Say What You Do—Clearly, Quickly, and Without Apology

You never know when you’ll need to explain your company in a sentence. Be ready.
A sharp, concise elevator pitch helps others instantly understand what you do, who it’s for, and why it matters. Crafting three versions ensures you’re ready for any situation—from a tweet to a meeting opener.

Why it's Important

Creates instant clarity for potential customers, investors, and partners
Makes it easier for others to talk about or refer your business
Helps align internal messaging across teams and channels
Reinforces positioning in a way that’s easy to repeat
Builds confidence in what your brand stands for

How to Implement

Start with your positioning statement—this is the core message
Break it into three formats:
25 words (tagline or intro at a glance)
50 words (short explanation with context)
100 words (full overview for decks, conversations, or web copy)
Keep the structure simple: who it’s for, what it does, what value it creates
Focus on outcomes, not just features
Avoid buzzwords and technical terms unless speaking to a technical audience
Tailor each version to different audiences if needed (investors vs. customers)
Test with real people—do they “get it” the first time?
Revisit regularly as your product or positioning evolves

How You Know You Got It Right

People repeat it back to you accurately after hearing it once
You use it in intros, decks, and meetings without tweaking it each time
Customers, investors, and partners understand what you do instantly
The language matches your tone and positioning
Your whole team uses consistent phrasing in outreach and presentations
It works across different formats (web, pitch, sales, support)
You’re proud to say it out loud without explanation or apology

Real-World Examples

Stripe

25 words: Stripe makes it easy for businesses to accept payments online and in mobile apps.

50 words: Stripe provides developer-friendly tools that help businesses of all sizes accept payments, manage subscriptions, and handle billing. It’s built for scale and speed.

100 words: Stripe is a technology company that builds economic infrastructure for the internet. Businesses of all sizes—from startups to global enterprises—use Stripe’s software to accept payments, send payouts, and manage their online operations. With powerful APIs and a focus on usability, Stripe is trusted by millions of businesses to grow and scale online.

Notion

25 words: Notion is an all-in-one workspace for notes, docs, wikis, and collaboration.

50 words: Notion helps individuals and teams organize everything in one place—from meeting notes to project roadmaps. It combines notes, documents, and databases into one powerful workspace.

100 words: Notion is a connected workspace where teams can think, write, and plan together. It brings notes, docs, tasks, and databases into a single tool, helping teams eliminate silos and reduce app overload. With flexible building blocks, Notion can be customized to support any workflow—used by individuals, startups, and enterprise teams alike.

Onramp

25 words: Onramp helps fast-growing remote teams onboard new hires with ease through automated workflows, personalized journeys, and collaborative tools—all in one platform.

50 words: Onramp is the onboarding platform built for distributed teams. It simplifies how startups and scale-ups welcome new hires by automating tasks, personalizing content, and integrating with tools like Slack and Google Workspace. HR and managers stay aligned, and employees feel connected from day one—no matter where they are.

100 words: Onramp is a remote-first onboarding platform designed to help growing companies deliver consistent, engaging, and efficient new-hire experiences. It centralizes training materials, automates task management, and integrates with your HR and collaboration tools to reduce admin overhead. Managers can track progress, personalize onboarding journeys, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. New employees get clarity, connection, and confidence from day one—whether they’re across the city or across the world. Onramp helps People Ops teams scale culture without sacrificing quality, making remote onboarding as seamless as it should be.

Make It Better

Use plain language—fewer words, stronger impact
Focus on value delivered, not just what you built
Say it out loud—if it feels awkward, rewrite it
Treat it as your brand’s default intro across touchpoints
Include emotional value if it’s part of your brand (e.g., peace of mind, confidence)

Don't Make These Mistakes

Leading with jargon or technical complexity
Using filler like “revolutionary platform” without saying what it does
Writing one pitch and expecting it to work in every format
Leaving your audience unsure who it’s for
Trying to sound impressive instead of clear