Imagine you’re waiting to buy a cup of coffee and your dream investor or hiring manager gets in line behind you. Are you prepared to deliver a persuasive and memorable pitch in the time it takes to make a latte?
Having a prepared elevator pitch allows you to confidently promote your business (or just yourself) whenever the opportunity arises. But grabbing attention (and keeping it) is not easy. A great elevator pitch can be instrumental in landing that next investment or your dream job. We’ve put together a guide to crafting the perfect pitch, along with elevator pitch examples for inspiration.
What Is an Elevator Pitch?
An elevator pitch is a short speech or written blurb that summarizes your business (or yourself). It’s sometimes referred to as an elevator speech. In this article, we’ll be focused on pitching a business but you can also use an elevator pitch to pitch yourself, an idea, or a project.
The goal of an elevator pitch is to spark interest in order to earn more of your prospect’s time and attention. For example, you might want to secure a follow-up phone call, a referral, or an email address. The goal could also be more intangible – like boosting brand awareness.
The Elements of a Great Elevator Pitch
A great elevator pitch or elevator speech will answer four important questions: ‘What?’, ‘Why?’, ‘Why you?’ and ‘So what?’
1. What?
An elevator pitch should describe your business. e.g. ‘Always Greener is a subscription lawn maintenance service catering to small businesses in the local area’.
2. Why?
It should explain why your product or service is necessary e.g. ‘Our range of salt-free ready meals caters to the millions of people who need to lower their blood pressure but still want access to quick and tasty meals.’
3. Why you?
An elevator pitch should tell your readers why they should trust you to solve this problem e.g. ‘We have been offering quality butchery to the local neighborhood for twenty-five years and we know our customers by name.’
4. So what?
It should demonstrate why your business matters to your customers and the person you are pitching to e.g. ‘Our counseling app is already improving the quality of life of 800 customers with 600 more on our waiting list. An investor with your expertise could help us turn that waiting list into revenue.’
Finally, every elevator pitch should include a request. You might ask if you can buy them a cup of coffee, take their business card, or send over a sample of your product.
We’ll take a closer look at these elements in the elevator pitch examples below.
Where to Use an Elevator Pitch
There are lots of different situations where you might need a verbal elevator pitch including networking events, investor meetings, and sales calls.
A written elevator pitch can be a useful starting point for website landing page copy, LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter) blurbs, job posts, pitch decks, advertisements, and cold emails.
If you’re promoting yourself as a graduate or professional, you might use an elevator pitch on job applications, at career fairs, or in job interviews.
People like publishers, filmmakers, and academics might use an elevator pitch to persuade someone to commission or fund a project.
In every case, your elevator pitch is a way to communicate the most important information about you and your work in order to persuade someone that you are worthy of their interest.
Features of a Successful Elevator Pitch
A successful elevator pitch meets three criteria.
- It’s concise. The term ‘elevator pitch’ comes from the idea that you might bump into someone important in an elevator and need to promote yourself before you reach their floor. In other words, it must be brief, lasting roughly the duration of an average elevator ride. The length of a perfect elevator pitch is context dependent but 30 to 45 seconds or 75 to 100 words is a good guide.
- It’s engaging. A great elevator pitch will grab your audience’s attention and make a memorable first impression.
- It’s persuasive. Your elevator pitch should convince your prospect to take an interest in your business and continue engaging with you in the present or future.
12 Successful Elevator Pitch Examples to Learn From
There are hundreds of ways to write a good elevator pitch. These 12 elevator pitch examples are all different but they’re all clear, persuasive, and engaging. They should be a great source of inspiration if you’re looking to write your own.
Example 1: Hot Seat
This elevator pitch, delivered by Aaron Pugh, won first place in the University of Dayton’s Business Plan Competition for 2013-2014. It is concise and entertaining and includes:
- A relatable anecdote
- An impressive and relevant statistic
- Details that distinguish the product from competitors
Here is a transcript:
It’s a cold night and you’re at your son’s football game. After the first quarter, you realize these bleachers are so cold, my butt is numb. I have the perfect solution, the Hot Seat. The Hot Seat is a cushioned stadium seat with a heated base and back. Now, there are cushioned stadium seats available that aren’t heated and heated stadium pads that don’t offer back support. The Hot Seat combines these two elements, providing a portable cushion heated stadium seat with a USB port to charge your mobile device.
According to worldstadiums.com, there are over 73m outdoor stadium seats in America alone. I’ll use the internet, my personal NFL connections, and amateur booster club organizations to sell 2k units by year three, resulting in $120k in sales. I need $19k for development, manufacturing, and marketing. Investors can expect a 3x return by year three. Don’t let frostbite your buns.
Example 2: Scholly
This elevator pitch comes from episode 20 of season 6 of the hit US reality show Shark Tank. On the show, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to pitch their businesses to a panel of investors. Christopher Gray, the business owner who gave this elevator pitch, walked away with a $40k investment from two investors. He outlines a clear problem and solution and communicates a meaningful mission.
College is expensive. I know. I’m a student. The cost of college rises every year and students and parents are forced to take out loans to pay the bill. This puts many students in insurmountable debt. But there is an alternative: scholarships. The only problem is these scholarships are extremely hard to find.
This causes millions of dollars of free money to go to waste as many students don’t know this money exists. So that’s why I created Scholly. Scholly is a mobile app that matches students to hundreds of potential scholarships… I want to help students like myself find money to go to the college of their dreams. Investing in Scholly means you too can make dreams come true.
Example 3: Flux Aviation
This elevator pitch was a finalist in a competition called The Pitch which gives successful applicants an opportunity to deliver a 90-second pitch to a panel of investors. One of the best features of this pitch is the work the speaker does to build trust by demonstrating his credentials and the business’s achievements so far. Here is an abridged transcript:
I’m Radovan Gallo. I’m the co-founder and CEO of Flux Aviation. We are working on electrifying and decarbonizing all domestic and regional flights. These are some of the most polluting flights in service today, with all journeys shorter than 500 miles together accounting for over 20% of all aviation emissions. This is part of our vision to build a more connected future where everyone has access to low-cost and zero-emission transportation options, giving them access to better education, healthcare, and career opportunities.
I am a chartered aerospace engineer with experience from Formula 1 and my co-founder Neo has spent years developing cutting-edge electric motors at Dyson. Together we have developed a unique battery pack design that is key to enabling electric flight.
In your typical electric car, if anything happens to your battery, you can stop by the side of the road and jump out. You don’t have that luxury when you’re cruising at 30k feet in the air. Our patent-pending battery modules are therefore not just incredibly lightweight but also extremely safe in order to meet and exceed all aerospace safety standards.
Earlier this year we raised our pre-seed round…Since then, we have successfully tested our static prototype…and we are on track for our first test flight in April 2024. We have secured letters of intent from our launch customers. We will be opening our seed round in the next few months and we would love to connect with interested deep tech investors to build the future of aviation together.
Example 4: BetterHelp
This podcast ad for BetterHelp appeared on an episode of the podcast Criminal. It incorporates all the most important elements of a good elevator pitch. It is succinct and uses words that elicit emotion.
BetterHelp offers affordable online therapy designed to fit into any schedule. Their service connects you with a licensed professional trained to help you sort through whatever might be going on. If you’re feeling anxious, depressed, lonely, or lost as we approach the holiday season, BetterHelp can help you find some relief. Find your bright spot this season with BetterHelp.
Example 5: Noom
This YouTube ad from Noom is essentially an elevator pitch for their weight-loss app. It uses storytelling to communicate Noom’s value proposition using a fun, friendly brand voice. The ad focuses on Martha, a real Noom user, and her weight loss story. You won’t get the full effect without the visuals but here is a transcript of the ad.
Narrator: This is Martha’s hometown. This is what Martha’s day looks like there. This is Martha two years ago. And this is how Martha lost 20 pounds on Noom.
Martha: I’m Martha Cameron.
Narrator: Martha tried every way to get control of her weight.
Martha: These diets are all or nothing and there’s zero room for error.
Narrator: Zoom was different for her because it uses psychology to…wait, she’ll say it better.
Martha: We can now kinda cook normal foods that we’re all going to eat instead of whatever you’re eating on these diets, ya know.
Narrator: Oh, we know Martha. Sign up for Noom and lose weight for good.
Example 6: Temple
This elevator pitch comes from series 20, episode 1 of the UK reality show Dragon’s Den – which has the same format as Shark Tank. Co-founders Adam and Raphael delivered the pitch and walked away with a £50k investment offer. It incorporates a personal story as well as a bigger mission.
The personal care and grooming industry doesn’t care about men of color. For decades the needs and concerns of men of color have been largely glossed over due to a lack of diversity and representation within the industry.
We are the co-founders of Temple, a personal care brand that offers safe, effective, and natural products, made with men of color in mind.
As a black man with sensitive skin, I grew up suffering from breakouts and razor bumps that left my skin feeling irritated and caused the appearance of dark spots. This made me feel really insecure about my personal appearance. Whenever I did go into a retailer to try and find a solution, they either didn’t know what to advise or, in some cases, made things worse.
Since launching our direct-to-consumer website in 2021, we’ve sold over 1k units organically through word-of-mouth and we’ve done 20k sales and we’re giving you the opportunity today to get in early by investing £50k in exchange for 2.5% of our business.
Example 7: Monzo
This elevator pitch forms part of digital-only bank Monzo’s pitch deck. The pitch avoids technical and financial language. Instead, it uses simple, straightforward language to put the audience in the position of a Monzo user and demonstrate how the product will make users’ lives simpler and more straightforward.
Imagine opening a full bank account in 30 seconds from your phone. Or sending money to friends and splitting the bill with a single swipe. Imagine push notifications the second you pay for anything, with your balance always up-to-date. Imagine traveling abroad and being welcomed by your bank on arrival, with zero foreign exchange fees, rather than always having your card blocked for fraud. And if you do lose your card, freeze and unfreeze it with a single tap. It’s banking that feels like magic
Monzo is this bank, complete with a UK banking license, all core technology built in-house, and a delightful UX.
Example 8: Airbnb
This elevator pitch example comes from the first few slides of a 2008 pitch deck for Airbnb. It has a really clear problem-solution structure.
Airbnb: Book rooms with locals, rather than hotels.
Problem:
- Price is an important concern for customers booking travel online.
- Hotels leave you disconnected from the city and its culture.
- No easy way exists to book a room with a local or become a host.
Solution: A web platform where users can rent out space to host travelers to
- save money when traveling
- make money when hosting
- share culture – local connection to the city.
Example 9: Zestful
The elevator pitch example comes from the first few slides of Zestful’s 2019 pitch deck. Their use of survey statistics is powerful.
Zestful: a customizable employee and membership perk card.
How it started: We sent a survey to 10k employees asking a single question, ‘Which would you rather hand?’
- A $130k salary
- A $100k salary + Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Spotify, Headspace, a meal delivery service, a gym membership, $20/mo to a charity of choice, and a $100/mo experiences allowance.
The results: 80% chose the lower salary with the perks.
The problem: For a company to implement a perk program like this would take hours of dedicated time and resources.
Our solution: With Zestful, companies can get all the benefits of a flexible perk program with none of the hassle.
Example 10: The Ultra-Short Pitch
In a real networking scenario, you might have far less time than in any of the examples above. You could use an elevator pitch like this one:
Do you own your company vehicles or lease them? Leasing can save you money and get you access to nicer cars. It means someone else covers the maintenance too. Give me a call. I’ll tell you all about it.
Example 11: The Know-Their-Business Pitch
Sometimes you can win someone over by showing you understand their business and you’ve done your research. For example:
I’m a big fan of your podcast. Congratulations on your recent award. I see you’ve got some great new sponsors too. I’m with Bob’s Editing Software. I’d love to show you our product.
Example 12: The Career Pitch
As we mentioned above, you can use an elevator pitch to sell yourself as a professional.
Job listing site Indeed.com provides this great elevator pitch example for job-seekers. It reads:
Hi, my name is Sara. It’s so nice to meet you! I’m a PR manager specializing in overseeing successful initiative launches from beginning to end. I find the work your PR team does to be innovating and refreshing – I’d love the opportunity to put my expertise to work for your company. Would you mind if I set up a quick call next week for us to talk about any upcoming opportunities on your team?
How to Write Your Own Elevator Pitch
If you’re a business owner, whether you know it or not, you’ve probably already got an elevator pitch of some kind that you use when you’re talking or writing about your business. A more carefully crafted and well-honed pitch is likely to boost your confidence and yield better results.
Here are 9 steps to help you write an elevator pitch.
Step 1: Introduce your Business
Write a brief description of your business. Put it in simple terms. Jargon might be appropriate if your target audience is familiar with the industry but a simple, digestible description will make it easier for them to grasp your story quickly.
You may want to include key points such as:
- details about your product or service
- how the business model works
- who your customers are
- information that is core to your identity e.g. your business is family-run or backed by venture capital
Step 2: Outline the Problem and Solution
Most successful businesses tackle the pain points faced by their customers. Outline those pain points and explain how your business provides a solution. You can do this using:
- an anecdote e.g. ‘I used to pay a full-time employee to manage our payroll. Now it’s completely automated.’
- a question e.g. ‘Do you usually get a Christmas tree for the holidays? What do you do with it when the holidays are over? It’s a hassle, right? We offer a tree delivery and collection service.’
- an attention-grabbing statistic e.g. ‘On average, consumers are spending $200 per month on unused subscriptions. Our service makes it easier to identify and cancel unwanted subscriptions.’
- emotion e.g. ‘The time you spend with your children passes by so quickly. Our product helps parents preserve those precious moments.’
Some products and services are not focused on an unsolved problem but rather seek to improve on an existing product or delight customers in other ways such as attractive branding. In that case, focus on step three.
Step 3: Identify Your USP
Describe your unique selling point (USP). This is what your customers get out of it and how you’re the only one who can give it to them. Perhaps you are the only business tackling a particular problem or you target an overlooked group of customers. Perhaps you compete on price, quality, convenience, or customer service. Whatever it is that makes you stand out, put it under the spotlight.
If appropriate, connect your solution to a broader mission e.g. ‘We want to make designer fashion accessible to women of all shapes and sizes.’
Atlassian suggests using the following template to clarify your USP:
As a [target customer type], who wants[s] to [customer need], [product/feature] is a [market category] that has [key benefit].
For example:
As a mom of 6-12-year-old kids who wants to establish healthy eating and drinking habits for their kids, SRSLY Fizzy sparkling water is a healthy alternative to soda that has the “pop” of soda, but none of the bad stuff.
Step 3: Build Trust
A good elevator pitch will convince your audience not only that your solution is necessary but also that you are the right person or business to deliver that solution. In other words, you want your audience to trust you.
One way to do this is to use social proof. This is a psychological phenomenon where people are more likely to trust something because other people (such as experts, friends, or celebrities) already trust it.
You could take advantage of social proof by mentioning your existing customers or investors e.g. ‘Over 1000 companies, including Microsoft and Walmart, already use our service to recruit new employees.’
Other information you could use to build trust includes:
- Revenue, margins, or sales data
- Your personal expertise and experience
- The expertise or experience of the business’s leadership
- If you’re well established, how long the company has been around
Take a look at these examples from elevator pitches made by Monzo and Airbnb
Monzo’s slide deck includes the number of people who already have an account while Airbnb’s included quotes from the press
Step 4: Anything Missing?
Elevator pitches are all about the big picture but there might be some details that are worth including. Look at what you’ve already written. Does it give your target audience a clear snapshot of your business?
If not, are there any relevant details that would help them understand what you offer and why it’s unique? For example, if you were pitching Uber to someone who had never heard of ride-hailing, you might need to include some detail about how the ride-hailing process would work.
Step 5: Identify the hook
An effective elevator pitch starts with a hook that grabs your reader or listener and keeps them engaged for the rest of the pitch. Depending on your business and your audience, your hook could be your problem-solution description from step two or something else attention-grabbing, like the name of a high-profile investor, partner, or customer.
If you have a business like AirBnB, the business model itself is so innovative and disruptive, that it could be an ideal hook. Money management app Rocket Money, on the other hand, could hook listeners using this impressive statistic from their website: “We’ve worked hard for the past five years saving our members over $1 billion dollars and counting.”
To identify your hook, think about times when you’ve described your business to someone. What did they react to most or remember best? That might be the best place to start your elevator pitch.
Step 6: Edit
Now that you have it all down on paper, arrange the different elements of your pitch in the most compelling order possible. Make sure it flows naturally and holds your audience’s attention. Remove anything that is not playing an essential role in communicating what you do and why it matters. Don’t be afraid to make big cuts and changes until you feel confident.
Pro tip: As an exercise, try cutting the word count in half. That’s a good way to identify any unnecessary information and prioritize the most important points.
Step 7: Add a CTA
Finish off your pitch with a call to action. This is where you ask your reader/listener to do something. At a networking event, for example, you might ask if you can set up a phone call. In an advert, you might tell listeners to visit your website.
In networking scenarios, a small, specific request is much more likely to be effective than a vague or grand one. For example, it might not make sense to ask someone to invest in your business the first time you meet them unless you’re at an investment pitching event.
Sometimes it’s useful to pair your CTA with an offer. For example, if you want someone to give you advice, perhaps you can offer them an introduction to a useful contact in return.
Take a look at the CTA from the end of Zestful’s 2019 pitch deck.
Step 8: Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice saying your elevator pitch out loud in front of the mirror and to friends and family. Try it out in professional settings, with other entrepreneurs in an online community, or at a networking event. Test out different versions and adjust your pitch according to how people respond. This will also give you a chance to practice answering any follow-up questions that your audience may ask.
Step 9: Customize
The best elevator pitches take into account the context in which they are delivered. Tailor your pitch to the specific environment you’re in and the person you’re pitching to. For example, if you’re pitching to an investor, you could demonstrate that you’ve done your homework by referencing their previous investments. If you’re pitching to a potential business customer, you could customize your pitch to show how your product solves a specific solution faced by that business.
Tips for Giving Elevator Pitches
Once you’ve prepared a rock-solid elevator pitch, it’s time to use it. Here are our top tips for a smooth, professional delivery.
- Vary your tone
- Make eye contact
- Speak slowly and clearly
- Use open body language
- Aim to sound as natural and confident as possible
As mentioned above, it’s essential to practice your elevator pitch at home and with others to build your confidence and figure out what works best.
Going Up?
Pitching seems like something that should be easy. After all, it’s just describing your business and asking for what you want. But getting it right is harder than it looks. If you can make it seem simple and effortless, you’ve probably done all the hard work needed to get that ‘yes’ before the elevator doors ping.