how to create an elevator speech about yourself

How to Craft the Perfect Elevator Speech in 2024 (With Examples)

• The Speaker Lab
• May 6, 2024

Table of Contents

Have you ever gotten onto an elevator with someone important and wished you had more time to talk to them? Or maybe you’re at a networking event and only have a few short minutes to introduce yourself to someone you’ve always wanted to connect with. In life, there are many situations where you only have a few seconds to make an impression that lasts. That’s where your elevator speech comes in. Today, we’ll explore the art of crafting the perfect elevator pitch—one that’s clear, concise, and compelling. Here’s how to make every second matter so that you’re unforgettable to anyone lucky enough to cross paths with you.

What Is an Elevator Speech?

You’ve probably heard the term “elevator speech” thrown around, but what exactly does it mean? An elevator speech (or elevator pitch) is a brief, persuasive speech that you use to introduce yourself, your product, or your company. In addition, you should also try to provide a short overview of your own background and experience.

As the name suggests, your elevator speech should be short enough to present during a quick elevator ride. Practically, that means you only have about 30-60 seconds to communicate your unique skills and what you can offer to a company or organization. The goal? To share your knowledge and credentials quickly and effectively with people who don’t know you.

Importance of Having a Strong Elevator Speech

Think of an elevator speech as a personal sales pitch. Having a strong, well-crafted elevator pitch can help you stand out from the crowd, whether you’re at a networking event, job interview, or just meeting someone new. It’s a great way to make a positive first impression and leave people wanting to know more about you.

You can use your elevator pitch in a variety of situations, such as:

• Job interviews
• Career fairs
• Networking events
• Professional conferences
• Social gatherings

Basically, anytime you need to introduce yourself professionally, an elevator pitch comes in handy. It’s a valuable tool to have in your career toolkit.

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Key Elements of a Memorable Elevator Speech

So, what makes a good elevator speech? All told, there are several key elements, such as clarity, an explanation of your unique skills, a call to action, and confidence. Let’s break down these key components and look at them more closely.

Clarity and Conciseness

Firstly, your elevator pitch should be clear and concise. Avoid using industry jargon or complex language that might confuse your listener. Keep it simple and to the point.

Unique Value Proposition

What sets you apart from others in your field? Your answer to this question forms your unique value proposition (UVP). In your elevator speech, highlight your UVP—in other words, anything that makes you stand out. For instance, maybe you have a special skill, experience, or perspective. Focus on what makes you memorable and valuable.

Call to Action

End your pitch with a specific call to action. What do you want the person to do after hearing your pitch? Do you want them to visit your website, schedule a meeting, or connect on LinkedIn? Make it clear what the next steps are.

Confidence and Enthusiasm

How you say it is just as important as what you say. Accordingly, deliver your pitch with confidence and enthusiasm. Smile, make eye contact, and speak clearly. Let your passion for what you do shine through.

Crafting Your Elevator Speech

Now that you know the key elements of an elevator speech, let’s talk about how to actually craft one.

Identifying Your Target Audience

Before you start writing your pitch, think about who you’ll be delivering it to. Are you targeting potential employers, clients, or investors? Understanding your audience will help you tailor your message to their needs and interests.

Highlighting Your Skills and Experiences

Your elevator pitch should showcase your most relevant skills and experiences. Think about what makes you unique and valuable to your target audience, then use specific examples and achievements to back up your claims.

For example, instead of saying “I’m a great communicator,” you could say “I have five years of experience in public relations, and I’ve secured media placements in top publications like Forbes and The New York Times .”

Tailoring Your Pitch to the Situation

You may need to slightly adjust your pitch depending on the situation. For example, your pitch for a job interview might focus more on your work experience and career goals. In contrast, your pitch for a networking event might focus more on your personal brand and interests.

Practicing and Refining Your Pitch

Once you have a draft of your elevator pitch, practice delivering it out loud. Time yourself to make sure it’s no longer than 60 seconds. Along the way, pay attention to your pacing, tone, and body language .

Ask a friend or colleague for feedback and keep refining your pitch until it feels natural and compelling. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel delivering it in real-life situations.

Delivering Your Elevator Speech Effectively

Once you’ve crafted a killer elevator speech, it’s time to deliver it with impact. But how do you do that? Below we have some tips for perfecting your delivery.

Body Language and Nonverbal Communication

When giving your elevator speech, your body language can speak louder than your words. Stand up straight, make eye contact, and smile. Use hand gestures sparingly in order to add emphasis to your points. Finally, avoid crossing your arms or fidgeting, as these can make you appear nervous or closed off.

Speaking Clearly and Confidently

Speak at a moderate pace and enunciate your words clearly. Vary your tone and inflection in order to keep your listener engaged. Most importantly, project confidence even if you’re feeling nervous. Remember, you know your stuff!

Engaging Your Listener

Tailor your pitch to the person you’re speaking with. For instance, use their name, ask them questions, and try to make a personal connection. Show genuine interest in their thoughts and feedback. The more engaged they are, the more likely they’ll remember you and your message.

Being Prepared for Follow-up Questions

Your elevator speech is just the beginning of the conversation. Once you’ve shared about yourself and your work, be ready to expand on your points and answer any questions the person may have. Anticipate common questions and have thoughtful responses prepared.

If you don’t know the answer to something, don’t give in to nervousness! Instead, be honest and offer to follow up with more information later. The goal is to keep the conversation going and build a relationship beyond the initial pitch.

Examples of Effective Elevator Speeches

Crafting an elevator speech can be tricky if you’ve never done it before. To help you out, we’ve come up with a few example pitches. While they might not match your situation perfectly, they’ll definitely give you a good place to start.

For Job Seekers

“Hi, my name is Sarah and I’m a recent graduate from XYZ University with a degree in marketing. During my internship at ABC Company, I led a social media campaign that increased brand engagement by 25%. I’m passionate about digital marketing and I’m excited to apply my skills to help companies grow their online presence. I saw that your company is looking for a social media coordinator and I think I’d be a great fit. I’d love to schedule a time to discuss further how I can contribute to your team.”

For Entrepreneurs

“Hi, I’m Tom and I’m the founder of 123 App, a mobile app that helps busy professionals manage their time more effectively. Our app uses AI technology to create personalized schedules and to-do lists based on the user’s goals and habits. We launched only six months ago but have already gained over 10,000 active users. Our user engagement and retention rates are three times higher than the industry average. We’re currently seeking investment to scale our marketing efforts and expand our team. I’d be happy to share more details about our growth plans and revenue projections.”

For Professionals Seeking Career Advancement

“Hi, I’m Maria and I’m a sales manager at XYZ Corporation. I’ve been with the company for five years and have consistently exceeded my sales targets by an average of 20%. Last quarter, I led my team to close the biggest deal in the company’s history, bringing in $2 million in new revenue. I’m looking for opportunities to take on more leadership responsibilities and eventually move into a director role. I’m particularly interested in your company’s plans for international expansion and I think my experience could be an asset. I’d love to grab coffee and discuss potential opportunities.”

For Students and Recent Graduates

“Hi, I’m Alex and I’m a senior at XYZ University majoring in computer science. Last summer, I interned at ABC Tech where I worked on developing a new software feature that reduced processing time by 30%. I also served as the president of our university’s coding club, where I organized hackathons and coding workshops for over 500 students. I’m passionate about using technology to solve real-world problems so I’m excited to start a career in software development. I admire your company’s mission and the innovative products you’re creating. I would love the opportunity to learn more about your team and any entry-level positions you may have available.”

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Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Elevator Speech

In addition to including key elements to your elevator speech, it’s just as important to avoid common mistakes. For instance, being vague, talking too fast, and failing to practice your pitch are all things you want to avoid.

Being Too Generic or Vague

Avoid using buzzwords or generic statements that could apply to anyone. Instead, focus on what makes you unique and provide specific examples to back up your claims.

Talking Too Fast or Rambling

You only have about 60 seconds to make an impression in your elevator speech. However, that doesn’t means you should try to talk fast so you can say more. Instead, speak clearly and concisely, and don’t try to cram too much information into your pitch. In addition, practice beforehand and time yourself to ensure you’re staying within the appropriate time frame.

Failing to Tailor Your Pitch to Your Audience

One size does not fit all when it comes to elevator pitches. As such, make sure you’re tailoring your message to the specific person or audience you’re speaking to. Do your research ahead of time in order to find common ground or shared interests.

Neglecting to Practice and Refine Your Pitch

Whatever you do, don’t wing it. The more you practice your elevator pitch, the more natural and confident you’ll sound. Seek feedback from friends, colleagues, or mentors and keep refining your pitch until it feels authentic and compelling.

Adapting Your Elevator Speech for Different Situations

Your elevator pitch is not a one-and-done deal. You’ll likely need to adapt it for different situations and audiences. Below, we’ve laid out some common scenarios where you might use a slightly different version of your pitch.

Networking Events and Career Fairs

At networking events and career fairs, you’ll have the opportunity to meet a lot of people in a short amount of time. Your pitch should be brief and memorable, focusing on your key skills and career goals. Be ready to follow up with a request to connect on LinkedIn or grab coffee to discuss further.

Job Interviews and Career Conversations

In a job interview or career conversation, you’ll have more time to expand on your elevator pitch. Be prepared to go into more detail about your experiences and accomplishments, and how they relate to the specific role or company you’re interested in. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) in order to structure your examples.

Social Settings and Casual Encounters

Not every elevator pitch will be formal or business-related. For instance, you might find yourself chatting with someone at a social event or in line at the coffee shop. In these casual settings, focus on building rapport and finding common interests. Your pitch might be as simple as “I’m a graphic designer who loves working with startups. What about you?”

Online Platforms and Virtual Interactions

In today’s digital age, your elevator pitch might take place over email, LinkedIn, or even Twitter. When crafting an online pitch, focus on brevity and clarity. Use strong subject lines, bullet points, and clear calls-to-action. Include links to your website, portfolio, or LinkedIn profile for more information.

No matter the situation, remember that your elevator pitch is a starting point for a larger conversation. So be authentic, be memorable, and be ready to adapt on the fly. With practice and refinement, you’ll be able to craft an elevator pitch that opens doors and helps you achieve your career goals.

FAQs on Elevator Speeches

What is an example of an elevator speech.

“I’m a digital marketing expert with 5 years boosting website traffic by 70%. Let’s chat about skyrocketing your online presence.”

What are the 3 parts of an elevator speech?

The three parts: Hook them in, showcase your value, and close with a call to action.

What is a good 30 second elevator speech?

“I blend tech skills and sales insight to increase B2B software sales. I’ve helped my current team exceed targets by 40% for two years. Want to know how I can do this for you?”

What is the elevator speech approach?

This approach means selling yourself or your idea quickly and effectively during brief encounters—think making big impacts in short chats.

A strong elevator speech is a powerful tool that you can use to build strong connections and grow your career or business, but creating one is harder than it looks. If you follow these simple tips, you’ll end up with an elevator speech that will open doors, spark conversations, and leave a lasting impact. It’s time to go be great!

• Last Updated: May 6, 2024

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How to Create an Elevator Pitch with Examples

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How to Write a Perfect Elevator Speech

“What’s an elevator pitch, and how can it help your career? An elevator pitch —also known as an elevator speech—is a quick synopsis of your background and experience. The reason it’s called an elevator pitch is that it should be short enough to present during a brief elevator ride.

This speech is all about you: who you are, what you do, and what you want to do (if you’re job hunting).

Your elevator pitch is a way to share your expertise and credentials quickly and effectively with people who don’t know you.

Done right, this short speech helps you introduce yourself to career and business connections in a compelling way. It can help you  build your network , land a job, or connect with new colleagues on your first day of work.”

Read the full article at thebalancecareers.com.

How To Write A Killer Elevator Pitch (Examples Included)

Mike Simpson 0 Comments

By Mike Simpson

You’re on the elevator, riding up from the lobby to the top floor to drop off your resume with Human Resources in response to a job posting for your dream career.

You’re excited, but nervous, because you know your resume is going to be just one of hundreds that the hiring manager is going to look over before even thinking about inviting anyone in for an interview.

If only there were a way to make yourself stand out. If only…

The doors open and a woman in a sharp looking business suit steps in with you. She looks over and sees the top floor button is already lit. She smiles and in that instant a current of nervous energy rips through your body. This isn’t just any generic passenger you’re sharing the ride with…this is the hiring manager you’re hoping to impress!

Your heart starts pounding, your palms are sweaty, you feel light headed…

This is your chance!

You have a 12 floor uninterrupted ride up with her and in those moments, in that tiny elevator, she’s your captive audience.

You open your mouth and turn to her with a look of enthusiasm…and speak.

Let’s hope that elevator pitch  (or elevator speech) is ready!

Here’s the deal, after you make your successful elevator pitch (which you will after reading this article!), you need to know that you will get an interview…

But here’s the thing: there are over 100 other difficult interview questions you could be asked in your job interview. Sounds stressful right?

Well don’t worry, because we created a free PDF that outlines the most common questions and gives you word for word sample answers that you can use at your next interview.

Click the link below to get your copy now!

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What Is An Elevator Pitch?

So what exactly is an elevator pitch?

In a nutshell it’s just what it sounds like: a short, 30-60 second well crafted business pitch telling someone who you are and why they should want to hire you .

It’s called the elevator pitch because it’s meant to represent the amount of time you’d have if you were stuck in an elevator with someone riding from the bottom of the building to the top.

“Well, this stinks. I live in a town of nothing but one floor buildings. How am I supposed to use an elevator pitch? Clearly this article means nothing to someone who doesn’t live in the heart of a big city or surrounded by high rise buildings.”

Elevator speeches are good for so much more than just catching someone in a small enclosed space. You never know who you might run into at a cocktail party, or the movie theater, or grocery store…or any other number of places.

A solid elevator pitch will allow you to distill down to the most pure form exactly who you are and what you offer, and that focus can help to set you apart from all the other candidates who are vying for the same job.

Think of it as a commercial and you’re the product . You’ve got 30 seconds to market yourself and convince whoever is listening to not only NOT change the channel, but to buy what you’re selling…you as the Perfect Candidate!!

“So where do I start? Should I lock myself in the bathroom with a stopwatch and pretend it’s an elevator? Do I need a jingle?”

Hmmm…all we’ll say is do whatever works for you…but let’s all agree to skip the singing…for now. Instead, let’s focus on answering a few basic questions by doing a little pretending.

How To Write An Elevator Pitch

Let’s imagine you’re in sales and you just got into an elevator with the CEO of a huge manufacturing company. The doors shut…it’s just the two of you…and you have 60 seconds to convince him to not only listen to you, but to consider you as a potential employee, not just a fellow passenger on a short ride upstairs. So how do you do that!?

Let’s watch…er, we mean, read:

What do you do? Can you tell someone what you do in such a way that it’s interesting? Can you turn it into a quick little anecdote or story that will capture someone’s attention?

“Let me tell you about the time I took our products all the way to the North Pole. I’m in sales. I started out selling refrigerators to moose in Canada.”

Now that we’ve got your job title, can you tell us what you do when you’re doing what you were hired to do?

“In four short years, I’ve helped lead my team to the number one spot in sales…”

Okay, great…but what’s next?! What’s your objective ? What’s your goal?

“…but I knew we could do better. That’s why I took our refrigerators all the way up to the penguins in the North Pole.”

What makes you the best at what you do? Okay, now’s your chance to shine. Why are you the Perfect Candidate?

“Did you know that broken beaks from trying to eat frozen fish is the number one problem facing penguins today? Their issue isn’t that it’s not cold enough for them to keep their fish fresh, it’s that it’s too cold. I knew that by putting their fish in our double insulated hermetically sealed refrigerators instead of the traditional snow bank, the penguins would be able to keep fish fresh longer without having to freeze them, making it easier for the penguins to eat. As a result, we’ve more than quadrupling our current sales and are not only ranked number one regionally, but nationally as well.”

What’s your hook? You’ve just told a great story, but besides being entertained, why should your audience care?

“Now, just imagine what I can do for your products…”

Wait, who are you? D’oh! Nothing says missed opportunity quite like totally forgetting to tell someone your name.

“My name is Bob Mackrel,”

And most importantly…what do you want?

“…and I’m looking for my next big sales challenge. My I give you my business card?”

Boom. And there you have it: the perfect (if not a little outlandish) elevator pitch. In 30 seconds you’ve told your audience what you do, why what you do is important, hooked them in with what you plan to do next for their company, and who you are.

Easy, cheesy, right?

Penguins and refrigerators aside, this pitch was clearly perfect for the audience because our boy Bob knew the CEO, knew the company, and knew that his skills with sales would be a great match. Bob tailored his pitch.

“Again with the tailoring! That’s all you guys talk about…tailoring!”

That’s because it works! Again, think of our commercial analogy. When you’re watching TV, which ads do you skip over or tune out? The ones that don’t apply to you…right? And the ones you listen to and remember are the ones that DO apply to you.

“Ahh…I see what you’re saying. That does make sense!”

The nice thing about an elevator pitch is that it’s short and sweet and to the point, which means once you get the basics figured out, you should be able to use it on just about anyone in any situation…as long as you make sure to always tailor your hook to your specific audience.

Elevator Pitch Mistakes To Avoid

So now that you know what to do in your elevator pitch, let’s quickly talk about what NOT to do.

Speaking too fast.

Yes, you only have about 60 seconds, but try to avoid cramming 15 minutes of information into one minute.

Using highly technical terms, acronyms or slang.

You want your pitch to be easily understood by any audience and that means try to avoid using words that will confuse the average person. The last thing you want is for whoever is listening to you to feel dumb. Remember, think commercial!

Not being focused.

This isn’t a general conversation and you’re not discussing the weather (unless that’s your job, in which case, never mind). Keep your pitch clear and focused.

Not practicing what you’re going to say.

First, write down your pitch. Read it over. Have your friends and family read it. Does it make sense? Make sure it flows well and that there aren’t any spots that feel rough or awkward. Then practice it. Practice it again. Keep practicing it until it becomes so easy for you to pitch that you can do it at the drop of a hat.

Being robotic.

This is all about a face to face interaction with someone you want to impress. Having an easy, approachable, conversational style to your pitch will get you much further than an overly rehearsed monologue approach.

Not having a business card or other take-away with you.

Okay, you’ve sold them on you…now how are they going to get a hold of you when they decide it’s time to bring you in? Make sure you always have something on you to pass on that will allow people to not only remember you, but contact you later on.

Not saying anything.

It does absolutely nothing for you to have a killer elevator pitch if you never use it. Now it’s your turn! Here are three example elevator pitches to get you started. Remember, these are just examples! Make sure you do the work to craft one specific to you and your audience!

3 Great Examples To Use As Inspiration

Graphic designer/logo branding specialist.

Hi, I’m Pam Tone and I’m a graphic designer. Did you know it takes the average person just two seconds to look at a company logo and decide if they like it? Did you know that a badly designed logo can do irreversible damage to a company brand and that most companies go through at least three to four versions in a single year before settling on their final design, costing both time and money? Having worked for over 10 years as a professional graphic designer specializing in brand identification means I’ve built my reputation on the longevity of my logo designs. I can say that not only are my clients happy with what I’ve done for them, but my designs have gone on to win national and international logo and branding awards. I have worked hand in hand with some of the biggest advertising agencies and companies and out of over 300 contracts, have had only one logo changed, and that was as a result of a merger, not poor design. I’d like to bring that award winning history to your company. Would you be willing to meet with me for 20 minutes to go over my portfolio and see how I can help make sure your logo properly reflects your brand?

TEACHER/EDUCATOR

Mobile app developer.

Hi, I’m Chip Ohm and I’m a developer. Did you know one of the biggest challenges facing companies these days is tracking employee work time? Of course, when you have a building where your employees are required to clock in and out it makes things easier, but what about employees who work from home or are on the road? I’ve come up with an easy way for both employees and employers to log and keep track of hours using just their cell phones and an app I’ve designed. The app allows employees to log in from wherever they are and input their start and stop times at the push of a button. You don’t even need to be in an area with a signal. The program captures all the data and holds it in a file which is then automatically uploaded to the employer’s servers as soon as the user is back in signal range. The system is not only simple, but it’s tamper proof. Not only has this app helped streamline the timecard process for remote employees, but it’s reduced timecard inconsistencies and paycheck errors by 90%, saving both time and money. So, how does your company handle logging in hours for your remote clients?

So there you have it! Now that you’ve read through this article and seen a few examples, it’s time to craft your own elevator pitch. Remember, keep it simple, keep it short, and keep it tailored.

And as always…good luck!

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Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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• Job Interview Tips

9 Elevator Pitch Examples to Ensure You Stand Out

You know the concept of an elevator pitch: a short, braggy speech you’re supposed to deliver in front of some big shot when you inevitably wind up in an elevator with them for 30 seconds.

Nowadays, it’s like an automated, generic LinkedIn message. It’s inflated, overly self-promotional, and incredibly outdated. This kind of approach just doesn’t resonate in today’s business landscape.

So what do you do if you need an elevator speech? You have hopes to sell yourself, land a job, get a client, or sell a product.

Well, you need to learn a better way to create and present an elevator pitch. It doesn’t require a lot of work, only a new angle.

In this article, we’ll talk about:

• What’s an elevator pitch and how to make it
• What a modern-day elevator pitch should include
• Elevator pitch examples for different situations
• The key to writing an elevator pitch that stands out

Don’t waste days compiling overused interview techniques. Get original answers to every single question you could expect.

Shifting the Perspective on Elevator Pitches

An elevator pitch or elevator speech is a 30–60-second long speech that informs listeners about you, what you do, and why it’s relevant to them — whether you’re trying to sell a product, services, or yourself as a candidate for a job.

You can use it to quickly introduce yourself in a job interview, at a job fair, during conferences, networking events, or other semiformal job-related gatherings.

But like we said, the standard elevator speech is slowly becoming outdated because people make it sound salesy and robotic.

This is why there’s a shift of perspective: the modern-day elevator pitch should be conversational, natural, and focused on human connection and authenticity. Otherwise, it might not have the power you’re expecting.

You should still introduce yourself, state what you do, what your mission is, and hint at how someone could benefit from that. But your main goal is to get the conversation started, so both parties (you and the person you’re speaking to) can exchange ideas and see if there’s space for collaboration.

How to Create an Elevator Pitch: General Template

Before we begin, we’d like to point out that this article will walk you through the basic structure of an elevator pitch. Then it’ll show you how to adjust it for different purposes (for a job interview, a networking event, and other job-related social gatherings).

We’ll also provide specific examples based on different situations.

Here’s what the general structure of such an elevator pitch looks like:

A “hook” or an attention-grabber

Finding a relevant topic, a common pain point, or an interesting question could be a casual, natural conversation starter. This makes for a perfect hook or an attention-grabber for an elevator pitch.

From there, you can gently steer the conversation in the direction of your expertise and create an inviting atmosphere for people to share their experiences with you.

For example: Imagine you’re attending a seminar/conference about Google updates and how they affect content marketing. You can start a convo by mentioning an interesting initiative you took regarding content update best practices, and how it helped you keep the traffic during turbulent times.

You can expand then, mentioning what you do and how somebody could benefit from that. Potentially, a decline in traffic is someone’s pain point, and that person would be interested in what you have to say right away.

You could start a conversation by asking: “How did you fare after the last major update?” It’s a nice way to put them first and show curiosity about their situation.

Then, you could say something like “My last client’s blog traffic took quite a hit. At first, they were reacting the same way everyone else was, just kind of freaking out. Once I came on, we identified 5 specific things that could help them with authority and their traffic shot back up.” This would grab their attention and give them something to relate to. Plus, it would present you as the solution to the problem, and they would be more than interested to hear about the 5 ways to increase traffic.

Which brings us to our next step.

A quick explanation of what you do

In this part of your elevator pitch, you can speak more about your work and how you solve different pain points.

It shouldn’t be bragging, but an honest, realistic story about your relevant experiences. If you can back them with hard data (maybe one key accomplishment, because you need to be short), even better. You can also mention some of your biggest clients, your mission and vision, or any other relevant detail.

The space for questions

Every good elevator speech will leave enough room for the person you’re speaking with to ask questions. Perhaps they’ll ask for more details about your expertise and company. That would be the perfect opportunity for you to elaborate and show how you could potentially solve their problems and contribute to their success.

Perhaps they’ll ask for recommendations, be it for software, strategy, or people. That’s a nice way to start building relationships.

Or, someone might straight up ask you if you could help them because they’re facing the same problem, and then the case is closed. You “sold” yourself during the elevator pitch purely because you were able to strike up a valuable conversation and provide value.

The questions you ask

You can ask questions in your elevator pitch! We’re moving away from sales-dudes-bragging pitches. People don’t want to listen to the monologue you learned by heart and recited to five people in the room. They want authentic conversations now.

Use the opportunity to ask relevant questions to keep the conversation going.

You can ask about how their company is dealing with the topic at hand, if they heard about a recent event in the industry, or anything else that would help you connect with and understand the person you’re speaking with.

✅ Pro tip: Elevator speeches don’t have to follow the same pattern . The more your elevator speech sounds like a natural part of the conversation, the more success you’ll have. If you can make your elevator speech a chameleon, perfectly blended with the rest of the talk, people won’t recognize that you’re “pitching” anything. What they will recognize is your expertise and authenticity, and they’d be drawn to you.

Elevator Pitch Examples for Different Scenarios

Elevator pitch examples for a job interview.

If you’re looking for a job, you’ll likely hear “Tell me about yourself” in every interview. This is the perfect opportunity to bring out your elevator pitch and start a conversation.

Here’s how to create an elevator pitch for a job interview:

A recent graduate offering fresh perspectives and motivation to learn

A career switcher who shows transferable skills and eagerness to evolve, a seasoned professional highlighting vast experience and adaptability.

Elevator pitch examples for a networking event

Notice how these elevator speech examples will be a lot more conversational and a lot less rehearsed than the ones for job interviews. You should be as natural as possible when networking — focus on creating a connection first and a collaboration second.

An industry expert pitching unique insights and records of accomplishments

An aspiring leader focusing on the vision and leadership potential, an eager student highlighting the desire to learn more and make valuable connections, elevator pitch examples for social gatherings and other semi-formal situations, a freelancer discussing flexibility, bespoke solutions, and diverse experiences, a hobbyist-turned-professional conveying passion and talking about their unique journey., an introverted specialist emphasizing deep knowledge and precision in specific areas, elevator pitch examples: popular opinion vs. expert advice.

The internet is full of all kinds of advice — terrible, alright, and some that’s actually pretty solid. Let’s see if popular opinion moved away from seeing elevator pitches as highly structured, salesy, learned-by-heart pieces of text to deliver.

Zak7062 from Reddit said:

“I’m better at writing software than I am at writing elevator pitches” is what I usually go with. Usually, it gets a laugh and is a decent icebreaker that gets me more time to talk to them.

Career expert comments:

If the occasion is not too formal, this is the perfect icebreaker that will set a positive tone right away and start the conversation in the right direction. My immediate reaction would be to inquire more about this person’s coding skills, so I guess the hardest part of their job is done. But bear in mind this is just a hook, an ice-breaker, and not a real elevator pitch. So make sure to prepare at least a few bullet points describing your skills and the value you’d bring to their company. It’s cool to have such a nice ice-breaker, but you need to follow up with something substantial.

From ConsulIncitatus :

“My job is to make us look good and I do that by measuring results and improving them. That’s also good for the company. I’m the ears and mouth for my teams and occasionally the brain. I believe in servant leadership. I clear the path for my technical staff to build our vision for our products. I focus on their growth and that in turn grows us.”

One might argue that this is a nice overview of the duties of this person. But not me. There are 6 pieces of general information here that don’t reveal anything about the person’s skills and ability to accomplish results. Everyone who has a job has to measure results and improve them.

This, if heavily edited, could be the middle part of an elevator pitch where a person briefly explains what they do and their key skills.

In that case, the person would have to narrow down their choice of information. If they want to highlight they’re result-oriented, they need to pick an example of when they improved poor performance and back it up by % or $. If they believe in servant leadership, they need to quickly elaborate the principles. And so on.

Bottom line: Pick one or two key things/values/principles/achievements and prove them. Don’t list generalizations — you’ll risk blending in with every other candidate.

From Gordon Miller on Quora:

A mentor of mine taught me “a pitch is complete not when nothing else can be added, but when nothing else can be taken away.” Another mentor told me “It is all about the ONE THING. You need to figure out what the one thing is.”

Career expert comments: 

This is a nice way to look at it. I’m not saying you should focus on only one thing in your elevator pitch, but having a differentiator, a single thing that makes you different and potentially better from the competition is a nice thing to build your pitch around. Everything else you add should complement that differentiator, prove your worth, and hint at how you can help others who have the same problem.

Tips to Make Your Elevator Pitch Stand Out

Let’s see how you can make your elevator pitch more fun and engaging.

Personalize your pitch to show your unique value

A generic elevator pitch, the one you’d learn by heart and recite to anyone you meet, would blow your chances because it wouldn’t be relevant or valuable to the person you’re speaking to.

That’s why an elevator pitch needs to be personalized.

Creating a new elevator pitch for every person you’re speaking to makes no sense. But coming up with a nice basis and then adjusting the details each time might work pretty well.

If you know in advance who you’ll be speaking to, make sure to research their company so you’re in the loop with their initiatives and potential pain points. Then, highlight your specific achievements that directly relate to the company’s needs. Identify their pain points and address how your skills and experience could be the solution.

✅ Pro tip: If you don’t know who you’ll be speaking to, try to ask questions while you speak (if the situation allows it), or personalize the pitch to the company they work for.

Here’s a story my friend told me. One of her professors, who was also a hiring manager for Mondelez, often manned booths at career fairs. He said he used to hear thousands of bland elevator pitches with students listing their accomplishments, each similar to the previous one.

The ones who actually stood out always knew something about the company. He gave an example of one guy who started a conversation about Mondelez’s sustainability efforts in hazelnut production. The guy talked about how he was passionate about that and pitched some other ideas of ways they could improve these processes.

So even though the guy didn’t know who he would be speaking to, he made his elevator speech relevant by researching the company, obtaining important info, and adding it to the speech, along with additional ideas on how to improve the processes.

Keep the pitch conversational

Nobody wants to hear about you assisting in optimizing synergistic solutions for seamless integration in the tech ecosystem. They don’t understand what it means and they don’t care.

You need to keep your pitch conversational to hold the listener’s attention. By not sounding robotic and rehearsed, you’ll be more relatable and interesting to talk to. You’ll stand out by being memorable and authentic.

Plus, you’ll create a space for you and the person you’re speaking with to build a real connection and see how you can help each other.

How to keep it conversational:

• Avoid formal language or complex and vague terms.
• Use storytelling in your pitch
• Engage the listener: ask questions and create a dynamic discussion
• Pay attention to your tone and pace of speech

Highlight the benefits of working with you

When appropriate, highlight the benefits of working with you or your company, not just your skills or what you do in general.

Having sharp skills is great, but people probably want to know how you can use those skills to help them .

Try to address the why by bringing up unique points about yourself, highlighting your strengths, and mentioning your key achievements. Make sure those achievements are somehow connected to the industry/role/pain point/challenge/goal of the person you’re speaking to.

If you can prepare in advance and do some digging on the person’s company and challenges, even better.

Summary of the Main Points

• It’s important to move away from the old-school, salesy elevator pitches that make you boring and robotic.
• Nowadays, elevator pitches need to be authentic and conversational.
• Be aware that there are differences between an elevator pitch for a job interview and an elevator pitch for seminars, conferences, meetups, and any other job-related occasions.
• Your ideal elevator pitch should have a hook or another kind of an attention-grabber.
• It also needs to explain what you do and what’s in it for them.
• It should create a dynamic conversation where both you and the person you’re speaking to can ask questions.
• Keep your elevator speech conversational, personalized, and make sure to highlight the benefits of working with you.

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How long should my elevator pitch be?

30–60 seconds. It should be enough for you to get your key points across and start a conversation. This makes it suitable for most networking situations.

Do I need to write my elevator speech down?

It’s not mandatory, but it might help during the initial elevator pitch brainstorming session. Writing down different elevator pitch ideas and versions will give you clarity and structure. It might also help with setting up your arguments. You could adjust, rearrange, add, or remove ideas until you get the perfect version. Plus, having a written pitch makes it easier to customize for different situations. You can adjust it based on the audience, occasion, the context of a conversation, and similar.

What is the objective of an elevator pitch?

To succinctly communicate key information about your expertise, capture attention, build a memorable impression of you, and initiate conversation, opening the door for exploration of partnerships and opportunities.

Are there any famous elevator pitch examples?

Steve Jobs’ elevator pitch to John Sculley back in 1983 when Sculley was still at Pepsi: “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?”

Airbnb’s early pitch was interesting too: “Book rooms with locals, rather than hotels,” hinting at their unique selling point — connecting travelers with locals who provide authentic lodging experiences. That’s Airbnb’s one thing, their differentiator.

What’s a good example of an elevator pitch for someone with no experience?

If you have little to no relevant experience, you can focus on your enthusiasm, potential, and transferable skills. Show enthusiasm about the field, industry, or company, showcase potential by bringing up a relevant accomplishment from the academic field, volunteer work, or internship, and highlight how you could use key transferable skills to contribute. Make sure you pick the transferable skills relevant to the speaker, depending on their company, industry, or the type of role you’re discussing. You can also demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role/company by researching and pitching interesting ideas (like that Mondelez example we mentioned above).

What to say in my elevator pitch if I don’t do anything unique and am just a solid employee?

If you don’t have a particular achievement or a unique role, you can still emphasize your hard work, reliability, work ethic, and ability to contribute. Being a solid employee is quite a desired skill and should be highlighted. Additionally, you can quantify your work to prove it. Using a number to back up your claims will spice your pitch up. For example, you could say, “I truly believe that hard work and reliability are the keys to success in this job. I’ve been working for ABC Auto for the past 5 years — I’ve never showed up late and always gotten my work done on time. My boss once told me: ‘Whenever I ask you to do something, I know I’ll never have to worry about following up.’ It’s my favorite compliment I ever received.”

Maja Stojanovic

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How to Create an Elevator Pitch (With Examples)

Examples of the Best Elevator Pitches

When and How to Use an Elevator Pitch or Speech

What to say in your elevator pitch, what not to say and do during your elevator speech, tips for virtual elevator pitches, elevator pitch examples.

Hybrid Images / Cultura / Getty Images

What is an elevator pitch, and how can it help your career? An elevator pitch—also known as an elevator speech—is a quick synopsis of your background, experience, and purpose. It's called an elevator pitch because it should be short enough to present during a brief elevator ride.

This speech is all about you: who you are, what you do, and what you want to do (if you're job hunting) or are doing (if you're simply networking).

Your elevator pitch is a way to share your expertise and credentials quickly and effectively with people who don't know you.

Done right, this short speech helps you introduce yourself to career and business connections in a compelling way. It can help you build your network, land a job, or connect with new colleagues on your first day of work.

Key Takeaways

• Keep your elevator speech short and sweet, aiming to deliver your message in 60 seconds or less.
• Say who you are, what you do, and what you want to achieve. Your goal is to focus on the essentials. 
• Be positive and persuasive with your limited time. Focus on what you want to do, not what you don’t want to do. 
• Deliver your speech to a friend or record it to ensure your message is clear. The more you practice, the better your speech. 

If you're job searching, you can use your elevator pitch in person at job fairs or career expos, and online in your LinkedIn summary or Twitter bio. An elevator speech is a great way to gain confidence in introducing yourself to hiring managers and company representatives.

You can also use your elevator pitch to introduce yourself at networking events and mixers. If you're attending professional association programs and activities, or any other type of gathering, have your pitch ready to share with those you meet.

Your elevator pitch is just as useful in virtual networking events, interviews, and career fairs as it is during in-person gatherings. 

Your elevator pitch can be used during job interviews, especially when you're asked about yourself. Interviewers often begin with the question, " Tell me about yourself ." Think of your elevator pitch as a super-condensed version of your response to that request.

Maddy Price / The Balance

Your elevator speech should be brief . Restrict the speech to 30–60 seconds. You don't need to include your entire work history and career objectives. Your pitch should be a short recap of who you are and what you do.

Be persuasive.  Even though it's a short pitch, your elevator speech should be compelling enough to spark the listener's interest in your idea, organization, or background.

Share your skills.  Your elevator pitch should explain who you are and what qualifications and skills you have. Try to focus on assets that add value in many situations. This is your chance to brag a bit. Avoid sounding boastful, but do share what you bring to the table.

Practice, practice, practice.  The best way to feel comfortable about giving an elevator speech is to practice it until the speed and “pitch” come naturally, without sounding robotic. You will get used to varying the conversation as you practice doing so. The more you practice, the easier it will be to deliver it at a career networking event or job interview.

Practice giving your speech to a friend or recording it. This will help you know whether you're staying within the appropriate time limit and delivering a coherent message.

Be positive and flexible.  You often aren’t interviewing for a specific position when you deliver your pitch, so you want to appear open-minded and flexible. Don’t lead with the stuff you’d rather not be doing. (For example, if you don’t want to travel a lot for work, that’s completely legitimate, but you shouldn’t volunteer that information immediately.) This is your chance to make a great first impression with a potential employer. Don’t waste it.

Mention your goals.  You don't need to get too specific. An overly targeted goal isn't helpful since your pitch will be used in many circumstances and with many different types of people. But do remember to say what you're looking for. For instance, you might say you're looking for "a role in accounting," "an opportunity to apply my sales skills to a new market," or "the opportunity to relocate to San Francisco with a job in this same industry."

Know your audience and speak to them.  In some cases, using jargon can be a powerful move—it demonstrates your industry knowledge. But be wary of using jargon during an elevator pitch, particularly if you're speaking to recruiters. They may find the terms unfamiliar and off-putting. Keep it simple and focused.

Have a business card ready.  If you have a business card, offer it at the end of the conversation as a way to continue the dialog. If you don’t, you could offer to use your smartphone to share your contact information. A copy of your resume, if you're at a job fair or a professional networking event, will also demonstrate your enthusiasm and preparedness.

Don't speak too fast.  Yes, you only have a short time to convey a lot of information. But don't try to fix this dilemma by speaking quickly. This will only make it hard for listeners to absorb your message.

Avoid rambling.  This is why it's so important to practice your elevator speech. While you don't want to over-rehearse, and subsequently sound stilted, you also don't want to have unfocused or unclear sentences in your pitch, and you shouldn't get off-track. Give the person you’re talking to an opportunity to interject or respond.

Don't frown or speak in a monotone way.  Here's one of the downsides to rehearsing: it can leave you more focused on remembering the exact words you want to use, and less on how you're conveying them through your body language and tone. Keep your energy level high, confident, and enthusiastic.

Modulate your voice to keep listeners interested, keep your facial expression friendly, and smile.

Don't limit yourself to a single elevator pitch.  Maybe you're interested in pursuing two fields—public relations and content strategy. Many of your communication skills will apply to both those fields, but you'll want to tailor your pitch depending on who you are speaking to. You may also want to have a more casual, personal pitch prepared for social settings.

All of the same guidelines apply to a virtual elevator pitch. You may have an opportunity to give an elevator speech at a virtual career fair, a job interview over Zoom, or during a networking event. Follow the dos and don'ts listed above. 

Plus, keep these tips in mind: 

• Check how you look.  You'll want to have a clean and professional background. Plus, make sure you're well-lit and aren't in any distracting shadows. 
• Make eye contact.  Try practicing beforehand so you get accustomed to looking at the camera, which will help you appear to make eye contact with the person on the other side of the video chat. Just avoid overdoing it or staring!
• Aim for high energy.  As with in-person pitches, you'll want to avoid speaking too quickly. Also important: modulate your voice (to avoid a monotone) and keep your energy high. It's easier for people to be distracted during video meetings, and you'll want to keep their attention. 

Use these examples as guidelines in crafting your own elevator pitch. Make sure your speech includes details on your background, as well as what you'd provide an employer with:

• I recently graduated from college with a degree in communications. I worked on the college newspaper as a reporter, and eventually, as the editor of the arts section. I'm looking for a job that will put my skills as a journalist to work.
• I have a decade's worth of experience in accounting, working primarily with small and midsize firms. If your company is ever in need of an extra set of hands, I'd be thrilled to consult.
• My name is Bob, and after years of working at other dentists' offices, I'm taking the plunge and opening my own office. If you know anyone who's looking for a new dentist, I hope you'll send them my way!
• I create illustrations for websites and brands. My passion is coming up with creative ways to express a message, and drawing illustrations that people share on social media.
• I'm a lawyer with the government, based out of D.C. I grew up in Ohio though, and I'm looking to relocate closer to my roots and join a family-friendly firm. I specialize in labor law and worked for ABC firm before joining the government.
• My name is Sarah, and I run a trucking company. It's a family-owned business, and we think the personal touch makes a big difference to our customers. Not only do we guarantee on-time delivery, but my father and I personally answer the phones.

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How to Create an Elevator Pitch With Examples

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BY   ALISON DOYLE  | Updated January 27, 2021 | 6-minute read Source:  The Balance Careers

What’s an elevator pitch, and how can it help your career? An elevator pitch—also known as an elevator speech—is a quick synopsis of your background and experience. The reason it’s called an elevator pitch is that it should be short enough to present during a brief elevator ride.

This speech is all about you: who you are, what you do, and what you want to do (if you’re job hunting).

💡  Tip:  Your elevator pitch is a way to share your expertise and credentials quickly and effectively with people who don’t know you.

Done right, this short speech helps you introduce yourself to career and business connections in a compelling way. It can help you build your network, land a job, or connect with new colleagues on your first day of work.

When and How to Use an Elevator Speech

If you’re job searching, you can use your elevator pitch at job fairs and career expos, and online in your LinkedIn summary or Twitter bio, for example. An elevator speech is a great way to gain confidence in introducing yourself to hiring managers and company representatives.

You can also use your elevator pitch to introduce yourself at  networking events  and mixers. If you’re attending professional association programs and activities, or any other type of gathering, have your pitch ready to share with those you meet.

Your elevator pitch can be used during  job interviews , especially when you’re asked about yourself. Interviewers often begin with the question, “ Tell me about yourself ” — think of your elevator pitch as a super-condensed version of your response to that request.

What to Say

Your elevator speech should be brief . Restrict the speech to 30-60 seconds. You don’t need to include your entire work history and career objectives. Your pitch should be a short recap of who you are and what you do.

You need to be persuasive.  Even though it’s a short pitch, your elevator speech should be compelling enough to spark the listener’s interest in your idea, organization, or background.

Share your skills.  Your elevator pitch should explain who you are and what qualifications and  skills  you have. Try to focus on assets that add value in many situations. This is your chance to brag a bit — avoid sounding boastful, but do share what you bring to the table.

Practice, practice, practice.  The best way to feel comfortable about giving an elevator speech is to practice it until the speed and “pitch” come naturally, without sounding robotic. You will get used to varying the conversation as you practice doing so. The more you practice, the easier it will be to deliver it when you’re at a career networking event or job interview.

💡  Tip:  Practice giving your speech to a friend or recording it. This will help you know whether you’re keeping within the time limit and giving a coherent message.

Be positive and flexible.  You often aren’t interviewing for a specific position when you deliver your pitch, so you want to appear open-minded and flexible. Don’t lead with the stuff you’d rather not be doing. (For example, if you don’t want to travel a lot for work, that’s completely legitimate – but you needn’t volunteer that information right off the bat.) This is your chance to make a great first impression with a potential employer. Don’t waste it.

Mention your goals.  You don’t need to get too specific. An overly targeted goal isn’t helpful since your pitch will be used in many circumstances, and with many different types of people. But do remember to say what you’re looking for. For instance, you might say, “a role in accounting” or “an opportunity to apply my sales skills to a new market” or “to relocate to San Francisco with a job in this same industry.”

Know your audience, and speak to them.  In some cases, using jargon can be a powerful move — it demonstrates your industry knowledge. But be wary of using jargon during an elevator pitch, particularly if you’re speaking to recruiters, who may find the terms unfamiliar and off-putting. Keep it simple and focused.

Have a business card ready.  If you have a business card, offer it at the end of the conversation as a way to continue the dialog. If you don’t, you could offer to use your smartphone to share your contact information. A copy of your  resume , if you’re at a job fair or a professional networking event, will also demonstrate your enthusiasm and preparedness.

What Not to Say and Do During Your Elevator Speech

Don’t speak too fast.  Yes, you only have a short time to convey a lot of information. But don’t try to fix this dilemma by speaking quickly. This will only make it hard for listeners to absorb your message.

Avoid rambling.  This is why it’s so important to practice your elevator speech. While you don’t want to over-rehearse, and subsequently sound stilted, you also don’t want to have unfocused or unclear sentences in your pitch, or get off-track. Give the person you’re talking to an opportunity to interject or respond.

Don’t frown, or speak in a monotone way.  Here’s one of the downsides to rehearsing: it can leave you more focused on remembering the exact words you want to use, and less on how you’re carrying yourself. Keep your energy level high, confident, and enthusiastic.

💡  Tip:  Modulate your voice to keep listeners interested, keep your facial expression friendly, and smile.

Don’t restrict yourself to a single elevator pitch.  Maybe you’re interested in pursuing two fields — public relations and content strategy. Many of your communication skills will apply to both those fields, but you’ll want to tailor your pitch depending on who you are speaking to. You may also want to have a more casual, personal pitch prepared for social settings.

Elevator Pitch Examples

Use these examples as guidelines in crafting your own elevator pitch. Make sure your speech includes details on your background, as well as what you’d provide an employer with:

• I recently graduated from college with a degree in communications. I worked on the college newspaper as a reporter, and eventually, as the editor of the arts section. I’m looking for a job that will put my skills as a journalist to work.
• I have a decade’s worth of experience in accounting, working primarily with small and midsize firms. If your company is ever in need of an extra set of hands, I’d be thrilled to consult.
• My name is Bob, and after years of working at other dentists’ offices, I’m taking the plunge and opening my own office. If you know anyone who’s looking for a new dentist, I hope you’ll send them my way!
• I create illustrations for websites and brands. My passion is coming up with creative ways to express a message, and drawing illustrations that people share on social media.
• I’m a lawyer with the government, based out of D.C. I grew up in Ohio, though, and I’m looking to relocate closer to my roots, and join a family-friendly firm. I specialize in labor law and worked for ABC firm before joining the government.
• My name is Sarah, and I run a trucking company. It’s a family-owned business, and we think the personal touch makes a big difference to our customers. Not only do we guarantee on-time delivery, but my father and I personally answer the phones, not an automated system.

🔎Key Takeaways

KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET:  Your elevator speech is a sales pitch. Be sure you can deliver your message in 60 seconds or less.

FOCUS ON THE ESSENTIALS:  Say who you are, what you do, and what you want to achieve.

BE POSITIVE AND PERSUASIVE:  Your time is limited. Focus on what you want to do, not what you don’t want to do. Be upbeat and flexible.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE:  Deliver your speech to a friend or record it, so that you can be sure that your message is clear.

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9 elevator pitch examples for making a strong first impression

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When to give an elevator pitch

How long should an elevator pitch be, 9 elevator pitch examples to help you succeed, put your best foot forward.

Whether you’re introducing yourself in a job interview or presenting a product to a room full of investors, you need to connect with your audience. And in most cases, you need to do so quickly. 

Organize your thoughts and confidently deliver your message with an elevator pitch. An elevator pitch, or elevator speech, is a brief blurb that describes you, your business, or your project to inspire interest and encourage a second conversation. It’s a helpful tool in professional settings when you only have a short amount of time to grab a listener’s attention and persuade them to take action.

Your pitch should be concise and memorable, highlighting the most important details of your subject. Done correctly, it’s your best asset at a networking event, and it can even be the difference between letting a new connection fizzle out and finding your dream job.

Here’s when to present a speech , how to craft one, and elevator pitch examples to guide you through the process. 

Career fairs, job interviews , and networking events are great places to pitch yourself as a potential candidate. And if you’re presenting a product or service, industry events and client meetings are ideal for introducing your idea. In all of these spaces, people are ready, and maybe even eager, to hear from people like you.

But you never know when you could run into the right person who could offer a new connection or career opportunity. Prepare talking points and have a pitch ready, even if you don’t have an upcoming event. You might bump into someone unexpectedly. 

Use your elevator pitch in the following four scenarios to command an audience’s attention:

1. Career fairs

Career fairs bring you face-to-face with top employers. If you’ve done your research before attending, which you should, you might even have a few companies in mind you’d like to get in touch with. 

Investigate each business you want to connect with before crafting your elevator pitch. Note what you appreciate about the company, its latest developments, and active job postings . This information lets you determine which positions you’d like to apply for and convey why you’d make a great fit. Remember to highlight your attributes that match the roles and responsibilities and have targeted resumes to give to recruiters. 

2. Job interviews

Preparing for interviews is intimidating, even if you’re well-versed in situational and behavioral interview questions . Creating an elevator pitch to answer the common “Tell me about yourself” question is a great place to start. You can show recruiters why you’re the right fit for the role and leave a memorable first impression , walking them through key elements of your CV and touching on your professional development goals . 

Having an elevator pitch ready helps settle job interview nerves by making you feel more prepared, and it gives you the chance to focus on the most relevant details of your work history. Presenting the hiring manager with key moments of your career right away sparks interest, inspires further questions, and helps them remember you.

3. Networking events

Networking events are an opportunity to make connections within your industry. All attendees are there to build a network , so you can use your professional pitch with anyone you meet. And practicing with other attendees is a wonderful way to improve your communication skills .

Your pitch should highlight your professional experience, what you have to offer, and what you’re looking for in your career. This opens the door to professional connections that could lead to new opportunities, whether you’re looking for a job or want to pitch a product. 

First impressions count. And you never know what connection will lead to future success. An effective elevator pitch at a networking event could be what you need to land a new role or put you in the path of potential clients or investors. 

4. Sales meetings

A product or service-specific sales pitch should be ready for any occasion, whether that’s for an organized meeting or an impromptu encounter with a potential client. Tailor your pitch to address your audience’s needs, and pose your product as the solution. Include a thought-provoking hook, a clear explanation of what you have to offer, and a final statement that inspires further conversation.

An elevator pitch is useful for kicking off a sales meeting and setting the tone of the discussion. It’ll most likely lead to follow-up questions about your product or service, so prepare for any that could come your way.

Whether you’re presenting yourself to a potential employer or a project to an investor, an elevator pitch should last 20–60 seconds. Around 30 seconds is the general consensus. This is the perfect amount of time to touch on key points while engaging the audience .

Research shows that the average person’s attention span is only eight seconds , so you need to grab their interest fast. Start strong so their focus and concentration don’t wane. Create a list of important points, and put vital ones first. Every pitch you create should start with introducing yourself and follow with key points and a clear call to action.

Ensure your pitch is within 20–60 seconds by timing yourself reading it out loud. Speak in a conversational tone, and try not to rush or cram in additional information as you go. The 30-second average is longer than it seems and should be plenty of time to get your point across while keeping attention spans in mind.

An elevator pitch should reflect your personality and professional goals , and it can be whatever you want it to be. But with so much freedom, it’s hard to write. 

Here are nine elevator pitch ideas with examples and tips to nail your next important meeting. 

For sales pitches

Speaking to investors and potential collaborators is all about highlighting your product’s strengths. With that in mind, there are dozens of ways to approach an elevator pitch. Find one that suits your brand identity , sales skills , and target audience. You have time to experiment.

1. Ask an engaging question

This approach works best as a sales pitch. Ask a short rhetorical question that addresses your target audience’s problem and suggests that you’ll be the one to answer it. Use this method in planned meetings or cold calls to grab someone’s attention and entice them to keep listening. It should empathize with their needs and show them you’ve done your research and understand their pain points.

Your question-centered pitch should follow this order: ask a relevant question, empathize, and explain your value proposition . Here’s an example:

Are you tired of looking at a full inbox? Maybe you’ve missed a few deadlines because you didn’t open the correct correspondence in time. My partner and I constantly dealt with this issue while working as sales managers. That’s why we created LetterFix, a software tool that quickly scans your emails for upcoming dates and brings them to your attention.

2. Use a statistic

According to a study from the journal Communication Research, statistical evidence is more convincing than just a story . Starting a sales pitch with a surprising statistic will show your client that not only is their problem significant, but you understand it and its impact. Just make sure it’s relevant and directly correlates to the thing you’re trying to sell. It should also be accurate.

Here’s an example of using a stat to introduce a product or service:

Workers spend, on average, 2.6 hours per day answering emails . That’s nearly three hours that takes away from their day-to-day tasks — slowing down projects and progress. Our tool SpeedyQuill automates email responses and allows you to press send within seconds of reading an email. We’ve saved workers approximately two hours per day they can use towards more important tasks.

3. Try a comedic approach

With the right audience, comedy can be a great way to break the ice during a sales pitch. It shows your audience that you’re solution-oriented yet fun to work with. Keep in mind that this approach doesn’t work for every audience or every business, so use it with caution. If it matches your brand identity, humor is a great tool , but it might not fit into a corporate setting.

Here’s an example of a funny elevator pitch to inspire you:

Did you hear about the salesman that’s stuck answering emails all day? He was too busy to attend this meeting because his inbox was full. But that could change. Each salesperson that uses our tool SpeedyQuill saves approximately two hours daily from answering emails, and that’s two hours they can spend acquiring new clients and increasing your revenue.

4. Create an emotional connection

Appealing to your audience’s emotions and feelings gives your audience the chance to connect with your idea. The goal is to interest them in your cause, tugging at the heartstrings and offering a compelling case for your product or service.

Remember that emotions alone aren’t always enough to sell your product or service. You’ll need hard evidence of its benefits to persuade someone to do business with you. Here’s a pitch that explains the emotions behind a business idea:

When I started my therapy practice, I thought I could help more people, but scheduling conflicts at my in-person office made it difficult to serve every patient. I spent time outside my working hours to help as many as possible but wished there was an easier way. That’s why I created Head Start Hope, a 24/7 online therapy platform that connects therapists and patients around the US. Now patients can receive therapy at any time with licensed therapists without worrying about scheduling an in-person appointment or commuting somewhere. We’ve helped hundreds of people get the help they need.

5. Utilize storytelling

Similar to creating an emotional connection, storytelling relies on real-life examples to engage your audience. It uses your or a customer’s testimonial to appeal to your audience rationally and provide a specific example of how your product or service can succeed. And if what you’re offering is hard to understand, telling a story about it can put the concept into perspective and clarify what it means. Here’s an example:

We have a customer that was struggling to get their sales team motivated when it came time to sell a new product. With the help of our workplace coaching service, the sales team was able to increase motivation and improve their sales by 50% in the first four months. And they aren’t the only customers we’ve helped achieve those numbers.

6. Try a memorable one-liner

The first and final parts of any speech are the most memorable , while the information you present in the middle sticks the least. Using this logic, you can implement a clever one-liner at the beginning of your pitch or at the end to leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Your one-liner should be authentic, unique, and related to your product or service. This way, if your audience has heard countless introductions throughout an event, they’ll remember you more easily. Here’s an example of a pitch that ends with a one-liner:

Most children wait months for specialty dental surgery in Texas. But with the proper training and resources, this time could be much lower. Our company, Little Lion Dental, developed a program that connects new dentists with offices that need them, faster. So the question is, do you want to invest in the smiles of tomorrow?

For personal pitches 

It can be hard to sell yourself to a potential employer or client, especially if you’re anxious about the conversation. Preparing a pitch beforehand removes that uncertainty and helps you remember exactly what you want to say. Here are a few examples of personal pitches to inspire you :

7. Short and sweet

It’s best to keep things short and sweet when introducing yourself at networking events or job fairs — that’s the goal of an elevator pitch, after all. A short blurb lets the other person contribute to the conversation faster and remember the important details afterward. Use eye contact when communicating and read your listener’s body language to adapt the conversation and grab their interest.

Start by introducing yourself, touching on your relevant work experience, and explaining what you’re looking for in your career. Remember to end your interaction by leaving your contact information with a resume or business card. Here’s an example:

Hi, my name is Fatima. I have 10 years of experience as a freelance photographer, helping large food and beverage companies truly capture their products. If your business is interested in my work, here’s my card, but you can find some examples of my best work on my portfolio website .

8. Relay industry knowledge

Starting your pitch with the latest developments in your industry shows your audience you’re well-informed. This works well at career fairs where recruiters are looking for top talent who keep up with current trends and are invested in the industry.

Mentioning one of your industry’s latest developments, and involving the recruiter in the discussion, is an excellent way to grab their interest. To do this effectively, quickly introduce yourself, explain how you’ve been implementing new knowledge in your career, and end with your future goals. Here’s an example of a personal pitch that does this:

Hi, I’m Melissa, a consultant for tech and software businesses. I’ve assisted software clients for over 10 years, and I’m interested in using AI tech like ChatGPT to find optimized pathways for businesses that want to scale quickly. I’ve already implemented my system with a few different organizations with a 100% success rate, which is extremely exciting, and I’m looking for a firm that can support my research. Can I offer you my resume? 

9. Inquire about a job referral or internship

When you meet someone who works at a company you’d like to work at or in an industry you want to work in, you can pitch yourself on the spot. Don’t be shy about your interest. You’re pitching for a reason, so be confident . 

Try this method by introducing yourself, explaining your interest in their company, and inquiring whether the person knows of open positions or could get you in touch with someone who does. Here’s an example of a personal pitch that directly asks about jobs:

Hi, I’m Raji. I’m a big fan of what Corkboard Marketing is doing in the industry, especially when it comes to client relations. I’ve been working as a marketing associate for five years, and have experience in both client management and campaign development. I actually improved client relations at my previous job based on your company’s methods. I’m very interested in any open positions you know of. Would you happen to know if Corkboard Marketing is hiring or who to talk to about joining the team?

Whether you’re making an elevator pitch about yourself or a product you’re passionate about , take the time to prepare and write one that works. Just a few sentences could set your professional trajectory higher than before. 

If you’re feeling stuck, use elevator pitch examples and templates for inspiration. They might spark your next great idea.

Understand Yourself Better:

Big 5 Personality Test

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

Writing an elevator pitch about yourself: a how-to plus tips

How to pitch ideas: 8 tips to captivate any audience, 6 networking tips to help you make a lasting impression, write an intro email to a new team to start your job on the right foot, eq versus iq: which should you leverage when, 7 ways you can lead by example (and why it matters), how to make a presentation interactive and exciting, land a promotion: prepare for these internal interview questions, how to introduce yourself in an interview: examples & tips, learn how to introduce yourself: examples to make a good impression, 10 tips to find your niche and succeed at it, 20+ tips for how to get better at networking even if you are shy, how the minto pyramid principle can enhance your communication skills, 8 clever hooks for presentations (with tips), stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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23 Elevator Pitch Examples to Inspire Your Own [+Templates & Expert Tips]

Published: May 06, 2024

Whether you're introducing yourself at a networking event, telling new colleagues about your business, or pitching to another professional — you want to capture attention and get it fast. In situations like these, you need a short and easy-to-grasp explanation of your company and its products, like an elevator pitch.

In this post, we'll discuss what an elevator pitch is, review some helpful examples, see some elevator pitch templates you can reference, go over some elevator pitch best practices, and cover some key mistakes you need to avoid when delivering one of these speeches.

Let's dive in.

Table of Contents

What is an elevator pitch?

Elevator speech example, how to write an elevator pitch, elevator pitch templates, 30-second elevator pitch examples, elevator pitches from real sales leaders, elevator speech best practices, what not to do in an elevator pitch.

An elevator pitch — also known as an elevator speech — is a short, memorable description of what you do and/or what you sell. The goal is to earn a second conversation, not to convince the person you're talking to that they should hire you or buy your solution.

An elevator pitch is never an opportunity to close a deal. It‘s an opportunity to close more of your prospect’s attention and time. It's a quick introduction to you, your company, and how you can help your prospect.

Hi, I‘m an account manager with Vacation Locator. We help travelers across the world plan their perfect holiday based on their interests, budget, and location preferences. With travel experts assigned to each account, we find the best deals and most unique experiences for each client, so they can enjoy their vacation, instead of stressing out about planning it. On average, we’re able to save travelers up to 30% on expenses such as hotel and airfare.

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When to use an elevator pitch?

You can pull your elevator pitch out at functions like networking events or conferences, over interactions like warm calls, and even in job interviews or at career fairs. Keep your elevator pitch goal-oriented — for instance, "I help companies like yours increase production by up to 30% without additional cost . " — and always end with a business card or request to connect on LinkedIn.

If you‘re curious about what an elevator pitch should look like, or simply ready to jumpstart the pitch creation process, download the templates below. We’ve compiled several types of templates — from sales pitches to funding requests.

No matter which type of pitch you‘re delivering, keeping things concise is key. You don’t want to waste your prospect‘s, investor’s, or fellow professional‘s time. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how much time should you spend on an elevator pitch?

How long should an elevator pitch be?

An effective elevator pitch is meant to be no more than 30 seconds, just like the length of time you ride in an elevator. You want to keep your words easily digestible, so avoid trying to get too deep into specifics as it can drag on the conversation — and lose your prospect's attention.

You should have an effective elevator pitch prepared before you need it since you have such a short window to deliver it. Your pitch needs purpose, flow, and a hook to reel in attention if you want to get the kind of mileage you need out of it in 30-ish seconds.

Let's take a closer look at how to put one of these pitches together.

1. Use elevator pitch templates .

Download Free E-Pitch Templates

Use these templates to help structure pitches for three key audiences: prospects, investors, and potential network connection — making the elevator pitch creation process easier, freeing you up to focus on selling, crushing quota, and living your best life.

Let's dive into the ins and outs of fleshing out an elevator pitch of your own.

2. Introduce yourself.

The value of a personal introduction in an elevator pitch is multifaceted. For one, it gives your prospect some pretty mission-critical context — you won‘t get too much mileage out of an elevator pitch if they have no idea who you are or who you’re with.

Second, it can make the whole experience a bit more approachable. You don't want things to be too rigid or imposing when you pitch — a friendly introduction helps set the stage for a more natural engagement.

Bear in mind — you need to know what your prospect needs to know . What I mean is that you have to be mindful of how much information you‘re sharing as part of your introduction. You don’t want to get lost, ramble, and share more information than your prospect needs to know. Get it?

Effective elevator pitches are delivered in a tight window — you don‘t want to waste time rattling off details like how long you’ve worked at your company, what job you had before, or how much you like working for your employer.

Stick to the essentials, be friendly, and get on with the pitch.

3. State your company's mission.

Want me to let you in on some next-level, mind-blowing insight? Ready? Here we go — you need to know what your business does if you're going to pitch it effectively. Revolutionary stuff, right?

Seriously though, you want to include some insight about your business — and a lot of the time, that means briefly speaking to its mission and goals. Including a section where you give a thoughtfully tailored reference to your company identity can give a prospect valuable context and develop a little trust on a dime.

You don‘t have to give a comprehensive rundown of every project you’re working on or fondly reminisce about the team retreat where you picked up trash on the local beach. It can be as simple as something like, “I'm a sales rep at Better Than the Rest Cable. We help hotels across the U.S. pair with the perfect cable provider and plan for their region and needs.”

That description is both succinct and sufficient. It covers the necessary bases without getting too deep into the weeds. If you were to be cut off after these two sentences, the prospect would still know exactly who you are and what your company does. You know — the stuff your prospect needs to know.

4. Explain the company value proposition.

This might be the most important base to cover. A prospect isn‘t going to be interested in a solution that they can’t see the value in, so naturally, you need to be able to articulate a compelling value proposition in your pitch.

Unless you're at the forefront of some sort of technological revolution, your product or service exists in a competitive landscape — so your prospect is bound to have some options. Why should they choose you?

You need to provide a sentence or two that covers why your product or service is worth it — why your current customers are so happy with you. Here's what that could look like:

“I'm a sales rep at Better Than the Rest Cable. We help hotels across the U.S. pair with the perfect cable provider and plan for their region and needs. With regional experts assigned to each account, we help hotels identify the most cost-effective and guest-delighting cable plan for them.”

In one sentence, you‘ve told the prospect what sets you apart and how you can bring them value. You’ve likely piqued their interest, but how can you really grab their attention? Keep reading.

5. Grab their attention with a hook.

You‘ve spent the pitch up to this point lining them up, now knock them down. Give them the bit that’s going to prompt that second conversation — hit them with the hook.

That can come in the form of an enthralling story about a customer, some exhilarating information about your company's founders, a fascinating statistic about your offering, or something else that's neat and engaging to round things out and keep them interested.

Let‘s finish up the pitch we’ve been running with with an attention-grabbing statistic.

“I‘m a sales rep at Better Than the Rest Cable. We help hotels across the U.S. pair with the perfect cable provider and plan for their region and needs. With regional experts assigned to each account, we help hotels identify the most cost-effective and guest-delighting cable plan for them. On average, we’re able to save hotels up to 25% on their annual cable bills.”

6. Make sure your pitch is more conversational and less “sales-y.”

According to Patrick Beltran , Marketing Director at Ardoz Digital , you want to "[a]void sounding too sales-y. In my experience, people often shy away from elevator pitches that feel like a typical sales pitch. Your elevator pitch should come across more like a casual chat than a sales pitch. The aim is to spark interest, making the listener curious to learn more, not to seal the deal immediately.

"To make your pitch sound conversational, use a relaxed tone and steer clear of jargon. For instance, rather than saying ‘We offer cutting-edge solutions,’ say ‘We provide innovative solutions.’

"And instead of aggressively promoting our brand, we suggest ‘We’re looking to work with companies to address some of their marketing challenges. Perhaps you’d be interested in exploring this opportunity?’ "

7. Keep it simple and focused.

Gauri Manglik , CEO and Cofounder of Instrumentl , says, "The most important tip I can offer for creating and delivering an effective elevator pitch is to keep it simple and focused. Have one clear message or key insight you want to convey and structure your pitch around that.

For example, if you have a new product, focus on articulating the core problem it solves and how it uniquely solves that problem. Say something like, ‘We’ve developed a new tool that helps sales teams reduce the time spent on administrative tasks by over 50% each week. By streamlining CRM data entry and reporting processes through an intuitive mobile interface, account managers can spend less time pushing paper and more time building key relationships.’

A simple, focused message like this, with one relevant example or proof point to bring it to life, is all you need for an initial elevator pitch. Resist the urge to cram in too many details or try to explain everything your business or product does.

You have 30 seconds; one clear message is enough to spark interest for follow-up. With practice, a simple pitch can become a compelling story that fuels a meaningful first conversation. Keep it short — make it count."

8. Read and edit the pitch.

Once you have everything written out, read it aloud to make sure it sounds natural. Overly rigid, borderline-robotic pitches are rarely compelling. If it seems too stiff and formal, go back to the drawing board — at least a little.

Ideally, this pitch will be a prelude to a professional conversation — so striking a balance between professional and conversational with your pitch is in your best interest.

Now that you know how to write an elevator pitch, download HubSpot's eight free elevator pitch templates to put your learnings into action. These templates can be used to make a sale, start networking, or jumpstart a deal for business capital.

Featured Resource: 8 Free Elevator Pitch Templates

Our templates follow established best practices for elevator pitches. Each one includes:

• A personal greeting: Start every pitch by establishing a human connection and making your prospect feel seen and heard.
• A statement of your company's mission: Your mission can be blended with your value proposition and vice versa. But this piece of information is essential to get your prospect's buy-in, quickly.
• A hook to get your audience's attention: The hook can be as simple as a probing question or a highly personalized statement that‘s been tailored to your prospect’s needs. Either way, the hook will often seal the deal.
• A real example: See the template in action by reading a filled-out example, allowing you to visualize what your pitch may look like as you refine and edit it.

Using these templates allows you to save precious time and focus on the essence of the pitch instead of minute details, such as how to start it off or how to organize it. Your prospect's time is valuable, and so is yours.

If you're looking for some inspiration, look no further. The following elevator pitch examples illustrate different ways to describe what you can offer in 30 seconds or less.

1. An Attention-Grabbing Question

And like the previous one, it speaks to a “common but specific” pain point for the prospect on the other side of the pitch, covering an issue that many (if not most) marketers deal with consistently — and the “look at how many of your peers I talk to every month” element supports that.

And finally, it ends with an accessible but vivid metaphor about how efficient the resource is. I‘ll go out on a limb and assume that most prospects have poured a cup of coffee in their lives. It’s a frame of reference that's equal parts relatable and engaging — in short, it works.

3. The Surprise Ending

You want to know how many leads from your webinar campaign became customers versus leads from your trade show booth. But only customers who bought two products — and weren't already in your database.

How long would it take you to create that report?

If you had AnswerASAP, a data and reporting tool, you'd already know. It creates reports in a matter of seconds.

Holy heck! My goodness! What a twist! Bet you didn't see that ending coming — and neither will your prospects!

Okay, that might be overkill, but still, this kind of pitch works — for a few reasons. For one, it starts with a relatable approach. It runs through a “common but specific” scenario that businesses in the prospect‘s industry likely deal with. That shows that you’re familiar with a prospect's space, giving you some instant credibility.

From there, it offers an engaging, cheeky way to plug your solution. You raise a pressing pain point and immediately position your offering as the best way to solve it. It's slick, creative, and fun — taken together, those elements give you some serious staying power.

4. An Outlandish Stat

6. A Customer Story

Siena Rosen, a marketer at Dunder Mifflin, used to spend 30 minutes per day manually creating reports. Now that she uses AnswerASAP, that‘s gone down to four minutes. She’s making twice as many reports in less time. Our tool helps marketers like Siena answer any question on their mind (or their boss‘s) nearly instantly. If you’re curious, I can explain more.

Remember that one time, way back when, when I talked about how people are 22 times more likely to remember a fact when it's presented as part of a story ? The same principle applies here.

Telling a story where you reference a customer can make for a compelling narrative thread to an elevator pitch — along with some solid social proof to give you some immediate clout and demonstrated value.

7. The Reality Check

Dan Ponomarenko , CEO of Webvizio , offered this pitch:

“At Webvizio, we streamline web project management for digital teams, making collaboration seamless. Our platform allows you to visualize changes, communicate in real time, and manage feedback efficiently — all in one place. We eliminate the clutter of back-and-forth emails, so you can focus on what you love: creating. Interested in simplifying your project processes and enhancing team productivity?”

2. "Deliver a clear tech talent solution with EchoGlobal Tech . "

Lou Reverchuk , Co-Founder and CEO of EchoGlobal Tech , offered this pitch:

“Hello, I‘m Lou, representing EchoGlobal Tech, where we bridge the gap between innovative tech projects and top remote software developers. At EchoGlobal, we understand that the right talent makes all the difference. That’s why we guarantee no AI matchmaking and no juniors pretending to be senior devs. Always quality over quantity with us. Imagine having a dedicated expert who truly understands your project‘s vision and transforms it into reality. Let’s set up a time to discuss your hiring needs.”

3. "Simplify the insurance buying experience with Dundas Life "

Gregory Rozdeba , CEO of Dundas Life , offered this pitch:

“Imagine buying life insurance the way you shop online — quick, easy, and transparent. At Dundas Life, we streamline the complex process of finding the right insurance, making it accessible at your fingertips. With us, you‘re not just a policy number; you’re in control, informed, and secure. Let’s make insurance straightforward together.”

4. "Engage with real estate investment expertise with EZ Sell Homebuyers. "

Mike Wall , CEO of EZ Sell Homebuyers , offered this pitch:

“Looking to maximize your real estate investment? With over two decades of experience and a portfolio of over 30 properties, I provide tailored advice that turns real estate into real results. Let’s discuss how I can help you achieve your property investment goals today.”

5. "Enhance your online visibility with CodeDesign . "

Bruno Gavino , Founder and CEO of CodeDesign , offered this pitch:

“Hi, I’m Bruno from CodeDesign. We often see companies struggle to gain visibility in the digital space, losing potential revenue to competitors who dominate online. Our agency specializes in leveraging advanced data analytics and custom digital strategies to enhance your online presence, driving more traffic and increasing sales. Imagine what it would be like to see your business outperform competitors by simply optimizing your digital marketing. Let’s chat about how we can make that happen for you.”

6. "Illuminate spaces with quality lighting with Festoon House . "

Matt Little , Director at Festoon House , offered this pitch:

“Imagine transforming your space with lighting that‘s not only beautiful but also built to last. At Festoon House, we’re dedicated to crafting premium lighting solutions that elevate your style, enhance your ambiance, and stand the test of time. From modern chandeliers to industrial-chic fixtures, our products are designed to inspire and impress. Join the Festoon House family and let's brighten up your world together — one light at a time!”

7. "Solve food waste with RedBat.Agency . "

Gert Kulla , CEO of RedBat.Agency , offered this pitch:

“We're tackling the issue of food waste in restaurants. Our app allows diners to buy surplus food at a discount while helping venues reduce waste and generate extra revenue. This creates a win-win for businesses and customers looking to save money and curb food waste.”

8. "Elevate travel with JetLevel Aviation . "

Fahd Khan , Director of Marketing and Technology at JetLevel Aviation , offered this pitch:

“At JetLevel Aviation, we provide top-tier private jet charter services, ensuring fast, flexible, and seamless travel for high-profile clients. Unlike traditional charter companies, our bespoke solutions and access to a wide range of luxury jets guarantee that your travel experience is not just efficient but also tailored to your specific preferences and schedules. Let us elevate your travel experience to the next level.”

1. Keep it brief.

The purpose of an elevator speech is to be as brief as possible while capturing a prospect‘s attention. Try to stay under 60 seconds — including your introduction. Even if you’re delivering your elevator speech during a formal presentation, where you have time to elaborate if needed, keep the bulk of your pitch under sixty seconds.

If you don‘t, you won’t be able to use your pitch when you're chatting with prospects in situations with tighter time constraints — such as a tradeshow or a chance meeting.

2. Practice multiple times beforehand.

You may have written the most incredible elevator speech for your product, but if you hamper the delivery by misremembering or even forgetting parts of your pitch, it won't be an effective tool. Be sure to practice by yourself, with your manager, and with your colleagues.

The goal isn't just to memorize it, but to practice your tone, pace, and overall delivery.

3. Come prepared with additional materials.

When you‘re delivering your elevator pitch, be prepared to provide your prospect with what they need to continue the conversation. Whether that’s a business card, a brochure, or a short demo, carry all that you might need with you.

The elevator speech is your opportunity to begin a deal on the right foot and speed up the nurturing process. Typically, you might take weeks emailing a prospect before they're ready to schedule a meeting with you, but an elevator pitch speeds that work. You want to have the materials you need to keep the conversation going.

4. Be positive and enthusiastic.

It‘s essential to show your personality during your elevator pitch, but whether you’re a quiet, calm introvert or a charming, excitable extrovert, you should still convey positivity and enthusiasm.

You can use your body language and expression to keep things positive, even if your tone is quiet and calm. You might highlight the amazing benefits your prospect will enjoy if they sign up, or tell a positive story from one of your previous clients.

Most importantly, you should make it obvious that you want to help your prospect more than anything — which will make you sound positive by default.

5. Vary the tone of your voice.

As you deliver your pitch, vary your tone and modulation to keep your listener engaged. This will help you emphasize the most important parts of your speech — such as the benefits — while keeping your prospect‘s attention. The pitch may be short, but you’ll be surprised at how easily people can tune out based on your tone alone. We don‘t want to risk it! Especially if it’s a prospect you've never spoken with.

1. Don't ramble.

I‘ve been a rep at Sales-R-Us for five years now. They’re the best company I‘ve ever worked for. I’ve loved my time there. I started as a BDR and have worked my way up to a senior position. I‘ve never looked back. I also love the services we sell. I can’t wait to tell you about them. Sales-R-Us help companies become more efficient with their sales through training, evaluation, and leadership management — and that‘s just to name a few. We have a unique approach that’s been honed by lots of sales experts over the years, and I‘ve seen our solution really help a lot of companies and teams. I’ve had many clients whose businesses have been saved because of our genius solution. I know we can do the same for you. Would you be interested in learning more?

This elevator pitch is not effective because:

• It's way too long.
• The rep spends way too much time talking about themself.
• It never gets specific or actionable.
• It never provides actual examples or attention-grabbing facts.

2. Don't use too much jargon.

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• It's inaccessible to someone without relevant technical knowledge.
• It features too much jargon.
• It tries to condense an extremely complicated topic into 30 seconds.
• Its value proposition isn't clear-cut.

3. Don‘t insert your prospect’s personal information.

I visited your Instagram and noticed that you have a pitbull. I have a pitbull, too! I bet he sometimes distracts you when you work from home, which is the absolute pits when you‘re trying to put together a report for your boss. Your dog — what’s his name? — may be asking for your attention, but I assure you you can still create a report as easy as 1-2-3 with AnswerASAP. While petting your pupperino.

• It sacrifices the hook in favor of creating a “personal connection.”
• It's too familiar with the prospect to the point of discomfort.
• It makes assumptions about the prospect's work-from-home tendencies.
• It uses informal slang (“the absolute pits,” “pupperino”) for unnecessary humor.

4. Don‘t under-emphasize the problem you’re solving.

It's possible that you may run into issues when putting reports together for your boss. For instance, things may go awry every once in a while, such as disappearing data or disagreeing sources. With AnswerASAP, you can lay those worries to rest. We have a few features that will help you with those issues if you ever run into them.

• It treats a customer problem as a possibility and not an urgent reality.
• It‘s vague (“things may go awry”) and doesn’t emphasize how those issues can hurt the prospect.
• It doesn‘t specify the product features that will solve the prospect’s challenges.
• Because it never goes into detail, it shows little research and care.

Remember, an elevator pitch should only come at someone else‘s prompting. If you’re spontaneously reciting it to random people, you're not doing yourself any favors. But if they ask, you want to be prepared with an interesting, well-crafted pitch.

Reel in Clients with an Effective Elevator Pitch

While a short speech may seem insignificant, those first conversations can hold some weight. With a well-crafted pitch, you can turn a single conversation with a prospect into a long-lasting customer, or even into a business partner. We hope you found these examples helpful and are inspired to craft your own effective elevator pitch.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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The Elevator Pitch: How to Master Your Own (+ 7 Real Elevator Pitch Examples to Learn From)

Think back to a time when a salesperson cold-approached you, and you actually kept talking to them (or even bought something). Did they stumble or seem unsure of themselves?

I doubt it. They most likely recited a short speech they’d practiced hundreds of times— their elevator pitch .

Somehow, they piqued your interest, either by demonstrating value or speaking to a pain point that mattered to you. That’s no coincidence. Without a doubt, they’ve refined that short speech to be so effective that you took the time to listen.

Whether you’re in sales, looking for a new job, or trying to get people interested in your latest business venture, refining your elevator pitch can literally change your life. 

In this guide, we’ll teach you what to include in your elevator pitch, how to master the delivery of that short elevator speech, and break down real-life examples of successful elevator pitches you can borrow from. 

What is an Elevator Pitch?

An elevator pitch is a short speech that concisely describes an idea that you’re selling. The idea could be a product or service, an investment opportunity, or your own skill set. It should clearly explain your value proposition in 30 seconds, which is about the time you’d have on an elevator ride. 

Elevator pitches need to accomplish three fundamental things:

• Point out a need
• Show how you can uniquely solve it
• Provide a tangible next step

Here’s a basic example of an elevator pitch you could use if you were selling dent repair to people who have dents in their cars at gas stations (this has been used on me before):

When Would You Use an Elevator Speech?

Elevator pitches (sometimes called elevator speeches) can work for many situations, and they’ll change based on who you’re talking to and what you’re selling them. You might have multiple elevator pitches for different aspects of your life or job. You can even have an elevator pitch to get your kids to eat their vegetables (although your success rate might be lower than normal). 

Here, we’ll focus on three situations that most people design elevator pitches for:

• When you’re a sales professional selling products or services: Whether cold calling, emailing, talking to prospects at trade shows, or being introduced to new referrals, first impressions are key for sales pros. A great elevator pitch is adaptable to different buyer personas , so you can pitch your product in a compelling way, no matter who you’re talking to.
• When pitching your business or startup idea to investors: It’s not easy to get financing for a small business or startup. The first time you’re standing in front of potential investors, you need to prove there is a real market need, and that your product or service can uniquely solve that problem. A succinct 30-second pitch can also sell your business to prospective customers or job candidates you want to hire.
• When you’re in a job interview: There aren’t many questions more unnerving than, “Tell me about yourself.” Being prepared with an elevator pitch that distills your work experience and the value you can bring to the company can make all the difference. The best elevator pitch for a job seeker can be used with recruiters, hiring managers, at career fairs, or even as your LinkedIn summary.

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What to Say in a Good Elevator Pitch: 4 Essential Elements

To create the perfect elevator pitch for any situation, you’ll need to iron out each of the four elements below.  

1. Introduction

People need to know two things: Who are you? And why should I care? 

Remember, this isn’t all about you—if possible, try to include the problem you solve right in your introduction.

In a sales call, you might introduce yourself with something like this: “Hi, I’m Tom Callahan, I represent Callahan Auto, the most reliable brake pad manufacturer in the midwest.” 

By throwing in a simple one-liner that demonstrates value, Tommy Boy here has upped his introduction game to the next level. Not only does he say who he is, but why they should care. 

If you’re going into a job search and want to add value to your intro, you could use some compelling past results, “Hi, I’m Tom Callahan, best known for saving my family’s auto parts company from bankruptcy.” 

Here, Tommy Boy doesn’t just introduce himself but lets the recruiter/hiring manager know why he’s valuable. 

2. Mission Statement

An effective elevator pitch requires not just memorizing your mission statement, but feeling it. An effective pitch can convey that feeling to others. For example, one of our mission statements at Close is “Never again should a startup fail because they couldn’t figure out sales.” If you worked for our sales team, you would integrate this into your pitch. Potential customers would know that your goal isn’t just to sell them something, but to help their business succeed. 

If you were pitching yourself for a job interview, you’d want to have a mission statement that clearly states the impact you want to make. For example, your mission statement could be “I want to use my connections and skills to help this company IPO” or “I want to help this company grow because the product and the culture inspire me.” 

3. Unique Selling Point

Now, it’s time to sell your solution. Your elevator pitch should explain why you or your company can not only solve a problem but also why you are uniquely qualified to do so. This is why it’s called a ‘unique’ selling point. 

If you’re a sales rep, think about the competitive advantages you have. What’s something you offer that your competitors can’t touch? 

For example, if you’re selling Coca-Cola to a convenience store chain and are competing with products like Pepsi and RC Cola (remember that?), you could say, “Coca-Cola is the original cola; it’s the flavor that people expect. Without it in your fountain, customers will be left settling for a knock-off.” The uniqueness here is the originality and dominance of Coke over the competition. It conveys satisfying customer demand in a way that the competition can’t.

Whether you’re at a job fair, trying to get investors for your startup, or selling products and services, always remember to sell in a way that makes you unique. This could be your experience, the results you’ve produced in the past, or what drives you to make a positive change. 

4. Call to Action

Now that you’re nearing the end of your 30 seconds, it’s time to wrap things up with a tangible next step, i.e., a call to action. 

This will again vary based on the situation. If you’re pitching yourself to a recruiter for a job, the call to action could be to ask for a formal interview. If you’re selling a product, it could be to offer a more in-depth product demo. 

Don’t ask for too much. Give them a bite-size call to action that’s easy to commit to. A 30-minute product demo, 15-minute needs assessment call, or 20-minute investor presentation are all reasonable call-to-actions that should follow a 30-second pitch. 

If you’re doing an in-person pitch, don’t forget to leave a business card so they have something to remember you by and your contact information.

Our Quick, Simple, and Direct Elevator Pitch Template

Now that we have the four elements nailed down, here’s a simple template you can use to put your pitch together. Note that this is a sales pitch template, but can be easily adjusted for other situations. 

This is truly just a base template for you to start with and get ideas flowing. Feel free to add a compelling stat or fact, a story element, or a leading question that piques interest in your offering. 

The more creative, the more you’ll stand out. 

How to Craft and Execute Your Elevator Pitch: 6 Tips for Success

Knowing what to put in your elevator pitch is just the start. Now, here are six tips to keep your audience’s attention and get them excited about what you’re offering.

1. Have a Conversation Starter Ready to Go

Having a relevant and noteworthy discussion topic in your back pocket can help make your pitch more compelling. Use something that piques their interest, such as a stat or fact that impacts their business. This compelling opener should naturally transition into your elevator pitch. 

2. Focus on One Clear Benefit

You don’t have the time to rattle off all the benefits you provide in 30 seconds. Instead, go all in on the strongest benefit you provide. For us here at Close, it’s helping our customers master the sales process . If you aren’t sure what this is, talk to your customers or look at your product’s online reviews. 

3. Use Numbers to Make It Real

In business, numbers are everything. Use a compelling number in your pitch that calls out an important pain point. For example: “80 percent of small businesses that don’t streamline their sales process fail within five years.” (I have no idea if that’s true, but you get the idea.)

4. Take a Breath and Speak Slowly

Speaking slowly and from your diaphragm rather than your throat conveys confidence. If you speak too quickly and from too high up in your throat, you sound either unsure of yourself or desperate. By calming yourself with a deep breath and speaking confidently, you put your best voice forward . 

Also, speaking slowly can help improve your overall body language, making you seem like a calm and trustworthy person rather than a shaky mess. 

5. Avoid Useless Jargon

The last thing you want is to stop your pitch and explain some obscure industry jargon (there go your 30 seconds). Worse, you don’t want to isolate your audience by speaking in a language they don’t understand. Don’t use jargon unless you’re 100 percent confident that they’ll understand it and that your pitch will be better for it. Otherwise, avoid it. 

6. Practice until You Can Recite This Elevator Pitch in Your Sleep

You should literally be ready to give your elevator pitch to an important person in an elevator, just like the cliche. Practice and practice until you can recite your pitch hanging upside down with your eyes closed while monkeys throw rotten bananas at you. 

When I was in software sales, I recited my pitch so many times I could think about other stuff while saying it, kind of like when you read a page of your book but don’t remember it because you were thinking about something else. I’m not saying think of other stuff while reciting your pitch, but that is the level you should aim for. 

Source: SalesHigher

7 Elevator Pitch Examples From Real Humans You Can Learn From

To give you real-life examples of effective elevator pitches, I surveyed a group of small business owners and entrepreneurs, and the results were fantastic. Below, I’ll break down why these pitches work so you can take away some pointers to use on your own.  

Robert Kaskel, Chief People Officer, Checkr

Robert is an HR veteran for a prominent background check company with a ton of experience and notable clients. This is a pitch he could use at professional networking events or when talking to prospective new clients. 

Why this works:

• Robert’s introduction doesn’t just mention his title but also touts noteworthy clients. This lets you know his company is legit. 
• After the introduction, a pain point is introduced. This identifies a problem that the prospect may have. If they have this issue, they’ll keep listening. 
• His pitch demonstrates why his company is unique (built-in fairness/more human) and the impact it makes (vastly more efficient).

Gillian Dewar, Chief Financial Officer, Crediful  

Gillian’s pitch is for a personal finance site offering objective advice to help consumers pay down debt, learn to invest, and achieve their most important life goals.

• Gillian leads with a strong stat that her audience can relate to—it’s a great and empathetic conversation starter for someone struggling with their finances. 
• She differentiates her company from others by pointing out their mistakes, then makes her company unique and valuable by offering simplicity and trust. 
• It ends with giving her prospect hope for a better future, which is what they need most in their financial life. 

Marshal Davis , President, Ascendly Marketing

Marshal is the President of a digital marketing agency with over a decade of experience running and managing small to medium-sized enterprises.

• When introducing the company, Marshal delivers a strong value statement and clear benefits, which would get his ideal customers to listen. 
• He calls out ‘vanity metrics,’ i.e., meaningless data points that don’t deliver ROI, which is something many companies can relate to. 
• He provides a valuable free offer and mentions that he wants to ‘prove our worth,’ which humbles his company and shows that he is willing to earn their trust. 
• The ending reiterates the pain point that too many companies face and then demonstrates how he will solve that. 

Emma Zerner , Co-Founder & Content Strategist, Icecartel

Emma is the Co-founder and Content Strategist for a prominent e-commerce website specializing in jewelry. She has mastered the art of crafting compelling narratives for her brand. 

• As a whole, this pitch speaks very well to a specific persona that wants elegant, timeless jewelry. 
• It provides a strong mission statement, “We bring artistry and craftsmanship to the digital realm.” In the two sentences of the intro and the mission statement, you can identify what this company is all about. 
• Their unique selling proposition is catering to people who want to invest in an experience and view jewelry differently. In truth, not everyone fits their buyer persona, but for those who do, this hits home. 

Simon Hughes , Founder & Creative Director, Design & Build Co.

Simon’s agency helps eCommerce brands in the fashion, luxury, and beauty sectors enhance their online visibility through social media.

Note that this is the elevator pitch that Simon uses for prospective clients at networking events. 

• He starts with a great conversation starter that may take people aback for a second, and then they realize he’s talking about their brand. Nice! 
• He identifies a problem that his ideal customers may not have solved yet, which is moving beyond advertising to creating a brand identity that identifies with real people.  
• He shows how his company uniquely solves the problem by making clear promises and delivering on them. He also mentions building trust, which his customers need.
• It finishes with a clear and easy call to action. It doesn’t take a whole lot for prospects to say yes. 

Brian Nagele, CEO, Restaurant Clicks

Brian is a former restauranteur who went on to start Restaurant Clicks, an agency that does digital marketing for the food industry. 

• He leads with a strong conversation starter and pain point. Many restaurant owners will be able to relate to this. 
• Brian points out why his agency is unique compared to those other ones who have ‘never laid their hands on a chef’s knife.’ He is someone they can relate to and trust. 
• He finishes by providing value by sharing his expertise and growing his prospect's business. 

Samantha Odo, a Real Estate Representative for Precondo

Samantha showcases her dedication and expertise when pitching potential clients for her Canadian real estate agent business. 

• The intro shows that she’s a local and an expert, both of which convey trust to potentially nervous buyers. 
• Her uniqueness comes from her abundant knowledge and experience, plus her proven track record. Getting real estate clients is all about trust and she continues to build it here. 
• In the end, she states the outcome she will provide (an informed decision) and invites the prospect to achieve their goals with her—an inspirational and non-pushy call to action. 

Our Elevator Pitch to You (I Mean, We Couldn’t Not)

Whether you’re a salesperson, small business owner, or startup founder, you’re going to be delivering a ton of elevator pitches. How you manage, record, and follow up on those pitches is equally important to how you deliver them. If you don’t have a system for tracking your efforts, they are doomed to fail. 

Close is the perfect customer relationship management tool (CRM) for sales teams, small businesses , and startups to track all the information on who they’re delivering elevator pitches to, the opportunity those pitches create, and when you need to follow up. It’s built to help businesses like yours master the game of sales. 

Learn more about how Close can be the fast, modern, and simple CRM that your business needs.

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• 15 creative elevator pitch examples for ...

15 creative elevator pitch examples for every scenario

A good elevator pitch can be the difference between landing your next big opportunity or falling short of the competition. But the reality is, people want to have meaningful conversations without the forced sales pitch. So how do you pitch yourself during a job interview or client meeting with authenticity? 

We’ve put together 15 creative elevator pitch examples that will help you nail your next client meeting or virtual networking event. Whether it’s your first time or you’re a seasoned professional, our examples cover any situation you might find yourself in. 

First things first: What is an elevator pitch?

An elevator pitch, also known as an elevator speech, is an opportunity to share a quick summary of yourself and your product offerings. But a pitch can also be your chance at making a real connection that you can use later down the road. It’s not always an immediate benefit, but you should be prepared for any scenario in which you could be giving an elevator pitch. 

In reality, most people have given an elevator pitch whether they realize it or not. That’s because there are many different types of pitches—from interviews to new business opportunities. This includes situations where you need to "tell me about yourself" to recruiters or hiring managers. Therefore, preparing your next pitch becomes an important step in marketing both yourself and your company. 

When it comes to figuring out who to deliver your pitch to, you should aim for the best point of contact, not just the highest point of contact. Choosing connections that are related to or interested in what you’re offering will give you a better chance at making your sale.

How long should an elevator pitch be?

One of the biggest unknowns about creating sample elevator pitches is how long they should be. In most cases, it will depend on what it’s about and who you’re pitching. A good rule of business etiquette is to make it as short as possible by carefully selecting the most important points. 

A study conducted by Microsoft found that the average person has an attention span of around eight seconds, meaning you’ll have to fight for that undivided attention. That’s no small task. So when it comes to a great elevator pitch, aim to keep it around 30 seconds—though the exact length can vary depending on your industry and what you’re pitching. 

When looking at pitch length based on industry, each one differs to some degree. Let’s take marketing for example. Your pitch opportunities will likely be to customers that come across your brand. And in that case, you have very little time to get your message across—whether it’s text, video, or imagery. But when it comes to sales, you may get the opportunity to expand your elevator pitch past 30 seconds. You will likely have plenty of networking opportunities where people are more than willing to listen to what you have to say. It really just depends on your medium and the audience’s eagerness to listen. 

But what if you can’t cut your elevator pitch down to 30 seconds? It may seem like your brand is too complicated to distill down to such a short timeframe, but if you’re pitching to the right audience you shouldn’t have that problem. Make sure you pitch to people related to your industry or a tangential audience that will be able to interpret your offerings. 

Whether you're pitching a new product, a startup idea, or your work experience to a potential employer, make sure you pitch to people related to your industry or a tangential audience that will be able to interpret your offerings.

How to write an elevator pitch 

When it comes to writing an effective elevator pitch, it can be hard to decipher important facts from unimportant ones—this is why knowing how to effectively communicate in the workplace is important in the first place. For example, while it’s good to personalize your communication tactics wherever possible, it’s not necessary to give prospects an entire history lesson on your business. Only the most recent and relevant details should be included. To get started creating your own pitch, you first need to understand the basic components that make up any good elevator pitch.

Step 1: Introduce yourself

All good pitches start with a short introduction. It could be as simple as stating your name and who you work for if those details apply. But the more personal you can make it, the more natural your elevator pitch will seem. Nonverbal communication skills like body language and eye contact are  also an important part of a solid introduction. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when introducing yourself to a new prospect. 

Greet your audience in a compelling way that's appropriate for the occasion.

Use a formal greeting for a business pitch or when meeting with hiring managers.

Opt for a more casual greeting for a fun event or informal networking opportunity.

For virtual business meetings and professional networking events, get creative with your introductions over video chat.

In virtual networking events, focus on making a strong first impression, as it can be more challenging than in-person meetings.

Consider starting with a lighthearted joke to break the ice, ensuring it's relevant to your target audience. This can be particularly effective at career fairs or when giving your elevator speech to recruiters. 

Step 2: Present the problem

All solutions start with a problem. Whatever you or your business is trying to solve, it’s important to get the point across early on in your elevator pitch to set the theme for the rest of your speech. An example problem: coordinating work between teams is chaotic.  

If possible, relate the problem back to your audience by using real-world examples. This will help make the problem more relevant and, hopefully, grab your audience’s attention. If your problem isn’t easy to explain, try using more than one example or a visual to really paint a picture for your audience. 

Step 3: Offer the solution

If the problem is what draws the audience in, then the solution is what hooks them. This is your time to show them why they need your help. Here’s an example solution: Asana gives teams a system to organize and manage work so they know what to do, why it matters, and how to get it done.

The solution is arguably the most important part of an elevator pitch, so spend time perfecting it. If you’re pitching for a business, it’s likely the quick solution pitch has already been created. But again, it’s always better to personalize your pitch. So don’t be afraid to tweak it to fit your audience. If pitching for yourself, talk about the unique skills you’ve developed and why they would be beneficial to your prospect. 

Step 4: Explain your value proposition

Now that you’ve piqued your audience’s attention, it’s time to seal the deal by explaining why your solution is better than anyone else's. An example value proposition is: Asana is the only platform that connects goals with the work needed to achieve them. 

The value proposition differs from the solution by focusing on why your audience should use your solution over a competitor’s. If you don’t have that answer just yet, perform a competitive analysis to compare your offerings or look to your executive summary. 

If you're pitching during a job search or to build your network, your value proposition should highlight your unique skills, career path, and how they align with the company's or individual's goals.

If your market is extremely niche and you don’t have a clear differentiator or significant competition, look to communication and interface capabilities. Consider why your idea or solution is original enough that someone would want to use it.   

Step 5: Engage the audience

While most of the hard work is done, it’s important to engage your audience with a compliment or question before you part ways. Always err on the side of being genuine rather than delivering a scripted goodbye. 

There is no right or wrong way to engage your audience. While ending with a question can create a dialogue between you and your audience, a genuine compliment can go a long way. Think about what made you want to pitch them in the first place and use that to end the conversation. Don't forget to include a clear call to action, whether it's scheduling a follow-up meeting, exchanging business cards, or connecting on LinkedIn. Lastly, don’t forget to swap contact information, such as a business card, if you don’t already have it. 

Elevator pitch template

Now that you know the basic components of a pitch, the next step is creating your very own elevator pitch. This template can work for just about any situation, from a job interview to pitching a small business or startup. That’s because we analyzed some of the most famous templates from industry experts—from Harvard research to Guy Kawasaki’s art of pitching—to create the best elevator pitch template that will work in any situation. 

Plug your information into our elevator pitch template to draft a quick speech. While you won’t necessarily recite it word for word, it’s a great model to keep in mind in case you find yourself in a position where you’re not prepared with a personalized pitch.

Whether you’re looking for a pitch template for a job interview or for pitching your business, this template is a foolproof example for any situation you might find yourself in. 

General elevator pitch template

Use our elevator pitch template to start constructing your speech by adding statistics and personalized greetings where needed. This template incorporates the four parts explained above to hit all of the important details of a good elevator pitch. 

Introduction : “Hi I’m [name], a [position title] at [company name]. It’s great to meet you!”

Problem : “Since you work with [company name or industry] I figured you’d be interested to know that [problem + interesting statistic].”

Solution : “The great part about working at [your company’s name] is that we’ve been able to fix just that problem by [solution].”

Value proposition : “In fact, we’re the only company that offers [value proposition].”

CTA : “I think our solution could really help you. Are you available this week to speak further on this?”

Don’t be afraid to change up your pitch template based on your personality and professional expertise. We’ve also included personalized 30-second elevator pitch examples below to inspire personal facts you can add to create a more engaging speech .

30-second elevator pitch examples

Let’s dive into the best 30-second elevator pitch examples to help you create a pitch that’s both engaging and informative. Our examples take inspiration from the four elements included in the template above, to demonstrate how you'd pitch project management software to increase productivity . Try a few or try them all to find one that best fits your personality and value proposition. 

Example 1: Short and sweet

This example is one of the most common you’ll come across. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the best, but it’s a great example of a quick and easy pitch that fits almost any situation. When working on this type of elevator pitch, be sure to keep it as short and to the point as possible. Try to stick closely to the 30 seconds or less rule since the point is to be brief and transparent.

The problem is that work is chaotic no matter what industry you’re in or how good you are at your job. But a good project management software can help improve productivity and communication. I haven’t missed a deadline in years. If you’re interested in how it can help your team, give me a call and I can take you through some numbers. 

Example 2: Relatable over reliable

Sometimes the best way to grab your audience’s attention is to reel them in with a personal anecdote they’ll relate to. While it’s still important to drive home your solution, this approach puts more weight on making a personal connection rather than an immediate sale. 

It’s so great to finally meet you. How is business going? I heard you’ve been struggling with communication issues. My team and I struggled with that too. It wasn’t until we added project management software into our routine that we really saw an improvement in teamwork and overall communication. I hope you find a solution that works for your team. 

Example 3: Savvy with stats

Start your pitch off with a hook by dropping an attention-grabbing statistic. It’s important to have hard data to back up your statistics to ensure their accuracy before pitching. When it comes to a statistics pitch, it’s a good idea to come full circle at the end and connect how your solution can help solve that statistic.  

Did you know that despite having more ways to connect remotely, 60% of workers’ time is spent on work coordination with just 26% spent on skilled work and 14% on strategy? No wonder teams need help with project management. Implementing project management tools can decrease time spent on work coordination and help increase skilled work.

Example 4: Question everything

This example uses questions to make your pitch easily comprehensible. It also forces the audience to join in on the conversation rather than just presenting them with a speech. Try starting and ending with a question that makes the audience think about your pitch long after you leave the room.

Do you ever feel like you spend too much time on work about work? I’ve talked to so many people who share the same frustrations. I used to work long hours every day just trying to catch up. But do you know what? Ever since we started using project management software, I've been able to get so much more work done. Have you tried anything similar in the past?

Example 5: Comedic twist

If your pitch isn’t about a serious topic, you can add comedic twists to engage the audience. This is especially useful if giving a presentation. Add a GIF or quick funny clip in between slides to lighten the mood. If using this example, be sure it fits the occasion and tone of your company. 

Did you know that the average person can only pay attention for eight seconds? That’s not even long enough to place my coffee order in the morning. Maybe that’s why my barista always gets it wrong. But seriously, I think that’s why so many companies struggle to hit deadlines. 

Example 6: Tell a story

Use customer testimonials or your own personal story to paint a picture for the audience. This can be especially helpful if your topic is hard to explain in 30 seconds or less. Telling a story is a great way to add a relatable twist. 

We have a customer that transitioned to a fully remote workforce this year and needed help making sure deadlines were met. With our help, they were able to get up to 10% of their time back in their day and focus on more important things like strategic planning.

Example 7: Emotionally driven

While this type of pitch may be more difficult to create, you have a better chance of winning over your audience if you can make your pitch emotionally driven. It’s also more likely they’ll be willing to share the experience with someone else down the road. It’s important to keep the emotions on the lighter side to prevent the conversation from steering too dark. Here is an example to inspire your own speech. 

It may seem like any other tool, but when you look closely it really is helping teams connect. And not just that, but it’s helping cultivate teams that actually enjoy working together on new projects. That’s something that’s hard to come by, but something everyone is looking for.  

Example 8: Write it first

While most speeches start by writing a general outline, you can opt to write the entire pitch from start to finish. This tends to create a thought-provoking and poetic flow once you do present your pitch. You’ll have to memorize this pitch, so practicing is a key element to this strategy. 

Hi, my name is Kelly! It’s great to meet you. You work for Apollo Enterprises, right? I’ve heard a lot about them. I actually heard that you’re looking for project management help. In my experience, any organization—whether sales or suppliers—needs help coordinating work and team communication. Work can be rather chaotic, especially now, without it. That’s why we’ve created a software tool that helps both individuals and teams organize their projects and communications all in one place. Have you ever thought about using something similar?

Example 9: End with a one-liner

Making a grand exit doesn’t come easily, but if you can pull it off your audience is sure to be impressed. Stay away from cliche one-liners and make your closing authentic to you. The point here is to leave them with a thought that they’ll remember after the meeting is over. Consider sharing a surprising statistic or question relevant to their business.

Over one-quarter (26%) of all deadlines are missed each week because of a lack of clarity. But with the right project management tools, that number could be much lower. So the question is, can your business afford not to use project management software?

Elevator pitch examples by scenario

Now that we’ve covered the types of pitch examples, let’s dive into example elevator pitches for different scenarios. Whether you’re pitching for your business or yourself, you can use an elevator pitch to organize your thoughts and prepare for the real deal. Let’s look at key tips for any situation you may find yourself in. 

Example 10: Networking event

A networking event is probably the most common scenario you’ll run into. And with the new virtual-first culture, it may be even more challenging to make meaningful connections over video chat. That’s why it’s so important to prepare an elevator pitch that’s compelling no matter where you’re pitching it from. While most salespeople pitch casually in this environment, you may get the opportunity to meet an important executive. In which case, you’ll want to be prepared with a versatile pitch template. 

Great to meet you, I’m Kelly with Apollo Enterprises. We’ve been able to improve productivity and collaboration for teams all over the world. If you ever need help with project management, just reach out. I think we could make a huge impact on your company. I’ll make sure to keep your contact information handy as well. 

Example 11: Job interview

Looking for a new job or have career fairs coming up? Most interviews—whether with human resources, a recruiter, or a hiring manager—start with some form of the phrase, “Tell me about yourself.” This is an opportunity for job seekers to briefly explain themselves and their professional experience using industry buzzwords and key skills. Having an elevator pitch ready can ensure that you’re prepared when the opportunity presents itself. 

I’m Kelly, a specialist at Apollo Enterprises. I chose a career in project management because I had a passion for it, and now I can proudly say that I’ve been able to make a real difference in people’s lives. That’s why I’m looking to continue my career with an employer who shares those same values. I know my unique skills can make a big impact at your company because I’ve proven my results with a few key projects. 

Example 12: Formal meeting

You’ve landed the meeting, congratulations! Now is the time to create a formal elevator pitch to really get them interested. When presenting a formal pitch, a presentation can be a great addition to traditional elevator speech examples. But whether or not you choose to create a presentation, this meeting is about selling your product in the most professional way possible. So dress the part and don’t forget your unique selling proposition. 

I took a look at your current productivity figures and noticed an opportunity for improvement. With our project management software, you could get back up to 10% more of your workday. Not only would that mean more work getting done, but it would also have a positive impact on the overall success of your business. Not to mention, our tool is the only one in the industry that has goal capabilities to ensure teams stay on track. 

Example 13: Sales pitch 

Professionals often pitch traditional sales jargon, but the real key is creating a human connection while lightly sprinkling in what you’re selling. Start with a personal story or light-hearted introduction instead of the typical sales presentation. You can also prepare by creating sales team goal templates to ensure your team is on the same page. 

Our team really struggled to transition to a remote workforce. Communication wasn’t organized and people struggled to find the correct information to complete projects. But, thankfully, we found a solution to our problem. Implementing project management tools not only improved productivity but also improved overall teamwork. Every company prefers different tools, but I can say without a doubt that our software was the best at connecting goals with the work needed to achieve them.

Example 14: Social introduction

Now, more than ever, professionals are choosing to meet virtually rather than face-to-face. Whether you’re chatting over LinkedIn or have a virtual meeting set up, it’s important to make your pitch personal and use clear visuals to help sell your point. Here’s a great example of a social media pitch. 

Thanks for connecting! I noticed that your competitors are outperforming you when it comes to year-over-year growth. I took the liberty of doing a competitive analysis and didn’t find any outlying problems. I’m wondering if it could be an issue with productivity. How has the transition to remote work been? If you’re interested, I could run you through some productivity figures if you were to add project management tools to your current processes. 

Example 15: Entrepreneurs and business owners

Pitching to a business owner is much different than pitching to an executive. They can be harder to sell because they are often hesitant about new investments. The most important tip is to use examples as they pertain to the business when explaining a problem and solution.  

I love your products at Apollo Enterprises. I’m a huge proponent of your mission. I did realize that there may be some opportunities to improve productivity and collaboration internally. Have you ever considered project management software? I think it could have a big impact on business growth now or even down the road. 

4 tips to perfect your elevator pitch

In addition to creating the perfect elevator pitch, you should also work on sprucing up your delivery. There’s nothing worse than sitting through a boring speech, so make sure yours is anything but. From posture to tone, there’s a lot you can practice to make sure you look professional and knowledgeable. Consider these four tips when trying to nail a successful elevator pitch. 

1. Stick to your outline

To prevent getting off-topic, it’s important to stick to your outline at least to some extent. While you don’t need to recite it word for word, it’s best to memorize the majority of your pitch. That way you won’t need to worry about checking your notes. 

2. Speak slowly and clearly

Many professionals tend to talk quickly when they’re nervous—hey, we’re only human. But it’s important to enunciate and speak slowly so the audience can understand you. This is especially important when presenting over video chat. But try not to slow yourself down too much or you’ll go over your allotted time. 

3. Record your pitch

Record yourself reciting the pitch to work on any areas that need improvement. Practice your pitch a handful of times by playing the recording back and working out any pain points. A couple of key areas to focus on are speed and tone. It’s better to sound overly energized rather than monotone. 

4. Practice, practice, practice!

There’s nothing more effective than practicing your pitch until you’re able to recite it in your sleep. If possible, practice in front of friends and family to get constructive feedback on how you can make your pitch even better. Even if you have years of experience, you can never go wrong with being overly prepared. 

Common elevator pitch mistakes to avoid

Even with the best elevator pitch examples at your disposal, it's easy to fall into common pitfalls. Here are four mistakes to avoid when crafting your pitch:

1. Rambling and using too much jargon

One of the biggest mistakes in delivering an elevator pitch is exceeding the optimal amount of time and filling it with industry jargon. Remember, the best elevator pitch is concise and easily understood. Avoid technical terms that might confuse your audience, whether they're hiring managers, potential clients, or fellow professionals at a networking event.

2. Not communicating your value proposition in a compelling way

Your elevator speech should quickly and effectively convey your unique value. Whether you're job hunting or pitching a new business, clearly articulate what sets you apart. This is especially crucial when addressing a potential employer or investors. Your value proposition should be one of the key points that stick with your audience long after the conversation ends.

3. Not tailoring your pitch to your target audience

A one-size-fits-all approach rarely works for an elevator pitch. Tailor your message to your specific audience, whether you're at a career fair, a networking event, or even crafting cover letters. For instance, if you're pitching to a nonprofit, focus on impact and mission alignment rather than just profitability.

4. Forgetting to include a call to action

An effective elevator pitch should end with a clear next step. Whether it's exchanging business cards, setting up a follow-up meeting, or inviting them to subscribe to your newsletter, always include a call to action. This gives your audience a concrete way to continue the conversation and build your network.

Elevate your first impression with an elevator pitch

An elevator pitch is a chance to show off your strengths and pitch your solutions. While it may sound nerve-wracking, using the 15 elevator pitch examples above will help you develop your own method using personal tidbits that tie into your innovative solutions.

While your pitch is an important part of leveling up your business, there are many avenues you can take to achieve growth. One of those ways is by determining whether project management vs. work management tools are right for your team. Not only will they help connect your team members, but the right tools and software can also help your organization set strategic goals. That means more time spent on bigger projects to help your business reach next-level growth.

FAQ: Writing the perfect elevator pitch

What should an elevator pitch say? 

An effective elevator pitch should concisely communicate who you are, what you do, and your unique value proposition. It should highlight your skills, experience, or product offering in a compelling way. For those in a job search, your pitch should answer the interview question "Tell me about yourself" while focusing on career goals that resonate with your target audience.

What are the three C's for an elevator pitch? 

The three C's for an elevator pitch are Clear, Concise, and Compelling. A clear pitch uses simple language without jargon. Concise means keeping it brief, ideally 30 seconds or less. A compelling pitch is interesting and relevant, encouraging further conversation, whether you're networking or in a job search.

How can I improve my elevator pitch? 

To improve your elevator pitch, practice in front of a mirror to refine your delivery and body language. Record yourself to identify areas for improvement. Seek feedback from others and continuously refine your pitch. Tailor it for different scenarios, from job interviews to networking events. Regular practice will make your pitch more natural and effective in your job search or business endeavors.

How do I prepare for unexpected elevator pitch opportunities? 

To prepare for unexpected elevator pitch opportunities, have a basic pitch ready that you can adapt on the spot. Keep business cards handy and stay informed about your industry. Practice regularly so your pitch feels natural, even during a short elevator ride. Aim for an authentic conversation tailored to your audience, whether at a networking event or during an unexpected professional encounter. For product or service pitches, focus on quickly capturing interest to turn listeners into subscribers or leads.

Related resources

Everything you need to know about requirements management

How to streamline compliance management software with Asana

How Asana streamlines strategic planning with work management

How to create a CRM strategy: 6 steps (with examples)

The 15-Minute Method to Writing an Unforgettable Elevator Speech

Let’s start by getting one thing straight: Elevator speeches aren’t just for riding elevators anymore. And they’re not just for CEOs like me trying to pitch their companies, either.

They’re actually for anyone who needs to tell a story, leave an impression , or sell something as quickly and succinctly as possible—think 30 seconds or less. They’re great for networking events when you’re trying to give someone a brief snapshot of who you are. They’re great for that dreaded “Tell me about yourself” question in interviews . And when I sit down to chat with a potential friend, partner, or hire, I always appreciate someone who can hook me in with a concise, easy-to-understand description of who they are.

It’s not an easy feat, but with elevator pitches a little prep work goes a long way! Try this 15-minute exercise, and you’ll be that much closer to having a speech you can use time and time again.

Minutes 1-5: Write Down Everything You Want to Say About Yourself

The first step here is to get everything on paper so you understand what you’re working with. Take a blank sheet of paper, and write down every little thing you would want someone you’re meeting to know about you. Don’t feel the need to hold back here—I promise, we’re going to significantly edit it down later.

If you’re feeling stuck or aren’t great at bragging about yourself, try asking yourself questions like: What makes you different in your field? How do you stand out? What benefit would you like to bring to the world? If you’re making a career change , how do your current skills and experiences relate to where you want to be?

Minutes 6-10: Now, Write it on a Sticky Note

Now, what if you had to do the same exercise—with only the space of a square sticky note to work with? What would you prioritize? What would you decide isn’t that important for a first interaction? Look over your thoughts from the first five minutes and see where there are redundancies, what you want to keep, and what’s really not that important.

If you’re having a hard time paring it down, a good framework to use is to come up with a few sentences that answer these four questions:

• What do you do?
• Why does it matter?
• Why do you do it?
• What’s next?

So start with a short, descriptive explanation of what you do, like “I’m a writer for the technical products division of Acme Company,” and then take it a step further and think about how your work affects others. Perhaps it’s “I help translate technical specifications into easy-to-follow instructions that anyone can understand at home.”

Then try adding your reason for doing it, such as: “I love being able to distill something complex and full of jargon into simple, clear steps and help people master technology.” Finally, especially if you’re job searching or looking to gain something from the interaction, you should mention what’s next, à la “Now I’m looking to branch out and do consulting work so I can apply this expertise to many more companies and improve the understanding of technology around the world.”

Minutes 11-15: Speak it Out Loud

Before you land on a final elevator speech, you need to actually test it out—out loud. You want this to sound like something you would actually say in normal conversation, not like you’re obviously reciting something you carefully wrote.

One thing that this step will help weed out is jargon. I’m guessing you don’t say business catch phrases like “strategic insight” in your day-to-day conversations—and most people won’t know what that really means. It’s much more powerful to find a simple, straightforward way to describe your role. For instance, instead of “strategic insight” you might say, “help businesses identify new products they could create or customers they could serve.” Now, that’s much more natural, tangible, and understandable.

Once you have an elevator pitch you’re happy with, put the sticky note somewhere accessible like on your desk or in your wallet, look it over every day, and then start integrating it into your conversations! You may tweak it from time to time—I often will personalize mine according to who I’m talking to or based on new goals—but you’ll have a solid base to start from.

This article was sponsored by University of Phoenix . I’m a compensated contributor, but the thoughts and ideas are my own.

Photo of women in elevator courtesy of Shutterstock .

How to Craft an Elevator Pitch - 5+ Pitch Examples Included

If we were to tell you that a 40-second encounter has the potential to change your career path or jumpstart your business idea, you probably wouldn’t believe us, right?

Well, we’re telling you just that!

Sometimes, for a short window of time, we end up in the right place, at the right time, with the right person (and no, we’re not talking about your romantic life). 

Those seconds are enough to explain your business idea to an investor or describe your company to a potential client.

Knowing how to take advantage of that time - aka, knowing how to give an elevator pitch - can make or break a deal. 

In this article, you’ll find all you need to know in order to deliver a top-notch elevator pitch and not let any opportunities slip. 

What’s an Elevator Pitch?

Most common uses for an elevator pitch.

• How to Craft an Elevator Pitch (with steps)
• Dos and Don’ts

5 Elevator Pitch Examples

So, let’s not waste any time and get right to it!

An elevator pitch is a concentrated summary of yourself, your job, your company, or your business idea. A trailer, if you will.

The point is to inform your audience and potentially land a job position, investor, or simply expand your network.

You should be able to deliver a pitch in the time of a short elevator ride (between 30 and 60 seconds), hence its name. 

Elevator pitches are crafted for short (sometimes unexpected) encounters: a one-station metro ride with an old client, coffee break at the office with a coworker from another department, a chat with a superior right before a meeting. 

Situations in which you don’t have time to think and they don’t have time to listen.

However, it can come in handy in plenty of other situations as well, like:

• Selling a product or service. A well-crafted and concise pitch grabs the buyer’s attention and can lead to a successful sale. 
• Looking for a job. Whether it’s your LinkedIn summary or a conversation with a recruiter at a job fair, a good pitch will introduce you and your skills in a brief and impactful way.
• At a job interview. When answering an interview question like “ Tell me about yourself ”, you’re basically doing an elevator pitch.
• In a work event. Networking and having connections have become crucial in the job market. During events, having some pitches in your pocket will allow you to have brief but memorable conversations with plenty of people and expand your network. 
• Giving a presentation. Your audience will probably stay for all of the presentations, even if it’s way longer than 30 seconds. However, there’s no guarantee they will listen. Delivering a summarizing pitch before the presentation will grab the audience’s attention and spark curiosity as to what you will be presenting.

How to Craft an Elevator Pitch

When you think about it, an elevator speech might not seem all that difficult at first.

After all, It’s just 30-60 seconds - that’s 75-150 words max, right. 

Well, the short length of the speech is exactly the problem. 

The difficulty and success of a pitch lies in being able to compress a lot of information in only a few structured sentences. 

That’s far from easy, but it’s nothing you can’t master. 

Here’s what steps you should follow when preparing any elevator pitch.

Step #1 - Have a clear goal

Say, you’re representing a newly-started business. 

If you’re giving a pitch to a potential investor your goal is to convince them that your business is a good investment. Talk about what problem your product solves, what your customer base is, how big your potential market is, and your expected profits.

If you’re giving a pitch to a prospective client, your goal is to convince them to buy your product. How would they benefit from buying it? Why is it better than its competitors?

Knowing the exact purpose of your pitch will make it easier for you to select what information to include in your elevator pitch.

It’ll also help you avoid steering off track and getting into unnecessary details.

Step #2 - Explain who you are/What you do

This is what’s going to grab (or lose) the attention of your listener. 

Your answer should follow a past-present-future structure. It’s easier for you to put together, and at the same time, easier for your audience to follow.

If you’re presenting your company, briefly go over why it was created, what it does, and what are its prospects for the future.

If you’re talking about yourself, give some background information on education or previous work experiences, what you do now, and what your career goals are.

This information should make up about 50% of your answer, which means you should compress it into 35 - 75 words. That’s like 2-4 sentences only!

Step #3 - What’s special about it?

Now, this is where you lay down your case after you have the listener’s attention. 

This is where you talk about your USP (Unique Selling Proposition).

What does your company do that sets it apart from its competitors? What makes you the best candidate for the job? 

Go for the most interesting and memorable pieces of information and don’t be afraid to talk numbers as well. 

This is what the listener will probably remember most out of the conversation, so put a lot of thought into what you will be presenting. 

“Hi, I’m Jane. I’m a fine arts graduate, currently working as a designer. 

I’ve previously worked as creative director for M's clothing brand for 3 years. During that time, I oversaw the release of two collections and directed the photoshoot sessions for both of them. I also worked as creative director for B magazine for 2 years and E-magazine for 3 years. I directed multiple photoshoots and marketing projects, releasing 25 magazine covers in total and 3 video campaigns.

I’m currently looking to expand my portfolio and get into the branding industry, which is why I decided to apply for this position.”

I have experience working as a creative director for a clothing brand and some magazines. I’m currently looking to expand my portfolio and get into the branding industry, which is why I decided to apply for this position.”

Step #4 - Engage the audience

Imagine wrapping up your pitch and then… silence. That makes for one awkward interaction, quite the opposite of what you’re aiming for. 

To avoid that, end your pitch with a question or statement that will engage the other side with a reply. 

You can ask for a meeting, show curiosity about the company, or simply express your desire to work there. You can even ask for mentorship .

This leaves room for the conversation to go on (as much as the elevator ride will allow) and for contact to be established between you and the listener. 

“Hello there! I’m John, I work for YY. We provide accounting software primarily for small and medium-sized businesses like yours. 

The software completely changes your experience with invoices and billing. What’s special about it is that it will also provide you with an insightful financial report on your business. You’ll know exactly how your business is performing.

What software does your company currently use, if I may ask?”

“Hi, my name is John and I work for XY, a software company aiming to help businesses like yours. 

Our software assists you with invoices and billing, provides tools for accurate accounting, and gives you timely detailed reports on your business’s performance. It really is great!”

Step #5 - Practice and practice again

First round of practice is about getting the answer right. 

You’re going to need to do a lot of revision to your pitch, each time cutting some information until you get to the right answer-length.

Second round is about memorizing what you initially laid out. 

All this effort would be for nothing if you don’t remember your points and steer off track when it’s time to use your pitch.

Record your pitch and listen to it after a while. Pay attention to your tone and see if you have succeeded in making a convincing statement.

DOs and DON’Ts of an Elevator Pitch

You can use an elevator pitch for a lot of different reasons, usually making some changes to fit your purpose.

However, here are some tips to keep in mind when giving any kind of pitch.

Tailor your pitch to your audience.

Even if you’re interviewing for the same position, your answers to interview questions should differ depending on if you’re talking to your CEO or a recruiter. 

Keep a positive attitude.

Chances of you being convincing if you’re sporting a frown and monotonous voice are very very low.  

Make it easy to understand.

This is not the time to use big SAT words or get technical with your explanation. Remember - your pitch is supposed to have a conversational tone, so stay away from complicated sentences. 

Speak fast.

You might be tempted to speak faster in order to include as much information as possible in your pitch. Don’t! It’s just going to confuse your audience. 

Sound rehearsed.

The idea is to rehearse a lot, but not to sound like it. A robotic answer that lacks passion won’t get you the job or the client.

Having a business card to give at the end of the interaction is a great move. The other person will have a piece of reference to contact you!

...And that’s a wrap for all the theory!

Now, let’s cover some real-life elevator pitch examples, starting with:

#1. Sales Elevator Pitch Example 

“Hello! Thank you for showing interest in our company’s services. 

XYZ is a tech recruitment company, helping organizations such as yours source the best developer talent. Vice versa, we also help professionals find the right job opportunities for them. 

As of last year’s data, we successfully helped fill more than 2000 job positions - and that’s only for Massachusetts and Connecticut! We will be expanding in New York and Pennsylvania this year, providing a larger pool of opportunities for both employers and professionals. 

How does your company currently recruit employees?”

#2. Job Interview Elevator Pitch Example

“Hi! My name is Jane. I’m glad to be here. 

I graduated in business administration 7 years ago. Since then, I have held positions as an administrative assistant, sales agent, and for the last 3 years, sales manager.

So far I’ve only managed small-sized teams of agents. Quite successfully, if I can say so - we always met or exceeded sales targets. 

I’d love to have the opportunity to advance in this area and manage a larger sales team, and this position seems like the perfect opportunity to do so.”

#3. Work Event Elevator Pitch Example

“Hello! I’m John Doe. I think we corresponded on the phone together to schedule a meeting between our bosses. Jane, am I right?

I was an intern at the time and I recently earned a full position as an administrative assistant. We’ll probably be communicating again in the future so I thought I’d come to say hi. 

How’s work been going for you?”

#4. Presentation Elevator Pitch Example

“Hello everybody. You probably know what we’ll be talking about today, but I’ll give you a brief summary before we begin as well.

As many things, the retail industry was also greatly affected by the pandemic. Production was interrupted, fashion shows canceled, and many brands, unfortunately, had to file for bankruptcy. This has left the industry with a lot of uncertainties as to what the future will bring. We will be discussing some possibilities today, as well as analyzing some of the online strategies that were followed by some brands and how they could end up bringing permanent changes. 

Let me know if you are ready to begin!”

#5. Seeking Mentorship Elevator Pitch Example 

“Hi, my name is Jane Doe, I’m a journalism graduate. For the past year, I’ve been covering political news for Y local newspaper. I’ve also had two opinion essay pieces published at the prestigious Z. I am a great admirer of your work, especially your coverage of elections. 

Yours is a path which I aim to follow and I would love to discuss with you the possibility of a mentorship. I have been working on a book on the side and your guidance and opinion would mean a lot to me.”

Key Takeaways

You made it to the end! No elevator encounter can scare you off now. 

Let’s do a short recap with the most important tips to remember.

• Know your audience. Your goal will differ with each audience. Know exactly what you’re trying to convince them of and focus only on the relevant information.
• Be brief - between 30-60 seconds. Less than that, it won’t make sense. More than that, you’ll lose the audience’s attention.
• Follow the past-present-future structure. That will help you put your answer together more easily.
• Mention something unique. That’s your selling point, the memorable part of the conversation.

All that’s left to say is: practice your answers and make the most out of every second. Literally.

Suggested reading:

• The Complete Guide to Remote Work [W/ Tips & Tricks]
• The Ultimate Guide to Job Hunt - Land Your Next Job in 2024
• How to Get an Internship in 2024 [4 Easy Steps]

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How to Perfect an Elevator Pitch About Yourself

by Daisy Dowling

You’re in the elevator with the hiring manager of Dream-Job Corporation. As the door slides shut, you feel a combination of adrenaline and slight nausea: you’ve got 15 seconds, if that, to communicate your value as a potential employee in a compelling way — just 15 seconds to cram in a whole resume’s worth of work and accomplishments and late nights and successes. There’s so much you want to say, but your message has got to be crisp, tailored, to-the-point. Handle this one right, and you’ll be the newest member of the Dream-Job team. Flub it up, and you’re back to scanning listings on Monster.com. What are you supposed to say?

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