1. The "We’re X for Y" Format:
Let’s be honest—this whole "We’re X (a super well-known product) for Y (a different task)" format is just plain dumb. You’re NOT X, and Y doesn’t do what X does! Who are you trying to mislead—the pitch audience? An investor who can only think in oversimplified analogies and won’t understand what you’re doing otherwise? Or maybe even yourself? So, if someone advises you to present your pitch with this kind of one-liner, kindly tell them to take a hike along with their advice. Don’t fabricate something that doesn’t exist just to simplify what doesn’t need simplification; instead, focus on ensuring that the person listening is willing to pay attention and understand what you’re really offering.
2. The "What, Who, Why" Approach:
Here’s another common mistake:
— What do we do? (X)
— Who do we do it for? (Y)
— Why are we doing it? (Z)
This framework looks pretty silly when you break it down:
— No one cares about what you do unless it’s groundbreaking innovation surrounded by nothing but R&D.
— Why you’re doing it doesn’t matter either, unless it’s a mission-driven product or social enterprise where the purpose is everything. In most other cases, no one cares.
— The who is the only thing that really matters, but its importance is lost when sandwiched between two questions that no one cares about.
So, here’s how your pitch should actually go: There are people in the world (A) who have a problem (B). It’s a big, important problem that affects the market size ©. You’ve come up with a solution (D) that works like (E). You make money with model (F). To date, you have results (G), and you’re offering the listener (H). That’s it.
3. Feedback Fiasco:
Last point for today. Yesterday, I wrote about how after a pitch experiment, I received feedback from an "expert" that was all about timing and wording, not about the actual substance of what I said regarding the product, market, problem, traction, etc. But you know what’s funny? This expert, who was so concerned that I (deliberately, for the experiment) went over the allotted time, gave feedback about the pitch format — not its content — that was longer than the pitch itself. So, if you find yourself on the other side of the pitch, make sure your feedback isn’t longer than the pitch itself, okay?
