“So, tell me a little bit about yourself.”

It’s an oft-used phrase that strikes fear into the heart of the bravest of souls. However, the 30 seconds following the invitation to share are powerful and can open multiple doors.

I learned a lot in my 15+ years working in PR, but quite possibly the best take away was mastering the art of the elevator speech. Learning to consolidate my “pitch” to reporters into 20 to 30 second sound bites was absolutely key to my success in landing multiple spots on the Today Show, international news and the front page of Yahoo.

Today I use those same skills when networking with bloggers and pitching brands.

Tips for Creating the Perfect Elevator Pitch

• Be Concise. Don’t waste your opportunity with, “Um, well I…What would you like to know?” You’ve got 30 seconds to make an impression – that’s about 100 words to share your passions and highlight your accomplishments.
• Be Clear. Skip the buzzwords and stick to clear, simple language that anyone would understand. You never know when using industry words like uniques, pagination and link-baiting or acronyms like CTR and CPM, might confuse someone and cause you to loose an opportunity.
• Be Competitive and Concrete. Understand the competition and where you’ve made a niche for yourself. Being specific in describing the key differentiators will help set you apart from the competition.
• Be Confident. Don’t preface your comments with, “Well, I am really small compared to other bloggers, but…” Start out strong and don’t be afraid to share your wins.
  Take things a step further with your body language – keep eye contact, lean in and stand tall.
• Be Conversational. This is the element that literally snags your listener’s interest and makes them want to know more. Take your 30 seconds and turn it into a full conversation!
• Be Curious. At the end of the day your 30 seconds is really all about THEM. The listener really wants to know what YOU can do for THEM. Provide a call to action by ending your elevator pitch with a question.
  One of my favorite questions to ask bloggers is, “What brands do you dream of working with?” When speaking with a brand I almost always ask, “How are you working with bloggers right now?”

Are you ready to prefect your elevator pitch?

Sample Elevator Pitch

Having waded through all of that, would it help to have an example? Here’s my own elevator pitch…

I am passionate about assisting bloggers in developing their personal brand and in helping build blogger/brand relationships, particularly within the creative lifestyle niche. I frequently speak at blogger events and corporate meetings, where I share strategies for online branding.

In the past six years more than 3,000 bloggers and 100 brands have connected at Snap, participated in a paid campaign or attended a blogger event I’ve hosted. During that same period, I’ve cultivated licensing partnerships between more than a dozen online personalities and companies in the creative industry.

Interested in a few more examples of elevator pitches? Here’s a roundup of 41 elevator pitches from well known entrepreneurs.