30-second elevator pitch script
A 30-second elevator pitch is about 70 words: who you help, the problem they have, what you do about it, one real example, and a single small ask. Lead with the problem, not your job title, and end with a question or a next step so the conversation keeps going. The template below fits on one phone screen; check yours in the speech timer.
Target: 30 seconds, about 70 words at 140 words per minute · Example below: 74 words, about 32 s
How long it should be
At 140 words per minute, 30 seconds is 70 words. That is short on purpose. A pitch opens a conversation, so it should leave the listener with a question to ask you.
Keep a 10-second version too: the first two lines on their own, for a crowded room where you get one sentence before someone else arrives.
The structure
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Who you help
One group, named specifically. "Small cafés" works; "businesses" does not.
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Their problem, in their words
Say it the way they would complain about it to a friend. That is what makes them lean in.
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What you do about it
One thing. A list of services turns a pitch into a brochure.
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One real example
Something that actually happened for a client or customer. A short true story is easier to remember than a percentage, and you can back it up if asked.
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A small ask
A question, an introduction, a coffee. Not a sale.
Template
Replace everything in {braces}. Lines in [square brackets] are cues: they show faintly on the prompter and are never read or counted. Keep, change or delete them. New to the format? See how to format a teleprompter script.
[relax your shoulders, eye contact]
You know how {who you help}
{the problem they have, in their words}?
I'm {name}, and I {what you do about it}.
[beat]
{One real example of it working}.
{The ask: a question or a next step}? Tapping copies your script first. Paste it into a new script in OwlPrompter (free, no account).
Example: a freelance bookkeeper at a local business event
Lena does bookkeeping for small food businesses and has half a minute with someone she has just met.
[relax your shoulders, eye contact] You know how small cafés find out they've lost money on a dish months after it went on the menu? I'm Lena, and I set up costing sheets that update every time a supplier changes a price. [beat] Last spring, a bakery I work with found their almond croissant was selling at a loss, and fixed the price that week. Know anyone running a café who'd want to see what their best seller really earns?
Tapping copies your script first. Paste it into a new script in OwlPrompter (free, no account).
Opening a script in the browser replaces the one saved in the online teleprompter on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
Read it on your phone
Keep one version of your pitch for each audience in OwlPrompter’s script library and run through them on the way to the event. Record a take on your phone to hear how it lands.
OwlPrompter is free with no account, for up to 3 scripts, with recording, a Delivery Score and an .srt file with every take. Voice scroll (the script follows your voice) and eye-contact mode are part of Pro, and both Pro plans, monthly and yearly, start with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers.
Tips for a pitch that starts a conversation
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Start with the problem, not your title
"I'm a bookkeeper" gets you filed away. "You know how cafés lose money on a dish without knowing?" gets a nod, and a nod is what you want in the first five seconds.
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One audience per pitch
If you serve cafés and law firms, write two pitches. A pitch that tries to cover both sounds vague to each.
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Use a story you can back up
Avoid percentages you cannot explain if someone asks a follow-up question. A specific, true example holds up better than a big number.
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Make the ask small
People say yes to an introduction or a coffee far more easily than to a meeting about buying something.
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Read it aloud and cut what you trip on
Record yourself saying it. Any phrase you stumble on twice is written for the eye, not the ear; replace it with how you would say it to a friend.
Questions
How many words is a 30-second elevator pitch?
About 70 at a normal speaking pace of 140 words per minute. If you speak fast when you are nervous, aim a little lower and pause between the parts.
What is the difference between an elevator pitch and a self introduction?
An introduction tells people who you are. A pitch tells one particular listener why they should care and asks for something. If there is nothing to ask, use the 1-minute self introduction instead.
Should I memorise my elevator pitch word for word?
Memorise the first line and the shape, not every word, or it will sound recited. For a recorded video pitch, such as an application video, reading it from a prompter is fine.
Finished your draft? Check its length in the speech timer, then rehearse it in the free online teleprompter or in the app.