LET’S TRY YOUR

ELEVATOR PITCH

This is a test of your current brand strategy.

Here’s a 10-second timer, and a script.

Every 10 seconds, the blob below turns from brown to green. When it turns green, practice speaking the script and filling in the blanks. If you can say it all in ten seconds before the blob changes color, you are fluent in your brand message.

I provide [product] for [audience] who want [brand promise].

how did it go?

If the answer is “not so well,” you are not alone. Even the most confident and practiced visionary can get tripped up in the spotlight. The important thing is that you know what goes in those blank spaces. Here are some things to think about:

How do I know what my product is?

Your product is the core solution you offer, in the form of a well-known object — what you provide that solves a problem or fulfills a need. It’s probably a pretty mundane object, because it has to be immediately recognizable. The uniqueness and value comes later in the pitch. For example:

  1. If you offer software, your product could be a project management tool that streamlines workflows for remote teams, helping them stay organized and on track.

  2. If you're a skincare company, your product might be an all-natural moisturizer designed to hydrate without harsh chemicals, solving the problem of sensitive skin.

Notice how these examples have the entire pitch built into them… but the product is kinda the boring part. If you started your pitch with “I provide the Incredible Freebo-Masmic Generazor for…”, you lost them at Freebo. If that incredible thing is basically a spreadsheet, say “I provide a spreadsheet.”

How do I know what my audience is?

Your audience consists of the people who benefit most from your product. It is not “anyone” or everybody.” It just isn’t. Are you making toilet paper? Even if you are, some people use bidets. Nothing is for “anyone.”

Identify their needs, behaviors, and motivations to understand how you’re bringing a solution to a problem they haven’t resolved.

A fitness brand’s audience could be busy professionals who need efficient, at-home workout solutions to fit into their tight schedules.

  1. If you run a children’s toy company, your audience might be eco-conscious parents seeking educational, sustainably produced toys for their kids.

  2. A fitness brand’s audience could be busy professionals who need efficient, at-home workout solutions to fit into their tight schedules.

Notice how this is a recognizable noun, and a descriptive adjective. They’re not young professionals, they’re busy professionals. And they’re not eco-conscious travelers, they’re eco-conscious parents.

How do I define my brand promise?

Your brand promise is the stated solution of your audience’s problem. It is the consistent delivery of your unique value your customers can expect. It aligns with their big wish, and clearly differentiated from what your competitors deliver. For example:

  1. Amazon: "Everything you need, delivered fast."

  2. Disney: "Magical experiences for all ages."

These are real, well-crafted brand promises. Notice how they are also actually fulfilled by the brand they are tied to. A brand promise is a promise – and yours will be as well. It’s not a fantasy.

See if you can spot the brand promises in the other examples above. I bet you can find them easily. Finding yours might take some digging in the haystack, amidst what you can deliver, who it benefits, and the unfulfilled wish that you can make come true for them.

Unfulfilled wishes….Yup, you’re a genie. So am I…

I provide brand guidance for solo entrepreneurs who want to clearly communicate their value and vision.