How to Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Business

Ever wondered how to write an elevator pitch—or why you need one in the first place?

Sounds boring. I thought so too, until a networking blunder in my early days opened my eyes to the importance of being pitch-ready at the drop of a hat.

It was a Wednesday evening. I’d just hit “send” on my last email and was about to relinquish my coffee shop table when my calendar pinged.

Then it hit me—it wasn’t just any Wednesday. It was THE Wednesday I’d RSVPed for my first business networking event, and I was already late. I slammed my laptop shut and high-tailed it out of there.

Last to arrive, I wiggled into a circle of chairs. A woman introduced herself with a brilliant summary of her niche photography business. Then she smiled at me and asked, “What do you do?”

“Oh, um, hey. I’m Erika,” I stuttered, studying the water rings on the table. “I’m a writer. I write a little bit of everything… short stories, websites, blogs. And, um, yeah.”

(Ouch.)

That was my elevator pitch. I missed a huge opportunity to pitch my website copywriting services to a room full of founders. Today, I know better—and you will too if you keep reading.

Whether you’re a scaling SaaS brand, an established SMB, or a fellow freelance copywriter, your elevator pitch is the strategic foundation of your entire sales message.

If you can’t explain your value in 30 seconds during a conversation, how will you articulate what you do and why it matters on your website? Nailing your in-person pitch is the first step to clarifying your online message.

Here’s how to write an elevator pitch that makes your ideal clients say, “how soon can we start?” —even when you’re not in the room.

What is an elevator pitch?

An elevator pitch (or elevator speech) is a brief, persuasive 30-to-60-second summary of what you do, who you serve, and the unique value you provide. It’s designed to spark a conversation—not to close a deal on the spot.

That said, a strong pitch sets the stage for future sales. By making a memorable impression, you stay top of mind when someone is ready to buy down the road. According to research cited by Princeton University, 70% of opportunities are uncovered through networking.

But a business elevator pitch is more than just an icebreaker for conferences. It’s the logline for your business.

While your spoken pitch isn’t meant to close a deal right then and there, the meaning behind it informs business assets that will. The messaging you develop for your elevator speech is the same core messaging you’ll use for your website copy, your LinkedIn bio, and your sales emails.

The anatomy for how to write an elevator pitch

Before you start stringing words together, you need a blueprint. Carnegie Mellon University recommends outlining the core elements first: 

• Who you are (introduction)
• Who you help (target audience)
• What you offer (your solution)
• Why you’re here (value proposition)
• What you hope happens next (call to action)

From there, you can build out a simple elevator pitch using this formula:

Hi, I’m [ Name & Title ]. I help [ Target Audience ] who are [ Problem They Face ]. We provide [ Unique Solution ] that [ How You Solve the Problem ] + [ Call to Action ] = Your Elevator Pitch

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

“Hi, I’m Jordan, the founder of RouteSmart [Introduction]. I help mid-sized logistics companies [Target Audience] who are losing millions in fuel costs due to inefficient routing [The Problem]. We provide an AI-powered predictive platform [Unique Solution] that cuts fuel costs by 25% while reducing the carbon footprint [Value Proposition]. I’d love to schedule a 10-minute demo to show you how much your fleet could save [Call to Action].”

Boom. Elevator pitch done—in less than 75 words. 

How to write an elevator pitch (without sounding like a used car salesman)

If you want to write an elevator pitch that doesn’t make you (or your listener) cringe, follow the 3 C’s: Clear, Concise, and Compelling. You can achieve this by sticking to these three rules: 

1. Pitch the problem, not just the features

Nobody wakes up and thinks, “I need a scalable, OS-level virtualization container today.”

They think, “I need to find a way to prevent my development team from wasting 15 hours a week on manual server maintenance.” And they buy when they find a solution that can help them do exactly that.

As the team at Salesforce points out, a good pitch tells a clear, compelling story about how you solve a prospect’s unique challenges.

Address the problem that keeps your prospects up night before you introduce your service as the solution.

2. Use the 8th Grade / PhD rule

Industry jargon is where conversions go to die. The Harvard Catalyst Writing and Communication Center recommends aiming for the “8th grade/PhD” sweet spot. Craft your pitch so anyone from an eighth-grader to a PhD can follow the conversation.

For example: 

• Instead of “We deliver synergistic omnichannel marketing enablement,” say → “We help you reach your customers wherever they are online.” 
• Instead of “Our proprietary OS-level virtualization leverages isolated containers,” say → “We help your software run faster using fewer resources.”

To deliver your pitch, the career experts at Indeed.com recommend speaking slowly, keeping it under 60 seconds, and using simple, accessible language.This demonstrates confidence and competence.

3. Wire it for story

Humans are literally wired for narrative. As story expert Lisa Cron explores in her book Wired for Story, without a story, there’s no sense of urgency or cause-and-effect logic. 

The data backs this up: according to a press release by Newswire, cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner theorized that people are 22 times more likely to remember a fact when it’s wrapped in a story.

Furthermore, neuroscientists have found that stories trigger the release of oxytocin, the “love drug,” creating an instant feeling of connection and trust.

Weave a brief, relatable client outcome or personal anecdote (like I did at the beginning of this article) into your pitch to light up your listener’s motor cortex.

5 elevator pitch examples to inspire your own

Need some inspiration? There’s more than one way to organize your pitch. Here are a few elevator pitch examples spanning different business models.

1. The “Comparison” Pitch (Airbnb) 

In 2008, the founders of Airbnb focused on the pain of price and hotel culture. 

The Pitch: “Price is a major concern for travelers, and hotels leave you disconnected from the local city culture. We’re building a web platform where users can rent out their extra space to travelers. It saves the guest money, lets the host monetize their apartment, and offers a more authentic way to travel. It’s like ‘CouchSurfing’ meets ‘Hotels.com,’ but with verified reviews and easy payments.” 

The Formula: Pain Point + The Solution + The Benefit + The Differentiator (X meets Y).

2. The “Efficiency” Pitch (UberCab) 

Co-founders Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick pitched Uber (then UberCab) as a high-end solution to a broken monopoly. 

The Pitch: “The taxi industry is a broken monopoly. It’s hard to find a cab, the cars are aging, and the medallion system is incredibly inefficient. We’re creating a mobile app that lets you hail a luxury town car in one click. By using GPS and automated dispatch, we provide a reliable, high-end service with a faster response time than a traditional radio-dispatched cab.” 

The Formula: Broken Industry Standard + The Tech Solution + The Tangible Advantage.

3. The “Network” Pitch (LinkedIn) 

In the early 2000s, founder Reid Hoffman had to explain why a professional network mattered when people already had Rolodexes and email.

The Pitch: “Finding the right person for a job or a partnership today relies on random networking and word-of-mouth, which is slow and unreliable. LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that allows you to map out your trusted connections. Instead of cold-calling, you can find the person you need through someone you already know, making professional networking searchable, verified, and infinitely more efficient.”

The Formula: The Outdated Method + The New Platform + The Ultimate Outcome.

4. The “Pickup Line” Pitch

On Reddit, an anonymous founder shared their creative pitch for an eco-friendly apparel brand. It’s unexpected, highly specific, and sticky like gum on your shoe.

The Pitch: “I recycle single-use water bottles into awesome clothing instead of throwing them into landfills or the ocean. At some point in the journey, your lips may have been on what I’m wearing. Thanks for the kiss!”

The Formula: The Outdated Method + The New Platform + The Ultimate Outcome.

5. The “Niche Expert” Pitch 

You don’t need an industry-altering product to have a great pitch; a service business needs one just as much. If I could go back in time to that Wednesday night networking event, here’s what I’d say:

The Pitch: “I’m a conversion copywriter for service and SaaS brands who’ve outgrown their old website. I combine UX strategy and buyer psychology to build the foundation for a website that brings in better leads and closes more sales—this year and 5+ years from now.”

The Formula: Your Role + Target Audience + Their Problem + Your Unique Method + The Ultimate Benefit.

Tying your elevator speech to cold pitches and sales calls

Your elevator pitch is just the beginning. Once you nail your core messaging, you can scale it up for broader sales applications.

If you’re transitioning your pitch to an email format, you need to learn how to cold pitch effectively and ethically. Adapt your elevator pitch using the “Rule of One”:

• Pitch one recipient
• Highlight one problem
• Offer one solution
• Provide one call to action (CTA)

This rule ties directly into buyer psychology. Giving people one thing to focus on reduces their cognitive load and eliminates distractions. 

Think of it like reading a great book: you happily follow one main character through one primary plotline. But if you have five main characters and unrelated plot lines competing for your attention, the story becomes too overwhelming to finish.

Likewise, if you throw too many different solutions at a prospect, they have to work overtime to figure out what to do next. In marketing, confusion cancels out conversion every time. Make it about how you solve their one most pressing problem.

When that cold pitch lands you a discovery call, you need to know how to confidently pitch your copywriting services (or whatever service you provide). Before you hop on Zoom, arm yourself with a “Cheat Sheet of Awesomeness,” as Joanna at Copyhackers calls it.

Jot down your hard numbers, authority markers, and social proof. You might never read them aloud, but having them on your desk gives you the quiet confidence of an expert who knows exactly what they bring to the table—with the receipts to prove it.

If you found this post about how to write an elevator pitch helpful, make sure to check out: How to Write Your Mission Statement.