I had 30 seconds. I got away at 10am.
The CEO of my company raised his hand.
“Start at the end. What is it? Why now?”
I was nine words in my friends. I had a blanket. I had energy. I like to submit in case you didn't hit it but I had nopitchTo.
That day I learned something brutal: the biggest ideas fail in the first 30 seconds because most people (aka me) lead with what they built, instead of why someone should care.
I went back. I wrote it around it. Eleven f *** times.
According to the twelve version, I was able to report it before the next loose. I could sell it to Execs, the devil even to the VC and anyone standing next to me in the elevator.
Now the coaches' prime ministers, founders and teams do the same.
Why is 30 seconds still important
Original lift pitch? In 1854, Elisha Otis lifted five floors and cut the rope. He fell a few inches. Then stopped. He had just demonstrated his security brake. The people went wild.
Today you are not in the showroom. You are a scroll feed. Attention has disappeared before your third word hits. People remember the thing that made them take a break. Not a function. Not a road map. Pain.
Therefore, your pitch must be less than 30 seconds. Not effective. To be unforgettable.
30 -second framework: Core + M
After rewriting the mine, I built a structure that works for everything – product, project, portfolio, person.
It works less than 75 words. It works out loud. And it works better than something I've seen in an interview or a demo call.
How bad does it look like
Let's face it. It sounds 90% of the lift squares:
“We built an innovative end to the end of the automotive industry solution that uses engaging technology for engaging.”
No user. No pain. No result. There is no reason to take care.
Keep the vocabulary away from it. Always! I come in person and knock on my head if you don't. Use this rule – if I can replace the toothpaste and nothing breaks, it is not a pitch. This is the sum of the salad. And sweetheart, you're in trouble.
How good does it look like
I have taken examples of things you would feel and implemented the Core + M framework. You can see how it lands below:
Startup
“Teams spend hours to draw content and chase the right words. Openai tools reduce the time generation time to 30% to 60%, helping teams to go out of the idea to publish significantly faster.”
(Forrester's study)
Product
“Dating apps often fight users to preserve. The Bumble approach that allows women to take the first step contribute to the 12.4% 30 -day user retention rate, outperforming many competitors.”
(Saare outside, 2023)
Function
“Remote teams are struggling to restore energy with a personal board. Miro's sticky note voting feature helps teams to visually prioritize, reducing decision -making time and increasing involvement.”
(MIRO product documents)
This is not the theory. I have used it with mentors preparing PM interviews, preparation of founders and myself. It holds up.
From the blanket to the clear yes
My first step was all the solution. No problem. No user. Just a wall of technical ambitions.
To the fifth round, I had added the data but lost the story.
By ten I had speed, but there was no teeth.
Eleven around? Took 22 seconds:
“Growing original e-commerce manufacturers wants flexibility in designing their websites. Our platform gives them the configurability of the codes by reducing the startup time by 50% and opening 5x sales revenue.”
The CEO nodded. There were follow -ups. We were approved.
Do your own: 5 rows and timer
Draw five rows:
- Client
- Obstacle
- Remedy
- Influence
- Metric
Write one sentence per box.
Put it all together.
Read it out loud.
If it takes more than 30 seconds, it is too long.
Continue towards shortening it. Short is the keyword here!
Pro tip: If you have more, you are confused. So, write them all and the stack they order. It even teaches you to set you merciless priorities. Focus on this number 1. 1. 1 Customer, 1 truly big obstacle, 1 key tool, 1 great effect and 1 devil killer meter!
Last thing: remix it when you want
Hate the name? Rename it.
Do you want to add to the final activity (CTA) instead of a metrics? Go to it.
Just follow this rule: if it does not land in 30 seconds, you will explain. Not a pitch.
The best squares do not walk through the forest. It intrigues. The best pitch is like a stone into the water and lets you feel buzzing.
