Elevator Pitch

Posted in help, Strategy, Toby's Posts.

I signed up to participate in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge, and the first task is to develop an elevator pitch for this blog.

Here it goes!

UPDATED ON 4/7/2009 at 8 AM:

Cryns.com is my band’s website and blog. It features:

  • guitar lessons
  • discussions
  • video journals
  • daily blog entries
  • responses to questions and comments
  • free mp3 downloads
  • tour photos
  • tour dates
  • It provides a variety of ways for me to connect with you.

This website is the FIRST place that my MP3s are released and that news is announced. If you want to stay on top of all the exciting stuff going on around my band, then you need to visit Cryns.com.

UPDATED ON 4/6/2009 at 10:20 AM: Cryns.com is where I go to connect with friends and fans of my music. I share updates about my musical journey, and friends & fans share their ideas and thoughts in return. It features guitar lessons, video journals, daily blog entries, free downloads, and also tour photos. Basically, it gives us all an excuse to get together and share ideas online.

Cryns.com is a place where friends and fans of my music go to get updates about where my musical journey has taken me. It features guitar lessons, video journals, daily blog entries, free downloads, and also tour photos. AND it also provides an avenue for me to get to stay in touch with friends and fans via blog comments and emails. Basically, it gives us all an excuse to get together online.

What do you think? How would you improve it?

Thanks!

9 thoughts on “Elevator Pitch”

  1. i'm coming from an academic entrepreneurship background. i'm not sure which method is right, but we were taught to emphasize a few things in even fewer words:

    – what's in it for me (the listener)?
    – why can't they live without it?
    – how will it improve what they're already doing?

    again, just from an academic POV, what you've posted is great…but more of a vision statement.

    @malbiniak

    1. Thanks for the great ideas, Matt!

      I updated the elevator pitch to include a "Why you can't live without this" sales pitch, which I agree is important.

      "This website is the FIRST place that my MP3s are released and that news is announced. If you want to stay on top of all the exciting stuff going on around my band, then you need to visit Cryns.com."

      What do you think?

    2. Thanks for the great ideas, Matt!

      I updated the elevator pitch to include a "Why you can't live without this" sales pitch, which I agree is important.

      "This website is the FIRST place that my MP3s are released and that news is announced. If you want to stay on top of all the exciting stuff going on around my band, then you need to visit Cryns.com."

      What do you think?

      1. looking at your 4/7 update, a few more comments:

        – i agree with the bullet points, but i'd try to umbrella it under the value, not the specific tactic (video tutorials, lessons, etc -> "educate" or "learn to play guitar" or "whatever."
        – you're assuming the visitor knows about your band and why they'd want to be on top of this

        if you get the chance, i'd really recommend watching guy kawasaki's "art of the start" speech. it's a great crash course in communicating your value proposition…
        http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/06/the_art_of_th…

        -mla

  2. Yeah, I think the important thing to take away from @malbiniak's points is that the people you're talking to in the elevator are not your friends. So you don't want to say your blog is for your friends. It's for everyone! (It's in the internet, so even if that isn't true, it's true for your elevator pitch.) I think the important bit is really just this sentence: "It features guitar lessons, video journals, daily blog entries, free downloads, and also tour photos." I would emphasize that, personally.

    1. Thanks, Martin!

      "the people you're talking to in the elevator are not your friends." – This is a great point that I didn't consider. I have rewritten my pitch with this point in mind. Also, I tried to better showcase the features as well, per your suggestion (See new elevator pitch above).

  3. Toby, my suggestion is to expand it with some bullet points that separate your site from competitors, especially Myspace which has become a pretty successful platform for musicians to interact with their fanbase. The downside to myspace is it is getting so cluttered with ads and other crap, maybe that's your angle, a more streamlined and comprehensive platform for the artist.

    1. Thanks, Brian!

      I took your suggestion about bullet points and ran with it! What do you think?

      Also, good point about mySpace. My initial thoughts are that I would address that if the pitchee asks about it. I do have a mySpace page as well that does many of the same things, but I don't like to promote it, because…well…mySpace sucks. haha!

  4. I totally agree with Martin.

    If you meet someone in an elevator (or in a grocery store, wherever) you need to capture their attention quickly and get them to respond.

    How about "Cryns.com is a musical wonderland that I think you should check out!"

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