Elevator Pitch Practice: Write, Time and Rehearse a 30-Second Pitch
The structure, the word count, four worked examples and a three-round drill. Then score your recording free.
How do I practise an elevator pitch?
Practise an elevator pitch in three short rounds rather than by rereading it. First, write it to length: 30 seconds at a typical conversational pace of 150 to 180 words a minute is 75 to 90 words, so draft five sentences covering who you are, the problem, what you do, one piece of proof and the ask. Second, say it out loud standing up, with a timer, three times and without notes; wherever you stumble, that sentence is too long or too abstract. Third, record it and listen back once for pace, filler words and whether the ask is clear, then cut 10 to 20 percent of the words and record again. Stop when it lands between 25 and 35 seconds twice in a row and sounds like you talking rather than reciting. EchoPitch's free Pitch Scorer will score a recording in about a minute with no signup.
The Pitch Scorer is free with no signup. The trial is 5 sessions of up to 3 minutes, used within 30 days, paid once.
The five-part structure
Five beats, one sentence or two each. The word ranges add up to roughly 60 to 85 words, which leaves room for a pause or two inside 30 seconds.
Who you are
Name plus the one label that matters to this listener. Not your full job history.
8 to 12 words
The problem
What is going wrong for someone, in plain words and ideally with a number.
15 to 20 words
What you do
How you fix it, in one sentence a non-specialist would repeat.
12 to 18 words
Proof
One specific result: a figure, a client, a placement, an outcome. One, not three.
15 to 20 words
The ask
A small, specific next step they can agree to now.
10 to 15 words
How many words fit in 30 seconds
Conversational speech typically runs at 150 to 180 words a minute. Halve it for 30 seconds.
The same sum works backwards. A 120-word draft at 150 words a minute takes 120 ÷ 150 × 60 = 48 seconds. To fit it into 30 seconds you would need 120 ÷ 30 × 60 = 240 words a minute, which is faster than most listeners can follow. A 60-second version is 150 to 180 words. For how elevator pitches compare with demo day and partner-meeting lengths, see how long an investor pitch should be.
Four worked examples
Each is about 75 to 85 words, so roughly 30 seconds when spoken at a normal pace. The people and businesses are illustrative. Read one aloud with a timer before you write your own.
Job seeker at a careers fair (80 words)
“Hi, I'm Priya. I'm finishing a chemical engineering degree this summer. Most graduates I meet want to design new plants; I'm more interested in making existing ones waste less. On my placement at a water treatment works, I rewrote the dosing schedule for one filter line and cut chemical use by about 8% over three months. I'm looking for a graduate process role from September. Could I ask what your scheme looks for, and who I should follow up with?”
Why it works: The proof is a single measured result from a placement. The ask is two easy questions, not "do you have any jobs?"
Founder (76 words)
“I'm Tom, co-founder of Ledgerly. Small builders lose about a week a month chasing invoices and matching payments by hand. Ledgerly connects to their bank and quoting tool, then chases and reconciles automatically. Since March, 140 firms have started paying us £39 a month, and churn is under 2%. We're raising a £600k seed round to hire two engineers. You back vertical fintech, so could I have twenty minutes next week to show you the numbers?”
Why it works: One traction line carries the proof. The ask is a meeting, not the investment.
Freelancer (81 words)
“I'm Ana, a freelance copywriter for B2B software companies. Most SaaS websites list features and never say who the product is for, so visitors leave. I rewrite homepages and product pages around one customer and one problem. Last year I rewrote a payroll start-up's pricing page, and trial sign-ups rose by a third the next quarter. I take on two new clients a month. If your site is due a refresh, can I send you a one-page audit of your homepage?”
Why it works: The ask offers something useful for free, which is easier to accept than a sales call.
Internal networking (80 words)
“Hi, I'm Daniel. I lead the support team in Leeds. We answer about 4,000 tickets a month, and roughly a fifth are the same billing question your team could fix at source. I've tagged six months of those tickets, so I know which screens cause them. Fixing the top two would free up about one person's time. I'm not asking for a roadmap slot yet. Could we grab half an hour next week so I can show you the data?”
Why it works: Inside a company the problem is framed as theirs, and the ask is deliberately smaller than the eventual request.
More on adapting the pitch to different rooms is in how to master elevator pitches. Founders taking it further can use the startup pitch practice method and the investor pitch coach; job seekers can move on to interview practice, where "tell me about yourself" is the same pitch with a different ask.
The three-round practice drill
About 15 minutes in total. Do it the day before, not in the queue at the event.
Round 1: Say it
Stand up, start a timer and say the pitch out loud three times without notes. Mark every place you stumble or reach for a word. Those sentences are too long or too abstract: shorten them before round 2. Note your time on the third take.
Round 2: Record it
Record one take on your phone, or upload it to the free Pitch Scorer. Listen once, all the way through, for three things only: did you speed up, where were the filler words, and was the ask clear enough that someone could say yes to it?
Round 3: Cut it
Cut 10 to 20 percent of the words: the adjective nobody needs, the second number, the clause that explains the explanation. Record again and compare with round 2. Stop when two takes in a row land between 25 and 35 seconds.
Want a harder version? The "elevator pitch compress" in our business communication drills makes you deliver the same pitch at three lengths.
Common elevator pitch mistakes
Starting with your CV
"I've been in marketing for twelve years, started at..." uses a third of your time before the listener knows why to care. Lead with the label, then the problem.
Too many numbers
One figure is memorable; four figures are noise. Keep the single number that proves the point.
No ask, or a vague one
"Let me know if you hear of anything" gives the other person nothing to do. Name the next step.
Writing 120 words for 30 seconds
The draft fits on paper and then gets delivered at 220 words a minute. Count the words before you rehearse.
Speeding up when nervous
Nerves push pace up. Slow down most on the problem and the proof, which are the parts the listener needs to remember.
Jargon the listener does not share
"We're a vertical SaaS reconciliation layer" means nothing at a careers fair. Use the words your customer would use.
Apologising first
"Sorry, this'll be quick" tells the listener it is not worth their time. Start with your name.
Trailing off at the end
"...so, yeah, that's me" throws away the ask. End on the question and stop.
What the feedback covers
EchoPitch is an AI speech and pitch practice coach. It measures how you delivered the pitch; it does not diagnose nerves or emotions.
Free: Pitch Scorer
Upload a video of your pitch. In about 60 seconds you get an overall score, a breakdown across confidence, clarity, enthusiasm, persuasion and composure, and two quick tips. No signup, no card.
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Each session is up to 3 minutes and reports pace, filler words, pauses, vocal variety, facial expression signals measured in your browser, and content and clarity feedback from the transcript. Used within 30 days, paid once, no subscription.
Get 5 sessionsAudio is transcribed by OpenAI Whisper and the transcript is sent to Anthropic for feedback. Video saving is opt-in and off by default.
Elevator pitch practice FAQ
How long should an elevator pitch be?
Thirty seconds is the standard, and 60 seconds is the upper limit. At a typical conversational pace of 150 to 180 words a minute, that is 75 to 90 words for 30 seconds and 150 to 180 words for 60. The job of an elevator pitch is to earn a follow-up conversation, not to explain everything, so if you need more than a minute you are giving a presentation. Aim for 30 seconds and treat the extra half-minute as room for the other person to ask a question.
How many words is a 30-second elevator pitch?
About 75 to 90 words. Most people speak at roughly 150 to 180 words a minute in conversation, and half a minute of that is 150 ÷ 2 = 75 words at the slower end and 180 ÷ 2 = 90 words at the faster end. If your draft is 120 words, you will either run to 40 or 45 seconds or speed up to fit it in, and speeding up is the more common and more damaging choice. Write to 80 words and you have a margin for pauses.
Should I memorise my elevator pitch word for word?
Memorise the order and the numbers, not every word. Learn the five beats (who you are, the problem, what you do, the proof, the ask) and the one figure that proves it, then say it in slightly different words each time. A word-perfect pitch tends to come out at one speed and one pitch, which listeners hear as recited. If you blank, the five beats are easier to recover than a script. Record a few versions and keep whichever phrasing comes most naturally.
What should the ask be at the end of an elevator pitch?
One small, specific next step the other person can say yes to on the spot. Good asks are a 20-minute call next week, permission to send a one-page summary, an introduction to one named person or the right email address for a follow-up. Poor asks are vague ("let me know if you hear of anything") or too big for a first conversation ("would you invest?"). End on the question and then stop talking; the silence is their cue to answer.
How do I stop my elevator pitch sounding rehearsed?
Practise it more, out loud, in slightly different words each time. Pitches sound rehearsed when they have only been rehearsed silently or read from a page, because the speaker is retrieving sentences instead of saying them. Record three takes, listen for the one sentence that sounds most like you talking to a friend, and rewrite the others in that voice. Then leave a short pause after the problem and after the proof; pauses are what make speech sound like thinking rather than reciting.
Is there a free way to practise an elevator pitch with feedback?
Yes. EchoPitch's Pitch Scorer is free with no signup: upload a video of your pitch and you get an overall score, a breakdown across confidence, clarity, enthusiasm, persuasion and composure, and two quick tips in about 60 seconds. If you want full reports on further attempts, with timestamped moments and a plan for the next take, a trial gives you 5 sessions, paid once. Recording yourself on your phone and listening back is also free and still useful.
About the author. Jonathan Prescott is the founder of EchoPitch, built by Cavefish in Cardiff, UK. Word-rate figures on this page are the typical conversational range of 150 to 180 words a minute; your own rate is easy to measure by recording a 30-second take and counting the words.
Say it, record it, cut it
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