92 Crafting an Elevator Pitch
eCampusOntario and Verna Johnson
An elevator pitch (or elevator speech) is a short, persuasive introduction. Think of it like a social media post that gets a message across in just a few words. An elevator pitch does the same—delivering your main idea in under 30 seconds or about 100 words. It’s called an “elevator pitch” because it should be short enough to share during a quick elevator ride.
Creating an Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch doesn’t need to be formal—though it can be. It’s not a full sales presentation and shouldn’t include too much detail. You’re not trying to say everything at once or memorize a script. Instead, aim for a relaxed, natural summary focused on one main idea. Your goal is to be brief but clear.
A strong elevator speech often answers these questions:
- What is the topic, product, or service?
- Who are you?
- Who is it for? (Who is the target customer or audience?)
- How does it work or make money? (if relevant)
- What makes it better than other options?
The Five Key Parts of Your Message
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Attention Statement – A quick hook to grab attention and say who you are
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Introduction – What you offer or what you do
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Body – The benefits: What’s in it for the listener?
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Conclusion – A brief example or summary
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Residual Message – A call to action or next step
Elevator Pitch Example
Person you’ve just met: How are you doing?
You: I’m great, how about you?
(Start friendly and natural. Make sure the other person feels like its a two-way conversation.)
Person you’ve just met: Very well, thanks. What brings you to this conference?
You: I’m glad you asked! I’m with X Company. We just launched a new product—Product X. It’s smaller, faster, and more affordable than anything else on the market. It’s already becoming a top seller. If you know anyone interested, feel free to reach out! (You might offer a business card or show a visual on your phone.)
You (follow-up): So, what brings you here today?
You never know when an opportunity will come up—at a conference, networking event, or even in an elevator. Having a strong elevator pitch means you’ll be ready when it does.
Attribution
This section contains material from Chapter 12.4 “Making an Argument” in Introduction to Professional Communication and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
References are at the end of this chapter.
