🧠 How to craft a perfect elevator pitch

Let's talk about what goes into a killer elevator pitch — and some common mistakes you’d do well to avoid. Plus! Four fill-in-the-blank templates you can use to craft your own elevator pitch.

Hey friend 👋

It’s event season, and you’ll be giving your elevator pitch a thousand times — to potential investors, advisors, program leaders, customers, and co-founders.

So let’s get it right.

In this issue, I’m going to show you what goes into a killer elevator pitch, talk about some common mistakes you’d do well to avoid, and provide 4 fill-in-the-blank templates you can use to craft your own.

Let’s go 👇

Any article on a topic should start with why you should care about it — why it’s important.

But do I even need to do that here?

You know why a good elevator pitch is important:

• It’s the first thing you say when you meet an investor;

• It’s what you say at a cocktail party when they ask what you’re working on;

• It helps you convert more prospects to leads, and more leads to sales;

• etc.

So why even spend a whole issue of Traction Thinking talking about this?

Because I’ve heard many thousands of elevator pitches over time, and at least half the time, I’m reminded of Jake Tapper’s insightful feedback:

That… was a hot mess… inside a dumpster fire… inside a train wreck.

And I’m sure you’ve heard these pitches before.

Some are too vague:

At Todorly, we make managing your tasks easier. With our innovative, ground-breaking platform, you’ll stay on top of everything. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

Others are laden with jargon:

Todorly leverages synergistic paradigms to optimize task throughput, utilizing cloud-based AI-driven algorithms with DAOs for holistic productivity enhancement. Our seamless, scalable interface disrupts traditional workflows, empowering dynamic task management with unprecedented ROI.

And some are just… odd?

You know how whales communicate over long distances? Well, Todorly is the ultimate task app inspired by the folklore of the whale. Track your to-dos while listening to whale songs and receiving motivating haikus. It’s like organizing your life with the help of an enchanted cetacean.

Believe it or not… these aren’t the worst I’ve heard. Not even close.

But we can do better:

Any elevator pitch will fall flat on its face if it isn’t four things.

Elevator pitches — any pitch, really — need to be clear, cohesive, concise, and compelling.

Let’s break it down:

Clear. The listener needs to understand immediately what the product is and what it does. This is not the time to be cute. Trust me — clear beats clever every time.

Cohesive. The pitch needs to present a unified message that logically flows from one point to the next. Disjointed or fragmented information makes it hard for the listener to follow, and it doesn’t leave a lasting impression.

Concise. Please don’t bore people. If the pitch is too long or includes unnecessary details, it risks losing our attention and diluting the message. Respect our time, and make an impact.

Compelling. The goal of any pitch is capture our attention and motivate us to take action — even if just to learn more. If it fails to resonate emotionally or logically, it won’t persuade anyone to do anything but smile and nod.

As you edit your elevator pitch, go back through the Four C’s to ensure you’re checking the boxes.

But let’s get more specific:

Most bad elevator pitches make one of these four mistakes.

The quickest and most common ways to fall short of the Four C’s is by ensuring your elevator pitch doesn’t:

• Over-use adjectives, or contain superlatives (first, only, huge, best, groundbreaking, etc). These add no value, and leave the impression that you’re an amateur.

• Mention a generic customer. You can’t build a business serving “young women” or “restaurants” — those markets are way too large to target. Be super clear on who your early adopter is.

• Contain buzzwords, jargon, or acronyms. No one cares about the technical detail, and everyone hates corporate-speak. Focus on the creation of value for the customer.

• Run long. You shouldn’t need more than 2-3 sentences. As Peter Singer said, “whatever cannot be said clearly is probably not being thought clearly either.”

This can feel a bit generic, so let’s get even more specific.

To do that, I’m going to take a step back and talk about what a good elevator pitch really is.

Good elevator pitches follow a common pattern.

Pitches should not be original. A lot of founders want them to be, but it’s almost always a critical mistake.

Any pitch is intended to convey a large amount of information very quickly, so we leverage patterns that people are used to, which gives us a greater chance of what we say being heard — and remembered.

That’s why all elevator pitches have the same five core components:

1. Name of your product (or company)

2. What you do

3. Who you do it for

4. Why their life is better after doing it

5. Why you’re different than other options

Those five components take only 2-3 sentences, and convey all the critical information you need to start a conversation. And that’s a key thing to remember:

Elevator pitches aren’t intended to convey all the information, because if the other party is remotely interested, they’ll ask a thoughtful followup. If they don’t, they aren’t interested! And that’s either a signal that they aren’t the right person to talk to, or that your elevator pitch needs work. How can you tell the difference? Setting aside common social cues, it’s one thing:

Our goal is that they won’t ask “huh?”

If they signaled with body language that they understood, their lack of a followup is a clear indicator of their lack of interest. If they didn’t, you likely weren’t clear.

And, if you think about it, these 5 components are pretty obvious! Yet… 90% of elevator pitches I hear are missing multiple pieces! 😅

So let’s talk about how to structure one.

Here are four common elevator pitch formulas:

The right structure for you is based on who you’re talking to, what you’re hoping to achieve, and what your most important differentiator is. To get you started, these are the most common formats I see work well, and when to use them.

For each, I’ll use the example of a generic “todo” app for financial analysts, called Todorly — because even shitty ideas can have clear elevator pitches.

Ready? Let’s go 👇

1. The “value proposition” formula

This is the generic template.

It’s also the most popular, and it’s one of the most effective templates you can use. The core focus is how your customer’s life is better for having used you.

Here we go:

[startup name] provides [well-defined target customer] with [product/service] that [key benefit or solves a specific problem]. Unlike [competitor or traditional solution], we [unique selling proposition or key differentiator].

Importantly, this is not about features, but about benefits. It’s not “500mb of storage”, but “1,000 songs in your pocket”.

Here’s the example:

Todorly provides commercial financial analysts with an AI powered app that streamlines their to do lists and boosts productivity. Unlike traditional task managers, we integrate seamlessly with calendars and emails and offer intelligent task prioritization.

The key to its effectiveness is its straightforwardness. Don’t overcomplicate it.

2. The “problem-solution” formula

This template starts with what you’re doing for whom, and it does it in the form of the problem that you solve.

This framing makes it easy to understand what you’re doing, and for whom, making it perfect to use across almost any group — co-founders, investors, advisors, and even customers.

Here we go:

[startup name] is solving the problem of [specific problem] for [customer] with [your solution], a [product/service] that [brief description of how it works]. Our target customers are [target market], and we’re helping them [key benefit].

This template focuses on the foundation of your startup — because problems represent opportunities. This template then stacks atop that opportunity how you’re solving it and why their life is better for having used you.

Let’s do a quick example for our dumb app:

Todorly is solving the problem of scattered task management with an AI powered app that integrates with existing tools. We target commercial financial analysts, and we’re helping them streamline to do lists and prioritize tasks efficiently.

It’s simple:

• Problem: tasks in too many places.

• Solution: integrated platform.

Keep the focus on why you’re doing what you’re doing.

3. The “future vision” formula

This elevator pitch template is one of the most tried and true methods for catching the eye of investors, advisors, co founders, and more.

Because it’s aspirational:

At [startup name], we envision a future where [aspirational vision]. Our [product/service] helps [target market] by [key benefit or solving a problem]. With [unique feature], we are paving the way for [specific future outcome].

I call this the “future vision” template because this is perfect if you’re trying to paint a vision for the future.

That future might be how your customer’s lives will look in the future, affecting the entire market, or it could be a social mission where you’re painting a better world.

Let’s apply it to our terrible idea:

At Todorly we envision a future where financial analysts can focus more on analysis and less on task management. Our AI powered app streamlines their to do list, paving the way for greater productivity.

If you think about your startup in a visionary way, use this template to paint a picture of a better tomorrow.

4. The “big impact” formula

If your startup plans to make an impact, you need an elevator pitch that does, too.

This is one of the go to templates for making a strong impression on investors, advisors, potential co founders, and anyone else you want to win over.

Here’s the template:

At [startup name], we’re transforming [specific industry] by providing [product/service] that [solves a problem or meets a need]. Our solution enables [target market] to [key benefit], driving [positive outcome or impact].

You’re not just painting a vision of the future. You’re defining a new kind of future that’s only possible through the change your solution brings.

Let’s apply it to Todorly:

At Todorly, we’re transforming the financial analysis industry by providing an AI powered app that streamlines task management. Our solution enables analysts to boost productivity driving increased sales.

Todorly is a dumb idea, but I’d bet this example probably fell more flat for you than the other three.

Why?

Because it doesn’t seem like a real impact. It’s painting a vision of a transformed future that’s not credible.

And that’s the bonus tip:

Don’t ever say you’re transforming an industry if you can’t back it up.

But, when you are, this elevator pitch will help you sell it.

Writing is only the beginning; it’s time for the road test.

The single greatest predictor of elevator pitch quality is the number of experiments you’ve run.

That’s it. Success is about more repetitions. It’s about getting more “at bats”.

So test it everywhere you go!

For example, the next time you’re at a coffee shop and the nice barista asks you what you’re working on today, tell them you’re working on a startup. Because they’re nice people (and they work on tips) they’ll often ask what your startup is.

Boom! You’re in.

Keep it brief, be respectful of their time, and you can tell from the whites of their eyes if it landed or missed.

There are no facts inside the building.

So do this everywhere you go — run 20 language experiments per day — and your elevator pitch will become a force.

See you next week,

—jdm

---

PS: If you enjoyed this issue of Traction Thinking, I’d be super grateful if you took a few seconds to share it with a founder friend. Referrals are a huge help in growing a newsletter — and really help getting more founders to think deeply about their path to traction.

And, as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you have ideas how to make this newsletter even better, have suggestions on future topics, or even just want to share what you thought of this issue, just hit reply or leave a comment.