Elevator Pitch Template: 6 Copy-Ready Formats With Examples

An elevator pitch template is a fill-in script with four beats: I help [who] [get what result] by [how]. [One proof point]. [One question that asks for the next step]. At the 150 words per minute that the National Center for Voice and Speech gives as the average rate for US English speakers, a 30-second pitch is about 75 words, which is about five spoken sentences.

Below are six elevator pitch formats, each with a copy-ready template and two worked examples (one for a service business, one for a job seeker), word counts for every length, one pitch written at 30, 60 and 90 seconds, a version for sales calls, a delivery checklist and a pass/fail test. The examples are illustrative: the businesses and people are invented, and their numbers are placeholders for your own.

6 elevator pitch formats: which one fits

If you only learn one, learn format 2 for the 10-second answer and format 1 for the 30-second answer. Formats 3 to 6 are for specific rooms.

1. Problem, solution, proof, ask: the default elevator pitch format

This is the structure behind most elevator pitch templates. Asana’s widely shared version, for example, runs introduction, problem, solution, value proposition and call to action. The version below drops the name-and-title introduction, because in person you have usually said your name already, and starts with the listener’s problem instead.

Template: “Most [who you help] [the problem, in their words]. [I/We] [what you do, framed as the fix]. [One proof point: a number, a client type, or a deliverable]. [Your ask, as a question]?”

• Problem slot: use a phrase the buyer would say, not your diagnosis. “Don’t see last month’s numbers until the 20th” beats “lack financial visibility.”
• Fix slot: one service, one result. If you need “and” twice, cut one.
• Proof slot: something the listener could check: a count, a timeframe, a named deliverable.
• Ask slot: a question they can answer in a few words.

Service business example (64 words): “Most dental groups with two to six locations don’t see last month’s numbers until around the 20th, which is too late to act on them. We’re a bookkeeping firm that only works with dental practices, and we close the books by the fifth business day with a one-page report per location. Fourteen practices use us now. How soon do you see your monthly numbers?”

Job seeker example (64 words): “Most finance teams I’ve worked with lose the first week of every month to manual reconciliations. I’m a staff accountant who automates them. At my last company I rebuilt our bank reconciliation in Power Query and our close went from nine days to six. I’m looking for a senior accountant role at a company that’s growing. Is your team hiring on the close side?”

2. “We help X do Y by doing Z”: Steve Blank’s one-sentence pitch

In his post How To Build a Web Startup, Lean LaunchPad Edition (September 22, 2011), Steve Blank wrote: “If you can’t easily explain why you exist, none of the subsequent steps matter.” His suggestion: “A good format is ‘We help X do Y by doing Z’.” It is the same formula that leads the six templates on our value proposition formula guide, and it is the right length for the 10-second version of any pitch.

Template: “We help [one specific buyer] [do a result they would pay for] by [the method the usual alternative does not use].” Spoken, add two short sentences: “[Proof]. [Ask]?”

Blank also gave the test: find a few other people, “doesn’t matter if they’re your target market,” and ask whether it makes sense. If it does not, “give them a longer explanation and ask them to summarize that back to you.” Their summary is often a better pitch than yours, and it is free.

Service business example (30 words): “We help dental groups with two to six locations see last month’s profit per location by the fifth business day, by keeping every location on one dental chart of accounts.”

Job seeker example (29 words): “I help finance teams close the month faster by automating the reconciliations they still do by hand. At my last company, that took close from nine days to six.”

3. Moore’s positioning statement, turned into spoken words

Geoffrey Moore’s template from Crossing the Chasm (first published 1991) is the format most positioning templates copy. As quoted by TechTarget (Ivy Wigmore, December 22, 2020), it reads:

“For (target customer) who (statement of the need or opportunity), the (product name) is a (product category) that (statement of key benefit, that is, compelling reason to buy). Unlike (primary competitive alternative), our product (statement of primary differentiation).”

Moore tied it directly to the elevator. In Shortform’s summary of the book (Darya Sinusoid, October 29, 2021), the message “should be concise enough to pass the ‘elevator test,’ that is, to explain to a stranger during an elevator ride.” The problem is that read aloud word for word it sounds like an internal memo. Nobody says “the [firm name] is a bookkeeping firm that” at a networking event. Keep Moore’s six slots and change the words around them. Our positioning statement guide covers how to fill the slots before you speak them.

Service business example (77 words): “I work with dental groups that have two to six locations and want to know which location is losing money. We’re a bookkeeping firm that closes their books by the fifth business day. Most groups use a general bookkeeper who closes around the 20th, so the numbers arrive too late to act on. We keep every location on one dental chart of accounts, so owners can compare them line by line. Would a sample report be useful?”

Job seeker example (74 words): “I work best with finance teams at companies of 50 to 300 people that are outgrowing their spreadsheets. I’m a staff accountant who builds the reconciliations and reports that let a small team close fast. Most teams at that stage hire another person to keep up. I automate the repeat work instead, and at my last company that took close from nine days to six. Are you adding to your finance team this year?”

4. The story spine pitch (Pixar’s “Once upon a time” tip)

In 2011, Pixar story artist Emma Coats tweeted 22 storytelling tips, then collected them on her blog as “22 #storybasics I’ve picked up in my time at Pixar”, which she described as “a mix of things learned from directors & coworkers at Pixar, listening to writers & directors talk about their craft, and via trial and error in the making of my own films.” As Cartoon Brew noted (Amid Amidi, October 19, 2013), the media relabeled them “Pixar’s 22 Rules,” which they never were. Tip #4 is the one pitch writers use:

“Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.”

Her tip #22 is the whole elevator pitch brief in one line: “What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.”

Template: “[Client type] used to [what they did every day, the old way]. Then [the trigger that made it stop working]. Because of that, [what you changed]. Because of that, [the result, with a number]. Now [where they are]. [Ask]?”

Drop the “once upon a time” when you say it. Keep the “because of that” logic, because it is what makes a story sound like cause and effect instead of a list. This format runs long, so save it for when someone has asked a follow-up question. For written versions of the same structure, see our brand storytelling frameworks.

Service business example (86 words): “One of our clients ran three dental offices on one general bookkeeper. Every month, the numbers showed up around the 20th, rolled into one total. Then they opened a fourth office and couldn’t tell if it was working. Because of that, we split the books by location on one dental chart of accounts. Because of that, they saw within two months that the new office was profitable and one old office was not. Now they review each location on the 6th. Who does your books today?”

Job seeker example (82 words): “At my last company, the finance team was three people closing the books for a business that had doubled in two years. Every month we spent the first week matching bank lines by hand. Then the auditors flagged our close as too slow. Because of that, I rebuilt the reconciliation in Power Query. Because of that, close dropped from nine days to six. Now I’m looking to do that at a bigger scale. Does your team have a close problem like that?”

5. The STAR career pitch for job seekers

STAR (situation, task, action, result) is the behavioral interview method most career centers teach. The University of Washington’s Career & Internship Center gives it a time split: situation about 20% of the answer, task 10%, action 60% and result 10%. That split is for answering an interview question. In a pitch nobody asked the question, so I would compress situation and task into one sentence and give the result more room, because the result is what a recruiter repeats to a hiring manager.

Template: “I’m a [role] who [strength in plain words]. At [company type], [situation and task, one sentence]. I [action, with the tool or method]. [Result, with a number]. Now I’m looking for [role] where [what you want to do more of]. [Ask]?”

Job seeker example (70 words): “I’m a staff accountant who makes month-end close faster. At a 120-person software company, our three-person team was taking nine days to close every month. I rebuilt the bank and credit card reconciliations in Power Query and wrote the checklist the team still uses. Close went from nine days to six. Now I’m looking for a senior role where I own the close. Who handles hiring for your finance team?”

Service business example (69 words): “I run a bookkeeping firm for dental groups. Last year a three-office practice came to us because they were opening a fourth and had no per-location numbers. We moved all four offices onto one dental chart of accounts and a five-day close. Within two months they could see which office was losing money. We now work with fourteen practices. Are you the person who looks at your practice’s numbers?”

If you are still working out the one line that describes you, start with a personal brand statement first; our personal brand statement examples include versions for students and career changers that drop straight into the first slot.

6. The networking pitch: present, proof, future, ask

At an event, most people you meet will not buy from you, but they may know someone who will. So the networking pitch asks for a referral or an introduction, not a meeting, and it names the exact person you want to meet.

Template: “I’m [name]. I [what you do, for whom]. [Lately/Last month], [one specific recent piece of work]. I’m trying to meet [a specific type of person, by title or situation]. [Do you know anyone who / Are you] [that]?”

Service business example (53 words): “I’m Dana. I run a bookkeeping firm that only works with dental practices. Last month we helped a group that just bought its third office set up per-location reporting. I’m trying to meet practice brokers and dental CPAs who see those deals early. Do you know anyone who sells or buys dental practices?”

Job seeker example (48 words): “I’m Sam. I’m a staff accountant, and I’m the person who automates month-end close. I just took a nine-day close down to six at a software company. I’m trying to meet controllers at companies between 100 and 500 people. Do you know a controller who’s hiring this year?”

How many sentences should an elevator pitch be?

About five sentences for a 30-second pitch, and never more than six. The math: the National Center for Voice and Speech puts the average rate of speech for US English speakers at “about 150 words per minute,” which is 2.5 words per second, so 30 seconds holds about 75 words. The 90 spoken sentences in the examples on this page average 14 words each, so 75 words is about five sentences. Writing to a word count is easier than writing to a clock, because you can count words before you ever say them out loud.

The upper end comes from common usage: Wikipedia’s entry says an elevator pitch can run from about thirty seconds to two minutes. Treat two minutes as the ceiling for a pitch someone asked to hear, not a target. Your own rate will differ from the average, so time yourself once and adjust the word budget.

One elevator pitch at 30, 60 and 90 seconds

Write the 90-second version last. Start with the 30-second core, then add one block at a time. Each longer version below keeps every sentence of the shorter one and only adds. Times assume 150 words per minute.

30 seconds (76 words, about 30 seconds): “Most dental groups with two to six locations don’t see last month’s numbers until around the 20th, which is too late to fix anything that went wrong. We’re a bookkeeping firm that only works with dental practices. We close the books by the fifth business day and send each owner a one-page report per location. Fourteen practices use us now, most of them with three or four offices. How soon do you see your monthly numbers?”

60 seconds (148 words, about 59 seconds): “Most dental groups with two to six locations don’t see last month’s numbers until around the 20th, which is too late to fix anything that went wrong. We’re a bookkeeping firm that only works with dental practices. We close the books by the fifth business day and send each owner a one-page report per location. The difference is that every location sits on the same dental chart of accounts, so an owner can put two offices side by side and see where the margin went: hygiene hours, supplies, lab fees. Most general bookkeepers roll everything into one total, which hides a weak office behind a strong one. Owners use the report in a 30-minute review with their office managers on the 6th or 7th of each month. Fourteen practices use us now, most of them with three or four offices. How soon do you see your monthly numbers?”

90 seconds (216 words, about 86 seconds): “Most dental groups with two to six locations don’t see last month’s numbers until around the 20th, which is too late to fix anything that went wrong. We’re a bookkeeping firm that only works with dental practices. We close the books by the fifth business day and send each owner a one-page report per location. The difference is that every location sits on the same dental chart of accounts, so an owner can put two offices side by side and see where the margin went: hygiene hours, supplies, lab fees. Most general bookkeepers roll everything into one total, which hides a weak office behind a strong one. Owners use the report in a 30-minute review with their office managers on the 6th or 7th of each month. One group came to us when they opened a fourth office and couldn’t tell if it was working. Two months after we split their books by location, they could see the new office was fine and one of the old ones had a supply cost problem. Fourteen practices use us now, most of them with three or four offices. How soon do you see your monthly numbers? If it’s later than the 10th, I can send you a sample report so you can see what yours would look like.”

Notice what each step added: the 60-second version adds the mechanism (one chart of accounts) and the alternative (general bookkeepers). The 90-second version adds a short story and a second, easier ask. The core four beats never move.

A simple elevator pitch structure for sales calls

On a sales call, the pitch comes after you ask questions, not before. Our guide to how to make a sales call times a cold call at about 90 seconds: reason and permission (10 seconds), trigger and one problem (20 seconds), one question, then the meeting ask. The pitch is the bridge between their answer and your ask, so it should be short: about 30 to 45 words, or 12 to 18 seconds.

1. Mirror: repeat their problem in their words. “So the numbers get to you around the 20th.”
2. Match: one sentence on what you do about exactly that problem.
3. Proof: one fact, ideally about a client like them.
4. Next step: a specific, dated ask.

Service business example (47 words): “So the numbers get to you around the 20th, all in one total. That’s the exact thing we fix: books closed by the fifth business day, split by location. Most of our fourteen practices came to us for that. Can I show you a sample report Thursday?”

Job seeker example, recruiter screen (42 words): “So the team is closing in ten days and wants to get to five. That’s the work I’ve done: I took a nine-day close to six with Power Query. I’d like to walk the hiring manager through how. Is next week possible?”

Score your elevator pitch: a pass/fail test

Run your written pitch through all six checks. One fail means rewrite before you rehearse, because practicing a vague pitch only makes you fluent at being vague.

If your pitch keeps failing specificity no matter how you word it, the problem usually sits in the positioning underneath, not in the sentences. That is worth fixing before you rehearse, and it is the kind of problem you can talk through in a consultation.

Elevator pitch delivery checklist

1. Write it, then count it. Fit the word budget for the slot you are writing for: 25, 75 or 150 words.
2. Read it aloud against a phone timer three times. If you run over, cut adjectives first, then the second proof point, never the ask.
3. Record one take and listen back. Mark any sentence you stumble on. A sentence you trip over in practice is too long to say live; split it.
4. Memorize the four beats, not the script. Know your who, your result, your proof and your ask cold. Let the connecting words change each time so it sounds like talking.
5. Keep the 10-second version ready. Format 2 alone. Most introductions give you one sentence before the other person replies.
6. Stop after the ask. Do not add a second sentence to soften it. Wait for the answer.
7. Match the ask to the room. Events: an introduction. Sales calls: a dated meeting. Career fairs: the hiring manager’s name or the next interview step.
8. Follow up in writing with the same words. Use the pitch as the first two lines of your follow-up email so the person can forward it as is.

Frequently asked questions

How many sentences should an elevator pitch be?

About five sentences for a 30-second pitch. The National Center for Voice and Speech puts average US English speech at about 150 words per minute, so 30 seconds holds roughly 75 words. Spoken pitch sentences average around 14 words, which gives five. A 10-second version is one or two sentences, and a 60-second version is about ten.

What is a simple elevator pitch template?

Use four beats: "Most [who you help] [problem in their words]. We [what you do, framed as the fix]. [One proof point you could verify]. [Ask, as a question]?" Keep it to about 75 words for 30 seconds. For a one-sentence version, use Steve Blank's format: "We help X do Y by doing Z."

What is the best elevator pitch format?

For most service businesses the best default is problem, solution, proof, ask, because it starts with the listener and ends with a next step. Use Steve Blank's "We help X do Y by doing Z" for 10-second intros, Moore's positioning statement for investors and partners, the story spine when someone asks a follow-up, STAR for job seekers, and the networking format when you want a referral.

Is an elevator speech template different from an elevator pitch template?

No. "Elevator speech" and "elevator pitch" mean the same short spoken introduction, and the same templates work for both. Some career centers, such as Rice University's, call it a 30-second introduction. What changes the template is the room: a career fair, a networking event or a sales call each needs a different ask at the end.

How do you write an elevator pitch for a job interview or career fair?

Use a STAR-style pitch: your role and strength, the situation and task in one sentence, the action you took, a numbered result, what you want next, and a question. The University of Washington's career center splits interview answers 20% situation, 10% task, 60% action, 10% result. In a pitch, compress situation and task and give the result more room.

What is a simple elevator pitch structure for sales calls?

On a sales call the pitch comes after your questions. Mirror their problem in their words, say in one sentence what you do about that exact problem, give one proof point about a client like them, then ask for a specific dated next step. Keep it to 30 to 45 words, which is 12 to 18 seconds at an average speaking rate.

How do you end an elevator pitch?

End on a question the listener can answer in a few words, then stop talking. Match the ask to the setting: an introduction at an event, a dated meeting on a sales call, the hiring manager's name at a career fair. Avoid closing on a period or on "let me know if you ever need anything," which gives the listener nothing to say yes to.