Crafting an elevator pitch is essential for any entrepreneur, but how you deliver that pitch can make all the difference. Whether you're sending it via email or sharing it in conversation, the format and approach should differ. The goal remains the same: convey your idea succinctly, pique interest, and leave a lasting impression. However, mastering the nuances of both written and spoken pitches not only determines how well your message is received but also distinguishes you as either a lovable and knowledgeable founder or a CEO that people genuinely want to follow. Let’s explore these distinctions and how to tailor your pitch for different scenarios.
The Elevator Pitch in Writing: An Email Approach
When delivering an elevator pitch through email, your words must work harder to cut through the noise of a cluttered inbox. The recipient doesn’t have the benefit of hearing your voice or feeling your presence, so your written words need to be impactful, clear, and engaging. Here’s how to structure a compelling elevator pitch for email:
Engage Immediately: In the fast-paced digital world, your first sentence is crucial. Recipients often skim emails, so you must hook them in right away. Start with an interesting fact, a direct connection, or a compelling statement that immediately communicates value.
Example: "Did you know that 40% of small businesses fail due to poor customer insights? I’m developing a tool that solves this exact problem."
Keep It Concise and Focused: Reading takes effort, especially in an email where attention spans are shorter. Your email pitch should be brief, focusing on 3–4 core sentences that communicate your idea's essence. Don’t overwhelm with details; stay laser-focused on what matters most.
Highlight the Value Proposition: What makes your product or service unique? Why should the reader care? Focus on the problem you solve and the value you bring. Skip technical jargon or excessive details—just give them enough to spark curiosity and interest.
Example: "Our tool helps small businesses gather actionable insights from customer data, increasing their retention rate by 20% on average."
Clear Call to Action (CTA): An email offers the perfect opportunity for a direct CTA. Whether it’s scheduling a meeting, setting up a call, or requesting more information, be clear about what action you’d like the recipient to take next.
Example: "I’d love to discuss how this could benefit your company. Are you available for a quick call next week?"
Professional, Yet Warm Tone: While emails tend to be more formal than spoken conversations, you still want to come across as approachable. Tailor your tone to the recipient’s culture—be it corporate or casual—but always aim for professionalism with a hint of friendliness.
The Elevator Pitch in Person: A Conversation at a Dinner Party
Delivering your elevator pitch in person is an entirely different experience. Here, you can leverage tone, body language, and the natural flow of conversation to your advantage. At a dinner party or in any social setting, your goal is not just to inform but to engage. This setting gives you the opportunity to make the interaction feel more personal and less transactional.
Start with a Connection: In social situations, especially over dinner, you have a natural opportunity to segue into your pitch. Whether it’s a shared interest or a remark that opens the door to discussing your project, ease into it casually. This helps your pitch feel like a natural extension of the conversation rather than a rehearsed sales script.
Example: "That’s a great point about customer insights! It’s something I’ve been working on for a while, actually..."
Show Enthusiasm and Energy: Your passion for your product or service can be contagious when delivered in person. Your tone, body language, and expressions do half the work. Smile, show energy, and convey excitement—this can make your pitch more memorable and appealing.
Be Conversational, Not Rehearsed: Avoid sounding like you’re reciting a script. Instead, keep your pitch conversational and flexible. This allows for a more natural flow and helps your audience feel comfortable engaging with you. Let your pitch evolve as a dialogue, not a monologue.
Keep it Simple, Encourage Questions: In a conversation, you have the benefit of real-time feedback, so you don’t need to pack every detail into a single statement. Introduce the key points of your product or service and leave space for questions or comments. This creates an interactive experience and allows you to tailor your pitch based on their responses.
Example: "We’re developing a tool that helps small businesses get more from their customer data. It’s already increased retention by 20% in early tests. What challenges have you seen businesses face with customer insights?"
Close With a Soft Ask: In person, you don’t want to be too forceful with your ask. Instead, offer a subtle next step—whether it’s exchanging contact information, scheduling a follow-up, or sending them more details. Keep the ask casual but clear.
Example: "I’d love to share more with you. Can we exchange emails and I'll send over some details?"
Why Tailoring Your Pitch to the Situation Matters
Understanding the difference between delivering an elevator pitch via email and in conversation is critical to building the right relationships. A one-size-fits-all approach rarely works. Tailoring your pitch to the situation can be the difference between being seen as a lovable and knowledgeable founder and a CEO who people want to listen to and follow.
The Lovable Founder: As a founder, your passion and energy are infectious, but your ability to connect with your audience on an emotional level makes you stand out. In social settings, your goal isn’t just to inform but to inspire. By engaging your audience in an authentic conversation, showing genuine enthusiasm for your vision, and actively listening to their input, you build rapport and likability. This likability can translate into trust, and people are more likely to root for you when they like you as a person.
The CEO Who Commands Attention: On the other hand, delivering a polished and precise pitch via email or in a formal setting requires a different set of skills. Here, you’re demonstrating that you’re not just an idea person, but a leader who can distill complex ideas into actionable and compelling insights. A well-crafted, professional pitch delivered via email shows that you’re someone who respects people’s time, understands business priorities, and can get straight to the point—hallmarks of a CEO who commands attention and respect.
Both skills are necessary for long-term success. Knowing when to be the warm and engaging founder versus when to step into the role of the decisive and authoritative CEO is what sets successful entrepreneurs apart.
Writing for Email vs. Speaking in Person: Key Takeaways
Tone: Written pitches should be polished, professional, and to the point. Spoken pitches, on the other hand, should feel natural, engaging, and full of energy.
Length: An email pitch needs to be concise and focused, whereas in-person conversations allow for more flexibility and back-and-forth interaction.
Interaction: Email communication is one-directional, relying on a clear call to action. In-person pitches thrive on dialogue, feedback, and the ability to adjust in real-time.
Emotion: In person, you can use body language, tone, and enthusiasm to create an emotional connection. In email, you rely solely on your words to build rapport.
Call to Action (CTA): In an email, the CTA is direct and explicit. In a conversation, you can take a softer approach, encouraging further dialogue rather than making a firm request.
Mastering Both Makes You Stand Out
Being able to master both types of elevator pitches—the one that is read and the one that is spoken—elevates you from being just another knowledgeable founder to a CEO who people want to listen to and follow. Both scenarios require unique skills: in writing, you must be concise and persuasive, while in conversation, you must be personable and adaptable. Knowing when and how to switch between these two approaches makes you a more effective communicator, leader, and ultimately, a more successful entrepreneur.
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