Tips for Crafting A Concise Elevator Pitch

​The only thing more terrifying than letting another human read your work is having to pitch your work in two sentences or less. Two sentences that have the power to pique or deter interest in the idea you may have spent days/weeks/months/years working to create. Let’s be honest: No one enjoys being dismissed or rejected. In fact, it sucks. But unfortunately, as writers, we are playing a game of failure and so it is important to make sure we are taking the time to do the little things that will help us decrease this margin of failure.

​Of course, no matter how often I rehearse my pitch in the mirror or tell it to someone my windpipe always feels like it might squeeze shut, and my heart nosedives into my stomach. But while it might be terrifying having to describe my work so succinctly, having to do so without any sort of pitch is the epitome of hell. Trust me, I’ve been there and it’s not pretty.

Elevator Pitch – a succinct and persuasive sales pitch that tells someone the premise of a creative work

So please, for the love of the game, at some point take a minute to craft an elevator pitch. Don’t worry about sounding eloquent or witty. Just write something down that covers the basics. The main things you want to get across in your elevator pitch are who your main character is, what sort of situation/danger they are in, and what major conflict(s) (internal or external) they will face. The “when and the “where” may also be useful but, honestly, it depends.[1]

Let’s take a look at an example from one of my novel projects:

​Oliver Reid is a thief in Victorian London who winds up working for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and when he tries to uncover their past and the nature of their peculiar relationship he discovers a far more lethal plot.

First and foremost take note of the lack of luster. This pitch isn’t fancy. There are no bells or whistles. It is simple, straightforward, and transparent. After reading it you know the story’s main character is Oliver Reid (who), that he’s started to work for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (the situation), and that his curiosity has set him on a collision course with a major conflict. So now the question someone may ask (either to themselves or out loud) is, “What lethal plot does he uncover?” If this is the question they ask then I know my elevator pitch has done its job. It has piqued their interest and has left them wanting to find out more.

By no means am I saying this is the perfect pitch. Nor am I saying this is the only formula for creating one. However, this model is a good place to start. Remember, the ultimate goal of an elevator pitch is to help someone easily grasp the premise of your work and then prompt them to inquire further. You can gauge the effectiveness of your elevator pitch by how people respond. Pay attention to if they ask for clarification or if they are indifferent or if they ask you to tell them more. Depending on how they respond make adjustments. It’s okay if your elevator pitch changes. In fact, I can almost guarantee that it will change as your work evolves and you talk to more people about your elevator pitch. But it can’t change or be improved if it doesn’t exist. So get on it home-skillets!

[1]Incorporating the when and the where largely hinges on the type of genre you are writing for. For instance, if you are writing a historical piece you’re going to want to note the time and place because that provides further context for your work.