The 30 Second Rule - Why Radio Ads and Elevator Pitches Need the Same Thing
There's a classic exercise used in business schools and startup accelerators around the world. You step
into a lift with an investor. You have 30 seconds — the time it takes to reach the top floor — to explain
your business clearly enough that they want to hear more.
It's called the elevator pitch. And if you've ever tried to do one, you know how hard it is.
Thirty seconds sounds like plenty. Until you're in it.
The Same Problem, Two Different Contexts.
A radio ad and an elevator pitch are solving identical challenges. You have a strictly limited amount of
time. Your audience is distracted and has no particular reason to pay attention. You need to
communicate one clear idea compellingly enough that it sticks — and ideally, prompts some kind of
action.
The principles that make an elevator pitch work are the same principles that make a radio ad work. And
the mistakes people make in both are remarkably similar.
The Clarity Test
The first thing a good elevator pitch requires is knowing — really knowing — what you do and why it
matters. Not a list of features. Not a company history. One clear, compelling answer to the question:
why should I care?
Founders who haven't done the work of getting clear on this tend to ramble. They add context,
qualifications, extra details. By the time the lift reaches the top floor, the investor isn't sure what the
business actually does.
Business owners who haven't done the same work for their radio ads do exactly the same thing. The ad
tries to say six things and lands none of them.
The discipline of 30 seconds forces clarity. If you can't explain what makes your business worth
choosing in half a minute, the problem isn't the time limit. The problem is that the message isn't clear
yet.
Lead With What Matters to Them
A great elevator pitch doesn't start with the company name or when it was founded. It starts with the
problem being solved — because that's what the investor cares about.
A great radio ad doesn't start with the business name either. It starts with something the listener cares
about — a situation they recognise, a problem they have, a feeling they want.
In both cases, the audience needs a reason to keep listening before they'll care who's speaking.
End With One Ask
Every elevator pitch ends with a clear next step. Not "feel free to look us up sometime" — a specific ask.
Can I send you our deck? Can we grab coffee next week? One action, stated directly.
Every radio ad ends the same way. One call to action. One website or phone number. Not three options
— one.
The investor who walks away from a pitch thinking "that was interesting, I might follow up at some point"
almost never does. The listener who hears your radio ad and thinks "I should look that up sometime"
almost never does either.
Specificity creates action. Vagueness creates inaction.
The 30 Second Discipline Is a Gift
Most business owners, when they first confront the 30second constraint, experience it as a problem.
There's so much to say. How can we possibly fit it all in?
The reframe is this: the constraint is doing you a favour. It's forcing you to find the one thing that matters
most and say it as clearly and compellingly as possible. That discipline makes your message stronger,
not weaker.
The businesses that understand this don't just make better radio ads. They make better pitches, better
proposals, and better conversations — because they've done the hard work of getting clear.
At Brand New Day, we help you find that clarity before a word of script is written. Get in touch and let's
find your 30 seconds.
