How to Write an Elevator Pitch (With a Simple Formula)
How to Write an Elevator Pitch (With a Simple Formula)
To write an elevator pitch, fill a five-part formula: who you are, who you help, the problem you solve, the result you deliver, and your ask. Keep it to about 30 seconds, roughly 60 to 75 words. The real key to how to write an elevator pitch people remember is specificity: one clear outcome, stated plainly, not a list of everything you do.
That's the whole move. Below: the formula broken down, copy-ready examples for job seekers, founders, and freelancers, both a 30-second and a 1-minute version, and how to say it out loud without sounding rehearsed.
The simple elevator pitch formula
Most pitches fail for one reason: they try to say everything. The fix is a fixed shape you fill in, so you stop improvising.
Five parts, in order:
Who you are. Your name and your role, in one breath.
Who you help. The specific person or company you serve. Narrow beats broad.
The problem. The pain they feel before you show up. Name it the way they'd say it.
The result. What changes because of you. A number here is worth a paragraph of adjectives.
The ask. What you want next. A meeting, an intro, a follow-up, a quick chat.
Here's the template as one line:
I'm [name], a [role]. I help [audience] [reach a specific outcome] by [your approach]. [One proof point.] [Your ask.]
Write a rough version, then cut every word that isn't earning its place. "I'm passionate about driving synergies" says nothing. "I cut a client's reporting time from six hours to twenty minutes" makes them lean in.
A 30 second elevator pitch (the version you'll use most)
A 30 second elevator pitch is your default. It fits a hallway, a networking table, the first ten seconds of an interview. Aim for about 70 words and one idea they'll repeat later.
Here it is built from the formula:
I'm Maya, a content marketer. I help B2B software companies turn dense product docs into blog posts that actually rank on Google. At my last role I grew organic signups 40% in a year by rebuilding the blog around the questions buyers were already searching. I'm looking for a senior content role on a team that treats SEO as a real growth channel, not an afterthought.
Read it aloud. It runs about 25 seconds, lands one number, and ends with a clear ask.
If you're job hunting, the same skeleton answers the dreaded opener. Here's how to answer "tell me about yourself" without rambling, built on one clear through-line.
Want your pitch to land on a video call without sounding read off a script?
Plenty of pitches now happen on camera: a recorded intro, a first call with an investor, a virtual networking room. The catch is that your notes have to live somewhere, and the second you look down to read them, you lose the eye contact that makes a pitch feel sincere.
An invisible notes overlay handles that differently. It puts your cue lines up near the lens and keeps them out of the recording or screen share entirely.
To write an elevator pitch, fill a five-part formula: who you are, who you help, the problem you solve, the result you deliver, and your ask. Keep it to about 30 seconds, roughly 60 to 75 words. The real key to how to write an elevator pitch people remember is specificity: one clear outcome, stated plainly, not a list of everything you do.
That's the whole move. Below: the formula broken down, copy-ready examples for job seekers, founders, and freelancers, both a 30-second and a 1-minute version, and how to say it out loud without sounding rehearsed.
The simple elevator pitch formula
Most pitches fail for one reason: they try to say everything. The fix is a fixed shape you fill in, so you stop improvising.
Five parts, in order:
Who you are. Your name and your role, in one breath.
Who you help. The specific person or company you serve. Narrow beats broad.
The problem. The pain they feel before you show up. Name it the way they'd say it.
The result. What changes because of you. A number here is worth a paragraph of adjectives.
The ask. What you want next. A meeting, an intro, a follow-up, a quick chat.
Here's the template as one line:
I'm [name], a [role]. I help [audience] [reach a specific outcome] by [your approach]. [One proof point.] [Your ask.]
Write a rough version, then cut every word that isn't earning its place. "I'm passionate about driving synergies" says nothing. "I cut a client's reporting time from six hours to twenty minutes" makes them lean in.
A 30 second elevator pitch (the version you'll use most)
A 30 second elevator pitch is your default. It fits a hallway, a networking table, the first ten seconds of an interview. Aim for about 70 words and one idea they'll repeat later.
Here it is built from the formula:
I'm Maya, a content marketer. I help B2B software companies turn dense product docs into blog posts that actually rank on Google. At my last role I grew organic signups 40% in a year by rebuilding the blog around the questions buyers were already searching. I'm looking for a senior content role on a team that treats SEO as a real growth channel, not an afterthought.
Read it aloud. It runs about 25 seconds, lands one number, and ends with a clear ask.
If you're job hunting, the same skeleton answers the dreaded opener. Here's how to answer "tell me about yourself" without rambling, built on one clear through-line.
Want your pitch to land on a video call without sounding read off a script?
Plenty of pitches now happen on camera: a recorded intro, a first call with an investor, a virtual networking room. The catch is that your notes have to live somewhere, and the second you look down to read them, you lose the eye contact that makes a pitch feel sincere.
An invisible notes overlay handles that differently. It puts your cue lines up near the lens and keeps them out of the recording or screen share entirely.
To write an elevator pitch, fill a five-part formula: who you are, who you help, the problem you solve, the result you deliver, and your ask. Keep it to about 30 seconds, roughly 60 to 75 words. The real key to how to write an elevator pitch people remember is specificity: one clear outcome, stated plainly, not a list of everything you do.
That's the whole move. Below: the formula broken down, copy-ready examples for job seekers, founders, and freelancers, both a 30-second and a 1-minute version, and how to say it out loud without sounding rehearsed.
The simple elevator pitch formula
Most pitches fail for one reason: they try to say everything. The fix is a fixed shape you fill in, so you stop improvising.
Five parts, in order:
Who you are. Your name and your role, in one breath.
Who you help. The specific person or company you serve. Narrow beats broad.
The problem. The pain they feel before you show up. Name it the way they'd say it.
The result. What changes because of you. A number here is worth a paragraph of adjectives.
The ask. What you want next. A meeting, an intro, a follow-up, a quick chat.
Here's the template as one line:
I'm [name], a [role]. I help [audience] [reach a specific outcome] by [your approach]. [One proof point.] [Your ask.]
Write a rough version, then cut every word that isn't earning its place. "I'm passionate about driving synergies" says nothing. "I cut a client's reporting time from six hours to twenty minutes" makes them lean in.
A 30 second elevator pitch (the version you'll use most)
A 30 second elevator pitch is your default. It fits a hallway, a networking table, the first ten seconds of an interview. Aim for about 70 words and one idea they'll repeat later.
Here it is built from the formula:
I'm Maya, a content marketer. I help B2B software companies turn dense product docs into blog posts that actually rank on Google. At my last role I grew organic signups 40% in a year by rebuilding the blog around the questions buyers were already searching. I'm looking for a senior content role on a team that treats SEO as a real growth channel, not an afterthought.
Read it aloud. It runs about 25 seconds, lands one number, and ends with a clear ask.
If you're job hunting, the same skeleton answers the dreaded opener. Here's how to answer "tell me about yourself" without rambling, built on one clear through-line.
Want your pitch to land on a video call without sounding read off a script?
Plenty of pitches now happen on camera: a recorded intro, a first call with an investor, a virtual networking room. The catch is that your notes have to live somewhere, and the second you look down to read them, you lose the eye contact that makes a pitch feel sincere.
An invisible notes overlay handles that differently. It puts your cue lines up near the lens and keeps them out of the recording or screen share entirely.
To write an elevator pitch, fill a five-part formula: who you are, who you help, the problem you solve, the result you deliver, and your ask. Keep it to about 30 seconds, roughly 60 to 75 words. The real key to how to write an elevator pitch people remember is specificity: one clear outcome, stated plainly, not a list of everything you do.
That's the whole move. Below: the formula broken down, copy-ready examples for job seekers, founders, and freelancers, both a 30-second and a 1-minute version, and how to say it out loud without sounding rehearsed.
The simple elevator pitch formula
Most pitches fail for one reason: they try to say everything. The fix is a fixed shape you fill in, so you stop improvising.
Five parts, in order:
Who you are. Your name and your role, in one breath.
Who you help. The specific person or company you serve. Narrow beats broad.
The problem. The pain they feel before you show up. Name it the way they'd say it.
The result. What changes because of you. A number here is worth a paragraph of adjectives.
The ask. What you want next. A meeting, an intro, a follow-up, a quick chat.
Here's the template as one line:
I'm [name], a [role]. I help [audience] [reach a specific outcome] by [your approach]. [One proof point.] [Your ask.]
Write a rough version, then cut every word that isn't earning its place. "I'm passionate about driving synergies" says nothing. "I cut a client's reporting time from six hours to twenty minutes" makes them lean in.
A 30 second elevator pitch (the version you'll use most)
A 30 second elevator pitch is your default. It fits a hallway, a networking table, the first ten seconds of an interview. Aim for about 70 words and one idea they'll repeat later.
Here it is built from the formula:
I'm Maya, a content marketer. I help B2B software companies turn dense product docs into blog posts that actually rank on Google. At my last role I grew organic signups 40% in a year by rebuilding the blog around the questions buyers were already searching. I'm looking for a senior content role on a team that treats SEO as a real growth channel, not an afterthought.
Read it aloud. It runs about 25 seconds, lands one number, and ends with a clear ask.
If you're job hunting, the same skeleton answers the dreaded opener. Here's how to answer "tell me about yourself" without rambling, built on one clear through-line.
Want your pitch to land on a video call without sounding read off a script?
Plenty of pitches now happen on camera: a recorded intro, a first call with an investor, a virtual networking room. The catch is that your notes have to live somewhere, and the second you look down to read them, you lose the eye contact that makes a pitch feel sincere.
An invisible notes overlay handles that differently. It puts your cue lines up near the lens and keeps them out of the recording or screen share entirely.