While attending a women entrepreneurs conference this week, the topic of the 30-second pitch came up quite often. While most business owners are aware that they need one, and many already have one, when it comes time to actually delivering the pitch it leaves many in a tongue-twisted mess.

A 30-second pitch is always important to have in any situation to answer the question “what do you do?” This is relevant for dinner parties, networking events, sales presentations or even when you meet someone in line at the grocery store.

But when it comes to the media – your 30-second pitch is often chopped to about one sentence. The media has a very short attention span, and if you can’t get to the point when speaking to them directly, how will a producer trust you to deliver juicy, newsworthy soundbites to their audience? If your product can’t be explained in one sentence, how will it be featured on a magazine page with a small caption next to it describing its benefits?

For example, Living Proof haircare line is one company that was mentioned at the conference. The VP of Marketing for Sephora mentioned how impressed she was that they had attained so much media coverage in such little time with few resources. I took a quick look at their website, and loved the product description for their “Full” line – “Makes Fine, Limp Hair Look and Behave Like Thick Hair.” Boom. We know exactly what it does in one sentence, and are intrigued enough to ask more questions and try the product.

There is no secret formula to designing your quick pitch, but there are a few exercises you can begin with:

• Pretend you bumped into the editor of your favorite magazine on the street. They ask, what do you do? Write down exactly what you would say (don’t worry if its more than one-sentence at this stage).
• Now look at your description and see if there is anything you can chop out (for example – too many adjectives, like powerful, beautiful, delicious, etc).
• Look at the product packaging of other successful competing products. There isn’t much room on a package – meaning the description has to be concise. If you’re a service-based business, check out taglines and websites of other successful providers.
• Come up with 3-4 one-sentence pitches based on your research for your own product/service.
• Gather a group of “testers” (family, friends, neighbors, co-workers) and give them your one-sentence pitch. Note feedback.
• Revise, revise, revise!
• Once you’re comfortable with your pitch, practice it daily – even if you just deliver it once into the bathroom mirror. Before long, you’ll be so comfortable delivering it, you’ll never stammer again when talking to the media!

Some other one-sentence pitches I like:

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