by introducing yourself

As you approach someone to pitch to at an event, interview, or anything in between, start with an introduction. Start your pitch by giving your full name, a smile, extend your hand for a handshake and add a pleasantry like, “It is nice to meet you!”

 

2. Summarize what you do

This is where you will give a summary of your background. Include the most relevant information, such as your education, work experience, and critical specialties or strengths.

 

If you are not sure what to include, try writing everything that comes to mind down on a piece of paper.

 

Once you’ve recorded it, go through and remove anything that’s not critical to explaining your background. You might consider the essential highlights of your resume.

 

Once you have got it down to a few points, organize them in a way that makes sense in your story.

 

Here is an example:

“Hi, my name is Sara. It is so nice to meet you! I am a P.R. manager with a special focus in overseeing successful initiative launches from beginning to end.

 

Along with my seven years of professional experience, I recently graduated with my MBA from XYZ University, with a focus on consumer trust and retention…”

 

3. Explain your value proposition

This step will depend on how you are using the pitch. The “ask” of your pitch could be a consideration for a job opportunity, internship, or contact information.

 

This is an excellent opportunity to explain the value you will bring, why you’re a good fit for a job, or generally what your audience has to gain from your interaction. Focus on what you have to offer during this section of the speech.

 

Let us go back to Sara’s pitch:

“Hi, my name is Sara. It is so nice to meet you! I am a P.R. manager, specializing in overseeing successful initiative launches from beginning to end.

 

Along with my seven years of professional experience, I obtained my MBA with a focus on consumer trust and retention.

 

I find the work your P.R. team does to be innovating and refreshing—I would love the opportunity to put my expertise to work for your company…”

 

4. Finish with a call to action

You should end your elevator pitch by asking for or stating what you want to happen next. If you feel an elevator pitch is appropriate for a particular situation, begin with the goal of gaining new insight or determining the next steps.

 

Examples can include asking for a meeting, expressing interest in a job, confirming you have fully answered an interview question, or asking someone to be your mentor.

 

Asking for what you want can be intimidating. However, you must give the conversation an action item instead of letting it come to a dead end.

 

Remember: You have just met this person, so make the ask simple with little required. Here is an example from the pitch we have been building:

 

“Hi, my name is Sara. It is so nice to meet you! I am a P.R. manager, specializing in overseeing successful initiative launches from beginning to end.

 

Along with my seven years of professional experience, I obtained my MBA with a focus on consumer trust and retention.

 

I find the work your P.R. team does to be innovating and refreshing—I would love to put my expertise to work for your company. May I set up a quick call next week for us to talk about any upcoming opportunities on your team?”

 

If they agree to your request, thank them for their time and get their contact information. End the pitch with an action-oriented farewell. It can be, “Thank you for your time. I will send you a follow-up email tonight. Have a great day!”.

 

Gracefully end the conversation if they do not agree to your request. Politely thank them for their time. Say, “I will send you a follow-up email. I will see if there is a better time for us to connect.”

 

Elevator Pitch Templates

You can find many outline variants and elevator pitch examples online; I will describe my favorites. However, to keep things simple, I will start with a simple method used by the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology:

 

• State the Problem
• Present Your Solution
• Explain Why People Should Trust You
• Describe Your Value Proposition
• Offer a CTA (Call to Action)

 

In the following fill-in-the-blank template, I use one sentence per point to clarify this system’s structure. Feel free to break this rule. Create a natural-sounding elevator pitch.

 

As you practice your speech out loud, keep tweaking your phrasing to sound personable and precise. Just remember to maintain a maximum of 75 words!

 

• A simple Harvard-MIT elevator pitch

• Problem. [Customer] is irritated by the effort it takes to [Action].
• Solution. [Your Solution] removes the [Customer’s Problem].
• Why You. For [Time], [Customer] has trusted [You] to give the optimal solutions in [Industry].
• Value. With [Your Solution], you can [make more / spend less] [money / time] [Action].
• CTA. I will give a call to learn about the situation. (Get Contact Info). Thank you for the time.

 

• Generic Elevator Pitch Examples

The following is a standard pitch format. It can be applied to almost any situation.

 

My name is <<NAME>>, the CEO of <<COMPANY>>.

 

Our company manufactures <<PRODUCT>> for <<TARGET CUSTOMER>> that allows them to <<YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION>>.

Unlike <<OUR COMPETITION>>, we <<PRIMARY COMPETITIVE POINTS OF DIFFERENCE>>.

<<CALL to ACTION>>

 

• A Sales Pitch Example

You may be pitching in a sales situation. Here is a format you could use:

 

Have you ever <<THE SITUATION THAT THE PROSPECT FACES>>?

<<COMPANY NAME>> manufactures <<PRODUCT LINE>> for <<TARGET MARKET>> so that you can <<PRIMARY VALUE PROPOSITION / BENEFIT>>.

 

Unlike <<TRADITIONAL ALTERNATIVES/COMPETITIVE OFFERINGS>>, <<OUR PRODUCT>> is <<COMPETITIVE POINT OF DIFFERENCE>>.

 

<<CALL TO ACTION>>.

 

• An Attention-Grabbing Question

• Ask a question. “Has your boss ever asked you to whip up a report?”
• Empathize. “Our founders have dealt with this too.”
• Pivot. “So, they created a tool.”
• Add value. “It creates reports in 30 seconds or less.”

 

This elevator pitch is useful because:

 

• Grabs your attention with a question
• Reminds you of an annoying — and frequent — pain
• Demonstrates empathy for your situation
• It is straightforward and does not use jargon

 

• An Outlandish Stat

• Use a stat for the problem. “Your marketing team will each spend approximately 7,920 minutes of their work year, putting together reports.”
• Ask them a question. “How much would you save if you took that chore off their to-do list with our software?”
• Provide social proof. “We have saved organizations thousands of dollars each year, and they are operating more efficiently than ever.”

 

This elevator pitch is useful because: 

 

• It grabs your attention with numbers while aggravating a pain
• Makes you realize the actual production cost of reporting
• Sparks your frustration

 

• The Reality Check

• State the problem. “Average marketer spends half an hour on reports.”
• Aggravate it. “The reports are barely glanced at.”
• Tease solution. “Our company is a game-changer because…”
• Add value. “You will get your report in 30 seconds.”

 

This elevator pitch is useful because:

 

• It makes you realize the real productivity cost of reporting
• Sparks your frustration
• Helps you understand exactly how the product works with a simple example

 

• The One-Liner

• Demonstrate value. “Our software saves marketers time.”
• Explain the advantage. “It eliminates the tediousness of data gathering.”
• Tell the feature. “Our software creates beautiful reports in less than 30 seconds.”

 

This elevator pitch is useful because: 

 

• Demonstrates the company’s value proposition
• It is short and sweet if you need to get to the point

 

• The Credibility Boost

• Demonstrate authority. “I talk to hundreds of marketers per month.”
• State the problem. “And 99% of them hate creating reports.”
• Aggravate it. “It is tedious and time-consuming.”
• Provide solution. “Our software pulls from all your data to create any report you want.”
• Metaphor. “Reports will be generated in less time than it takes to pour tea.”

 

This elevator pitch is useful because:

 

• It demonstrates the speaker’s authority
• Re-establishes how strongly you hate making reports
• Uses a familiar metaphor to highlight the tool’s ease-of-use

 

• The Surprise Ending

• State the problem. “You would like to ascertain how many leads from your webinar campaign became customers.”
• Aggravate it. “But only those users who bought two products and were not in your database.”
• Ask a question. “How long would it take to create that report?”
• Surprise ending. “If you had our tool, you would know that it takes mere seconds.”

 

This elevator pitch is useful because

:

• It has a “surprise ending.”
• Illustrates how valuable the product is creatively.
• Forces you to compare your current situation to a better world.

 

• The Short and Sweet

• Provide an origin story. “The founders of my company were originally marketers.”
• The inspiration behind the product. “The worst part of their daily activities was making reports.”
• Establish a connection. “You already know what a pain in the neck it is.”
• Give the solution. “That is why they created our software. You can create any report in seconds.”

 

This elevator pitch is useful because:

 

• This is short and sweet
• Explains the inspiration for the product
• Includes the company’s origin story, which is scientifically proven to make it 22 times more memorable

 

• The Joke

• Pose a question. “How many of your marketers does it take to do monthly reporting?”
• Give the punchline. “None if they have our software which automates the process.”
• Provide facts. “Each individual that uses this software saves 30 minutes a day on average.”
• Establish significance. “It is time they can spend on increasing ROI and campaign performance.”

 

This elevator pitch is useful because: 

 

• Engages the audience (at least, if you use a joke that’s funny)
• Provides instant relatability
• Draws on a known truth about the industry and positions an unexpected solution

 

• A Customer Story

• Before. “Sara used to manually make reports for 40 minutes per day.”
• After. “Now she has gone down to four minutes with our software.”
• Added value. “She is now making twice as many reports in less time.”
• It encourages further conversation. “If you are curious, I can explain more.”

 

This elevator pitch is useful because:

• This uses a customer example to give the product credibility.
• Shows a clear and compelling “before and after.”
• Demonstrates value
• Elevator pitch gives you a chance to say, “Sure, tell me more,” or “I am good, thank you.”

 

• The Emotional Appeal

• Establish your emotions. “When I started my marketing career, I thought I would be making a difference.
• Provide the problem. “But all the administrative and reporting tasks were pushed on to me.”
• Aggravate the problem. “My time could have been used for revenue-generating activities.”
• Provide a solution. “If you are not using our tool, you are wasting your company’s valuable resources on things which it can do in 30 seconds.”

 

This elevator pitch is useful because: 

• This evokes emotion and empathy through storytelling
• Establishes a pain or problem you can relate to
• Also, draws a hard-hitting conclusion as a natural “moral of the story”

 

30-second Elevator Pitch Examples

 

 

• Some usual pitches

Use these examples as guidelines in crafting your elevator pitch. Make sure your speech includes details on your background, and what you would provide an employer with:

 

• I recently graduated from college and have a degree in communications. I worked on the college newspaper as a reporter, and eventually, as the arts section editor. Hence, I am looking for a job that will put my skills as a journalist to work.

 

• So, I have a decade of accounting experience. I have worked primarily with small and midsize firms. If your company is ever in need of an extra set of hands, I would be thrilled to consult.

 

• My name is Bob, and after years of working at other dentists’ offices, I am taking the plunge and opening my own office. If you know anyone looking for a new dentist, I hope you’ll send them my way!

 

• I create illustrations for websites and brands. My passion is to develop creative ways to express a message and draw images that people share on social media.

 

• I am a lawyer with the government, based out of D.C. I grew up in Ohio. I’m looking to relocate closer to my roots. I aim to join a family-friendly firm. I specialized in labor law and worked for ABC firm before joining the government.

 

• My name is Sarah. I run a trucking company. It is a family-owned business, and we think the personal touch makes a big difference to our customers. We guarantee on-time delivery. Also, my father and I personally answer the phones, not an automated system.

 

The One-Word Pitch

Shorten the presentation into one word.

 

• For Google, it might be “search.”
• It may be “scream” for a movie from Hitchcock.
• The word “inbound” belongs to Hubspot.
• Edison is associated with “invent.”

 

The Question Pitch

If your audience already understands your presentation’s central idea, a question pitch may be ideal.

 

In the 1980 U.S. presidential election campaign between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, Reagan asked a simple question, “Ask yourself, ‘Are you better off now than you were four years ago?'”

 

Most immediately understood the problem. Reagan became the 40th President of the United States.

 

The Rhyming Pitch

Rhymes are easy to process and remember mentally. Some scientific studies have found that rhymes are perceived to be more accurate and believable than non-rhymes when pitching the same concept.

 

• Pepsodent used a rhyme in its commercials. “You will wonder where the yellow went. When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!”

 

• Timex emphasized its timepieces’ durability. It said, “It takes a licking. And keeps on ticking.”

 

The Subject Line Pitch

Every email subject line is a pitch. It invites the recipient to open it. The subject line pitch should offer specificity, curiosity, and utility value.

 

However, he cautions that while specificity should be in all subject lines, you should choose to use either utility value or interest for any single subject line

 

Here are some examples:

 

• Drugstore. “Your prescription is expiring.”

• Mortgage Broker. “Can you afford this house?”

• Credit Card Company. “Do not miss reward points.”

 

We could also imagine how the Elevator Pitches of some popular startups would have looked.

 

The Twitter Pitch

Get your pitch down to 140 characters.

 

• “Twitter. The only place to get excited when any stranger follows you.” Or
• “Twitter. Get the news before it happens.”

 

Airbnb Elevator Pitch

Most tourists booking online care about price- and hotels are among the highest costs when traveling.

 

On the other hand, platforms like Couch surfing have proven that over half a million people are willing to lend their couches or spare bedrooms.

 

We have created a platform connecting travelers with locals, letting them rent our rooms or even entire places.

 

Travelers save money, and locals can monetize their empty spaces- we take a 10% commission.

 

How does that sound?

 

A few pointers here:

 

• Notice how I started mentioning tourists, not just any traveler. Airbnb does not necessarily target business.

 

• It is easy to agree that people looking to travel care about price, so there is no market research or validation needed to come up with that statement.

 

• On the other hand, it might be arguable that people will be willing to rent out their homes to strangers. I used the Couchsurfing validation to avoid that statement being questioned.

 

WeWork Elevator Pitch

There are 40MM independent workers in the U.S. These are consultants, freelancers, and small business owners. Solving office space is challenging and expensive, especially in cities like New York.

 

We created the concept of space as a service. We have 20 locations in the city- where people can rent a desk or an office without any of the complications of a traditional lease, effectively saving at least 25% of the cost.

 

They get access to a shared front desk, mail room, and a community of like-minded people.

 

Slack Elevator Pitch

There is no publicly available pitch deck for Slack, but let us assume the company is just starting up.

 

The average office worker receives 304 emails per week. They also attend 62 monthly meetings, half of which they consider ‘wasted time.’

 

Slack was made to make work more efficient. It organizes conversations by channels and drastically reduces the need for emails or meetings.

 

It is integrated with 100s of productivity tools like Google Docs, Calendars, Email, Dropbox, Zoom. So, you can receive automatic notifications and take action without leaving the interface.

 

Tips on How to Deliver a good Elevator Pitch

• Speak naturally

 

Sounding too rehearsed can make the conversation feel forced, so do your best to deliver your elevator pitch with a conversational tone. You might find it helpful to write your pitch down in abbreviated bullet points.

 

When you practice giving it, you will train yourself to remember ideas instead of memorizing a direct script. This can make your presentation sound more organic.

 

It is okay if your personal preference is to learn your pitch—if this is the case, try to practice it until it feels natural to say it aloud.

 

• Slow it down

If you speak too quickly, the listener might miss some vital information. Give your elevator pitch at a slower, thoughtful pace to ensure they have time to process what you are saying.

 

It might be your natural tendency to babble, or it may occur if you feel nervous. Regardless, make a conscious effort to reduce your speed and incorporate this strategy when you rehearse your pitch.

 

Tip: take relaxed, deep breaths. It can help slow your speech. Breathe in for four seconds and out for four seconds to find a good pace.

 

• Use one pitch for most (but not all) occasions

You may not need to customize your elevator pitch for all audiences. It is a good idea to have one available pitch that you can use at any moment, but you should try to tailor your pitch whenever you can.

 

For example, suppose you are approaching a startup company’s booth at a career fair. Then you could include in your pitch why you are incredibly excited about startup businesses.

 

The more personalized your ideas are, the more likely you will get a positive result from the conversation. It shows your depth of interest and respect for the listener’s time.

 

• Make it easy to understand

Use plain language in your elevator pitch that all audiences can understand.

 

For instance, you may include much technical jargon and industry-specific terms that only someone with your skill level would know. Then you might alienate a recruiter, or anyone else, who does not have the same level of knowledge.

 

This can make it difficult for them to ask you follow up questions, and it might make them less likely to continue the conversation with you.

 

Save niche terms for a technical interview. Make your pitch easy for everyone to follow. The feasibility of your business idea should be put across effectively.

 

Mistakes to avoid when creating or delivering an Elevator Pitch

Do not speak too fast

 

Yes, you only have a short time to convey much information. But do not try to fix this dilemma by saying quickly. Listeners will not be able to absorb the message properly.

 

Avoid rambling

 

This is why it is so important to practice your elevator speech. While you do not want to over-rehearse, and subsequently sound stilted, you also do not wish to have unfocused or unclear sentences in your pitch or off-track. Give the person you are talking to an opportunity to interject or respond.

 

Do not frown or speak in a monotone way

Here is one of the downsides to rehearsing. You may get more focused on the exact words you want to use. Keep your energy level high, confident, and enthusiastic.

 

Do not restrict yourself to a single elevator pitch

Maybe you are interested in pursuing two fields — public relations and content strategy. Your communication skills will apply to both. But you will want to tailor your pitch depending on whom you are speaking to then. You should also have a more personal, casual pitch for social settings.

 

Also, ensure that your business plan is updated for the 2020s. Under no circumstances should your business plan be out of touch of the present.

 

Elevator Pitch vs. Elevator Speech vs. Pitch Deck

An elevator pitch and an elevator speech are very similar. Still, a pitch is frequently delivered to investors in a more formal setting. You will likely have a presentation slide deck (also called a pitch deck) to help you out.

 

A pitch can also be delivered over email or even as a stand-alone slide deck that investors can view on their own time. 

 

On the other hand, a pitch deck is a 10-15 slide presentation to introduce a business proposal- mostly associated these days with an investor pitch deck. 

 

The key to crafting a good pitch deck is to keep it short and crisp while covering all the pertinent information. All the relevant information from the pitch deck should be condensed into a brief 30-second speech.

 

It should explain the genuine need for the product in the market and its unique selling point. It should say what differentiates the product from its competitors and the business model.

 

All of this has to be done in under 30 seconds.

 

Conclusion

Stick with the elevator pitch examples and outlines I have offered earlier in this article. You’ll present yourself with class and style. Take the necessary time to prepare and practice your speech.

 

An award-winning elevator pitch cannot sell by itself. It would help if you devoted time and effort to make it sound natural in your best speaking voice.

 

However, do not spend too much time on this effort; track your time to ensure you spend an appropriate amount on this project without obsessing.

 

Once you have a good speech prepared, you need to try it out in real-life situations. Whether you sell big or flop the first time, you will gain the experience you need to keep improving.

 

You will keep improving your sales skills throughout your career; get out there and start talking to people–today!