A business pitch is simply a way to tell the person that can make your business happen about it. It is intimidating for a lot of small business owners because they consider it as asking for money.

While ultimately, this is the goal. Looking at it from a different point of view helps. You are telling a story, the persons that key into that will invest, and if they don’t you check to see if it can be refined or just tell someone else the story. 

But if you can find a way to tell a story about your idea that is enticing, exciting, and grounded in real opportunities, you will make an impressive pitch.

According to GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor), there are about 100 million startups launched every year. That’s about 3 startups every second. Not all the pitches are the same. Understanding the different types of business pitch becomes vital for long-term success.

Types of a business pitch

There are the 3 main types of a business pitch – the elevator pitch, short-form pitch, and long-form pitch.

The Elevator pitch

The elevator pitch is typically a one-minute pitch that will tell someone what your product is within 20 – 30 seconds of an elevator ride. They explain what makes your idea unique, has to be clear, informative, memorable, interesting, and compelling.

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Short-form pitch 

The short-form pitch is typically 5-10 minutes long that should have a clear flow – each part building on the last, include some basics about your company, such as the problem you are solving, your solution, your team members, the market you are in, the competition, some financial highlights, goals you want to reach, and information on your founding team.

It should be kept exciting and has accompanying documentation.

Long-form pitch 

This happens when the investor is excited about your business plan, it is a formal pitch that tells investors everything they need to know about your company to invest in it. 

For the long-form always follow Guy Kawasaki’s 30/20/10 rule when it comes to using slides for the long-form pitch. The 30/20/10 rule states that a PowerPoint presentation should last no more than twenty minutes, have ten slides, and contain no font smaller than thirty points. This forces you to be clear and concise about the main ideas of your company.

I will suggest that you use objective data (e.g. % of users that return to the site every day & use our tool) as evidence for subjective facts (e.g. we have the best product in the market). Everyone believes they are building or creating the next best thing.