Business Growth
How to Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Business (With a Simple Template)
How to write an elevator pitch for your business: the Who-Problem-Result-Ask template for a short spoken pitch that makes people want to hear more, with versions for networking, sales calls, and investors, mistakes to avoid, and a Claude practice workflow.
AI Educator, AI Tools and Training Club · October 10, 2026 · 8 min read
The short version
- An elevator pitch is a short spoken answer to "what do you do?" Its job is not to close a deal. Its job is to make the other person want the next conversation.
- Use the Who-Problem-Result-Ask template: who you help, the problem they have, the result you deliver, and a natural next step.
- Write it to be spoken, not read. Cut the jargon, say it out loud until it sounds like you, and keep a few variations for different rooms.
How do you write an elevator pitch?
You write an elevator pitch by answering four things in plain spoken language: who you help, the problem they have, the result you deliver, and what the listener could do next. Keep it short enough to say comfortably before someone loses interest, which in practice means a few sentences, not a speech. Write it the way you talk, then rehearse it out loud until it sounds natural. A good elevator pitch does not try to explain everything. It gives the right person enough to say "tell me more."
The mistake I see most is people pitching their process instead of their result. Nobody at a networking event cares how your workflow works yet. They care whether you solve a problem they, or someone they know, actually has.
What an elevator pitch is really for
An elevator pitch is the spoken cousin of your value proposition. Where a value proposition lives on a page and can be read twice, a pitch is heard once, in a noisy room, by someone who did not ask for it. That changes how you write it.
- Be understood - the listener should be able to repeat what you do to someone else afterward.
- Be relevant - the listener should know immediately whether they, or someone they know, is your kind of customer.
- Earn a next step - a follow-up question, a call, an introduction, or an exchange of contact details.
If you have not written your value proposition yet, start there. Our guide on how to write a value proposition gives you the raw material your pitch will compress.
The Who-Problem-Result-Ask template
Who-Problem-Result-Ask is the template I recommend because it follows the order a listener needs: am I the kind of person this is for, do I have this problem, what would change, and what do I do now.
| Part | What to say | Example (an automation consultant) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Who | The specific type of customer you help | "I work with small accounting firms..." |
| 2. Problem | The problem they have, in their words | "...that lose hours every week chasing clients for documents." |
| 3. Result | What changes for them after working with you | "I set up automated reminders and a simple upload portal, so the documents come in without anyone having to chase." |
| 4. Ask | A low-pressure next step that fits the setting | "Do you know anyone who deals with that? I'm always happy to compare notes." |
The Who-Problem-Result-Ask template with a made-up example
Adjust the pitch for the room
The core stays the same, but the emphasis and the ask change depending on who is listening.
| Setting | Lead with | Good ask |
|---|---|---|
| Networking event | Who you help, so people can think of referrals | "Do you know anyone who deals with that?" |
| Start of a sales call | The problem, so the prospect can confirm it is theirs | "Is that close to what you're dealing with?" See how to run a discovery call for what comes next. |
| Investor or partner meeting | The problem and why your approach is different | "Could I send you a short overview?" |
Three common elevator pitch settings
Keep a short version you can say in one or two sentences and a slightly longer version for when someone asks a follow-up question. The short one opens the door. The longer one walks them through it.
Elevator pitch mistakes to avoid
- Leading with your job title. "I'm a consultant" tells people almost nothing and invites them to stop listening.
- Using jargon. If you would not say it to a friend outside your industry, rewrite it.
- Describing your process instead of the result. The how matters later, once someone is interested.
- Trying to cover every service. Pick the one problem you most want to be known for.
- Memorizing it word for word and reciting it. A pitch that sounds rehearsed loses trust. Know the four parts and say them naturally.
- Forgetting the ask. A great pitch with no next step ends with a polite nod and nothing else.
If someone pushes back after your pitch, that is useful information, not a failure. How to handle sales objections covers how to respond without getting defensive.
How to write and practice your pitch with Claude
Claude is useful here in two ways: drafting several versions quickly, and acting as a practice partner so you can hear how the pitch lands before you use it on real people. Use the Claude desktop app.
- Paste in your value proposition, who you serve, the problem you solve, and any real client language from calls or emails, with personal details removed. Tell Claude not to invent any result, client, or number that is not in what you gave it.
- Ask for five pitches using Who-Problem-Result-Ask: a short and a long version for networking, sales calls, and partner meetings.
- Ask Claude to rewrite each one so it sounds spoken, not written: shorter sentences, plain words, nothing you would stumble over.
- Ask Claude to play a busy, skeptical listener in your target market and tell you honestly what it understood, what confused it, and whether it would ask a follow-up question.
- Read your favorite version out loud, record yourself on your phone, and keep trimming until it sounds like you talking, not like a script.
Once your pitch is working, the same clear language belongs on your website. How to write a homepage and how to write a services page show how to carry it onto the pages people visit after they meet you.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an elevator pitch be?
Short enough to say comfortably before the listener loses interest, which usually means a few sentences. Have a one or two sentence version to open with and a slightly longer version ready for when someone asks a follow-up question.
What should an elevator pitch include?
Who you help, the problem they have, the result you deliver, and a natural next step. Everything else, such as your process, history, and pricing, can wait until the other person is interested.
How do I end an elevator pitch?
End with a low-pressure question or next step that fits the setting, such as asking if they know anyone with that problem, whether it sounds like their situation, or whether you can send a short overview.
Should I memorize my elevator pitch?
Memorize the four parts and the key phrases, not every word. A pitch recited word for word tends to sound stiff. Practice it out loud enough times that you can say it naturally and adjust it to the person in front of you.
What is the difference between an elevator pitch and a value proposition?
A value proposition is the written statement of who you help, the result, and why to believe you, usually on your website. An elevator pitch is the spoken, conversational version of that same idea, built to be heard once and to end with a next step.