Mastering the Elevator Pitch

Tips on how to explain your entire story in as few words as possible.

I was inspired to write this article by an author colleague (Milton Davis) lamenting how many writers have a hard time summarizing their stories in a few sentences. I believe writers generally struggle with this because they are not used to boiling stories down to their barest essence, and are uncomfortable with it for various reasons. But this is a skill you will need to have, because being able to boil down your story to its most essential elements will be a key part in getting readers, agents, publishers and studio execs interested in giving your story a chance.

What is an elevator pitch?
The elevator pitch (also called the 60-second pitch) is called that because of a specific scenario. Let's say you get on an elevator to go up to the next floor, and then someone like Steven Spielberg or George Lucas gets on the elevator with you. Now let's say he's let it slip that he's looking for a new story to adapt into his next blockbuster film. You tell him you have a story that might interest him. He asks you what it's about. Now you have until the elevator gets to the next floor to tell him what your story is about in a way that would interest him in reading more about it. That is the elevator pitch: a (very) short summary of your story worded in a way that generates interest. It's an essential tool in getting your story picked up by everyone from movie, TV, theater and video game execs to literary agents, editors and publishers to the readers, viewers and gamers you want ultimately consuming your story.

Finding the core of your story
One of the things I repeat in many of my articles is that a story is simply the process of trying to solve a problem. Finding the main essence of your story and what it's about is as simple as figuring out what the biggest problem in your story is. What is the biggest conflict driving your story from beginning to conclusion? What is your protagonist's ultimate goal and what is in the way of them achieving it? Once you figure that out, now you are tasked with explaining that conflict as directly and succinctly as possible. If your story is a romance, find the thing that most jeopardizes your two lovebirds' relationship and focus on summarizing that. If it's a crime mystery, list the circumstances of the crime and why your detectives would have a hard time solving it. There's a reason why your epic space opera is happening and is so important to the people involved, that might be the crux of the story. Once you've figured this out, then you have the central element to build your pitch around.

Adding a hook.
Once you've boiled your story down to its central problem, now you want to add one element that makes your story unique from anything else that might be similar. The core problem at the heart of my story Needle is an Indiana Jones-styled hunt for a magic artifact. My hook is that instead of some exotic location halfway around the world, said magic artifact is hidden in the South side of Chicago. Your story is most likely in the same vein of other stories in your given genre, but you need to pinpoint the biggest thing to make your story stand out from all the others. TV shows about brilliant detectives are a dime a dozen, but how many shows have a detective with severe OCD (Monk), or is a former con artist (The Mentalist), or is running a phony psychic agency (Psych), or is a vagabond that can instinctively tell when someone is lying (Poker Face)? Even if your premise is identical to other stories in your niche, you can still find something in your story that makes it unique. Once you find it, you need to explain that in as few words as possible, then that needs to go somewhere in your pitch.

Keeping it simple.
Remember, you have a minimum of time and words to explain what your story is about and why anyone should read it. Brevity is your friend. I've seen some writers describe their stories with flowery abstract descriptions about the themes and deeper meanings in their story, all without saying anything about what actually happens in the story. With precious few exceptions, you want to avoid using adjectives and/or adverbs in your pitch. Your reader will judge for themselves how "epic", "sweeping," or "action-packed" your story is if they decide to read it. Your telling them how much they're going to like it isn't going to sell them. Get to the point.

Why writers struggle with elevator pitches
I think many writers will admit that getting right to the point is not something they are accustomed to doing. We writers spend much more time expanding and adding to stories than paring things down. And for many it's hard to pick just one element that could summarize a story full of subplots, backstory and character development in one or two sentences. You want a potential reader or audience to take an interest in all of the details and nuance you have painstakingly poured into your story, and trying to explain everything in one or two sentences doesn't do your story justice.
Furthermore, coming up with an elevator pitch takes writers out of their comfort zone. Once you get into this mode, your story is no longer a creative exercise or a passion project or a reflection of your life; it's now a product that you're trying to sell. And whether you make any money or not, you have to sell potential readers/viewers/players on why they should give your story a chance over all of the other stories competing for their time and attention. You have to take your creator hat off and put your business/marketing hat on. Many writers aren't comfortable with that. Maybe some lack the experience in that realm and are intimidated by the process. Or maybe some see their great, world-changing story as something more than just a commodity, and don't want to cheapen it by treating it as such.
Regardless of why you would have a problem with making one, it doesn't change the fact that it's necessary. There aren't a lot of people that will want to read your story without knowing what it's about first, and for most you have a very limited time frame to tell them what your story is about.

What to do with your elevator pitch
If you're wondering how exactly having an elevator pitch can benefit you, here are a few uses. Your pitch will be a big help for you while working on another essential writing tool that authors dread: your query letter. Understanding what makes your story go at the most fundamental level will help you build a succinct, airtight query that highlights the most crucial elements of your story for agents and publishers to consider. Even after your story has seen print, an elevator pitch will still be a valuable tool in helping you promote your story. Focusing on that pitch when building your back cover blurb, your marketing materials and your promotional copy keeps the messaging of your campaign focused and consistent, and can be enhanced when you mention the more nuanced elements in relation to your core plot. Finally, if you want your story to translate across different media, you're going to want to be able to properly explain the story idea that your potential movie, play, TV show or video game adaptation will be built around. If you don't know the core elements of your story, chances are the people translating your story to other mediums won't know, either.

Conclusion
Coming up with an elevator pitch for your story may seem like an intimidating task. But it is not impossible, and it is something you're going to need to tackle to fully get the most out of your story. Take the time to find the most essential elements of your story - what is your hero ultimately trying to do and what is in their way - and you can use that to build a succinct story pitch that will entice readers to give your story a chance.


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And if my elevator pitch for my book has piqued your interest, email me! I'm looking for beta readers to help me make my story the best it can be. I'll send you a copy of my manuscript and welcome your constructive critique.