Elevator Pitch Timer

Common uses for a elevator pitch timer

Networking events
Investor and client introductions
Job search introductions
Practising the three lengths

An elevator pitch is a rehearsed explanation of what you do, short enough to deliver in a chance encounter. The useful versions are thirty seconds, sixty seconds and two minutes — different situations demand different lengths, and having only one means using the wrong one most of the time.

Sixty seconds is roughly 130 to 150 spoken words, which is enough for a problem, a solution and a differentiator. Thirty seconds is around seventy words: problem and solution only. Two minutes allows an example, which is what converts a description into something memorable.

The thirty-second version is the one to memorise

Most real opportunities to pitch are short — an introduction at an event, an answer to what do you do, a moment before a meeting starts. The thirty-second version is what actually gets used, and it can be expanded on demand if there is interest.

The longer versions are extensions of it rather than separate scripts. Building them that way means you never have to decide which pitch you are giving before you know how much time you have.

Lead with the problem, not the category

Opening with what you are — a consultancy, a platform, a service — tells the listener almost nothing and sounds like every other introduction they heard that evening. Opening with the problem you solve gives them somewhere to place you.

The test is whether the listener could repeat your pitch to someone else afterwards. Category descriptions are unrepeatable; a clearly stated problem and solution usually survives one retelling, which is how introductions actually propagate.

Rehearse out loud, and time it

Pitches written and never spoken are consistently too long and full of clauses nobody says out loud. Reading it aloud against a timer exposes both problems in one pass.

The other reason to time it is that under mild social pressure people speed up and add material. Knowing the pitch fits comfortably in thirty seconds means it will still fit when delivered at speed to someone you have just met.

Approximate word budgets at a comfortable speaking pace, with what fits into each.

Pitch lengths and word budgets
Length	Words	Contains	Use
15 s	~35	Problem, solution	One-line introduction
30 s	~70	Problem, solution, who for	The default — memorise this
60 s	~140	Plus differentiator, ask	Structured introduction
120 s	~280	Plus one concrete example	Meeting opener
Follow-up	—	Answer what they asked	After interest is shown

Build the longer versions as extensions of the thirty-second one so you never have to choose a script before you know your time.
The test is whether a listener could repeat it to someone else. Category descriptions are unrepeatable.

Source: Pitch lengths and word budgets are business communication convention; word counts assume a comfortable speaking pace

Sources

Pitch lengths and word budgets are business communication convention; word counts assume a comfortable speaking pace , TheTimerLab — accessed 2026-07-28

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How long should an elevator pitch be?

Have three: thirty seconds, sixty seconds and two minutes. Different situations demand different lengths, and having only one means using the wrong one most of the time.

Which version should I memorise?

The thirty-second one. Most real opportunities are short — an introduction, an answer to what do you do — and it can be expanded on demand if there is genuine interest.

How many words fit in thirty seconds?

Around seventy at a comfortable pace, which covers a problem, a solution and who it is for. Sixty seconds is roughly 140 words and adds a differentiator and an ask.

How should a pitch open?

With the problem you solve, not with what you are. Category descriptions — a consultancy, a platform — tell the listener nothing and sound like every other introduction that evening.

How do I know if a pitch is good?

Whether the listener could repeat it to someone else afterwards. That is how introductions actually propagate, and a clear problem-and-solution survives one retelling where a category description does not.

Why time it rather than just write it?

Pitches written and never spoken run long and contain clauses nobody says aloud. Timing also matters because under social pressure people speed up and add material.