This document provides guidance on developing powerful personal branding and effective elevator pitches. It outlines Kaitlin Zhang's 5 steps to a strong personal brand, which are pitch, profile, platform, produce, and partnership. Various types of elevator pitches are described, including the one-liner, bullet, 50-word, and 200-300 word versions. Models for different pitch styles like Pixar, participatory, and poetic are demonstrated. Readers are given prompts and exercises to develop their own elevator pitches and define their personal brand values and mission.

1. @KaitlinZhang
How to write
elevator pitches
Personal Branding For Entrepreneurs Workshop
Kaitlin Zhang
Personal Branding Expert
www.kaitlinzhang.com
@kaitlinzhang

2. You're off to Great Places! Today is your Day! Your
mountain is waiting, so get on your way!

3. You're on your own.
And you know what you know. And you are the
one who will decide where to go.

4. You have brains in your head. You have feet in
your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction
you choose.

5. Today you are you, That is Truer than True. There
is no one alive who is Youer than You.

7. Branding Together.
Find a few friends to work together on your
elevator pitches.

8. You are already your brand.

9. Claim your online real estate.
Harness the power of your brand.

10. – Kaitlin Zhang
“Having a strong, respected, and most importantly,
visible personal brand will have exponential effects
on your career and business in the long run.”

11. What you will gain with a power personal brand
• trust and better relationships
• better opportunities
• more attractive to funding
• become a thought leader
• more power and leverage

12. Even more benefits!
• more press opportunities
• networking made easy
• help you make hard decisions
• you’ll be motivated
• more credibility and visibility for your company

13. Personal branding is about building assets.
A small seed can grow into a big tree.

14. Kaitlin Zhang’s 5 Steps to a Powerful Personal Brand
• Pitch
• Profile (photo & video)
• Platform (website etc.)
• Produce
• Partnership

15. Are you sure you want to keep your name?
If someone else more famous than you have
your name. Think about using a variation of your
name or something related to your main service.
e.g. from Mike to Michael
e.g. from Brad to BradMacGenius

16. TO DO:
Google Yourself (Cue the GASP!)
• Open a private window and Google your name
• What’s the number of total responses Google returned?
• What’s the first entry about you? Do you like what it
says?
• How many results on the 1st page are about you? What
about the first 3 pages? (use 10 results total per page)
• Now take a look at the“images”,“video”and“news”tabs

17. www.google.com/alerts
PRO TIP:

18. My Brand Values
Integrity, respect, positivity, discipline,
simplicity and life-long learning

19. To Do:
Defining your personal brand values

21. TO DO:
Write these 5 - 10 values down using pen and
paper and notice how your body reacts to them.
Then choose your top 3-5 values.

22. PRO TIP:
Create target audience personas
and identify their values.

23. What’s your mission and vision?

24. Mission Statement - What’s wrong with the world and
how you intend to fix it
Vision Statement - What the world will look like after
you’ve finished changing it

25. Let’s work on your pitch!

26. You want people to ask you to
“Tell me more.”

27. If it feels like you are pitching somebody,
you are doing it wrong.

28. Your No. 1 priority is to LISTEN.

29. If the other person is in your target market,
immediately create value for them.
If the other person is not in your target market,
make yourself memorable
so they can refer you to others.

30. TO DO
Talk to the same people and ask them:
How can I help you?

31. Aim
Amplify
Accelerate

32. Kaitlin Zhang’s
4 + 3P Pitch Model
1. One Liner Pitch
2. Bullet Pitch
3. 50 Word Pitch
4. 200 - 300 Word Pitch
1P. Pixar Pitch
2P. Participatory Pitch
3P. Poetic Pitch

33. The First P - Pixar Pitch

34. Pixar Pitch Example - Finding Nemo
1. Once upon a time there was … a widowed fish,
named Marlin, who was extremely protective of his
only son, Nemo.
2. Every day … Marlin warned Nemo of the ocean’s
dangers and implored him not to swim far away.
3. One day … in an act of defiance, Nemo ignores his
father’s warnings and swims into the open water.
4. Because of that … he is captured by a diver and
ends up in the fish tank of a dentist in Sydney.
5. Because of that … Marlin sets off on a journey to
recover Nemo, enlisting the help of other sea creatures
along the way.
6. Until finally … Marlin and Nemo find each other,
reunite and learn that love depends on trust.

35. Pixar Pitch Example - Finding Nemo
1. Once upon a time there was …
2. Every day …
3. One day …
4. Because of that …
5. Because of that …
6. Until finally …

36. 1. The One-Liner Pitch

37. I am [insert your name]
and
I help people / businesses like
[insert target audience]
with
[problem they have]
to
increase/grow/achieve x, y, z.

38. Example:
“I’m a digital marketing expert who help app
development businesses like yours with their
email marketing campaigns to grow a bigger
following and increase conversions.

39. The Second P - Participatory Pitch
Adding a hook to your pitch:
Have you ever wondered…?
Have you ever had this challenge…?
Did you know that…?
Imagine this…

40. TOGETHER
Improve your elevator pitch
and tell at least 3 different people later today.

41. 2. The Bullet Bio

42. 160 characters to use wisely

44. Just For Fun
twitterbiogenerator.com

45. 3. The 50 Words Pitch
Add to your one liner pitch:
benefits, credibility, wow factor

46. Example:
"When I first started working as a design and
media intern, I helped the company increase the
number of Facebook followers by 33% in the first
two months."

47. The Third P - Poetic Pitch
- Aliteration:
Holiday Inn: "Pleasing people the world over"
- Rhymes
Cheese Council: "Anyway you please it, cheese it”
- Comparison
… is like Uber except for the disabled
… is like Starbucks but with english tea

48. 4. The 200 - 300 Words Pitch

49. The 200-300 word pitch:
• A compelling story
• Build an emotional connection
• Highlight your value and service through a story that is
engaging, entertaining and memorable.
• Be personable, relatable and share something interesting
or unexpected about yourself.
• And just for fun, you can also include a quote you said in
there.

50. PRO TIP:
Draft your elevator pitches in 1st person and 3rd
person format.

51. Questions to think through:
• What do you day dream about?
• What are your interests?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What’s your background?
• What are your achievements?
• What are you passionate about?
• How have you approached or resolved problems in the past?
• What is your strategy for finishing work?

52. PRO TIP
Try doing a free Myer-Briggs Personality test.
16personalities.com
truity.com

53. TO DO:
Make sure elevator pitches are consistent online.

54. For more workshops with Kaitlin Zhang in London:
www.kaitlinzhang.com/events

55. Thank you!