Everyone knows what an elevator pitch is, right?
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-LpzOxB.jpeg)
It’s a capsule summary of what you do. Short and sweet. It’s what you tell people at parties and networking events.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-Sd25mG.jpeg)
I contributed to an article called Tips for Perfecting Your Elevator Pitch.
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It was written by Marisa Sanfilippo, and it’s excellent.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-7qziFk.jpeg)
Marissa writes that:
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-Z4xfkf.jpeg)
An elevator pitch is a sales pitch that is typically 30 seconds long.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-NUfsX4.jpeg)
Legend has it that it originated in Hollywood when a screenwriter would “catch an unsuspecting executive
on an elevator ride.”
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-D4ZJKB.jpeg)
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-EFN785.jpeg)
I’ve since had second thoughts about it, but here’s the original:
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-qcmZ4s.jpeg)
“My name’s Mark Armstrong. I’m an illustrator.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-Eczptq.jpeg)
“I do business as Mark Armstrong Illustration – clever name, right?
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-4IOiiS.jpeg)
“I help brands get noticed and connect with people.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-xWE2Qv.jpeg)
“I specialize in humor, which helps humanize a brand and makes it easier to relate to.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-2CF0D8.jpeg)
“Humor also gets people to drop their shields long enough to hear what you have to say.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-DhTg4T.jpeg)
“I also illustrate books and do editorial work for magazines.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-2vTtqW.jpeg)
“Mark Armstrong Illustration, at your service!”
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-s4uJQV.jpeg)
So reading it now, what don’t I like about it?
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-XqwquB.jpeg)
Too long![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-5CRCTS.jpeg)
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-5CRCTS.jpeg)
Could I really roll that out in 30 seconds?
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-hHnB_r.jpeg)
I doubt it. It’s too long. A clear case of trying to squeeze in too much information.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-UjbMY8.jpeg)
Sounds stilted![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-tw4qib.jpeg)
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-tw4qib.jpeg)
It doesn’t sound like something you’d actually say to someone. Sounds like what it is: formal and rehearsed!!
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-_tNQ2c.jpeg)
Hard to remember![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-Z5EYyf.jpeg)
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-Z5EYyf.jpeg)
Once you formalize a pitch and rehearse it, you run the risk of drawing a blank– like an actor who forgets his lines. You can’t think how it starts, or what the next line is.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-cvlAGt.jpeg)
Mixed message![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-S488Hx.jpeg)
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-S488Hx.jpeg)
The line about books and editorial work distracts from “I
help brands.”
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-QqIgZ6.jpeg)
I do all those things, but I’m hitting someone I just met with too much information. It’s hard to process and file away.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-fiplcJ.jpeg)
Rarely used![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-gXcWdU.jpeg)
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-gXcWdU.jpeg)
I work out of my home in rural New Hampshire. I meet most of my prospects online.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-HmI4pw.jpeg)
I’m going to be sending them a written pitch. I don’t have occasion to use my spoken pitch very often, so it doesn’t spring readily to mind.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-sdqZSB.jpeg)
An Alternative Approach![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 32 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-n6XgDt.jpeg)
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 32 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-n6XgDt.jpeg)
So what would I suggest at this point for an elevator pitch?
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-JJjeDj.jpeg)
Instead of memorizing a little speech, memorize 3 words that sum you up, words you can string together in a sentence.
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For me, the 3 words would be: illustration-humor-brands.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-EafIhc.jpeg)
I’d string them together like this: “I’m an illustrator, I specialize in humor, I help brands connect with people.”
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-EZ3onF.jpeg)
And I’d stop there and hope I’d said just enough to make the person curious enough to ask what brands I’ve done work for, or some other question.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-Io55DB.jpeg)
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-Bvldq_.jpeg)
Another advantage of just remembering 3 words: they can serve as prompts if someone asks for more info.
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-h6472P.jpeg)
For me, the prompts would work something like this:
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-E46Spl.jpeg)
Illustration: “Marketing’s become very visual. Illustrations get noticed, stock photos don’t.”
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-ALPn3X.jpeg)
Humor: “I don’t mean jokes or standup comedy. I mean humor that puts people at ease and gets them to drop their shields.”
![Ye Olde Elevator Pitch blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/274/2744902/ye-olde-elevator-pitch-L-ZckOvW.jpeg)