How can you make your elevator pitch compelling?

1 Know your audience

Before you create your elevator pitch, you need to know who you are talking to and what they are looking for. Research the person, the organization, and the industry you are targeting. Identify their needs, challenges, and goals. Then, tailor your pitch to show how you can offer value, solutions, and benefits to them. Use language and terms that resonate with them and avoid jargon or technical details that might confuse them.

2 Define your purpose

Next, you need to define your purpose and goal for your elevator pitch. What do you want to achieve from this interaction? Do you want to get an interview, a referral, a meeting, or a sale? Do you want to showcase your expertise, your passion, or your personality? Your purpose should guide your message and your call to action. Make sure you have a clear and specific ask or next step that you want the listener to take.

3 Highlight your strengths

One of the main objectives of your elevator pitch is to highlight your strengths and differentiate yourself from others. You want to showcase your unique value proposition, your achievements, and your skills. Use concrete examples, stories, or numbers to demonstrate your impact and credibility. Focus on the results and outcomes that you have delivered or can deliver for your audience. Avoid being vague, generic, or modest. Be confident and enthusiastic about what you can offer.

4 Keep it short and simple

An elevator pitch should be concise and clear, ideally no longer than 30 seconds or a few sentences. You don't want to bore, overwhelm, or lose the attention of your listener. You want to capture their interest and curiosity and invite them to learn more. To keep your pitch short and simple, use simple words and sentences, avoid filler words and repetitions, and prioritize the most important and relevant information. Practice and refine your pitch until you can deliver it smoothly and naturally.

5 Engage your listener

An elevator pitch is not a monologue, but a conversation starter. You want to engage your listener and make them feel involved and interested. To do that, you can use questions, anecdotes, humor, or emotions to connect with them. You can also use body language, eye contact, tone of voice, and gestures to convey confidence, enthusiasm, and rapport. Finally, you can end your pitch with a question or a suggestion that encourages the listener to respond or continue the conversation.

6 Adapt and improve

Finally, you need to adapt and improve your elevator pitch based on the feedback and results you get. You can test your pitch on different people and situations and see how they react and respond. You can ask for constructive criticism and suggestions from trusted mentors, peers, or coaches. You can also measure the outcomes and effectiveness of your pitch by tracking the follow-ups, referrals, interviews, or sales you get. Then, you can tweak and modify your pitch accordingly to make it more compelling and successful.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?