The One Sentence Pitch, in short
As the name reveals, the one sentence pitch is only a single sentence long and is therefore the absolutely shortest pitch that we work with on Pitcherific. In other words, when you write your pitch and pen down your first full stop, your pitch should basically be done. Let’s take an example.
My company... [Pitcherific]
develops/sells... [an user-friendly, web-based tool]
that helps... [startup founders]
with... [crafting a pitch that convinces potential customers, partners and investors]
using... [best-practice pitch templates].
The pitch needs to create a crystal clear image of what your company does in the mind of the recipient, and at the same time spark interest to hear more. What it shouldn’t do, however, is explain your business idea in minute detail, so give up doing the impossible and say it all once: in-depth explanations is for later!
Advantages of the One Sentence Pitch
The one sentence pitch is useful at casual chat situations, such as a networking event or a family get together, since it answers the question “so, what do you do?”. Because of this, it often works better as part of an ordinary dialogue than other pitch types such as the classic Elevator Pitch.
The reason for this is that you start out with explaining what your company does, so the person you pitch to can ask more about the details and additional perspectives of your business idea afterwards. In such, you won’t appear pushy or too “salesman-ish” when you talk about your company or idea, but instead you open up for a natural and balanced dialogue. A dialogue where you can explain on a foundation of your listener’s interest and questions (Read: which basically is an optimal sales situation).
If the person you talk with needs to be able to inquire you about what you do, pitching in a down-to-earth manner is crucial. This makes it possible – and easy – to understand the idea and ask you further questions about it. Is the idea you pitch sufficiently interesting at the same time, then there is a good chance of you idea (and your short pitch) to live on in the memory of your listener. They might even share that memory with their friends and family or with their colleagues.
Elaborating on the categories
In general, the one sentence pitch is all about striking a balance between making the elements of the pitch as concrete as possible, without compromising the fact that it still has to be easily understandable. Avoid filler words, buzzwords, technical concepts and save the details for any follow-up questions.
Now, let’s take a deeper look at the individual parts of the one sentence pitch:
My company…
As simple as it sounds, this is all about having a project or company name that is easy to remember and makes sense when it comes to the product you sell.
Develops/Sells…
Whether you offer a product or a service is not that important, but it has to be understandable what type of solution you provide your customers. Is it software, a physical product or a personal service? Keep it generally understandable instead of trying to capture nuances.
That helps…
What kind of users have the biggest need for the solution that you provide? E.g. it can be for environmentally conscious, female students or small business owners with more than 50 customers. It can also be about how you customers think and act in specific ways that captures your target audience.
With…
What is that you help your customers with? Describe the most important problem or challenge that you help your users tackle. E.g. “finding the right internet connection, as cheap as possible”.
Using…
Finally, give you listener a taste of what makes your way of helping users unique. Your company’s approach to the problem should reflect your understanding of your customer’s needs and through that an effective solution.
Get started right now
As you might have guessed already, the one sentence pitch has the following format:
My company.. [Company Name]
develops/sells.. [a well-defined solution]
that helps.. [a well-defined audience]
with.. [solving a well-defined problem]
using.. [your company's special approach to the problem].
You’ll find the very same template in a savable version on pitcherific.com by clicking on the *Choose template” dropdown.
Do yourself a favor and craft your one sentence pitch, so you are ready for – and comfortable with – engaging in a chat about your company, startup or yourself in any networking situation.
If you want to learn more about the one sentence pitch then check out Adeo Ressi from The Founder Institute. He has made a nice introduction to it as well, which you can find here.
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