How to Write an Elevator Pitch? (3 Examples & Templates)

The classic elevator pitch. We love to hate it but once you get it right, you’ll understand the impact.

So what is an elevator pitch?

An elevator pitch is a short summary of you or your business. The idea is that you could complete a sales pitch in an elevator ride. It sounds so simple and yet it is so difficult to do well! 

Elevator pitches are important because they are used so often. At a networking event it is handy to have your elevator pitch ready. Every bio you need to script for a publication feature or podcast appearance is essentially an elevator pitch too. 

Working out these few short sentences saves you from being a nondescript professional. You get the chance to show who you are in a punchy, memorable way. 

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

What an Elevator Pitch Is NOT

Key Features of an Effective Elevator Pitch

Elevator Pitch Template and Examples

Key Takeaways 

What an Elevator Pitch Is NOT

1. An actual sales pitch
   
   I take umbrage at the term “elevator pitch”. More often than not you are not actually pitching anything concrete. Thinking of it as a pitch makes this summary appear salesy and pushy. That is not the goal at all. The goal is to have a two-sentence summary of your role or company to hook the listener. It’s more like an invitation for them to ask more about you than a business pitch for them to do something for you.
   
   That’s not to say that you won’t need to use your elevator pitch in actual sales situations. Sales skills are valuable in this arena. Just not all of the time.
   
   
2. Your resume or business plan
   
   Your elevator pitch or executive summary is not a long list of your accomplishments and feats. If the listener is interested in your work history and professional experience, they’ll ask. The point of an elevator pitch is to economize the time of your listener.
   
   An elevator speech is more akin to a sales conversation. The perfect elevator pitch needs to be short and impactful.
   
   
3. Your job title
   
   If someone asks you what you do, your common response is your job title right? 

This scores high on the brevity test but not on impact. No one really cares to know your job title. What captures the listener is the passion in your statement. Contrast:

I’m a writer.

…with:

I write engaging content for SaaS companies who want to inform and entertain their audience while improving their SEO.

Give your profession a little more flavor. 

Key Features of an Effective Elevator Pitch

There are 5 core pieces of a memorable elevator pitch: 

1. Your name
2. Your job role
3. Who you work for (i.e. your ideal clients)
4. Your unique selling proposition
5. A follow-up question, call to action or proposition

In terms of tone, keep your pitch conversational. Know your audience. How you would deliver your elevator pitch on a podcast is quite different from how you would deliver it in person. 

That said, in honesty, my elevator pitch doesn’t change too much from medium to medium. I just may adapt the adjectives I use or specialist terms.

Let’s take my above example. Allow me to break the fourth wall.

You probably know what SaaS is – software as a service (like FreshBooks). 

You probably know what SEO is – search engine optimization. 

But that’s because you are reading this on a small business blog. 

If I were at a professional event for artists, I may change my terminology to make it more accessible.

I write engaging content for tech companies who want to inform and entertain their audience. I aim to help them improve their visibility.

Elevator Pitch Template and Examples

So here are three magic formulas that work really well for elevator pitches. 

I’m _______! I help _________ to ________ because ________.

I’m _______! I create _________ for ________ who ________.

I’m _______! I do _________ to ________ so ________.

You can mix them up to your liking. Let’s try some elevator pitch examples: 

I’m Jake! I help struggling freelancers to master their finances because there isn’t enough support for new business owners out there. Here is my business card if you know anyone who may need help managing their money.

I’m Olivia! I create engaging articles for tech companies who want to humanize their brand voice and connect with their audience. I’m looking to broaden my portfolio with female-owned startups in particular.

I’m Alex! I do visual content marketing to help charities and non-profits so they can amplify their message. Social media isn’t everyone’s forte but it can change lives. What do you think?

Key Takeaways 

The concept of an elevator pitch is simple. The writing of an elevator pitch is hard. But once it is done, you have an attention-grabbing, memorable tagline that you can use in any and all situations. Never again will you feel tongue-tied when explaining what you do and why you do it! 

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