The Elevator Speech
Your elevator speech is the hook that lets everything else do its job.
A Catchy One-Liner and a Short Follow-Up for In-Person Sales
When you sell face to face, you have three seconds, maybe thirty if you are lucky. You need a hook that hits fast. I used to tell people, “Atlas Shrugged meets 1984 in Alaska.” About half of them got it immediately, and that was enough to start a conversation. From there I followed with, “It’s about whether you comply or resist. What would you do?” That one-two punch sold every copy of Defiant I brought.
The one-liner sets the hook. The follow-up keeps them talking.
Online Sales Live and Die by the One-Liner
Online, the one-liner does the same job as you do in person. The cover gets the click, but the first bold line of your blurb makes the sale possible. That top line should stand out and say something that pulls the reader in. If it does not grab them, they will never read the rest.
Your one-liner is the gateway to the whole story.
Find the One Thing That Is Truly Gripping
You know every corner of your book, but what is the one thing that makes it irresistible? There was something that drove you to write it in the first place. That spark is what you want to capture in a sentence.
If you cannot sum up the core of your story in a line, you probably do not know it as well as you think.
Let Your Readers Tell You
Read your reviews. Readers often describe your book in ways you never would. They will say, “This feels like X mixed with Y,” or “I loved the way it did this one thing.” That is gold. These are people who came in cold and saw what stood out.
Use their words to shape your pitch.
Use Comparison and Contrast
A strong elevator pitch often comes from comparison or contrast. “Book one meets book two” gives people an instant frame of reference. “Earth is destroyed; humanity has a chance” creates a tension that makes them want to know more.
Both approaches work. They give the listener something to grab onto in seconds.
Final Thought
Your elevator speech is the hook that lets everything else do its job. Whether you are standing behind a table or selling online, a clear one-liner and a sharp follow-up turn curiosity into interest. Set the hook, start the conversation, and let the story do the rest.
The Elevator Speech — Original Medium Article
The Elevator Speech — Over 1000 Five Minute Focus videos on the Successful Indie Author YouTube Channel
SIA Writing Challenge website — Record Your Progress on Your Way to Becoming a Successful Indie Author
Craig Martelle is an author, leader, and entrepreneur living in Alaska. Retired from the Marine Corps military intelligence community and physical security, he graduated summa cum laude from law school and went into business consulting. From intelligence, to the inner workings of company boardrooms, to on-the-ground leadership, Craig has seen it firsthand.
He is a million-selling author of over 200 science fiction (post-apocalyptic, military sci-fi, and space opera), thrillers, and the non-fiction series, Successful Indie Author. Craig has been running author conferences since 2017, and also the Successful Indie Author Facebook Group, and the Successful Indie Author YouTube Channel.
Leadership is a service, not a crown to lord over others.
Ugh!
Any resources to help practice/understand this better? You gave some great examples in a nutshell, but some deeper understanding would be awesome to study.