Welcome to Day #1 of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge. As on each day of this project today I’d like to present you with two things:
- Some Teaching/Theory
- A Task to go away and Do
Teaching
Today’s task (outlined in full below) is to develop an Elevator Pitch for your Blog. Let me explain why.
What is an Elevator Pitch?
“An elevator pitch is an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds or 100-150 words).” – Wikipedia
Many business and self improvement type courses teach students to develop an elevator pitch for their business (and even for themselves). The idea is to have something short and sharp that you can say about yourself when the opportunity arises instead of bumbling your way through explaining what you or your business does (and miss an opportunity).
The goal is both to communicate what you do and to get the person you’re communicating it to to want to know more.
Elevator Pitches for Bloggers
While the idea of an elevator pitch is usually something that start up entrepreneurs are encouraged to do when looking for investors – developing an elevator pitch for your blog is also a smart move also.
One of the most important reasons to do this exercise is that to develop an elevator pitch YOU as a blogger to have thought through and crystallised in your mind what your blog is about.
If you’re fuzzy on what your blog is about it’s unlikely than anyone else will have much of an idea either.
Knowing what your blog is about helps you in developing every aspect of it including:
- Writing Content
- Promotion and Finding Readers
- Search Engine Optimisation
- Networking with other Bloggers
- Branding
- Design…. the list can go on.
In fact almost every task that we’ll be doing in this next 31 days should flow from this task.
Other Reasons for Developing an Elevator Pitch
Of course coming up with an elevator pitch is not just for your own benefit. Once you’ve got one it is brilliant for communicating what your blog is about to readers (both the ones you already have and potential ones), other bloggers, potential partners, media/journalists, advertisers and even to friends and family members who might not get what you’re doing.
Once you’ve got your blogs elevator pitch there’s no limit to the places and situations that you can use it (either part of it or in its entirety). Here are a few that come to mind:
- Your blogs tag line – having a short, sharp and descriptive ‘tag line’ for your blog can be a powerful technique for quickly communicating to new readers to your blog what it is all about. Readers who don’t get a sense for what your blog is about are in danger of leaving quickly – so a tagline that is displayed prominently on your blog can be a great way to hook them in.
- Your about page – the about page of a blog (if you have one) is one of the most read pages of a blog by first time visitors. It is an ideal place to communicate what you’re about and to ‘sell’ to potential readers why they should subscribe and come back.
- Real Life Conversation – whether it be at a conference, in business interactions or just in everyday conversation, the topic of your blog is likely to come up from time to time and these interactions can be an ideal moment to pull out the elevator pitch to describe what your blog is about.
- Business Cards – I get a lot of business cards given to me at conferences and to be honest at the end of the day I can’t remember who gave me most of them. Adding an elevator pitch to a card can help trigger who you are and what you do in the mind of those you chat with at these busy types of events.
- Pitching to Media – One of the things I’ve noticed about many journalists is that they’re very busy people who are constantly being pitched with ideas for stories. Having a thought through and effective ‘pitch’ can help you get noticed and give a journalist a reason to listen to what you’ve got to say.
- Pitching to Other Bloggers – Similarly, I find that if I’m being ‘pitched’ to as a blogger that I take more notice if the person pitching to me gives me a brief insight into who they are and what they do.
- Email Signature – many people have links to their blogs in their emails, but a link can be somewhat meaningless on its own. Why not add your elevator pitch? Similarly signatures in forums can be a good place to have a short description of what you do to motivate people to check you out further.
- Social Media Profiles – the same thing goes for all those social media profiles that you have. Why not use them to not only point people to your blog but to give them a reason to go there!
Where else would you use an elevator pitch? I’m sure there are so many more times to pull them out! Feel free to share other places you’ll be using yours.
Your Task for Today
Take some time out today to develop an elevator pitch for your blog. If you’ve already got one take a few minutes to review and refine it.
How to Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog
I’m sure there has been much written on the topic online but here’s some starting points that I use when doing this type of thing.
- Solve a Problem or Need – I’m a big believer in developing blogs that fulfil real needs and solve problems that people have. The problem need not be a big one (like World Peace) but you should be attempting to create something that people need on some level. Communicate this in your elevator pitch.
- Define Your Audience – who is your blog for? Who are you attempting to attract? IF your blog is targeting a certain demographic or type of person (and it may or may not) – include this in your pitch. If your blog is for teens, don’t develop a pitch for grandparents – target the reader you want.
- Be Clear – don’t leave people second guessing what you mean or interpreting jargon – make your elevator pitch crystal clear.
- Keep it Short – People have limited attention spans and capacity to absorb lots of information. Get to the point, eliminate unnecessary words and make it punchy!
- Stand Out – be willing to use humour or powerful imagery to grab the attention of those that hear your elevator pitch.
- Be Intriguing – your elevator pitch is unlikely to ‘convert’ people to read your blog all on its own – but it should entice them to learn more. You don’t need to say everything in it – but attempt to write something that is still in the mind of those who hear it long afterwards.
- Be Energetic but not Hyped – you convey more than just dry information when describing your blog – but you also convey what YOU feel about it. This is important – if you ‘pitch’ someone with language and a voice that is dry and uninspired you’re unlikely to convert anyone into a reader. Show people that you love what you’re doing, that you’re passionate and that you care about your topic. But don’t go too far and hype it up beyond what it is!
- Consider Using a Question – people are wired to answer and engage with questions. Ask them, even just rhetorical ones, in your pitch and you’ll hook people in.
- Be Ready to Expand Upon Your Pitch – at a recent conference I had someone come up and give me what seemed like an elevator pitch about their blog. It worked really well, they got me interested – so interested that I asked them to tell me more. The problem was that they didn’t really have much else to say about their blog. See an elevator pitch as a conversation opener – something designed to lead into further interaction with people. You don’t have to say it all in your initial pitch – but you should be ready to say more if people are interested.
These are just the thoughts that come to my mind on elevator pitches (what would you add?). Not everyone will be able to incorporate all of the above points but I hope that some of it will help you to develop yours.
My Elevator Pitch
I have a couple of elevator pitches my blog here at ProBlogger. One’s short (just 6 words) and one’s a little longer (a minute or so). I use one or the other of them depending upon the circumstances and opportunity to share.
My short one is very simple – ‘ProBlogger helps Bloggers Build Exceptional Blogs’. I’ve used others over the life of this blog (and continue to evolve it) but have settled on this one for the time being because it is so simple, to the point and clear.
The longer version expands upon this and shares some of the ways that the blog helps bloggers improve their blogs by talking through a few of the main topics I cover.
Write Your Elevator Pitch
Once you’ve got an elevator pitch for your blog write or print it out and put it somewhere near your computer so that as you blog you can be reminded of it. You might also like to start to incorporate it into your blog as a tagline or in your about page – or even to write a post about it on your blog to communicate to your readers what you’re on about (the appropriateness of writing it as a post will of course vary from blog to blog).
Once you’ve done that – feel free to share what you’ve come up with in comments below. I’m looking forward to reading yours.
Tomorrow on the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge – tomorrows task is a writing task that will have you writing a particular type of blog post to use on your blog in the next few days.
Sign up for 31DBBB
If you’re not already signed up for the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge you can find more information on what it entails here.
Update! Get feedback on your results, and see what others are doing over at the forum: Day 1 – Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog
Want More?This task is a sample of one of the tasks in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook – a downloadable resource designed to reinvigorate and revitalize blogs. Join over 14,000 other bloggers and Get your Copy Today. |
CDW Merchants helps visual merchandisers “bring their vision to life” with custom 3D decoratives and props. We blog daily about store windows and environments as inspiration, and education for the retail community.
Training COGS,web had a ‘catch line’ but my blog did not. I’m using “Training COGS is a World-Class Train the Trainer Organization. We can help you take your training from Great to WOW!”
Karen Marzo (personal) Living life one positive moment at a time.
Do these work?
Reality: We have 4 generations working together in today’s workplace and that’s not going to change!
Challenge: Why aren’t they working well together? Can that be changed? What would it take?
Exploring and understanding the influencial events and people that shaped the attitudes each generation “brings” to the workplace. How to capitalize on it instead of capsize over it.
Ark Animals helps create exceptional human-animal relationships and is part of the worldwide effort to promote greater awareness and understanding of both wild and domestic animals for the benefit of future generations.
Ark Animals helps:
•pet parents raise happy animals & get better behavior from their furry family members,
•animal career seekers get insider information for careers with animals,
•visitors solve animal behavior problems through humane training, behavior modification, and through the use of innovative & integrative strategies and tools.
Still need a tag line…
I’m late to the party, but here is my pitch. It’s listed on my blog and now my business cards (the backside).
It’s a promise I made to my family. I was the sole voter in my immediate family for Barack Obama and I was unforgivingly vocal about it. I come from stern conservatives who point their political compass in the direction of their bible. In a quest to inspire their curiousity about my choice, I determined to attend church for one full year if Obama was voted into the White House. Now, thankfully, that day has come and so has my religious adventure. Follow me where I go and see if I find faith in a deity, humanity, or just myself.
Great exercise…I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone else’s speeches. Here’s my stab at it:
Short: A blog for the practical home enthusiast.
Long: It’s a blog for the practical home enthusiast who enjoys creative ideas that won’t break the bank. What’s your next project?
http://yourhomeonlybetter.com
Tagline: Achieve Local Internet Marketing Victory!
Elevator: The LocalVictor blog provides tips and advice to local businesses to help them succeed at internet marketing.
I’m not sure about these taglines though… There isn’t an agreed-upon term for smaller localized businesses’ efforts online. It is different then general internet marketing but doens’t have it’s own name! Any suggestions will be appreciated…
Thanks!
I have really struggled over this one and I suppose it’s a good thing. Right from the beginning, I realize how badly I need this challenge.
Terrific advice and assignment, I’m on a continuous journey to find the just right elevator pitch. Challenge one has definitely made me think.
Here’s my elevator pitch:
Meet Little Miss Priss with a “refreshingly odd” attitude. I collect words and I wear a pink pillbox hat.
Now I can move on to Day Two but I have a feeling that Elevator Pitch will change. But that’s okay. At least I know my goal is to define. Thanks so much.
Sorry, I’ve just gone through your emails and teaching tonights as I was quite occupied few days ago.
My tagline:
“Learn something about chemical enginering that is not inside your textbook.”
I don’t have a longer version of it. Not yet.
What do you think sir?
This blogging stuff sure is complex. I started about a month ago and everyone has their theories. Who knows whom is right? I liked this post, but we have 31 more days.
Getting to this late but will catch up..I am confused already but will stick with it.
I’m a new Martha Beck Life Coach and my blog at melaniehalelifecoach.blogspot.com was created by my associate with my help. No followers yet.
It’s called” Mel’s Diner: food for thought (possibly change to food for the soul or soulfood).”
As a Martha Beck trained life coach I will be your co-pilot on the journey to living your best life. No fear, no fluff, just “do it” to fulfill your essential destination.
My tagline is:
A Blog about using Technology in an English Classroom
My blog is EnhancedEnglishTeacher on Edublogs.
I revamped my About Me, and I added resources for English Teachers and Books that I read.
I’m just starting up a company blog and this challenge is a great way to get focused and off on the right foot. The purpose of the blog is to discuss topical issues in the field, write opinion pieces, and post helpful information for those seeking to buy and sell liquor licenses in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Liquor License Exchange tagline: Where Qualified Buyers Meet Serious Sellers
Blog name: Patto’s Pub
Elevator pitch: Views from Both Sides of the PLCB Fence
This is just a rough model, but hopefully an okay base.
I’m a bit behind but I am looking forward on getting started. Great work.
FreeAgentWriter helps companies and writers strive in this Web 2.0 world
Blog Name: TroyRutter.com
Elevator Pitch: Politics, Pop Culture, and Observations from actor, author and podcaster Troy Rutter.
I know I know… i need to niche-ize my blog.
I’m having trouble picking a name lol.
Though my tagline would be something along the lines of…
“web design tips, tricks and guides for the average developer”
Short version:
Barbados real estate news, announcements and other fine ramblings.
Long version:
Bimre.com is all about Barbados real estate. Whether you are looking for updates on current real estate developments or want to find out about Barbados land prices, we aim to cover anything to do with Barbados real estate.
I’ve had this in place before I started this challenge but now I’m looking to refine my long version.
“My Virtual Office blog offers tips & tech tools for business professionals to help them succeed and prosper. Do you know anyone who works from home or a mobile office?”
“Virtual Office Guide for Business Professionals” = same title as my book
Short version: a selection of fun, strange, and/or entitled postings asking for free items from Craigslist and FreeCycle
Longer version: It’s amazing the sorts of things that people will ask others to give to them for free. TVs, ponies, spare money, matching furniture, fake mustaches, Britney Spears tickets, chicken pox – the list goes on. Wantforfree.info goes out and finds funny, strange, and entitled postings asking for free items on Craigslist and Freecycle. Three posts a day or your money back!
I am an Artist
My pitch will be “Kat Carrier Captures Souls on Paper”
I have just been going to the Forums to announce my having been done with the tasks, just figured out you wanted us to use the comments also, so here I am!
I am actually working with my readers as I go along with your assignments, so I wrote about my Elevator Pitch here:
http://happilythinnerafter.com/blog/2009/04/19/the-elevator-pitch/
Short Pitch:
Getting Down to the BIZness of Weight Control
Long Pitch:
Wanna be a LOSER like me??? Getting Down to BIZness helps you to write your story for living the rest of your life Happily Thinner After – all the tools you will ever need for determining healthier eating lifestyles no matter what your preferences are. Wherever you are in your weight loss adventure, I can help you lose and maintain that loss for life. Become a LOSER – the GOOD kind!
Starting up a bit late, but starting up! Thanks for the opportunity. Elevator pitch completed:
“Approaching 50 and thinking about it. 48..49..50 is geared toward enjoying this time and making sense of the journey.”
I just started my business as a consultant, and my tagline is Coaching you to interview success. I think I may keep this one as a ‘short’ pitch and then expound on a longer one. I have 2 sets of clients – individuals and employers, specifically small businesses w/o an HR Dept.
I’ll work on the longer one to hit both these target groups. thanks for doing this – sorry I’m starting late!
I’m still setting up my website, so able to start fresh.
infolode.com will concentrate on online research assistance, my passion.
Tagline: Providing a one stop source and analysis of the best free search programs, platforms and applications.
Longer: For a small fee I’ll save you time, effort and frustration by researching any topic for you, delivering fast, relevant results when and where you need them.
Elevator speech: All of the above plus: Online research has been my passion for over 2 decades. I’ve channeled that passion into infolode.com where (and I lose it there for now).
My elevator pitch seems long in comparison to the ones I’ve read so far, but it IS under 100 words . . .
(**holy crap** there’s a LOT of comments here! )
In a way, I had already done this first day exercise. In many of the places one goes to promote one’s blog, a short mini-description is requested. In a sense, that is exactly how I came up with my “elevator pitch:”
“Article Writing News – learn the Art and Craft of writing the perfect article, blog post, sales letter.”
Extended version:
“Article marketing as a method of promotion is an excellent way to go. But you must know all aspects of it, and there are many. Join us today!”
The extended version tends to vary, depending on where I’m posting it.
Love this 31DBBB!
I’ve never heard of an elevator pitch, but after reading your suggestions, I decided to work on my description and my profile. My short “pitch”:
Striving to daily serve my Lord and my family with patience, love, and compassion.
I look forward to exploring the rest of this site. Thanks so much!
Great intro, I told myself I will complete the 31 days to see where my blog from here but I just wanted to chime in and say that day seems like a great idea I never really thought about that.
I signed up for this knowing that I would be a bit behind because of a house move… I just didn’t know the house move would also include a major interference from an ISP failing to do what it says on the tin.
So – better late than never I have updated my About page in an attempt to have an elevator pitch:
http://taexalia.me/about/
I’d also like to say I think this challenge, or series of challenges, is excellently served and full of great advice – even if your blog is a personal blog rather than a business or corporate one… Thanks!
I am just starting on doing this for one of my blogs. This first exercise was fun. Here is what I ended up with for the short one.
WebHosting-Business.com is dedicated to providing web hosting business information.
The long one is done as well, I will be integrating it into the blog soon.
SocialInfotainment serves the early adopters, entrepreneurs and geeks to be better at what they like to do.
I have been tied up and getting started a little late on this journey. However, this was a much needed post for me. I had let my ABOUT page lie dormant for far too long. It still isn’t pretty, but with the addition of an “elevator speech” at least the weeds aren’t growing there any longer.
Thanks.
Hi, just started this challenge and I hope it will be a great way to improve my skills, though my blog is a personal one.
So here is my elevator pitch: a blog written by a women who encounters everyday challenges and takes as they are. an yes, i love dune universe (this one is not mine it was served to me by someone who knows pretty well)
Here is my elevator pitch- Assemblyonline brings you updates of Nigerian breaking news in a racy, fresh and succint manner
Hello! First time I read about elevator pitch. I don’t understand completely. I think it is about discreption of website or blog. Am I right? I make this elevator pitch. My short pitch is “Adsense Tips to make you rich by blogger” and my long elevator pitch is “Tips and Tricks for making money online from Google Adsense”.
Please tell me is it right?
I just found this today. I have been blogging for two years in the niche market of How to use Stripping to Create Financial Freedom. I have a devoted blog readership of…well…strippers who want to get out of dancing…and dudes who are trying to pick up strippers who want to get out of dancing. I can’t wait to start this challenge!
I am in the process of a redesign of my blog, so what better way to start off. One problem: I’m completely indecisive. I hate making decisions and those I do make usually don’t stick. Like the colors of my blog or the layout. It’s about snowboarding, I live and breath it. Maybe someone here has a different perspective?
Possibilities:
Shred Addiction – A Passion For Snowboarding and Obsession With Beanies
Shred Addiction – You Can Only Progress
Hi everyone.. I have a few questions as I am really confused about what the heck I am doing! I love to write and share my thoughts with others, so i don’t want to focus on just one thing. My question is if I want to write about things other than the bail out, do I need to start a whole new blog account with a different URL and different name, or do i put everything under the blog page I already have?
Thanks for your help
Annie
This task sent me off on a 23 day long, so far, chain of events to choose a new domain name and relaunch my blog. I got really off-track but I restarted the challenge 2 days ago with my new blogging buddy :-)
New blog name: Loving Nature’s Garden
Tagline: Earth care, one day at a time
Elevator Pitch: I write about nature, the Earth, and practical stuff for parents.
New About: I love nature, cooking, and getting my fingers in the dirt. I try to focus on the positive. I want my kids to see that I’m making my corner of the Earth a little greener. I want you to see that you can too. Please join me for nature, good news, family-friendly activities, cooking, gardening, and learning about sustainability.
Good luck with yours :-)
I’d love to read the blog about Loving Nature’s Garden — where can it be found?
Veronica, it’s not live yet. That’s why you can’t find it.
I’m currently writing at The Homeschooler’s Guide to the Galaxy which isn’t really about homeschooling, it’s about nature, cooking, and gardening, which is the reason for the new blog name Loving Nature’s Garden :-)
Do come and visit. Sign up for my feed and I’ll keep you updated on when Loving Nature’s Garden will be live.
This is a good start. I need to go back and look at my about this blog page. It’s probably outdated. I’ve already created business cards (magnets actually) for the blog separate from my business cards. I need to work on making my posts more original and the writing more engaging, but I think I have the purpose of it down pretty well.
Still have a ways to go, but this is SUCH an improvement. Here’s mine:
I, Ronnica, am a Diet Dr. Pepper junkie, would-be loner, book lover, 26-year-old single woman working in the non-profit world. I hail from Kansas, cheer crimson and cream (Go Sooners!), and make my home in Raleigh, North Carolina. I’m a reader and a writer, a friend and sister, a student and a teacher.
This blog, the Ignorant Historian, is life told by “a partial, prejudiced, and ignorant historian.” Everything I write is partial, prejudiced, and when I get right down to it, ignorant. I write about everything from my personal faith and the application thereof to my detestation of the color orange and the misuse of sprinkles.
Hi man and thanks I can see these lessons really helping me and my blog.
I am sorry am one day behind but I will deffo catch up.
In the process of creating my blog and website currently….
tagline: Changing your body is as simple as changing your mind.
Elevator speech: I am a personal life coach who specializes in women’s weight loss and image transformation.
Longer Version Or Explanation: As a life coach I use a coaching model I created which I call the D.I.V.A. approach. It is an acronym
for dedicated – innovative – vital – action. I bring a positive charge to the lives of the women I work with. Changing the mind and the
perception of self does more for weight loss than any diet pill ever could! I blog about how life coaching can bring out every
woman’s unique inner D.I.V.A.
I’m coming to this better late than never. Thanks for kicking me off to a great start. Reading through the comments is incredibly inspiring! I’ve known for ages that my blogging lines are a little blurry, with my content too unfocused, but I’ve always put off doing anything about it. Now so far I’ve come up with :
(blog name) Ceci n’est pas une cuisine
(elevator pitch) An American Writer Mother Blogs From Belgium
Looking forward to 30 more days of being kick-started!
My elevator pitch is “I’m Jack Brooks and I create and implement Internet visibility Strategies to help my clients rise above the blur.”
I’d already started my blog before signing up for ths 31 day exercise – I have my Elevator Pitch framed in the Blog Title: “Are You Above The Blur?”
and Blog Tagline: “Getting There Using Internet Visiblility Strategies”
I was just thinking about Write an Elevator Pitch for Your and you’ve really helped out. Thanks!
Okay, I am just starting in the blog world and wondered if I could get some feedback on trying to do my elevator pitch. I am on a mission to become a permanent beach bum and I have a passion for travel, baking, and throwing parties. So “On a mission to become a permanent beach bum” could be my short Elevator Pitch, but how should I incorporate that I also blog about everyday things, baking, and entertaining, and travel while working to move to the beach, all in one elevator pitch? Any ideas?