Of course, learning how to write your own elevator pitch is a useful tool. So, we’re going to walk you through an easy way to craft the perfect, succinct elevator pitch that will have you sounding like the professional you are. Before we dive in, though, let’s make sure we all understand what we’re talking about when we say “elevator pitch.”
12 Elevator Pitch Examples + How to Write Your Own:
What Is an Elevator Pitch?
An elevator pitch is a short — 30–60 seconds — description of who you are and what you do. It’s not a sales pitch, but rather an invitation to continue the conversation. While you want to show off the benefits of connecting with you, you never want the listener to feel sold to. If someone is getting your elevator pitch, it’s probably a bit too early for all that.
How Long Should Your Elevator Pitch Be?
So, how long should your elevator pitch be? We already mentioned a range — 30–60 seconds — and we recommend that you keep it closer to the 30-second mark. How long your elevator pitch ends up being will likely depend on the situation you’re in and who you’re pitching. You might even want to have a couple of elevator pitches up your sleeve, one longer and one shorter. If you’re having trouble condensing your info down to just 30 seconds, make sure that you’re pitching to the right people. An elevator pitch is really intended to be delivered to those who already have some knowledge of what it is that you do and the industry in which you work. You’re not telling Aunt Sally about your job, right? You’re telling other professionals who are at least tangentially connected to your niche or industry. Of course, an elevator pitch can also be a great thing to have on hand for those times when you’re asked “so, what is it that you do?” at that party or family reunion. Just be sure to have answers ready for any follow-up questions.
When You’ll Use Your Elevator Pitch
There are several times and places when you’re certain to use your elevator pitch. If you’re at a networking event, almost without fail, the question asked after introductions is either “tell me about yourself” or “what do you do?” And then the other person asks, because it’s polite. Outside of networking events, you may find yourself giving your elevator pitch to others at your company with whom you don’t ordinarily connect. Being able to quickly share the value that you bring to the team can help others see you as collected and polished. In other words, worth listening to. For influencers, your elevator pitch is going to be valuable when meeting potential clients or even when doing your job as an influencer. Just think about how many times you’ve seen a brand takeover in which the influencer started with “Hey everyone! I’m So-and-so who does this thing and I’ll be taking over this brand’s social media for the day. Join me!” Having an elevator pitch ready to go makes that introduction really easy. Essentially, your elevator pitch can be used anytime you need to quickly and efficiently tell people who you are, what you do, the value you bring, and what you want them to do with the information you’re giving them.
12 Elevator Pitch Examples
Now that we’re all clear about what an elevator pitch is, how long they should be, and when you might use them, it’s time to get into the list of elevator pitch examples we’ve culled from the internet. Here are a few excellent elevator pitch examples you can use to create your own.
1. Lead With a Question
“Has your boss every asked you to ‘run a quick report’ just as you’re counting down the last seconds of the day? Of course you say ‘yes’ — it’s your boss, after all — but you know that ‘a quick report’ is never actually quick. The founders of my company, XYZ, were constantly dealing with this problem as marketing executives. So, they built a tool that puts all your data in a single place and creates custom, unique reports within 30 seconds. Usually less.” Why it works: This elevator pitch starts with a question about a situation that most people in business will have encountered. This gets buy-in from your listener. They feel this pain and keep listening to find out how you handle it.
2. Make It Personal
“My name is Jane Doe, and I run a logistics company. It’s a family-owned business, and we think a personal approach makes a huge difference to our customers. That’s why we guarantee on-time delivery. And why my dad and I answer the phones personally, instead of relying on an automated system.” Why it works: You’re telling the listener that you value your customers. You value them so much, in fact, that your family-owned business is answered by the actual people who are in charge. This type of personal attention is sure to be noticed and remembered. You can use this angle with anything that gives that warm, small business, “customer comes first” feel.
3. End With a Question
“Hi! Thanks for showing interest in our services! XYZ is a tech recruitment company, helping organizations just like yours source the best tech talent and helping tech professionals find the right positions for them. As of last year, we’ve successfully helped fill more than 2000 open tech jobs — just for Michigan and Indiana! This year, we’re expanding into Wisconsin and Ohio and are thrilled to be able to provide a larger pool of opportunities for tech employers and professionals. How does your company currently recruit?” Why it works: As you’d imagine, this is an elevator pitch that would be a great follow-up with people who’ve expressed interest in your company, either by reaching out to you in person or remotely. Here, you’re sharing details about what you can do and how you can help as well as ending with a question to engage them in further conversation.
4. Establish Authority
“As an account exec for XYZ, I talk to hundreds of marketers each month. And 99% of them hate creating reports. They say it’s time-consuming, tedious, and usually not a super high priority. And that’s where our tool comes in. It pulls from all of your data to create any report you need. And in less time than it takes to pour a cup of coffee.” Why it works: With this elevator pitch, you’re letting listeners know that you’ve done your research. This sets you up as an authority on your topic and makes it a lot more interesting to people who want to know that they’re dealing with someone “in the know.”
5. Highlight How You Can Help
“Nice to meet you! I’m Jane Doe, a content strategist who works specifically with health and wellness leaders worldwide. I’ve worked with major brands like ABC, DEF, and GHI, resulting in a 200% increase in traffic and a 20 percent increase in conversions. I see an opportunity to create an SEO-driven content strategy for your company and would love to set up a call to chat. Are you available tomorrow at 11AM?” Why it works: This is one of the elevator pitch examples that you’d use after you’ve taken the time to learn a little bit about the person you’re talking to. You’re providing excellent details and statistics about how you’ve helped other businesses like theirs and are ending with a call-to-action (the invitation to chat).
6. Sell Yourself
“Hi, I’m Jane. I’m so happy to be here. I graduated with a degree in business administration seven years ago and since then have held positions as an administrative assistant, sales agent, and for the last three years, sales manager. At this point, I’ve managed small-sized teams quite successfully — we always meet or exceed our sales targets. I’d love to advance in this area and begin managing a larger team. This position seems like the perfect chance to do that.” Why it works: This elevator pitch example is more appropriate for a job interview or career fair. Here you’re sharing your experience and success as well as giving the listener insight into your desire to continue growing and improving.
7. Be a Little Sassy
“You want to know how many leads became customers from your webinar versus your trade show booth. But only customers who bought two or more products and weren’t already in your database. How long would it take you to create that report with your current system? If you had XYZ, our data and reporting tool, you’d already have your answer. It creates those vital reports in seconds.” Why it works: Being a little sassy can be a good thing, as long as you don’t come off as arrogant. With this elevator pitch example, you’re able to be a bit cheeky without treating your listener as though they’re flawed or wrong somehow. Using humor and a bit of sass is a great way to keep your elevator pitch lighthearted and relatable.
8. Ask for What You Want
“Hi, I’m Jane Doe, a journalism graduate. For the past year, I’ve been covering political news for XYZ and have had two opinion essays published at the prestigious ABC. I admire your work, especially your election coverage. I’d love to talk with you about the possibility of a mentorship. I’ve been working on a book and your guidance and opinion would mean a lot to me.” Why it works: This elevator pitch example is perfect for requesting mentorship. You start by establishing authority and credibility, share why you’re interested in this specific person, and then directly ask for what you want from the relationship. This example can easily be modified when looking for clients and even jobs.
9. Grab Attention With a Ridiculously Specific Stat
“Your marketing team will spend about 8,730 minutes every year putting together reports. Each. How much money do you think you could save if you took that time-consuming tasks off their list with XYZ, a reporting tool that automatically pulls your data into an easy-to-read (and send) dashboard? We’ve helped companies just like yours save thousands of dollars per year and improve operating efficiency.” Why it works: This is a bit more salesy than our other elevator pitch examples, but it’s a great option for those times when you’ve gotten to know your prospect a little bit more. You grab their attention with a very specific statistic that drives home the need for your product or service and then share how you’ve helped other companies like theirs to get them thinking.
10. Share a Customer Story
“Jane Doe, a marketer at ABC, used to spend 30 minutes every day manually running reports. Since she started using XYZ, that time has gone down to just four minutes. And she’s running twice as many reports in that time. Our tool helps Jane answer any question on her (or her boss’s) mind close to instantly. If you’re curious, I’d love to share more.” Why it works: With this elevator pitch example, you’re highlighting the impact your product has had on a specific customer. This can make the impact of your product feel more real to the listener and help them visualize how you could help them, too.
11. Use a Specific Example
“Every single day, the average marketing professional spends half an hour compiling reports. And most of the time the reports are barely given a glance. XYZ, a reporting tool that stores all of your data from every tool your business uses, can be a game-changer. You literally just type in the report you want. For example, ‘a bar chart showing revenue from every lead source in the past month.’ You’ll have your report in under 30 seconds.” Why it works: Using specific examples of what your product can do is a wonderful way to drive home the power of your product. In this elevator pitch example, you’re addressing the pain of running time-consuming reports while also letting listeners know that there’s a solution for them in the form of your product.
12. Get It Done In a Single Line
“XYZ saves marketers time by eliminating the tedious process of gathering data and compiling reports so you can create beautiful and informational reports in less than 30 seconds.” Why it works: It’s concise and to the point. There’s no mistaking what your product does and how it can help. Plus, it acts as an excellent jumping-off point for additional conversation.
How to Write Your Own Elevator Pitch
Keeping things short and concise can be hard. Here’s a quick template you can use to make creating the perfect elevator pitch a bit easier.
Introduce yourself. Share 1–2 sentences about who you are and who you work for. Summarize what you do. Share a brief overview (again, 1–2 sentences) about what you do and for what audience. Tell them what you want. This might change depending on how and when you’re using your elevator pitch. It’s the ask. Close with a call-to-action. Close your elevator pitch with a question or invitation.
Be Ready to Wow With a Brilliant Elevator Pitch
With an elevator pitch, you’ll never be stuck wondering how to respond when asked what you do. Using the elevator pitch examples we’ve shared here, along with the template to write your own, you have everything you need to create your own awesome pitch that will effectively share what you do and how you can help. Networking events Career fairs Interviews Speaking events In your own company …and many more
