How to create a winning 60 second pitch.

Now that you’re equipped with tips on how to avoid making the common mistakes young entrepreneurs make, it’s time to create a winning 60 second pitch.

When someone asks, what do you do? we usually have an answer that we use over and over again. For example an accountant might say “I work for a large corporate and take care of all their finances” or an automotive engineer might say “I design the brake system for a particular model of car”. This is enough information if you are work in a role people are familiar with.

When it comes to entrepreneurship your pitch will need to provide more information than “I own and run my own business”.

Whenever you meet someone new it is important to take the opportunity to pitch your business. You never know who you might be shaking hands with. So having a well prepared pitch is extremely important.

So how do you created a winning 60 second pitch?

It’s simple really, the way I have always approached it is by using the 5Ws

 

As simple as this seems the real hard work goes into answering the 5Ws in a manner that encapsulates a lot of information with very few words. I encourage you to take your time developing your pitch. Don’t try to get it in one attempt. Write drafts that may be much longer than 60 seconds, then refine it till you bring it back to 60 seconds or less.

Before I send you off to write and practice you pitch in front of the mirror (yes I mean literally in front of the mirror staring at yourself while you practice) I want to share one more little tip.

The 5Ws are there for you to use, move them around and use them however you wish. The most important thing about pitching is being comfortable with the message you are sharing. If you become familiar and relaxed with your pitch you will find that you can adjust it for any situation you find yourself in and you’ll be able to do so with ease.

As always I am keen to hear your thoughts and any questions you might have in a comment below.