Elevator pitches are dead, because elevator rides are too long…

When you are trying to start a new business, one of the first things you will hear is “you need to create an elevator pitch”. We disagree. That might have worked back in the day. Today though, we are living in a world of ever-diminishing attention spans and an explosion of alternatives and choices. Based on the Harvard Business Review, the average duration of an elevator ride in New York City is 118 seconds. Sorry to break it to you, but that is simply far too long… If you need 118 seconds to tell your story, you have a problem.

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A goldfish, twitter and ADHD

We have a lower attention span than a goldfish… According to a recent study from Microsoft, the average attention span of humans has fallen over the last years to currently 8 seconds. A goldfish is believed to have an attention span of 9 seconds… The challenge is not to have someone’s time, but their attention. You might get 118 seconds to pitch your idea, but if your target switches off after 8 seconds, you will not get to the real relevant point of your pitch.

We seem to all be suffering of attention deficit disorder. The interesting part is that Twitter has taught us to think and communicate in 140 characters. And it is amazing what you are able to convey in 140 characters. Since Twitter recently increased the limit to 280 characters, it is almost difficult to not get lost in details, isn’t it?

Tweet me your pitch: 280 characters instead of 118 seconds

Can you do that? Are you capable or reducing your brand idea, your project, your product and your company to 280 characters? And by that, we do not mean a claim or some great sounding marketing buzzwords. We mean something people can understand. Explain the problem you are solving along with what you are doing and how you solve that problem.

We meet with startups every day. We have been helping build business for 20 years. And the challenge is always the same. Boil it down to the essential and relevant value you bring to the world. Answer the question: Why does the world need your stuff? Write your answer in a tweet. Then you have a winning pitch.

You don’t have to bring all information into that tweet. What you need to do is plan your overall message and story. Whether it is a brief handshake, 118 seconds, or even a full hour. However much time you have, think of it as climbing stairs. Every stair is 8 seconds. With every step you have to earn your targets attention for another 8 seconds, and another, and another…

Every good idea fits on a post-it

Most startups have an amazing idea. They have a master plan to change the world, or parts of it. The challenge is to boil it down to a few words. A few relevant words. Try to deliver your whole project in a tweet. Can you explain why the world needs what you are planning in just a post-it? You have to!

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Photo credits:

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels
‍Photo by Rizky Sabriansyah on Pexels
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