Explore pitching

Master the 60-second pitch

You’ve probably already heard people say that you only get one chance to make a first impression, which is why pitching is so important. Learning to pitch well could make you better at presenting, influencing people and developing your network.

The 3 key elements of any pitch

Content – what are you trying to communicate and who are you talking to?
Structure – have you got a clear structure and flow?
Delivery - what are you saying to the audience with your body language, eye contact and choice of words – do you seem confident?

We’ll look at how these parts all come together to help you create a great 60-second pitch that’ll grab the attention of everyone in the room.

Getting started with a template

You’ve already thought about the three most important elements of a pitch, but now it’s time to focus a little more. Use the seven areas below and the questions or challenges to help you to get started. Jot down your notes using the handy pitch template (PDF 1.9MB).

Hook

How can you grab your audience’s attention?

Have you got an interesting fact or a great statistic?

Problem

Define the problem.

Who experiences it?

How do you know they have this problem?

Solution

Why and how is your solution different?

Where’s the innovation?

Why should people buy/want/use it?

Opportunity

What’s the size of the market?

What's been your traction so far?

What are the risks and how can you reduce them?

Model

Can you give an overview of your business model and how you’re going to make money?

Do you have multiple revenue streams?

Team

Introduce yourself and your team.

What’s your/their experience?

What does the future of the team look like?

Ask

What are you pitching for?

What do you need to progress your business?

Once you’ve got your ideas down, you can start to think more about how to make your pitch better. Here’s our thoughts on what makes a good pitch great.

1

Pitch with purpose
Be clear on why you’re pitching
2

Keep it simple and impactful
As a guide, don’t use more than 150 words for a 60-second pitch
3

Make sure it’s easy to understand
Take out any jargon, acronyms or abbreviations
4

Use the structure
It’ll help you organise your content and get to the most important stuff to include
5

Know your audience
Make sure you know who you’re pitching to and what’s most relevant to them
6

Build credibility
How can you show your experience and knowledge of the market?
7

Tell a story
It’s your business and you know it best, so make sure you communicate honestly
8

Remember your body language
Take a breath, speak slowly and stand with confidence while you talk
9

Practice makes perfect
Take every opportunity to pitch and ask for feedback from your audience - 70% of a successful pitch isn’t about what you deliver, it’s about how you deliver it. Practicing might not be fun, but it’s important to iron out any potential issues.
10

Re-use your pitch
Once you’ve perfected it, you can use your pitch to communicate anything from an investment pitch to your website messaging. The skills you learn will help you develop strong, credible messages for lots of parts of your business.

Continue to perfect your pitch by:

Finalising your 60-second pitch, and if you haven’t tried it already, building out each element using the pitch structure (PDF 1.9MB)
Sharing your pitch with others to get constructive feedback and help you to refine it even further
Keep on practising delivering it until you’re happy
Find out more about ways to brave public speaking

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