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How to Write an Elevator Pitch, With Examples
How to write an elevator pitch in four beats: what you do, one specific example, what you're after, and a question back. With examples for five situations.
An elevator pitch is a short answer, about 30 seconds or 75 words, to “So what do you do?” To write one, say what you do in plain words and for whom, add one specific example that makes it concrete, say what you are looking for, and then stop and ask the other person a question.
That last step is the one most guides leave out. The point of an elevator pitch is not to deliver it well. It is to start a conversation, and you can tell whether it worked by one thing: did they ask you a follow-up question?
What an elevator pitch is for
The name comes from the idea of having one elevator ride to explain yourself to someone important. In practice you will use it in far more ordinary places: at a career fair booth, at the start of a coffee chat, when a friend introduces you to someone, or when an interviewer says “Tell me about yourself.”
In every one of those settings the pitch has the same job. It is not there to make a sale or to list your achievements. It is there to give the other person something to pick up. A pitch that ends with them nodding politely failed, however polished it sounded. A clumsy one that ends with “Wait, how does that work?” succeeded.
This is why a lot of elevator pitch advice backfires. It pushes you toward a compressed résumé: title, years of experience, top three skills. Every word is true, and none of it is something a stranger can ask about.
The structure of an elevator pitch
A pitch that works almost always has the same four beats. At a normal speaking pace of about 150 words a minute, 30 seconds is roughly 75 words, which is less than most people think.
- What you do, for whom. In the words you would use with a friend, not your job title. “I help small restaurants keep their books straight” beats “I’m a senior accountant.”
- One specific example. A number, a project, a moment. This is the part people remember and the part they ask about.
- What you’re after. Why you are telling them: you are looking for a role in a particular field, you want to meet people who have done something specific, you just moved and are learning who’s who. A real reason gives people a way to help you, and most of them want to.
- A question back. Turn it over to them. The pitch is the only part of the conversation that is about you, so get to the part about them quickly.
How to write an elevator pitch
1. Write what you do the way you’d tell a friend
Write two or three sentences about your work as if a friend outside your field had asked. No title, no jargon. If you would have to explain a word to that friend, replace it.
2. Replace the title with the problem
A title tells people a category. The problem you solve gives them something to picture. “Data analyst” becomes “I figure out why customers cancel.” “Teacher” becomes “I teach eighth graders algebra, which is mostly convincing them it’s worth learning.”
3. Add one specific example
Pick one concrete detail: a result with a number, a project, a kind of client, something that happened. “Last year we cut cancellations by a fifth” lands. “I drive retention outcomes” does not. One example is enough; two starts to sound like a list.
4. Say what you’re looking for
Close your part with why you are telling them, specific enough that they could act on it. “I’m looking for product roles at health tech companies” gives someone a reason to think of a name. “I’m open to opportunities” gives them nothing.
5. End with a question
Finish by asking them something: what brings them here, what they are working on, how they got into their field. The aim is to hand the conversation over.
6. Say it out loud and time it
Read it aloud against a timer. If it runs past 40 seconds, cut the second example or the extra adjectives. Then say it a few more times until it sounds like you talking, not you reciting. Memorize the beats, not the words.
Make a short version and a long version
The same pitch comes in three lengths, and the setting tells you which one to use.
At a networking event, the one-sentence version is usually all you need. Nobody at a mixer asked for a pitch; they asked what you do, and one sentence that ends on something specific is the right answer. Networking tips covers how to use that sentence in a room.
The 30-second version is for situations where someone is giving you a moment on purpose: a recruiter at a career fair, a friend saying “you two should meet”, the opening of a coffee chat. The long version is for interviews, covered below.
Elevator pitch examples
Each of these runs about 30 seconds and follows the four beats.
Student at a career fair
I’m a junior studying industrial engineering, and I’ve spent the last two summers at a packaging plant, which is where I got hooked on making slow processes faster. Last summer I redesigned how one line switches between products and we got it from 50 minutes down to 30. I’m looking for a supply chain internship next summer. What kind of projects do your interns usually get?
Career changer
I’ve taught high school chemistry for six years, and the part of the job I liked most turned out to be building the curriculum, not delivering it. Over the last year I designed two online courses that about 900 students in our district now use. I’m moving into instructional design and trying to talk to people who made the jump from teaching. How did you get into it?
Experienced job seeker
I run customer support for a mid-size software company, which mostly means figuring out why the same twenty problems keep coming back. Last year we cut ticket volume by a third by getting the product fixed instead of hiring more agents. I’m looking for a head of support role at a company that’s about to grow fast. What’s your team like?
Freelancer
I’m a photographer, and I mostly shoot for restaurants: menus, websites, the pictures you see on delivery apps. A good photo of a dish changes what people order more than most owners expect. I’m trying to meet more restaurant owners around here. Are you in food at all?
Founder
I’m building an app that helps physical therapy patients do their exercises at home, because most people quit after the second week, and that’s when recovery stalls. We’re running it with two clinics in Austin right now. I’m looking for clinic owners who’d want to try it. Do you know anyone in PT?
Notice what none of them do: none opens with a title, none lists more than one achievement, and every one ends by asking the listener something.
How to answer “Tell me about yourself”
“Tell me about yourself” is an elevator pitch with a different shape. The interviewer has your résumé, so they don’t need the list; they want to hear how the pieces connect and why you are in the room. A common structure is present, past, future:
- Present. What you do now, in one or two sentences, with one specific result.
- Past. The one or two earlier experiences that led here, chosen because they explain this application.
- Future. Why this role is the obvious next step.
Keep it to 60 to 90 seconds and stop. Unlike at a career fair, you don’t need to ask a question back; let the interviewer lead. Afterward, see how to follow up after a job interview.
Common elevator pitch mistakes
| Mistake | What it sounds like | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Leading with your title | ”I’m a senior associate in transaction services.” | Lead with the problem you solve |
| Jargon | ”I drive cross-functional alignment on go-to-market.” | Say it the way you’d tell a friend |
| Listing everything | Three roles, four skills, two degrees | One example, told well |
| No ask | It just stops | Say what you’re looking for |
| Sounding recited | The same words in the same rhythm every time | Memorize the beats, not the sentences |
| Not stopping | Still going at a minute and a half | Time it, cut it to 30 seconds, then ask a question |
How to end an elevator pitch
End by handing the conversation over: say what you are looking for, then ask them something. “What brings you here?”, “What are you working on at the moment?”, and “How did you get into this?” all work.
This is where the pitch earns its keep. Your 30 seconds were about you. The next five minutes, if it works, are about them, and what they say there is what you will actually use later: the project they mentioned, the person they said you should meet, the role they are trying to fill.
A good pitch might be remembered for a day. What gets you a second conversation is being able to say, weeks later, “You mentioned you were hiring for the Denver office. Did that ever happen?” That needs you to keep what they said, not what you said. How to make small talk makes the same point about second meetings, and how to practice active listening covers hearing it in the first place.
Where Intriq fits
Intriq is for the part after the pitch. When you leave a career fair or an event, say or type a line about each person you talked to, something like “Dana, ops lead at Ridgeline, hiring for Denver in the spring, said to talk to her colleague Marcus.” Intriq files it on Dana’s profile and can remind you to follow up, so when you write to her, or run into her again, you start from what she told you rather than from her name tag.
It runs on iPhone and in any browser, and it is private to you. Pair it with a good pitch and the second conversation starts where the first one left off.
Key takeaway: Write your elevator pitch in four beats: what you do in plain words, one specific example, what you’re looking for, and a question back. Keep it to about 30 seconds, or 75 words, keep a one-sentence and a 90-second version too, and judge it by whether people ask a follow-up question, not by how polished it sounds.
FAQ
How long should an elevator pitch be?
About 30 seconds, which is roughly 75 words at a normal speaking pace. Keep a one-sentence version for casual settings and a 60 to 90 second version for interviews.
What are the parts of an elevator pitch?
What you do and for whom, one specific example, what you’re looking for, and a question back to the other person. The example is the part people remember.
How do you start an elevator pitch?
With what you do in plain words, not your title. “I help small restaurants keep their books straight” gives the listener a picture; “I’m a senior accountant” gives them a category.
How do you end an elevator pitch?
Say what you’re looking for, then ask them a question. Ending on a question hands them the conversation, which is the point of the pitch.
Should I memorize my elevator pitch?
Memorize the beats, not the exact words. A pitch recited word for word sounds rehearsed. Knowing the four parts and your one example lets you say it naturally and adjust it to whoever you are talking to.
Is “Tell me about yourself” the same as an elevator pitch?
It is a longer version of one. In an interview, take 60 to 90 seconds in a present, past, future order and connect your experience to the role. Skip the question at the end and let the interviewer lead.