Written on April 6th, 2009 at 08:04 pm by Darren Rowse

Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog [Day 1 -31DBBB]

Featured Posts, Miscellaneous Blog Tips 1,041 comments

Elevator WomanWelcome to Day #1 of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge. As on each day of this project today I’d like to present you with two things:

  1. Some Teaching/Theory
  2. A Task to go away and Do

Teaching

Today’s task (outlined in full below) is to develop an Elevator Pitch for your Blog. Let me explain why.

What is an Elevator Pitch?

“An elevator pitch is an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds or 100-150 words).” – Wikipedia

Many business and self improvement type courses teach students to develop an elevator pitch for their business (and even for themselves). The idea is to have something short and sharp that you can say about yourself when the opportunity arises instead of bumbling your way through explaining what you or your business does (and miss an opportunity).

The goal is both to communicate what you do and to get the person you’re communicating it to to want to know more.

Elevator Pitches for Bloggers

While the idea of an elevator pitch is usually something that start up entrepreneurs are encouraged to do when looking for investors – developing an elevator pitch for your blog is also a smart move also.

One of the most important reasons to do this exercise is that to develop an elevator pitch YOU as a blogger to have thought through and crystallised in your mind what your blog is about.

If you’re fuzzy on what your blog is about it’s unlikely than anyone else will have much of an idea either.

Knowing what your blog is about helps you in developing every aspect of it including:

  • Writing Content
  • Promotion and Finding Readers
  • Search Engine Optimisation
  • Networking with other Bloggers
  • Branding
  • Design…. the list can go on.

In fact almost every task that we’ll be doing in this next 31 days should flow from this task.

Other Reasons for Developing an Elevator Pitch

Of course coming up with an elevator pitch is not just for your own benefit. Once you’ve got one it is brilliant for communicating what your blog is about to readers (both the ones you already have and potential ones), other bloggers, potential partners, media/journalists, advertisers and even to friends and family members who might not get what you’re doing.

Once you’ve got your blogs elevator pitch there’s no limit to the places and situations that you can use it (either part of it or in its entirety). Here are a few that come to mind:

  • Your blogs tag line – having a short, sharp and descriptive ‘tag line’ for your blog can be a powerful technique for quickly communicating to new readers to your blog what it is all about. Readers who don’t get a sense for what your blog is about are in danger of leaving quickly – so a tagline that is displayed prominently on your blog can be a great way to hook them in.
  • Your about page - the about page of a blog (if you have one) is one of the most read pages of a blog by first time visitors. It is an ideal place to communicate what you’re about and to ’sell’ to potential readers why they should subscribe and come back.
  • Real Life Conversation – whether it be at a conference, in business interactions or just in everyday conversation, the topic of your blog is likely to come up from time to time and these interactions can be an ideal moment to pull out the elevator pitch to describe what your blog is about.
  • Business Cards – I get a lot of business cards given to me at conferences and to be honest at the end of the day I can’t remember who gave me most of them. Adding an elevator pitch to a card can help trigger who you are and what you do in the mind of those you chat with at these busy types of events.
  • Pitching to Media – One of the things I’ve noticed about many journalists is that they’re very busy people who are constantly being pitched with ideas for stories. Having a thought through and effective ‘pitch’ can help you get noticed and give a journalist a reason to listen to what you’ve got to say.
  • Pitching to Other Bloggers – Similarly, I find that if I’m being ‘pitched’ to as a blogger that I take more notice if the person pitching to me gives me a brief insight into who they are and what they do.
  • Email Signature – many people have links to their blogs in their emails, but a link can be somewhat meaningless on its own. Why not add your elevator pitch? Similarly signatures in forums can be a good place to have a short description of what you do to motivate people to check you out further.
  • Social Media Profiles – the same thing goes for all those social media profiles that you have. Why not use them to not only point people to your blog but to give them a reason to go there!

Where else would you use an elevator pitch? I’m sure there are so many more times to pull them out! Feel free to share other places you’ll be using yours.

Your Task for Today

Take some time out today to develop an elevator pitch for your blog. If you’ve already got one take a few minutes to review and refine it.

How to Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog

I’m sure there has been much written on the topic online but here’s some starting points that I use when doing this type of thing.

  • Solve a Problem or Need - I’m a big believer in developing blogs that fulfil real needs and solve problems that people have. The problem need not be a big one (like World Peace) but you should be attempting to create something that people need on some level. Communicate this in your elevator pitch.
  • Define Your Audience - who is your blog for? Who are you attempting to attract? IF your blog is targeting a certain demographic or type of person (and it may or may not) – include this in your pitch. If your blog is for teens, don’t develop a pitch for grandparents – target the reader you want.
  • Be Clear - don’t leave people second guessing what you mean or interpreting jargon – make your elevator pitch crystal clear.
  • Keep it Short – People have limited attention spans and capacity to absorb lots of information. Get to the point, eliminate unnecessary words and make it punchy!
  • Stand Out – be willing to use humour or powerful imagery to grab the attention of those that hear your elevator pitch.
  • Be Intriguing – your elevator pitch is unlikely to ‘convert’ people to read your blog all on its own – but it should entice them to learn more. You don’t need to say everything in it – but attempt to write something that is still in the mind of those who hear it long afterwards.
  • Be Energetic but not Hyped – you convey more than just dry information when describing your blog – but you also convey what YOU feel about it. This is important – if you ‘pitch’ someone with language and a voice that is dry and uninspired you’re unlikely to convert anyone into a reader. Show people that you love what you’re doing, that you’re passionate and that you care about your topic. But don’t go too far and hype it up beyond what it is!
  • Consider Using a Question – people are wired to answer and engage with questions. Ask them, even just rhetorical ones, in your pitch and you’ll hook people in.
  • Be Ready to Expand Upon Your Pitch – at a recent conference I had someone come up and give me what seemed like an elevator pitch about their blog. It worked really well, they got me interested – so interested that I asked them to tell me more. The problem was that they didn’t really have much else to say about their blog. See an elevator pitch as a conversation opener – something designed to lead into further interaction with people. You don’t have to say it all in your initial pitch – but you should be ready to say more if people are interested.

These are just the thoughts that come to my mind on elevator pitches (what would you add?). Not everyone will be able to incorporate all of the above points but I hope that some of it will help you to develop yours.

My Elevator Pitch
I have a couple of elevator pitches my blog here at ProBlogger. One’s short (just 6 words) and one’s a little longer (a minute or so). I use one or the other of them depending upon the circumstances and opportunity to share.

My short one is very simple – ‘ProBlogger helps Bloggers Build Exceptional Blogs’. I’ve used others over the life of this blog (and continue to evolve it) but have settled on this one for the time being because it is so simple, to the point and clear.

The longer version expands upon this and shares some of the ways that the blog helps bloggers improve their blogs by talking through a few of the main topics I cover.

Write Your Elevator Pitch

Once you’ve got an elevator pitch for your blog write or print it out and put it somewhere near your computer so that as you blog you can be reminded of it. You might also like to start to incorporate it into your blog as a tagline or in your about page – or even to write a post about it on your blog to communicate to your readers what you’re on about (the appropriateness of writing it as a post will of course vary from blog to blog).

Once you’ve done that – feel free to share what you’ve come up with in comments below. I’m looking forward to reading yours.

Tomorrow on the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge – tomorrows task is a writing task that will have you writing a particular type of blog post to use on your blog in the next few days.

Sign up for 31DBBB

If you’re not already signed up for the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge you can find more information on what it entails here.

Update! Get feedback on your results, and see what others are doing over at the forum: Day 1 – Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog

Want More?

This task is a sample of one of the tasks in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook – a downloadable resource designed to reinvigorate and revitalize blogs.

Join over 14,000 other bloggers and Get your Copy Today.

Share This

31DBBB.png

1,041 Responses to “Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog [Day 1 -31DBBB]” - Add Yours

  • Ryan McLean

    April 6th, 2009 8:42 pm

    I completely forgot that this series was starting today
    This is an incredible post and was really helpful for me and my entrepreneurs blog
    I am looking forward to building my blog and making it better over the next 31 days. I know that all your advice will be extremely helpful

  • Ryan McLean

    April 6th, 2009 8:45 pm

    Sorry to double post but I just wanted to expand a little bit.
    I really like the point that says Stand Out

    I think one of the things that makes A-List bloggers so successful is that they stand out from the crowd.
    If you are just a copycat then you are not going to stand out.
    You need to come up with something original and pave new ground, that is truely the way to become successful.

    I also like the point about having a shorter and longer one. At the moment I have a short saying “The Smarter Way To Wealth”…but it doesn’t really explain my site.
    I guess I could just say my website “teaches people the smarter way to wealth”.

    Thanks for everything you have shared and like I said before I look forward to the next 31 days

  • Riayn

    April 6th, 2009 9:02 pm

    My blog is called Spud On The Run. My short elevator pitch is “The Couch Potato’s Guide to Weight Loss and Fitness” and it is the tagline of my blog along with a picture of Mr Potato Head running wearing joggers and carrying a water bottle.

  • Saravanan

    April 6th, 2009 9:03 pm

    I was looking forward for this article from quite some time. I am happy that the wait was worth it. I generally don’t comment on your blog, I am a silent visitor but today I thought I will just drop by and say

    “Thanks to you”

    Waiting for other articles in the series.

  • Noobpreneur

    April 6th, 2009 9:05 pm

    Hi Darren,

    Nice 1st day tip – a question: Is being controversial help at this stage?

  • kunal

    April 6th, 2009 9:05 pm

    The elevator pitch can also be recorded on video by the blogger and imbedded in the blogs launch page!

  • Solomon

    April 6th, 2009 9:07 pm

    I appreciate the concept of Elevator Pitch. It shows who are, and what you do. Many times, I get disappointed when I ask people what do they do, with some hackneyed phrases like: I work for a real estate, as a reporter, a teacher. I bet they do much more than what they do – just sell, just write….etc. We need to say what our labour is going to benefit in the longer run.
    If I have to say about my blog: “I try figure out what branding is, and help make it brighter” Similarly, if I have to say about PROBLOGGER – it helps you dream and helps realise your dreams. :)
    I appreciate all the points so elaborately listed which sure help bloggers how to go about it.
    I lookforward to the rest of the days to grow wiser and richer!
    Thanks for the great post!
    Solomon

  • Melissa

    April 6th, 2009 9:10 pm

    Thanks so much for this first post and indeed an advance thanks for the rest of the 31DBBB!!

    I am really looking forward to this :)

  • Melinda

    April 6th, 2009 9:12 pm

    Tag line – Tips for a profitable (and sane) work at home business.

    Speech – I help work at home mums build profitable businesses while staying sane! (add a wry smile to the last)

  • Hning

    April 6th, 2009 9:17 pm

    Finally, this series starts. A few hours ago, i’m questioning my self, is this an April Fool – answered soon by the First Task.

    And, i’d like to point the Tagline. A little problem that i found, a phrase of lifehack. Many people already recognized it, but most people questioning, what lifehack is. Is it a kind of hacking activities which stereotyped a negative point, or else.

    I knew that it gives a bias perception, but ahead, it will give a unique brand to our blog.

    So, i thought, by having a clear tagline isn’t always correct, in general.

    Any idea?!

  • Darren Rowse

    April 6th, 2009 9:17 pm

    Noobpreneur – I probably wouldn’t use controversy in my elevator pitch, but I guess it could be tweaked to include some depending upon the situation you use it in.

  • Pro-vamsi

    April 6th, 2009 9:18 pm

    Fantastic just awesome first post!!
    I though it would be for a true blog beginner and I just wanted to skip this post but, this guy this different!!
    Will finish today’s task and I will wait for tomorrows post!!

  • H E L M I A S Y R A F

    April 6th, 2009 9:19 pm

    I really looking for this series because I believe that my blog still have some weaknesses and leakage which I have do not come into my mind but have significant impact to my blog. I am sure that this series can give me some lights about this issue.

    Thank you, Darren.

    Btw, I definitely agree with the point about the business card and people who meet us. Sometimes, everybody are scared to be themselves and be remarkable as compared to others. The prefer to follow the ‘acceptable standard’ and the way how things ‘usually works’.

    I am listening audio book – Purple Cow by Seth Godin. This book really support the issue of this problem. He says:

    The opposite of remarkable is really good, not bad. But why there are still a lot people scared of being remarkable.

    We have to go extra miles to be seen and notified by others. We have to be open to criticism as it will make us better.

    For example, why we should make our business card to that standard size, shape and be horizontal. To be notified, we must be besides all those thing.

    We can make it slightly bigger, have rounded corner or be vertical. It will show us that we are different form others and worth to be taken account.

    If not, how can we be notified? How can the people who received our cards to know whether are we good or not?

    The only solution is being remarkable – different from others.

    We will get their attention – they will pick our card first as compared to others and from that stage, we have been ahead as compared to other ‘competitors’.

  • Sunil Pathak

    April 6th, 2009 9:22 pm

    Hello Darren

    Thanks for this 1st installment,

    “elevator pitch” that something new for me never heard of it before on problogger or any other blog, the concept is new and promising.

  • ChrisM

    April 6th, 2009 9:23 pm

    Well this is a clever exercise, really made me stop and think.

    My elevator pitch would be: Communicating with the public.

    I am positioning myself as a Public Relations advisor and sharing my impressions and experiences.

    I’m sure that may change in time, but for now I think that sums up where I am.

    Chris

  • Andy Roberts

    April 6th, 2009 9:25 pm

    Clearly it’s going to be that much harder to this for a multiple niche or eclectic personal blog.

  • cat

    April 6th, 2009 9:26 pm

    be entertained

  • suresh

    April 6th, 2009 9:26 pm

    Looking forward and exited to see the betterment of my blog and it is about programming and testing.

  • Nicolas Prudhon

    April 6th, 2009 9:26 pm

    Adding an elevator pitch in your email (for example) next to your blog address is a good idea, especially considering that a lot of us uses our own names as domain for personal branding.
    It’s good, but isn’t always really explicit as what we are doing and what our blog is about.

  • Kinderlehrer

    April 6th, 2009 9:26 pm

    It was easier for me to work on the longer elevator pitch….

    Educating Germany…
    discusses arguments for and against legalising home education in Germany. It reports on human rights violations; provides translations of media articles, interviews, court hearings and personal stories into English; and suggests practical ways we can ‘make a difference’ to our fellow human beings.

    Goes back to do homework….

  • Sudeep

    April 6th, 2009 9:26 pm

    Thanks for this wonderful post .Though have worked couple of blogs before never been successful in getting the required clicks to motivate me . I guess just with one article i found what i was missing thanks and would be in touch with all the lessons .
    Reagrds

  • thom singer

    April 6th, 2009 9:27 pm

    My blog, “Some Assembly Required”, is the harmony of my thoughts, ideas, hopes, dreams, desires, opinions and pontifications. It is intended to motivate, inspire and touch the soul of those who yearn to achieve “solutions oriented communications”.
    http://www.thomsinger.blogspot.com

  • Suzie Cheel

    April 6th, 2009 9:30 pm

    Tag Line; Law of Attraction In Action your Journey to Freedom

    Speech” Learn the tools to attracting abundance in your life instinctively: Become a Divine Deliberate Attractor

  • Michael Harvey

    April 6th, 2009 9:31 pm

    Hey Darren:

    For The Harvey Journal my elevator pitch is simply: “The best online political journal on the web.”

  • Lee Ka Hoong

    April 6th, 2009 9:36 pm

    wow this is the only first day of 31 DBBB and Darren you teach that much of useful blogging tips.
    I’ll be checking the Elevator Pitch in my blog and spend some times to refine it.
    Thanks Darren!

    Regards,
    Lee

  • What The Pros Do

    April 6th, 2009 9:36 pm

    Great post to kick start the challenge. I used my about me page http://whattheprosdo.blogspot.com/2009/01/about-what-pros-do.html as a start and have come up with the below…

    What The Pros Do is a compilation of reviews, tips and advice I have picked up on my journey to become a makeup artist.

    What The Pros Do is my way of paying forward the advice and lessons that have helped me get where I am today and I hope that the blog will continue to grow into a useful resource for newbie’s, beauty junkies and other artists collating all types of information on makeup and the industry in one place.

    I think I covered most of the points you raised but not sure if it sounds abit dull…. I think my about me page has more personality but I guess its how you deliver the ‘elivator pitch’

    Still working on a shorter tag line, everything i come up with sounds cheesy.

  • Andrea Swiedler

    April 6th, 2009 9:38 pm

    Hi Darren, thank you for this series, I am eager to get going with this. I recently did a new header for my blogs, very simple, it says “real estate, real photography, real life”. I decided I liked that, rather says it all about what I am doing. Selling real estate, taking tons of local pictures, and talking about local happenings and more. Just need to make sure my market area is included in that. Now I need to expand on that on the “about me” page I suppose.

  • Lorraine Ball

    April 6th, 2009 9:39 pm

    I each others’s about having a “elevator pitch” for their business, I never thought about having one for my blog.

    Tag Line: Helping Small Business Owners Become Big Business Owners

    Longer version – my audience is comprised of small business owners, with a core expertise (other than marketing) who want to learn how to use marketing tools ( pr, networking, branding, social media, and planning) to grow their business.

    This was a great exercise, because have gotten a bit off track lately, focusing too much on impressing other bloggers, rather than my audience!

    Great Day One activity!

  • Alpay

    April 6th, 2009 9:39 pm

    A morale booster on an otherwise dull Monday. Thanks Darren, I will give some time to this.
    Cheers,

  • vam

    April 6th, 2009 9:39 pm

    Elevator Pitch ranges from once sentence to few sentences.
    So do you mean to create two types of Elevator Pitches for my blog..

  • Katrina Hall

    April 6th, 2009 9:40 pm

    Hummmmm. Excellent first day assignment! As a multi-tasker & foodblogger with diverse interests, you’ve got me thinking hard. Thanks!

  • Girish

    April 6th, 2009 9:40 pm

    An Information Yard @ internet

    This is my “elevator pitch” , how is it Darren :)

    Initial dose was excellent. waiting for tomorrow to come.

  • Barry Wright, III

    April 6th, 2009 9:40 pm

    Great start to the 31DBBB (what an acronym)! A singular focus is important in so many ways: for writing content, for garnering long tail search results, for building a focused network. A good thing to have set up from the very beginning.

    The inability to do this easily can also be a great red flag for more established blogs.

  • Mdc

    April 6th, 2009 9:41 pm

    HI, thanks for the first posting. I have always understood that a strap line was important for a website but didn’t even consider extending to a fuller description.

    This is something for me to work on. Homework here I come.

  • William Womack

    April 6th, 2009 9:42 pm

    Darren,

    Thanks for the post! I have been contemplating on developing an elevator pitch, and you definitely gave me the final push. :)

    I would also like to share a wonderful research that I have found about elevator pitches. It’s called 15 Second-marketing. You can find more info at 15secondmarketing.com.

    I have heard amazing things about this resource, and the principles that he offers for free are very insightful. Developing an amazing elevator pitch becomes that much easier.

    You can find a review of it at stevepavlina.com.

    Thanks!

  • Tammy

    April 6th, 2009 9:45 pm

    Thanks for a great start to 31 days. My Blog “Juicy Pomegranate Bits” has the tagline, “Savoring Life in Albania one kernel at a time”. I’m writing as an expat living in Albania about the ups-n-downs of life here, trying to take a positive outlook in a post-Communist country in transition.

  • ITrush

    April 6th, 2009 9:46 pm

    Hmm, looks like the 1st Day is quiet easy for me (hope so).. guess I have to start working now so I can share it here also.

  • Rarst

    April 6th, 2009 9:47 pm

    I have small set of tiny phrases that I combine to describe my blog as needed.

    So
    - tone (and tagline) of my blog is “cynical thoughts”
    - core content of my blog is “software and web service reviews”
    - how I make myself stand out is “without hype and fluff”

    So I take this parts and mashup as needed.

    For blog introduction I can use “cynical thoughts on software and web”.
    For short description of blog content I can use “software and web reviews with personal thoughts on top”.
    For competitive blog description (on social sites, etc) I can use “tech blog without hype and fluff”.
    For extended description I can fit in sub-topics such as freeware and portable.

    As long as I have threee core parts (tone, content, advantage) defined I can easily combine and expand to what I need at moment.

  • farouk

    April 6th, 2009 9:47 pm

    very informative, surely each blog post could be considered an elevator pitch since it might be the only chance you get with your current visitor

  • Conrad

    April 6th, 2009 9:48 pm

    Thanks for a great start

    Blog named ‘Changing times’

    Creating new perceptions to improve your performance and enhance the profitability of your business.

  • Ellen

    April 6th, 2009 9:49 pm

    I modified my tag line based on your suggestions for my blog Simple Tech Today –
    Making the world of technology available to novices – computers, electronics, gadgets, software and the internet

    My long elevator pitch is:
    “SimpleTech Today is designed to help make the world of new technology more accessible to all of us, especially novice users. Think of it as a community where we share advice, answers and reviews about computer software and hardware, the Internet and the latest gadgets. To start things off I will share what I know but in order to deliver the best information I need help from you by sharing your experiences, suggestions and opinions on what I write.

    Ask me a question about any topic related to today’s technology and I will find an answer and share it with the community. Just fill out the Contact form and I will research the topic and write my findings. From there I hope that readers will add their knowledge as well to create a complete picture.

    To begin with I will share a lot about my own preferences. I am hoping as Simple Tech Today takes shape I will be exploring more and more of your questions and suggestions.”

    I hope this is along the lines of a good elevator pitch. Any suggestions are appreciated.

  • Steven Hanks

    April 6th, 2009 9:52 pm

    Hi Darren,

    I’ve come up with:

    Intelligent Workplace Management Tips that will help to optimize facilities management and real estate performance of businesses around the globe.

    Yours Sincerely,

    Steven

  • Darren (Green Change)

    April 6th, 2009 9:53 pm

    Green-Change.com documents an average Australian family’s journey towards a sustainable lifestyle without leaving suburbia. It’s easier than you think!

  • Michael Godawski

    April 6th, 2009 9:54 pm

    Just stumbled into your 31 days course and I am really happy I did. It will be a great help to enhance my new blog Zen Life.

    I have already followed your suggestions and created a new About page.

    I am looking forward to the rest of the course.

  • Alison

    April 6th, 2009 9:54 pm

    Thanks for writing this today. Although I have the tagline “he rocks, I rule” my About Me is lame and has needed some attention since Day 1. Thanks for forcing me to address this.

  • Paul

    April 6th, 2009 9:55 pm

    Until this first lesson dropped into my inbox I hadn’t realised just how useful this series would be. Of course I have (or had) no elevator pitch and no well thought out tagline for my site either.

    Now I have a draft elevator pitch that I’ll keep refining, add it to my About pages in some form, and work harder on a proper tagline as well.

    Great start Darren, thanks a lot!

  • Ravi Ahuja

    April 6th, 2009 9:56 pm

    Hello Darren after your great book Problogger it is another great start.
    I am confident it will be a great success like Problogger book.

  • مدونة أطياف مصر

    April 6th, 2009 9:56 pm

    what about Arabian blogs.. Is there a place for us ??

  • Jeanne

    April 6th, 2009 10:01 pm

    Darren,
    This is a great starting point. I am just starting my blog and felt that I needed to strengthen my “About” section in order to entice readers to stick around.
    My blog title is “the behr essentials” with the tag line “live well, laugh often, love much”. It is the message I want to convey, but it is a little trite/overworked, so today’s lesson will get me to refine that as well.
    Thanks for a great start.
    Jeanne

  • Bradford Shimp

    April 6th, 2009 10:03 pm

    I think for me the hardest part is to communicate the information briefly AND make it unique and interesting. I have been toying with an idea to draw a comparison that is easily understood.

    One iteration I have come up with is “I’m like Dear Abbey for Business Owners.”

    However, since I probably cannot use Dear Abbey, it would have to read “I’m a self-help columnist of business owners.” I think that loses some of its punch.

    So I have decided to go more vanilla for now (until lightning strikes) with “All Business Answers helps business owners solve problems and build amazing companies.”

    Great post by the way. This helped me freshen up my about page. I hope there is more information on About pages to come, because mine is pretty weak.

  • nizam

    April 6th, 2009 10:04 pm

    hi darren. thanks for the 1st tips. I’m a new blogger. So, this is good for me. i never thought about elevator pitch before.
    thanks and i’m looking forward for the next task.

  • personal trainer austin tx

    April 6th, 2009 10:05 pm

    Elevator pitch is a great idea. I find that those that can’t explain the essense of their idea in a brief period don’t have the command of the subject that they should.

  • hydrone

    April 6th, 2009 10:06 pm

    Thangks for shared it .
    but I do not think so !
    i do not need to do it !
    but I will come everyday

  • Dee Wilcox

    April 6th, 2009 10:07 pm

    Thanks for a great kick-start this morning, Darren! I have been blogging for about a year, and I’m ready to make my Creative Perch really stand out and be meaningful.

    The blog I am working on for this challenge is called Creative Perch. I haven’t finished the elevator pitch yet, but I created it to help inspire creativity and provide hands-on tools to create innovation. I thought my audience would be mostly creatives and techies, but the comments I have received reveal I have a wider audience than I expected.

    I am really looking forward to the next thirty days of teaching/task. Thanks again, Darren!

  • Marco Raaphorst

    April 6th, 2009 10:08 pm

    little tip for Business Card: put a photo of your face on the back & people will remember you!

  • Felicia

    April 6th, 2009 10:09 pm

    Great tips!! Excited about the 31 Days!

  • Rupert

    April 6th, 2009 10:11 pm

    We used to call this a ‘mission statement’ but I like the idea of an ‘elevator pitch’ and will get to work on mine as it is currently suitable for only the longest of elevators!!

  • Melinda

    April 6th, 2009 10:11 pm

    For all those writing taglines, a fantastic article that will help you is http://www.copyblogger.com/create-a-tagline/

  • Phillip Gibb

    April 6th, 2009 10:11 pm

    Brilliant – start with focus, something I have strayed from.
    Also prompts me to think more on maintaining more than one blog – both with clearly defined goals; one personal and casual and the other more technical and professional. The later being what I need to regain my focus for and the Elevator Pitch will help me do that.

    This is also a great way to start planning out the process and marketing of re-branding and relaunching an already established blog.

    Phill

  • Joan Nova

    April 6th, 2009 10:11 pm

    I write a food and travel blog called FOODalogue: Meandering Meals and Travel. Would the words after the colon be my tag line or should I create another more descriptive one to follow…like, ‘an adventure in eating at home and on the road’? I think I just answered my own question. Yes, right?

  • JohnONolan

    April 6th, 2009 10:12 pm

    Mine is short and sweet: “We make (really) awesome websites”

  • HazardousPaste

    April 6th, 2009 10:12 pm

    So are elevator pitches more effective when they are written for more specific purpose-oriented blogs? I just started mine and I like to write about a wide range of things…

  • startuproach.wordperss.com

    April 6th, 2009 10:14 pm

    Startup roach: a guide to starting up a company during your day job.

    Are you tired of your menial, degrading day job? Did you ever have the dream to be your own boss? But you can’t just quit on the security and steady income of your day job? Learn how to start up a business during your day job with startuproach.wordpress.com!

  • Mark

    April 6th, 2009 10:14 pm

    I’d totally forgotten about this, got excited about it last week and then forgot! I run a photoblog so was not entirely sure how/if this series would benefit me but this has gotten me thinking already. Great work, look forward to the rest of the series.

  • Ilaria/Swimturtle

    April 6th, 2009 10:15 pm

    Good morning, Darren! I tweeted you yesterday that I forgot to email you to let you know that I wrote two posts inspired by you, which helped me redefine my mission. But the mission is a lot longer and in-depth than an elevator pitch. I agree that it allows you to laser focus on what your blog is about and it’s always good, when you are becoming fuzzy, to remind yourself of your own pitch.
    Thanks for this excellent post! I can tell that I’m going to love this 31 day challenge!!!

  • Margo

    April 6th, 2009 10:15 pm

    So glad things are finally starting up. I was actually looking forward to a Monday.. lol.

    Any chance that someone could design a button for us to use on our blogs, announcing that we are taking the 31 day challenge, and then another one for once we have completed it? Just a suggestion. It’d be nice to be able to show that we are taking the challenge, and it would give our readers a chance to click over and get involved, too.

    Great job. Can’t wait until tomorrow! :)

  • Debs Jenkins

    April 6th, 2009 10:15 pm

    Thanks Darren, I’m a publisher and have encouraged all our authors to sign up to become better bloggers, we’re all looking forward to the next 30 days…

  • Mario

    April 6th, 2009 10:17 pm

    At first thought the first day seems very easy indeed, but at second thought I sometimes wonder what my blog is about.

    Very good post that motivates to think again.

    Thank your for this!

  • Jason Rose

    April 6th, 2009 10:19 pm

    I have had one for a while “auctioneers to the property industry” pretty basic what are your thoughts?

  • Jon Williams

    April 6th, 2009 10:22 pm

    I an really looking forward to the rest of this series. My blog Advanced Fantasy Baseball is starting to do well but I have definitely been winging it a little too much. I’m hoping this series will help me tighten things up and judging by the first post (a great one) that’s exactly what it will do.

  • Sebastien

    April 6th, 2009 10:23 pm

    Great Start Darren. Nice easy task to start off with. Looking forward to further tasks. I kept my elevator pitch short and clear. How’s this?

    “AceStartups – Discover the Internets Best Web 2.0 Startups”

  • Dorothy

    April 6th, 2009 10:24 pm

    The day is here! I’m quite excited. I run several blogs but I want to concentrate fully on Book Marketing Buzz, then incorporate all this into my other blogs. I agree with you…the elevator speech comes in handy for a lot of things. When you are applying to blog directories, for example, they ask you what your blog is about and if you get stumped right there, you’re in trouble.

    Okay, I have a short and long elevator speech like you – the shorter one “Book Marketing and Promotion Tips” and the longer one – Book promotion tips, ongoing promotional series geared toward the published author to help them market their books, and even a few SEO tips thrown in to help you optimize your author website or blog.

  • Mrs Green

    April 6th, 2009 10:25 pm

    excellent first post with some thought-provoking information. Thank you for taking the time to run this course. I’ll be giving my elevator pitch some serious consideration this afternoon!

  • Kristie

    April 6th, 2009 10:27 pm

    I am a homeschooling mom who is saving dollars and sense by bringing you all the best deals, coupons, freebies, giveaways, and ideas that I can find on This Side of Eternity, and looking to serve the King in all I do.

  • The Style PA

    April 6th, 2009 10:28 pm

    For my ‘Style PA blogs, my tag line has been ‘hints, tips, tricks and trends for effortless style’ from the start. Simple and snappy I think.

    I am in the process of starting up a new blog covering workplace design. I have named this Workspace Style and come up with a new tag line – ‘covering inspiring, innovative and interesting workplace design’.

    A little bit of alliteration can be good right? I may tweak it as I am literally 2 days into this new project.

  • Tanna

    April 6th, 2009 10:29 pm

    My tag line is “Organizing the way you live work and play.”

    Elevator speech in short is “I blog to help people organize the way they live work and play.”

    Longer version could expand on how I do that.

    “Through my blog I provide tips, ideas and inspiration to help people organize the way they live work and play. I provide affordable virtual solutions for people wanting to get organized and need help from a professional organizer.”

    Something like that. I’ll work on it. Anyone feel free to let me know what you think. I can use all the help I can get.

    Darren thanks for this series. It will help so many people.

  • Claus D Jensen

    April 6th, 2009 10:31 pm

    Cool that the challenge has started.

    I’m looking forward for the teachings and tasks to come!

    C ya!!

    Claus :-)

  • Willblogforfood

    April 6th, 2009 10:36 pm

    Great post – i am posting my assignments on my blog everyday for my readers to see what i am doing and for them to keep me motivated.

    Is your business web site and effective marketing tool? Off the Fence helps business and bloggers build an online presence and understand the daunting world of new media.

  • Steve

    April 6th, 2009 10:38 pm

    I decided to be simple with mine:

    NerdFitness.com – Helping nerds level up their lives, one day at a time.

  • Charlene @ A Virtuous Woman

    April 6th, 2009 10:40 pm

    I have an elevator pitch/tagline already–”Using the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 as a springboard for growth as a Christian woman, from household management to relationships, business pursuits, cooking, and more”. It could use some tweaking, but I really need to work on my expanded, explanatory version.
    http://www.avirtuouswoman.info

  • Kelly the Kitchen Kop

    April 6th, 2009 10:40 pm

    Here’s what I came up with:

    Learn about “politically incorrect” health & nutrition topics at http://www.KellytheKitchenKop.com.

    I’ll probably change it 10 times in the next hour…

  • Dave

    April 6th, 2009 10:41 pm

    Am thinking of something along the lines of “Everything you need to know about Japan and beyond”

  • Libby

    April 6th, 2009 10:42 pm

    My site is FiberArtistToo and my short pitch is “From sheep to shawl”

  • wordpress-installer

    April 6th, 2009 10:44 pm

    Darren, sometimes this is easier said than done, The power of the pitch is ery real, I have sites that are clear cut, Free wordpress themes and profesional install, Easy enough, then I have niches that sound crazy when I tell otheres about them, They just don’t realize that there is a market for everything, it’s the odvious things that everyone goes after, how many blogs are there about making money, and 99% dont make 10 bucks a month, find a Real Niche blog then sometimes writing the elevator pitch becomes harder when you try and make something so small seem so big.

  • Shannan

    April 6th, 2009 10:44 pm

    My current ’short’ pitch is “Living a Whole Life – a guide to health and well-being through holistic nutrition & naturopathy”

    I often find myself calling it a ‘healthy lifestyle’ blog when I talk to people. This sounds a little less formal and more inclusive since we talk about lots of different subjects like exercise and greener living in addition to holistic nutrition and naturopathy.

    I will have to spend some time trying to expand the healthy lifestyle idea into a little bit more detailed description this week.

    Thanks for the thought starter!

  • fazreen

    April 6th, 2009 10:45 pm

    i just received your 1st task..this is first time i involve with.I can’t get what the task need..anyone can explain more? hit me at my blog if u can

  • Roland Kopp-Wichmann

    April 6th, 2009 10:45 pm

    Great idea, Darren.
    My Elevator Pitch goes: “Helps you to understand yourself and others better” because my blog is arount “personality”
    Thanks.

  • The Producer

    April 6th, 2009 10:48 pm

    Here is mine, thoughts?

    “Food Review with a Twist:

    We here at Gimmie Something to Eat (GS2E) wanna eat your food and help those in the world who are hungry in the process.

    Sound too good to be true? Well, actually too good to pass up! Send us your food to eat. We will record us eating and critiquing your product, and entertain you all the way to the food bank.

    Only one dollar a day, $1xday of the year. January 1 = $1, December 31 = $365. 2009 has been prorated until the end of the year.

    We will donate a portion of our proceeds to a TBA food bank. For every day sold we will donate $1, for every month that we sell out we will donate $300. If we sell out the entire year we will donate $5000.”

  • Andrea_R

    April 6th, 2009 10:48 pm

    My blog is WPMU Tutorials – full-blow tutorials, tips & tricks for setting up and running a multi-blog network with WordPressMU, the software behind sites like wordpress.com.

  • Robin

    April 6th, 2009 10:49 pm

    I have been using “Legitimate ways to earn money and gift cards online”, as my tagline, for awhile now. This article has made me realize, a want something new.

  • Lisa

    April 6th, 2009 10:50 pm

    I am so excited this challenge is finally underway. This was a great first post. It is imperative that you can sell yourself in a few short minutes. I’ve had some training on entrepeneurship in the past and undertsand the importance of having that 30 second commercial. Currently the tagline on the my blog’s template is “Awakening to the Spiritual Reality of Life”. I think it is very fitting for my blog because my goal is to help readers awaken to a more spiritual way of thinking and living.

    I need to go back and expand my “About” page. I will do that today as well as develop a longer elevator pitch.

    Thanks Darren.

  • BambiLashes

    April 6th, 2009 10:51 pm

    Hey Darren, I have a site that only deals with eyelashes, when i tell people my site’s about eyelash growth most look at me like Im crazy. The market for womens eyelash care is much bigger than people realize, coming up with the elevator pitch is even more important ot a site such as mine, Im working on one so that people will say “Oh, I get it That sound’s really interesting, I will post the pitch when I find it, great post look forward to more, any ideas for http://bambilashes.com/ I would love to hear some pitches

  • Duncan Bucknell

    April 6th, 2009 10:52 pm

    Hey thanks Darren
    My blog is called IP Think Tank, the elevator pitch is simply – Intellectual Property Strategy, Globally
    Cheers

    Duncan

  • Patrick Riddle

    April 6th, 2009 10:52 pm

    Great post!

    I teach my students something similar but call it the 30 second commercial.

    Here’s the components of a good . . .

    30 Second Commercial

    1) What do you do (so a 2nd grader can understand)

    2) Trigger pain points for ideal prospect saying, “Typically, my best clients are frustrated by a, tired of b and c, and . . . ”

    3) One liner about the biggest benefit your product/service provides

    4) Get a “yes” by asking something as simple as, “Does that make sense?”

    It’s a great way to explain what you do, target motivated prospects, pique interest, and get the prospects head moving up and down all in just 30 seconds . . .

  • MattyBee

    April 6th, 2009 10:54 pm

    Darren,

    Thanks for a great start to the 31DBBB! I have always believed that if you can’t sum up what you do in a sentence or two, you need to have a good hard look at yourself and work it out!

    My blog came out of my frustration at the eLearning community. There are a lot of experts (and no offence is intended by this statement) that talk theory after theory but never give anything concrete to actually ‘do’. Application is completely pased over! So I set out to make my blog about the application of elearning. Tools, concepts, whatever tickles my fancy. Hence my elevator pitch was born:

    ‘The eLearning tools blog where theory meets application and reality reigns’

    Hey its a bit brassy, but it sums it up. I’m looking forward to working with you to refine my blog presence. Thanks for providing the opportunity to do so :)

    Matt

  • Ananth

    April 6th, 2009 10:54 pm

    Thanks Darren. Made me think. Will find what is the USP of my blog. It clears me and increases my focus. Looking forward for the next installment.

  • TipsGoda

    April 6th, 2009 10:57 pm

    Day one for the 31DBBB is going good so far.I love this post. As for me Im running a blog called TipsGoda Dot Com (about dating,love and romance) and my tagline is “Daily Tips on Dating and Relationship to Make You a Better Lover”

    I hope that explains a bit about my blog.

    My question is , if i already have an about page and change it should i post it as well or just leave it there?

  • Dave

    April 6th, 2009 10:57 pm

    The Producer – The first two paragraphs I like – they get the point across and are punchy. The 2nd two do seem to get a little muddled as you go into the details though. I’d stay stick to the same style as in the first 2 paragraphs as you go for the kill.

  • FoodRenegade

    April 6th, 2009 10:57 pm

    I’m an entrepreneur at heart, and I always have an elevator pitch ready for my businesses. I don’t know why I never created one for my blog. Here’s my shot at it:

    Food Renegade challenges politically correct nutrition and connects real people with Real Food — food that’s old and traditional. If it’s the product of industrialization, or something your great grandmother wouldn’t have recognized as food, it’s not Real Food.

    (For those times when a bit more explanation is warranted: My readers are lovers of sustainable agriculture, local food, slow food, grass-fed meats & dairy, and raw & fermented food.)

  • iCan't Internet

    April 6th, 2009 10:58 pm

    iCan’t Internet, but together we can learn!

  • Jordan M

    April 6th, 2009 10:58 pm

    Good directive post. I had no elevator pitch on the blog but on the website, now I’m off to connect the two with the goal of creating a pitch and a cohesive message.

  • Phil

    April 6th, 2009 10:58 pm

    Great post! Love it that the project is starting. Here is my Elevator Pitch:

    Pixelking.org is a Photoshop-focussed design-blog developing people from artistic rookies to creational spookies!

    Hope you like it :-)

  • Marvin

    April 6th, 2009 10:58 pm

    Here’s the elevator pitch for FirmFamilyTree.com.

    I provide my readers with information designed to help them grow their ability to develop significant and strategic relationships with an eye towards generational impact.

    Short version — Grow – Develop – Impact

    Awesome series!
    Marvin

  • Bill

    April 6th, 2009 11:04 pm

    good thoughts. I’m wondering where to put this pitch? Top of the blog? Headline? or just use this generally?

  • Team Nirvana

    April 6th, 2009 11:04 pm

    Way to go Darren. I had been waiting for the post to arrive and here I am reading to my heart’s content. And I do agree with your version of Elevator Pitch and there is no benchmark which can assure that what a person has chosen would reflect the entireity of a blog or site of theirs.

    I have personally thought about this way back and had come up with a short tag line for my blog. And after reading this post, I felt assured that I had been right and my lines would really suit my blog’s content.

    As I write on simplifying the technical applications and softwares and help my readers tweak them, I have coined this term as “Technology For A Layman”.

    How does that sound?

  • Matthew Lang

    April 6th, 2009 11:04 pm

    I spent ages initially coming up for a short elevator for my blog a few months ago, but after reading the challenge here, I have already come up with a clearer and better pitch for my blog.

    Thanks Darren!

  • venkat

    April 6th, 2009 11:08 pm

    No elevator pitch for my blog ,need to create one, thanks Darren all key points are covered ,looking forward for ur second article and mean while I try to get best pitch for my blog.

  • blog4movie

    April 6th, 2009 11:11 pm

    Thanks Darren, I don’t realize if the elevator pitch is very important for my new blog (well a newbie) … But I will do this homework, find my elevator pitch, and then put it on the top of my blog :)

  • Vicki

    April 6th, 2009 11:11 pm

    Thanks for inspiring me to work on my “about me” page. It’s the first thing I read on other blogs but hadn’t paid much attention to my own.

  • Gwen

    April 6th, 2009 11:14 pm

    If your blog title is self-explanatory, is it necessary to have a tagline?

  • XMPieman

    April 6th, 2009 11:15 pm

    I am working towards a couple of blogs, one personal, one business…and may never the twain meet!

    The personal one is ‘The Goat File’, it’s elevator reads “What Gets Your Goat? Let Me Tell You What Got Mine Today…”

    My business one is ‘…Said The Pieman’ . “After 30 years in the communications industry, I know there are better ways to get your message out there than a spray and pray campaign. One-to-one, cross media, social media…Let me share them with you!”

  • BenSpark

    April 6th, 2009 11:16 pm

    Here is my pitch for my blog BenSpark.com:

    “Everyday Photos… Every… Day… BenSpark.com is about my life through photography. Each image is a gateway to a story about my daily life. Occasionally funny, inspiring, interesting or creative BenSpark.com is real life in photos. With over 1400 consecutive days and five different cameras BenSpark.com has documented images from the mundane to the amazing.”

    And for my Blog ReadToMeDad.com

    “Children love to be read to, and by doing this parents help their kids develop a love of reading themselves. Read to Me, Dad reads and reviews various children’s books and offers parents suggestions for the best books for them and their kids.”

  • Vanella

    April 6th, 2009 11:17 pm

    I so appreciate this blog and this process. As simple as I thought blogging was, I now realize it has critical steps that must be taken and this 31 DBBB Day One breaks makes that clear.

    I am excited and feel empowered.

    Thank you so much and I look forward to Day 2.

  • alafista

    April 6th, 2009 11:18 pm

    This “elevator pitch” had been buggin me for quite some time already. Thanks for some of the useful tips. Hopefully I can come up with something better this time round.

  • Jewel/Pink Ink

    April 6th, 2009 11:19 pm

    Hi Darren,

    I am excited about this series. Thank you for hosting it.

    My blog is called Pink Ink and my tagline is “on life, liberty and my pursuit of ha-pink-ness”.

    I blog about things that make me happy…and I find that my readers come by to be “inspired” or to see the “silver lining”.

    This elevator-pitch concept is useful not just for blogs, but for book concepts (I write novels).

    Have a great week!

    -Jewel

  • EzyBlogger

    April 6th, 2009 11:19 pm

    Great start Darren.

    After reading this post, I would have to reconsider my pitch for all my blogs :)

  • Scary Mommy

    April 6th, 2009 11:19 pm

    So excited to be a part of this!

    Mine pitch is– An honest take on motherhood: The good, the bad and the scary.

    I’m trying to reach moms who have a sense of humor, and adore their children to death but can also admit to being driven crazy by them.

  • Julie

    April 6th, 2009 11:21 pm

    Thanks, Darren!

    I think I’m going to go with something like “… a strength training site that helps women build beautiful healthy bodies.” I’ll be thinking hard about this throughout the day.

  • Cassyt

    April 6th, 2009 11:23 pm

    New blog is under construction this month, hoping to emerge at the end a butterfly (or at least a Luna moth)

    Tagline: Passionate about Singapore Math

    Speech:I help elementary schools successfully implement the world’s top-scoring mathematics program. (Then i usually need to explain more about Singapore Math.)

  • dcgrrl

    April 6th, 2009 11:24 pm

    It is tough to write this elevator pitch for a more personal blog. Right now I’m working from the same line I came up with for Twitter, since what I’m ’selling’ is me, and this shows my unique perspective:

    Creative copywriter in The Washington Post marketing department. I’m interested in ideas, solutions, observations re: DC, print/web design, marketing, advertising, and green living.

  • Noel

    April 6th, 2009 11:24 pm

    First off, great start! I guess anyone who has been blogging for a while has this in the back of their minds, but this one gave the nudge and the push to me. I just have a question right now: in your situations (Darren’s as well as the others), have you ever used an elevator pitch that simply popped into your head or is it always something well thought out? I have this impression that if I can “get” it myself with a pop of a thought like that, surely most other persons would also. Is that a valid assumption?

    Thanks, and I hope I didn’t sounded so noobish :)

    Here to learn,

    Noel

  • orv curry

    April 6th, 2009 11:25 pm

    This is a great exercise. I always have a hard time explaining what I want to do or I am doing.

    Elevator Pitch: “I want to show you how to use open source technology to provide innovative business solutions.”

  • Marco Raaphorst

    April 6th, 2009 11:25 pm

    I am blogging Dutch (http://www.marcoraaphorst.nl/), so here’s the translation:
    “a music composer with a trunk full of backstage stories”

  • Kimm at Reinvented

    April 6th, 2009 11:25 pm

    Hi Darren,
    Great article, great discussion in the comments here. Thanks so much for writing this series. My readership is growing, and I’m excited to learn more.
    My blog tagline is: Home Decor Ideas for Real People. With Real Stuff. And Real Budgets.
    I guess I should just expand a little on that to come up with an elevator pitch?

  • Jesse

    April 6th, 2009 11:26 pm

    I had a go at this for my musical theatre blog – not the best ever but here it is:

    Musicalverse promotes musical theatre productions around the UK and enables musical theatre fans to easily locate show merchandise they may not have picked up when they went to see a musical.

  • Morfar

    April 6th, 2009 11:26 pm

    I hope to get lots of hits and clicks on my google ads through this.

    Thanks for your advice.

  • valerie Cooper

    April 6th, 2009 11:28 pm

    AW the elevator pitch. Being a product development
    consultant for the garment industry, I travel a great deal
    I love going to conventions and staying at a hotel right next to the convention. Even better sometimes the convention is at the hotel you are staying at. I wear my trade show or convention badge and look for others in my trade in the in
    elevator. Some of my best clients I have met in an elevator.
    I always have businesses cards ready to hand out safely tucked away in my plastic badge holder around my neck.

    I start the conversation out with asking if they are buying or selling.

  • Faryal Humayun

    April 6th, 2009 11:32 pm

    Thanks, it was a meaningful lesson.

    My blog is about jobs and careers and is linked to a job board, Aarknet.org. How about changing the elevator pitch from “Aarknet’s Official Blog” to “Tips and advice on jobs, careers and employment”?

  • Louise

    April 6th, 2009 11:32 pm

    Great exercise – thanks. I am working on building an audience for my blog in advance of the launch of a new membership site and this was a reminder to keep the blog focused on the same content as the membership site.

    My audience is comprised of job seekers, career coaches, professional resume writers and recruiters and my goals are (a) to write posts that help job seekers and (b) to write posts that recruiters and coaches want to share with their clients/readers.

    My elevator pitch is “I help people take control of their job search .. and their careers.”

    Not very exciting, but great marketer I am not ;-)

  • Ten

    April 6th, 2009 11:33 pm

    Thank you so much. I never read about “elevator pitch”. This is new for me but I think i put an elevator pitch when i created my blog ^^.

    I’ll wait for more.

  • Jason

    April 6th, 2009 11:33 pm

    Thanks, you put a lot of info in there and gave me plenty to think about. If every day is like this I will not be able to keep up. It looks as though I will always be able to think about my blogs and improve upon them all the time
    Thanks

  • nando at nandoism.com

    April 6th, 2009 11:34 pm

    My great blogger friend Alisa Bowman (http://www.projecthappilyeverafter.com/) sent me info on this series and challenged me to participate. I was worried at first, since I lead such a busy lifestyle and wasn’t sure I could fit this into my schedule–unemployed, looking for dates on craigslist, blogging here and there, the gym, a daily tanning session–you know how life can be for a Mexican living in New York City.

    But what a great way to kick off the show! Where to start?
    At the beginning–the Elevator pitch & FAQ section of my blog–I have my work cut out for me today. I just added all my links to the signature of my e-mails yesterday…now I have to go back an include my pitch…after I tan, of course.

    Looking forward to this entire challenge. And Alisa, thanks for the push!

    Nando

  • Alex Stewart

    April 6th, 2009 11:34 pm

    Pretty excited to start this workshop today!

    Pitch: The Rogue Investor helps strengthen investors by teaching alternative investing strategies and disciplined portfolio management.

  • Syed Balkhi

    April 6th, 2009 11:36 pm

    My Elevator pitch is Balkhis shows bloggers a vision for success by helping them improve their skills in web development, seo, and marketing.

  • Diane

    April 6th, 2009 11:37 pm

    I blog as the “Incurable Consultant,” and I’ve been trying to figure out which of two taglines to use:

    “Adventures in Doing Everything Better”

    or

    “Adventures in Living & Working Better, Smarter, and More Effectively”

    I like option 1 because it’s shorter and catchier. But I’m not sure if it explains things well enough, which is why I can’t quite decide if option 2 is better. Any thoughts?

  • MrBen

    April 6th, 2009 11:38 pm

    Great post, I think this challenge is going to be really interesting.

    I already have some level of elevator pitch within the description I use for search engines etc: “A blog for those with more interest in the web than expertise. Geekiness made simple.”

    I’m working on expanding this, and look forward to Day 2 of the challenge!

  • Linsey

    April 6th, 2009 11:41 pm

    Thanks Darren – I’m pretty thrilled to be doing this and having homework again!

    This exercise takes me right back to grad school and networking events I never went to – oops!

    Before today is over, I’m going to have a shiny new about page with my mission – which will include my elevator pitch.

    My one-sentence pitch is: Cake and Commerce is a personal food blog written by a 15 year veteran of the food industry that combines opinion, recipes, storytelling and photography. It won’t make you rich or smarter or better looking, but it will make you hungry.

  • Shannon Ehlers

    April 6th, 2009 11:41 pm

    My business card pitch is “Shannon Ehlers – passionately Iowan”.

    My slightly longer, meeting-in-passing pitch is “Shannon Ehlers – one of three million strong living in the land between two rivers” (this is a reference to the Indian meaning of the word Iowa).

    Finally, my pitch to be delivered on the elevator is “Hi, I’m Shannon. I write a blog about living, working, and playing in the great state of Iowa. People have a misconception that nothing is happening in the middle of our country. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Take a look at shannonehlers.com or, as I call it, the ‘Midnight Blogger’ when you get a chance. Here’s my card to help you remember.”

  • Trevor @ Financial Nut

    April 6th, 2009 11:42 pm

    This has already got me thinking. Thanks!

  • Jeff Korhan

    April 6th, 2009 11:42 pm

    Maximizing marketing results for entrepreneurs with social media marketing. http://jeffkorhan.com

  • The Producer

    April 6th, 2009 11:42 pm

    Thanks Dave, I will modify it.

  • Kashif

    April 6th, 2009 11:42 pm

    My tag line is simple: Pakistan Politics, Current Affairs, Business and Life Style

    Gguess covered everything in it.

  • Sugeng Shi

    April 6th, 2009 11:43 pm

    The topic of my blog is on internet business toolbox. My elevator pitch is also my tagline: “Exploring Beneficial Online Tools for Profitable Business”.

  • sjay

    April 6th, 2009 11:45 pm

    CrazzyCool provide hacks, tricks, tweaks and tips to overcome computer and Internet related problems without wasting money or time for people who use computers everyday.

    This is my Elevator pitch. Thank you very much Darren for starting 31 days to build a better blog.

    Cheers
    Sjay

  • Melissa Blake

    April 6th, 2009 11:46 pm

    Great post for the first day! I hadn’t revisited my elevator speech since I began my blog nearly six months ago, so it this challenge came at the perfect time. Here’s what I came up with….

    This is my story – the story of an average woman living life and learning the tango of love with a not-so-average physical disability (Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome). Maybe you’ll discover that this is your story, too.

  • Mouseclone

    April 6th, 2009 11:49 pm

    I’m going to work on giving this a shot. It is not something that will return void. Even if one person reads about what is happening here, then the return is not void.

    Great post and I look forward to tomorrows.

  • Sam

    April 6th, 2009 11:49 pm

    I love it already. I’ve got the creative juices flowing. Unfortunately my blog post is going to have to wait until my work day is done, but I’m excited for the project!

  • BuckDaddy

    April 6th, 2009 11:49 pm

    Great start! I have been waiting and wondering. I am going to work on it today. I sort of already have an elevator pitch or two but I do need to expand on it. I need a tag line too. Be back later. I’ll post it and maybe get a critique or two.

    Thanks!

  • Kitty

    April 6th, 2009 11:50 pm

    I have a description on my blog, but not an elevator pitch. Thanks for this post I’ll think about it, and hopefully will come up with something good :)

  • Josh

    April 6th, 2009 11:51 pm

    I know this comment is way too deep to be really be read, but I’ll say my piece anyway.

    To add to what you said, Darren, I think that if you can make people visualize something through your pitch, it will be much more memorable. A bunch of large words that convey too much meaning in a short time can easily be lost on listeners.

    Using a visualization might also be a great way to incorporate your logo if possible and therefore kill two birds with one stone.

  • Thomas

    April 6th, 2009 11:51 pm

    I love this first task. I didn’t realize it but I guess I wrote an elevator pitch when I first started my site. I don’t have a nitch, which I know hurts me, but I have a grand plan for the site once I have more time to focus on it.

    My elevator pitch right now is “A site about everything but nothing in particular”. That is exactly what my site is, I write about what is on my mind. I am, unfortunately, too inconsistent due to what I think is Adult ADD which I am being tested for. My hope is that if I am found to have it, I am able to get some help with controlling it.

    I get distracted too easily and really want to use this challenge to try and get myself focused regardless of what I find out about the ADD. Thanks to Darren for a awesome idea and I look forward to the next month.

  • Ben Licher

    April 6th, 2009 11:54 pm

    My short pitch is very short. I write about unimportant and useless stuff :-). (On this blog).
    Thanks Darren, will be following this one.

  • Karen

    April 6th, 2009 11:56 pm

    Thank you Darren.

    Excellent tip. My tag line is somewhat
    boring and general not that I really think about it!

    K.

  • Girl

    April 6th, 2009 11:57 pm

    Thanks, Darren.

    My satirical blog is written by a fictional female. Right now I don’t spell-out that its satire in the elevator pitch/tag, preferring to let the writing speak for itself:

    Love letters to my soul mate, convicted murderer, Scott Peterson.

  • smashill

    April 6th, 2009 11:57 pm

    I came up with mine, which is similar to my tagline.
    “Smashill builds creative Capital.” Which pretty much sums everything up I have been going through in my SWOT analysis.

  • Karen

    April 6th, 2009 11:59 pm

    Thank you Darren.

    Excellent tip. My tag line is boring and general now that
    I really think about it!

    K.

  • Qiana Markham

    April 7th, 2009 12:00 am

    this was a great exercise and really helped me define my audience and my blog. it is a work in progress, but now that i have some of this down on paper i feel much more confident about what i am doing, who it impacts and why. just in completing the exercise i thought of several post ideas that relate to my newly defined goals. super important to simplify this way.

    thanks darren,

  • Mike MacNaughton

    April 7th, 2009 12:01 am

    Our branding logo already had a tag “a Profesional Web Development Company” but our elevator line is now “We make Complicated simple.” Visually making the word “complicated” a more, well, complicated, type style.

  • geekazine

    April 7th, 2009 12:02 am

    Definitely learned something on this first one. Also learned that I have done this already – Geekazine: For the Geek in all of us.

    What I didn’t know is I could do another. I will have to think about the second Elevator pitch.

  • Bud Hennekes

    April 7th, 2009 12:03 am

    A boundless World
    Living Life To It’s Fullest Potential

  • Bea

    April 7th, 2009 12:03 am

    My elevator pitch is: “tips for a fulfilling marriage during the stressful years of medical residency”

    thanks for a great first post!

  • stephanerd

    April 7th, 2009 12:04 am

    I love this how-to, especially the first two points. It should be obvious, but it can be tough pinpointing the purpose of your blog and, as you said, how can your blog have focus without a clear purpose?

    My tagline for Freelancedom is “from bunny slippers to business plans,” while the description on my About page reads:

    “Freelancedom was launched as a means of sharing the whos, whats, wheres, whys, and hows of freelance success, and the accompanying freelance lifestyle. It was also created with an eye toward building a community of freelancers who could share stories, experiences, tips, and resources with their fellow at-home entrepreneurs.”

    I can’t imagine saying either of these in a face-to-face conversation. Perhaps a melding of the two?

    Freelancedom is a how-to blog for freelancers looking for success…in both their work and their stay-at-home lifestyles.

    It could probably use some more work…but it’s a start!

    Happy first day of 31DBBB!

  • Peter Fletcher

    April 7th, 2009 12:05 am

    Hi Darren

    Thanks for post 1 of 31. Looking forward to this month immensely.

    Here’s mine:

    “Helping real estate agents make sense of blogs, Twitter and Facebook”.

    It’s a start and I suspect it will evolve.

    @peterfletcher

  • Karen

    April 7th, 2009 12:06 am

    Darren,

    Once again I am your humble student.

    DPS has taught me tons about photography and now ProBlogger is going to help improve my blog.

    There may be hope for me yet!

    My blog is simple, it’s mostly about photography, and hopefully will draw a few people into other sites where they might just purchase a greeting card or something. ;o) You know the occasional shamless self promotion.

    Oh, I’m not using it to try and teach anyone how to take a great photo. I have a lot more learning to do before I try that one.

    It’s about my adventure into photography.

    My tag line (from day one) – “my adventures in photography and a little bit of everything else”

    I kind of had an elevator pitch already, I just didn’t know it. So my newly revised about page/elevator pitch “Photography is something I have been interested in since my grade school class had a chance to dabble in it way back in the 1970’s…I didn’t care much for the developing, didn’t like the smells. But I did like taking the pictures. Fast forward about 30 years… I began selling my works on-line and the rest, they say, is history.”

    Thanks again Darren, I look forward to the next task!

    Just take it easy on me, I’m too old to learn very many new things at once!

  • Gina

    April 7th, 2009 12:06 am

    I already have a tagline that I like, it’s:
    Shop smarter. Balance your budget. Learn to be a moneywise mom.

    My elevator pitch is:
    I teach busy moms how to save and make money to contribute to their family budget.

    Thanks, Darren!

  • Heidi Richards Mooney

    April 7th, 2009 12:07 am

    Darran,

    Thanks so much for day 1 – if the rest of the 31 days is anything like this, then we are indeed fortunate to have your expertise and knowledge. If I didn’t do anything else, today will transform how I manage all 5 of my blogs. I know what each blog is about, but fear it is unclear to my readers. So thanks for this.

    For instance, WE magazine for Women is a business and lifestyle blog for women over 40 yet it doesn’t really state that on our home page. So I am going to fix that right away.

    We produce and publish articles of interest to women in all areas of their lives such as wealth, health, entertainment, travle, business, technology and international issues.

    I am going to expand on the 1 minute version to include more explanation.

    My other blogs are not as clearly defined so this is a great exercise for me.

    Many thanks, Cannot wait until Day 2!

    Heidi Richards Mooney, Publisher
    WE Magazine for Women

  • Christina Ethridge - North Idaho Real Estate

    April 7th, 2009 12:10 am

    Darren – Thank you so much! In just 2 tasks (the pre-task and this one), you’ve helped me clarify and sharpen the focus of my blog. I started out knowing why I was creating the blog, you’ve helped me fine tune it. A big THANK YOU!

  • Toriach

    April 7th, 2009 12:11 am

    Great assignment and spooky timing. I’ve just the other day signed up with Entre Card and had to think of a tag, and also had been considering changing my “intro” to make it more representative of what the blog is now. So my Elevator pitch,

    THE ONE ABOUT…
    Dedicated to offering a unique and thoughtful perspective on what’s going on in politics and other current events.

    The tagline,

    The One About… Definitely not more of “that”!

  • Amanda Nicole

    April 7th, 2009 12:12 am

    Mine’s a food blog that focuses on rustic, seasonal and animal-free eating. I would say my pitch for it would be:

    Rustic Vegan is about celebrating the simple things in life, one bite at a time.

    Great first post, thanks!

  • Leo Dirr

    April 7th, 2009 12:13 am

    I found this first exercise useful and also enjoyed it.

    I tweeted about it with the hashtag: #problogchal, which I just made up.

    Is there a standard Twitter hashtag we’re all using that I just don’t know about? It looks like 31DBBB is shorter. Will somebody please let me know?

  • Jared O'Toole

    April 7th, 2009 12:13 am

    Really great advice. I don’t think ive ever heard of someone say make an elevator pitch for your blog. You need to understand what your blog is about and a quick pitch is a great way to do that.

  • Martina

    April 7th, 2009 12:16 am

    I am excited to get started on this series and thank you Darren for coordinating it. This is a great first task. Having had my own business pre-babies, it was always fun for me to come up with catchy new ways to promote our business and when it came time to start my blog, I looked forward to that challenge. Most of your advice I had implemented already eg putting the pitch in my email signature, but it has made me think I want to refine it somewhat. My blog is basically about fashion, accessories, party ideas etc exclusively for little girls so my tagline is “all things sugar & spice”, which I have always thought was a great summary of what I am about but now I am looking forward to exploring it further..ps: Riayn, love your pitch for Spud on the Run – very catchy : )

  • Lisa Paul

    April 7th, 2009 12:17 am

    What a great post. And to think there are 29 more coming!

    Now off to write that elevator pitch. . .

  • Amanda

    April 7th, 2009 12:17 am

    This was a lot harder than it sounds. Here is mine:

    My story as I take the first steps towards creating a photography business in Chicago.

  • Skinny Lady

    April 7th, 2009 12:18 am

    Thanks for the tip! We started our blog with a short tagline: “Using humor to cope with a serious illness” – We removed this and stuck with the longer elevator pitch: “We’re here to share our random insights and experiences, spread the madness of eating disorder, and have a little laugh every now and then.” Now I see that’s it’s probably a good idea to use both.

  • lm

    April 7th, 2009 12:18 am

    hi Darren,

    I started my wp blog a week ago and had no idea what to write in the post but merely added some learning notes at http://blog4ebook.com.
    Your tips on elavated pitch gave me an idea. My draft shot elavator pitch would look like this:-
    “Secret formulars of Asian Companies stay Profitable in this economic downturn ( 2008-2009 ), taken Baldrige Criteria as a Business Excellence Model”.
    But Darren, I have no idea where should I put this elevator pritch.

  • Lisa Paul

    April 7th, 2009 12:18 am

    WAit a minute. I just found out it’s THIRTY ONE days, not THIRTY (I was counting the days in April). That means 31 fantastic posts, if each is anything like this first one. Thanks, Darren.

  • Kristi_runwatch

    April 7th, 2009 12:19 am

    Thanks for the motivation to refine my pitch down – I have a clear idea of what my blog is about, but it’s a good push to summarize it down in a memorable way.

  • Laura Roberts

    April 7th, 2009 12:20 am

    I have a lot of different blogs, so here are my elevator pitches for each:

    1. Black Heart Magazine (http://blackheartmagazine.com) – Sex, love, literature

    2. Shoestring Montreal (http://shoestringmontreal.wordpress.com) – Because living on a budget doesn’t have to suck

    3. Letters from Montreal (http://lettersfrommontreal.wordpress.com) – Exploring the Paris of North America

    4. Laura Roberts: Buttontapper (http://buttontapper.com) – Writer, editor, V for Vixen

    The last one is the blog associated with my “professional” website, which was originally intended to house my writing clips, but needed some personal touches, so I’m having trouble “branding” it. The blog currently jumps around on a variety of subjects, most often relating to media commentary and literature, but occasionally veers into personal territory. It definitely needs to be tightened up, so I will try to think of a better tagline and elevator pitch for it today!

  • RunningWolf

    April 7th, 2009 12:26 am

    Hey, thx for this opportunity. I’ve already signed up for this. My blog isn’t really business orientated.

    How do I let you know when I’ve completed this task ?

  • Lucie

    April 7th, 2009 12:27 am

    Powderroom.net – for girls who know snow

    Elevator pitch: News, reviews, interviews and a supportive, friendly community for female snowboarders all over the world

    We’ve had our tagline since launch in 2002 and Pottery Barn used it for a line of bedding they made not long after we launched (which was very similar colours to our colourscheme at the time) – not coincidence I don’t think!

  • Paula

    April 7th, 2009 12:27 am

    My blog is IndyRealEstateTalk.com I have struggled with an elevator speech, while standing apart from the ordinary and mundane of real estate. One has to go beyond the “I help buyers and sellers obtain their real estate dreams”

    Providing the real estate knowledge and information people really want is key to the purpose of my blog, while keeping a sense of connectedness to the communities I serve.

    In short, what best describes my blog is

    Straight talk about real estate and living in indianapolis.

    Empowering home buyers and home sellers with the knowledge they need to make a good decision for themselves would be the basis for my elevator speech.

    Thoughts Anyone?

    Thanks for the challenge – now on to perfecting the details.

  • Patricia C

    April 7th, 2009 12:30 am

    New tagline *aka short elevator pitch): “Art is nutrition for the Soul. Come dine with me.” Just thought of the second part, though I’ve had the first in verbal use for some time.

    Longer (standard?) elevator pitch is constantly changing and I am not yet satisfied with anything I’ve come up with. But then, I’m a perfectionist (and proud of it). Below is where my EP stands at 10:17 AM EDT):

    “Art is nutrition for the soul. My work spans the fields of Fine Art and museum quality, one of a kind Fine Art Jewelry. One to gaze at when your mind needs a different view; one to wear when you want to show yourself off to the world.”

    Honestly? I pretty much composed these just now although this is after months of shaping and reshaping my “clay.”

    PCVS

  • Jenn Calling Home

    April 7th, 2009 12:30 am

    My blog name: Call When You Get There

    My tagline: Staying connected while preparing to move apart, and other paradoxes of life.

    This is my current tagline, but now that I think about it, it may be too vague. My thought was that the title would hint at dealing with teenagers, and the tagline would make sense from there. Now I’m not sure it says enough. Will have to play around with it. Any thoughts?

  • Mark Sanborn

    April 7th, 2009 12:31 am

    This is what I have so far…

    Nixtutor takes you from an intermediate computer user to an advanced Linux user by providing full step by step guides to the most common computer problems. By using the Linux operating system you can take advantage of some of the most advanced computer technologies without paying a dime. Nixtutor will show you not only how Linux can become your primary operating system but also how you can be more productive in both desktop and server environments.

    Frustrated with your current operating system why not give Linux a try?

  • JD

    April 7th, 2009 12:32 am

    Thanks for this post. I am just beginning to blog, so this is very helpful for me to think about in the early days of the experience. I am looking forward to your future installments!

  • Gazzali

    April 7th, 2009 12:36 am

    A creative way to give advice..good job Darren.

  • Chakresh Mishra

    April 7th, 2009 12:37 am

    My blog “Promise of Reason” is a very few of good political blogs of India (a little self-bragging, yeah :P)
    My short pitch is (it was not there before today)

    “Indian politicians convert rational problems into emotional issues, I do the reverse.”

    The long version goes something like this (still working on it)

    Promise of Reason from an engineer, so that we can convert emotional topics of Indian politics and social issues into rational discussion. Do you want rational discussion or emotional rant on Indian political and social issues, choice is yours. if first, then visit Promise of reason, otherwise switch the lights off and cry alone in an empty room in front of a voting machine photo, it helps, really. :)

  • alafista

    April 7th, 2009 12:37 am

    Took me 10 minutes to come up with this:

    alafista.com – A Fusion of Japan’s Otaku and Popular Culture

    “Portal to Japan’s otaku and pop culture scene for the English-speaking community.”

  • Mish

    April 7th, 2009 12:38 am

    Thanks for this post Darren.

    I’m just starting my blog and having an elevator pitch could really help me focus on what my blog is all about.

    I think it’s a great idea to keep my blog’s elevator pitch visible on my desk and then on my site as tagline afterwards.

  • Mark Smith

    April 7th, 2009 12:38 am

    Thanks, Darren! What a great post to wake up to. I’m on it!

  • Elmer

    April 7th, 2009 12:39 am

    This is an excellent tip and a great way to start the series. I already had a “summary” for my blog, but I never thought about crossing over onto business cards and other places.

    I revised mine slightly to give it a little “action” sense. From “Tips and ideas …” to “I provide tips and ideas … .” I think it’ll work better overall.

  • Guitar Teacher

    April 7th, 2009 12:39 am

    Hi Darren and 31DBBB participants,

    I look forward to go through this exercise, improving my website and communicating with knowledgeable, passionate bloggers. This should be fun!

    I think I’ve got the short elevator pitch for the blog. It is already in my blog’s headline – ‘GuitarTeacher.com helps guitarists Play Guitar Better’.

    I will work up the 100 word version and repost to comments. I look forward to having forums. Sorry about your hard drive. :(

  • Danny Brown

    April 7th, 2009 12:40 am

    I think every blog should have an About page, which as you say can double as your elevator pitch.

    It’s almost like an interactive business card for bloggers. If you want customers (visitors) to do business with you (read), then offer your business card (About) to let them know more about you.

    Here’s mine:

    http://dannybrown.me/about-this-blog/

    And one designed specifically for Twitter visitors:

    http://dannybrown.me/twitter/

    Cheers!

  • ChurchETHOS

    April 7th, 2009 12:46 am

    I have a short and a long “elevator pitch” for my blog: ChurchETHOS. The short one is a question: “How can the Church regain its influence in Western culture?”

    The long version is an explanation of the title “ChurchETHOS”:
    The Church has developed some bad habits and has lost a good reputation with Western culture. My blog seeks to think Christianly about the habits and customs (ethos) of the Church and about our reputation with the unchurched (ethics).

  • madafan

    April 7th, 2009 12:46 am

    waooow, sounds like it’s going to be a tough exercise to read the comments for each article of 31DBBB

    Back to the point, elevator pitch for my blog will be “madafan: discover Madagascar (the island, not the movie)”. In fact, I’m not sure yet if I want to put the remaining tagline put in bracket as I think people know more the cartoon Madagascar than the actual country whereby I want to take my readers through discovering the country.

    Second question raised by this first post: should I put my usual username or use a new one associated with my madafan blog.
    I’ve opted for using the madafan username thinking that I am beginning branding of my blog :-) Hope you won’t mind Darren

    BTW, thanks for this wonderful experience you’re getting us into Darren and looking forward to sharing with all those folks.

  • Darran

    April 7th, 2009 12:47 am

    An elevator pitch for my personal blog would be my tagline: Zooming into the real Darran.

    I want people to get to know me, the different sides of me. the geek, the shutterholic, the fitness enthusiast, the traveller … etc as i take them through my life’s journey.

  • Deanna

    April 7th, 2009 12:49 am

    Thank you so much for this! I’ve been so excited waiting for the Challenge to Start! The trouble I seem to be having is that there is so much I want to incorporate into my blog in the future that I’m having difficulty coming up with an elevator speech. Any tips?

  • Razlan

    April 7th, 2009 12:49 am

    Writing an elevator pitch for a *personal* blog is difficult. What is the solution it has to offer? Who are the audiences? How do I feel about it? How do I use a question?

    After raking my head for over an hour, I came up with a short snappy tagline for my personal blog, You Got Me Blogging.

    “These got me blogging – what moves you?”

    And then a pitch of about 100 words:

    “You Got Me Blogging shares with you my precious memories, life experiences and random happenings which are important enough for me to write on. Perhaps you’ll be inspired by a long-forgotten dream. Or a heart-glowing sense of humour you never thought you have. Or maybe, you just want to be reminded of the person I am.

    I hope to reach out to my readers, family and friends, making the world a slightly better place, one post at a time.

    So… what gets YOU blogging?”

    What do you guys think of this? Comments are appreciated. The tagline and pitch are incorporated on my about page here – http://www.razlan.name/blog/about/

  • Ronnie

    April 7th, 2009 12:53 am

    This tip just made me rethink about a lot of things about my blog. I’m still trying to make an elevator pitch at the moment. Thanks a lot, and I’m looking forward to a lot of helpful posts in the next 30 days.

  • CaraCent

    April 7th, 2009 12:56 am

    Great post! looking forward to building a better blog w/ you!

    My short elevator pitch is “SeeCents.com – where saving money makes cents” – this also appears on my business card.

    longer pitch…”my blog is dedicated to providing you with more dollars and cents in your back pocket, without having to give up everyday necessities and other life indulgences. I take my everyday experiences as a bargain shopper to provide readers with fun, creative and practical ways to save money during these hard economic times.”

    well, the long one is still a work in progress… ;)

  • Bill Brister

    April 7th, 2009 12:58 am

    Thanks for starting this series off with this topic … I, like you, have the short one liner pitch for my NHL Hockey blog “Hockey From The Cheap Seats.” However, I have never sat down and put thought into a 30 second “pitch” about my blog.

    I will be updating my “About Us” page shortly – and will start off with my new elevator pitch.

    Bill Brister
    http://www.dailydeke.com – Hockey From The Cheap Seats!

  • Catherine

    April 7th, 2009 12:59 am

    Thank you for putting this together Darren.

    I already had my elevator pitch, although I might refine it as time goes by.

    Women Learning Thai… and some men too ;-)
    Expat making her way through Thai language and culture

    I believe it pretty much says it all.

  • Sharon Hurley Hall

    April 7th, 2009 12:59 am

    I already have a short version ’straight talk about your freelance writing career’ but could do with a longer version, as I think what I use on my about us page is too unfocused. I like your tip about using a question and will incorporate that in the revised version.

  • Diane Markins

    April 7th, 2009 1:00 am

    How’s this?
    WordsInHighDef@blogspot.com is A bold, conservative analysis of life issues infusing faith and humor to encourage you. From marriage and parenting to mental illness (short trip sometimes), loss, life trials and politics: I speak with as much clarity and definition as time and research will allow. Replete with true stories of challenges and overcoming them. Reader input adds the illustrious punch, so I welcome all views.

  • Josh Camson

    April 7th, 2009 1:01 am

    The tagline for my site is just “Law Student and Nerd Extraordinare.” I had somewhat of a difficult time coming up with a pitch since it’s a personal blog and so sometimes I discuss other things. In the end I went with:

    I discuss all things legal or nerdy, but my real passion is where the two collide.

    Over the past few years, the blog has been pretty much all over the place. I think 31DBBB will help me focus a little more, and thus write a little more.

  • Hannah

    April 7th, 2009 1:01 am

    I feel fresh energy flowing into my blog. Thank you!

  • Kelly Whalen

    April 7th, 2009 1:02 am

    Great 1st post, Darren! Here’s what I came up, let me know what you think!

    My Elevator Pitch
    My name is Kelly Whalen, I’m a mom of 4 blogging about family life, organization, and finances. Follow me on my journey to get debt-free and make our money work for us. I will share my tricks for organizing our big & busy household, as well as frugal parenting tips.

    My Tagline
    Making Cents of Family Life.

  • JEM

    April 7th, 2009 1:03 am

    AdminChronicles is a one-stop source for administrative professionals dedicated to helping administrative professionals achieve career success.

    At Adminchronicles we provide career advice, skill building opportunities and job search strategies.

    Additionally, Adminchronicles share share financial literacy tools, lifestyle management tips and guidance in launching a small business.

  • Latoicha

    April 7th, 2009 1:05 am

    Thanks Darren! Great post! I have two blogs:

    Luxetips.com-Tag Line- Every Woman Deserves to Live the Luxe Life!

    Pitch – Regardless of occupation or budget, every woman deserves to live the luxe life. Luxetips.com offers fashion and beauty tips that are fabulous yet affordable!

    IPLAW101 – Tag Line- Practical Tips in solving basic intellectual property legal dilemmas

    Pitch- A law blog covering trademarks, domain name issues, and intellectual property issues in new media

  • Abbie Park

    April 7th, 2009 1:06 am

    I am gald to have some focus developing my blog with your 31dbbb! I did a lot of this kind of PR in my sponsorship mngmt job. It was a wonderful way to spread the word about our program simply and effectively.

    Now about my blog:
    “Franklin Covey meet Martha Stewart.” A unique blend of functionality and style, my checklists, planning pages, and tutorials will help those inspired to become organized and those who are striving to do it better. Organize your life!

    Additionally, I wrote some talking points for those “follow-up” questions! Thanks!
    Abbie

  • Jhipster

    April 7th, 2009 1:06 am

    Great post.
    A couple helpful tips for writing the elevator pitch might be to also define areas and topics you will not write about to help stay on your clearly defined topic.
    Also I am reading “Made to Stick” and find the message in this book to be relavent to writing a sticky elevator pitch.

  • Meody

    April 7th, 2009 1:10 am

    This is a great reminder thanks!

    My food blog: Cheat Day Cafe
    Elevator pitch: Recipes to keep you on your diet with a few cheat days thrown in for fun!

    My family blog; Save the Home-Save the World
    Elevator pitch: Using environmentalist tactics to improve and save the HOME environment.

  • JEM

    April 7th, 2009 1:13 am

    Adminchronicles is a one-stop source for administrative professionals dedicated to helping them achive career success.

    We provide career advice, job search strategies and skill building opportunities.

    Adminichronicles also shares financial literacy tips, lifestyle management tools and guidance for launching a small business.

  • yhurg

    April 7th, 2009 1:15 am

    Great stuff, Darren, thank you. And it was fun reading everyone’s comments and ideas so far.

    I am going with what I have below. Might be at risk of “too big” so am open to suggestions from everyone.

    AutoConversion – Creating Possibilities for Efficient Business

    AutoConversion is about putting people and technology to work for you and your business so that you can have a fast-growing and efficient business. It’s about being aware of the opportunities surrounding you and learning how to harness them to your profit.

  • Mary Beth Grasso

    April 7th, 2009 1:19 am

    You convinced me Friday to start thinking about who I was writing for…now, how I am writing? Writing with a mission? I think about this when I talk (I am a REALTOR) but have only been writing babble I guess. THANK YOU for the direction. This month is going to be awesome.

  • studio_juan

    April 7th, 2009 1:19 am

    someone asked me what an ‘elevator pitch’ is, and as I typed away my answer, I began to clearly understand and appreciate the concepts and theory you presented here.
    Great work.
    Keep it up and I do hope I can learn further with your 31DBB :-)

  • chrome story

    April 7th, 2009 1:20 am

    I modified mine with a question :

    Are you using Google Chrome ? We have answers for all your questions !!

    howz that ?

  • Sharon Hurley Hall

    April 7th, 2009 1:21 am

    OK: Here’s my first attempt:

    Want to know how to write from anywhere and get paid? Get Paid To Write Online answers your questions about building a successful freelance writing career. It includes straight talk about writing skills and resources, self promotion and writing markets that will help you to launch yourself as a freelance writer.

  • Abi Harper

    April 7th, 2009 1:26 am

    Being ultra new to the blogging game, I was looking forward to today and I must say the 1st task makes sense!

    Tag line:
    We design soundscapes for a target audience.

    Pitch:
    Sunzoo Studios, we are proud to represent your unique identity and the valuable benefits of your products or services one melody at a time.

    1. First effort to creating great blog content. √

    Thank you Darren!

  • Bob

    April 7th, 2009 1:32 am

    Great first day!
    Sometimes I think that we tend to lose focus. It’s good to sit back and have a clear road for your visitors.
    Looking forward to the 31 days.

  • Rose

    April 7th, 2009 1:35 am

    Tag Line: Finding Safe Food Should Be Simple

    Longer Version: Find Safe Food is for people with food restrictions who want to live normal, healthy lives. The site’s motto is finding safe food should be simple. Its goal is to provide tools that make it easy to find things to eat at home and on the road. I hope that if we can pool the knowledge of the people and families dealing with food allergies we can all live healthier, safer lives.

  • Tom Colvin

    April 7th, 2009 1:36 am

    What serendipity! Only 12 hours ago I wrote up a new ABOUT page for my blog at Becoming A Writer Seriously. I’ll be uploading it later in the week. And my blogging partner Eva Hunter wrote about this same concept a week ago from the point of view of a writer working on a book.

    Yet, even though we’re swimming in these waters already, I found some stimulating new ideas in your first lesson. You’ve taken the ordinary admonition, repeated to ad nauseum at writer’s conferences, and fleshed it out with very specific and practical details. I will implement some of them this week.

    THANKS.

  • EC (Lisa) Stewart

    April 7th, 2009 1:37 am

    I have 2 blogs, actually.

    ECStewart Designs
    TagLine: Elegant Lines, Sophisticated Image
    We provide sophisticated art & design solutions for your business.
    ecstewart.com

    CREATIVEGoddess
    TagLine: The Talent of Living Creatively
    Creative Inspiration & Ideas for Life.
    creativegoddess.wordpress.com

  • darya

    April 7th, 2009 1:38 am

    Isn’t there an important distinction between a tagline and a pitch?

    My tagline–Upgrade Your Healthstyle–is worked directly into my logo and is not something I often say to people directly. If I ran into Darren in an elevator I would like to have a quick, effective way to explain what this means and why he should care. That is my pitch (which I will work on!), right?

    Looking forward to the forum so I can get everyone’s opinion on this distinction.

  • IncreaseSalesCoach

    April 7th, 2009 1:40 am

    This is great!

    My blog is IncreaseSalesCoach.com
    My tagl ine is “Gets Results Sales training can’t… because it’s never just a sales training issue.

    Just wanted to comment some of the blog names and tag lines I read above are outstanding.

    I love SpudontheRun and StartupRoach kudos to you both. Fun and informative!

  • Tom Colvin

    April 7th, 2009 1:44 am

    Another tangential comment about YOUR COMMENTING SYSTEM. I’m surprised you are not using some kind of comment threading set up, such as the new Word Press 7 capability, Disqus or Intense Debate. There are some comments here that I’d like to respond to, but my responses will be lost among your flood of comments.

    There must be some reason why you have not added the threading feature. Why is that?

  • John & Mary Ann O'Neill

    April 7th, 2009 1:46 am

    Elevator Pitch for http://www.finediningathome.com:

    finediningathome.com offers free recipes for delicious, nutritious food to please family and friends to build an interactive community of women and men who enjoy sharing recipes and their enthusiasm for cooking healthy gourmet food.

  • MoodyMommy

    April 7th, 2009 1:47 am

    Elevator pitch for my personal blog would be my tagline:
    Being a Happy Mommy with Depression….

    I want women/people to understand that having depression is perfectly acceptable and more common. I am documenting every step along the journey to stabilizing my mood and my life….

  • Tamikka

    April 7th, 2009 1:50 am

    Reading through the comments for today’s post, I saw elevator speeches that were great and made me think, “I want to check out this blog.” For others, it was “eh”. I hope to rewrite my “about” page with the former feeling in mind. Going back to jot down the items that gave me that oh-this-is-good feeling.

    Looking forward to the further growth and inspiration that I’ve already seen with this initial task.

    Thanks!

  • Barb Ashcroft

    April 7th, 2009 1:50 am

    Darren, Wow! We don’t know what we don’t know!
    Thanks to this 1st post, I was able to go in and see lots of new features I didn’t even know that were available to me.

    My blog is Online Storybooking Tips.
    Here is my short and long elevator tag lines.

    We Bring your Stories to LIFE!

    Got photos? Of course you do. We help you take your photos from shoebox to showpiece. Why not turn your pictures into Page Turners? Oprah thought enough about our beautiful bound storybooks to add us to her “All Time Favourite Gifts List”. Let us help you create one of a kind keepsakes.

  • Heather

    April 7th, 2009 1:50 am

    I’ve been thinking about this for a while, I went through a creative void earlier this year and my blog changed from my original vision for it. It took me a while to get back where I want it to be and I’ve been trying to put it into words for a while. I’ll try harder today.

    My current blurb reads

    I hope that I am able to share with you my life, as I see it through my stories, pictures, and occasional vents. I am able to share the details of the world around me through my photography. It’s not just pictures (ok, well sometimes it is just a picture) but most of the time it is a piece of time, frozen forever just as I saw it. Enjoy the clicks!

    My tagline says My world, my life with a click.

    It was just last night that I swapped them both out. I’ll polish them some more today.

  • Vikki Flawith

    April 7th, 2009 1:51 am

    As many others have said, Darryl, a great first post. I just came up with a pitch for my blog a couple of days ago, when I got the chance to be listed in a book, with a short description. I worked out a short and a long… and then I get your first email about this. What do you think?

    The Shy Singer-Songwriter: Champion of the Creatively Introverted, Amazon of the Socially Terrified; opera-howling Blogger and Aquarian Cyber-Geek extraordinaire.

    The Shy Singer-Songwriter: Champion of the Creatively Introverted, Amazon of the Socially Terrified, opera-howling Blogger, procrastinating Painter, housework-hating Vocalist, power-napping Composer and super Aquarian Cyber-Geek extraordinaire.

  • Chris (Amateur Traveler)

    April 7th, 2009 1:54 am

    The elevator pitch I have been using for my blog/podcast is:

    “The Amateur Traveler is an online travel show that focuses primarily on travel destinations and the best places to travel. It includes both a weekly audio podcast and a twice monthly video podcast. It also includes travel news and resources. We cover everything from what to get on your Chicago dog to swimming with whales in Tonga.”

  • Wayne John

    April 7th, 2009 1:55 am

    Excellent start Darren, I’m excited to see what’s coming out the gate tomorrow!

    For me, I write articles that help bloggers and web site owners understand the technology they run on. Be it HTML, CSS, design guidelines, do’s and don’ts etc…

    I’ve used “Blogger Help and Assistance” since the start of my blog, and love having the keywords ‘blogger help’ in there. So, if I were to get the ball rolling, I think I’d start with “Providing bloggers and web site owners with helpful tips and tricks”, or something like that. Like I said, from the hip. I obviously need to refine that a bit, and will do so over the rest of the day.

    Thanks for doing this Darren!

  • scott aughtmon

    April 7th, 2009 1:57 am

    Darren,

    I hadn’t really thought about the need for an elevator pitch in the context of blogging, but now that you mentioned it I see the obvious need I’ve been overlooking. Thanks for that reminder. Looking forward to this series!

    Here’s my elevator pitch…

    The Resolution Solution blog offers business owners simple, time-tested methods that experts use to help their business survive and prosper in a recession.

  • Spinach Tiger

    April 7th, 2009 2:03 am

    Good start day. I know who I am as a food blogger, but not sure if I am really conveying this. My tag line is “food a woman will love and a man will marry you for.” My name, Spinach Tiger conveys, health, strength, and a flexitarian approach (I hope), but another big part of what makes me unique is my artistic food styling, and improvisational style of developing my own recipes. Not sure how to get all of this in my “pitch” or if I should change my tag line, but it gives me much to think about.

  • Feicia (aka Mommy B)

    April 7th, 2009 2:04 am

    A great start to this series. Love the advice and the comments are great.

    The tagline for my blog has always been “A place for moms of preteen girls to chat, rant & freak-out in privacy”.

    In recent months however, I’ve really begun to move the blog in the direction of not just a ranting, chatting place, but also a place for moms to get informed about companies, people and organizations that really have their girls’ best interest at heart. This has been highlighted by some really cool interviews and giveaways of targeted girl-friendly product.

    Your prompt to formulate a sharp pitch has come at a perfect time.

  • Dorothy

    April 7th, 2009 2:06 am

    I’ve already submitted mine, but what I’m finding out that is really neat is all these blogs I’ve never heard about, now I do! What a great idea you had!

  • Amanda

    April 7th, 2009 2:07 am

    I knew tag-lines were important to briefly describe your website intentions, but I never thought about them like this. Thanks for the first day “get going” tip. I look forward to the next 30 days!

  • sarah mae

    April 7th, 2009 2:12 am

    Like A Warm Cup Of Coffee – a place to curl up and begin your day

    Too bad my blog title and tag line say nothing about my blog! Guess I’ll have to think about changing it…

    :)

  • Maddie Grant

    April 7th, 2009 2:13 am

    SocialFishing…

    Association/non-profit blog on social media, community building, strategic imagination.

  • Willblogforfood

    April 7th, 2009 2:14 am

    The bad thing about this is everyone who participates in the challenge will get better so all of our blogs will get better and we will still be in the same place we started

  • Tawny Labrum

    April 7th, 2009 2:20 am

    Very excited 2 get started. You can check out my progress at http://www.askbinc.com. For now this is the pitch I have come up with

    AskBINC highlights major events in the web/software marketplace, their effect on the movement of talent within the marketplace, helpful posts for a candidate’s career and helpful tips for companies to attract, hire and retain top talent.

    Any thoughts

  • Glen

    April 7th, 2009 2:20 am

    I have started a new blog for people looking to sort through the confusion of taking classes online. The Elevator pitch is what inspires me to post how and what I do.

    This series is going to help me drop some of the old habits that I have been using over the last 4 years to make this new blog great.

  • Laura

    April 7th, 2009 2:20 am

    Here’s mine!

    Autism From the Outside: Information and Community For Those On All Sides of Autism

  • shi

    April 7th, 2009 2:21 am

    Going to write one. Thanks for the first tip.

  • Suzanna B. Stinnett

    April 7th, 2009 2:21 am

    Hi Darren – I tweaked my pitch a few ways this morning, and looked at a new sig line as well. So, here it is -

    “I teach brain-friendly content writing for the practical blogger.”

    Another version:

    “I use a brain-friendly method to teach people how to write effective, practical content which attracts a loyal community to their blog.”

    Or another short one:

    “I teach brain-friendly blog content writing.”

    I like having the word practical in there, because it adds to my branding, using brain-friendly and practical. My audience is the Boomer entrepreneur, or “digital immigrant,” who is easily overwhelmed by tech learning curves. Brain-friendly is quite specific and becomes clearer as soon as people go to my blog. Practical is a word my peers as baby boomers tend to like and relate to. And I have a talent for boiling things down to practical terms.

    Thanks for offering this. It’s interesting as I am at the point of launching info products, and your guidance helps me dial things in and develop much stronger, cleaner verbiage. (Which also builds confidence!)

    Cheers
    Suzanna B. Stinnett
    Brain-Friendly blog content writing
    http://www.GreatAdaptations.org

  • Susan

    April 7th, 2009 2:23 am

    Wow – so much action already! Thanks for providing the impetus to improve and tighten up my thinking….

    “Vistas from Afar – a European gardens blog with a view from the past and an eye on the future.”

  • Julie

    April 7th, 2009 2:26 am

    I’m so glad I found this today on Twitter! It’s advice I totally needed. Will subscribe to your feed!

    Still working on the pitch… http:Silversmyth.com/blog is about what’s happening on the Art Scene in Fort Worth Texas and what’s happening in my Jewelry Workshop. You should check it out I give away free Silversmyth jewelry!

    I’m @Silversmyth on Twitter!

  • Jason Lander

    April 7th, 2009 2:26 am

    Great post! First day is starting off great.

    I have a niche blog about the use and promotion of technology within the healthcare staffing industry.

    My elevator pitch:
    Conversations on technology and healthcare staffing.

  • Julie

    April 7th, 2009 2:28 am

    Helps if you put the //

    http://www.silversmyth.com/blog

    See still working on it!

  • Alison Kerr, Earthonaut

    April 7th, 2009 2:29 am

    Day 1 has already been helpful. Thanks :-)

    I’ve taken my tagline and come up with an elevator pitch which I think will be a slightly new, positive direction to take my blog in, to keep me focused, and to better interact with my readers. Of course I will consider it for a couple of days rather than rush off and change my blog.

    Thanks for getting my creative juices flowing.

  • sarah mae

    April 7th, 2009 2:33 am

    willblogforfood: there will always be blogs that stand above the rest…

  • tony lazzari

    April 7th, 2009 2:35 am

    short tagline: See the market pulse of Naperville and more

    Pitch essence: How is the housing market in your neighborhood? Weekly stats udates on prices, market times and more. Great way to follow the trendings of your area.

  • LJ

    April 7th, 2009 2:39 am

    I run two blogs with two very different foci, and yet it was the less popular blog that was easiest to write the elevator speech for.

    LauraEarnest.com: Creating Sanity for Working Parents.

    The more popular blog was more difficult, mainly because I didn’t know how to express what it has become:

    SimpleProductivityBlog: Effective living through simplicity and productivity

  • Jude

    April 7th, 2009 2:40 am

    Wow this got me thinking all day. Finally got it whilst walking the dog.

    Leaders by Nature… develops people to be extraordinary.

    Great start to the month. Really looking forward to this.

  • Gavin Ingham

    April 7th, 2009 2:41 am

    Darren

    Hi! What a great post and full of quality information for beginning bloggers and experienced bloggers. I am often disappointed by the poor quality content on many blogs seeing them as, at best, thinly disguised marketing spiels.

    Blog series’ or lessons are often even worse with writers scared to give anything of value away – clearly not the case here.

    Gavin

    p.s. My blog, GavinIngham.com – sales training & personal development for individuals & businesses serious about getting results.

  • Jude

    April 7th, 2009 2:42 am

    @ LJ… How about
    Simple Producitivy blog… makes your life simple and productive

  • eddie b

    April 7th, 2009 2:42 am

    GREAT READ! Never really thought of a elevator pitch before or a way to deliver it.
    i thought of : title- personal journalism in its highest form
    tag line: thoughts of a wanna-b-writter

  • AlbaLH

    April 7th, 2009 2:43 am

    My blog is “Your Focus” Here is my pitch.

    Welcome to Your Focus. Your Focus is about addressing the needs of the whole being of the entrepreneur. Whatever your focus may be, financial planning, health, travel, business, style, philanthropy, and more, we hope to enlighten your search and interests.

    We welcome your expertise, so please feel free to contribute to “Your Focus” by submitting you article to subscribe@i-virtualassist.com

    Enjoy!

  • Betty M.

    April 7th, 2009 2:47 am

    Thank you, Darren, for another great post!

    Here is my elevator pitch: “100CafeStreet.com is a Dessert Blog. Creative ideas about Sweets for the sweetest.”

  • Wendy Thomas

    April 7th, 2009 2:48 am

    Simple Thrift – Thrifty tips for today’s times

    That’s my tag but you’ve got me thinking about how I follow that up. Give examples of how? Show a concrete money savings? I’m going to a writer’s conference on Saturday and you better believe that I’ll have my answers in hand by then.

    Thanks for great information.

  • Gordon

    April 7th, 2009 2:48 am

    I’ve start a blog for SEO one month ago, and I say “Borned for SEO & Lived for SEO” on my tag line. Does it count?

  • Paul

    April 7th, 2009 2:52 am

    My blog is a month and a half old, and I’ve only been following ProBlogger for a couple of weeks…Perfect timing for this 31 day course!

    Needless to say, I’ll be jumping right in.

    Retirement Soup: an exploration into early retirement and creative living.

  • karan

    April 7th, 2009 2:52 am

    Hi,Darren. I have just started my blog http://www.whatkrap.com and was looking forward to this article.
    My pitch is Uncensored, Unbiased, Unplugged. The blog is about my views on things happening around me and how i add humor and wit to it. it is not a niche blog and i comment on lot of things.
    twitter@karan_singh

  • Max

    April 7th, 2009 2:53 am

    Darren,

    You are changing the blog world. I’m writing a blog for our web site and really need your help. We have a new and innovative product…now all I need to do is be able to convey the information to the world.
    Our company is taking something that has become hated by many of us…the plastic bottle….and has developed a biodegradable plastic bottle. We are an environmental company making a difference, and I want to convey that to as many as possible.

    Thanks for the program.

    Max
    Ensobottles.com

  • Eric Miltsch

    April 7th, 2009 2:56 am

    Short pitch for my blog: (WhyBuyUsedCars.com)

    The How, What, Where & When of Used Cars.

    Expanded Pitch:

    WhyBuyUsedCars.com informs and educates the used car buyer with the best information and resources on the web – with an entertaining spin.

  • Kelsey Ramos

    April 7th, 2009 2:57 am

    Thanks for this great tip, Darren.

    I run a food review blog about cheap restaurants, food deals, and yummy recipes called Frugal Nosh.

    My elevator pitch/blog tagline is:

    “Delicious things to nibble on that won’t empty your already empty wallet.”

    Any suggestions, please let me know.

  • Heidi

    April 7th, 2009 3:04 am

    What a great start! My tagline is currenlty Little People Wealth – “freebies, deals, and steals”, but it definitely needs tweeked. The SWOT analysis showed me that and now I have a kick in the butt! Thanks!

  • Tedra64

    April 7th, 2009 3:07 am

    My elevator pitch:

    Wow Casually Speaking is a blog for people interested in the World of Warcraft MMO. Specifically, for those interested in following a casual player’s approach to the game.

    Is this kind of what you meant.

    Tedra64

  • Bonnie Landau

    April 7th, 2009 3:08 am

    The blog I’m writing is not necessarily unique (http://landaudesign.blogspot.com). I actually started it because I was tired of explaining the same simple stuff to client after client. There wasn’t one place I had found online I could point my clients to, so I began the blog really to save myself time. I reference it all the time in client conversations. In the end it’s really noobie information for creating and managing website and social networks. Truly generated out of the questions I am asked by my small-business clients.

    Short elevator pitch: Landau Design Blog: Tips and tricks for managing your online presence.

    Long elevator pitch: The Landau Design blog is a place where clients can ask questions about creating and managing websites and social networks. The information is provided so that clients have a good understanding of what they are buying when they purchase web services, and can learn how to implement some things themselves (if they choose).

  • Dominick

    April 7th, 2009 3:09 am

    I had an interesting task trying to write an elevator pitch. I have a blog (or 5) for work purposes with clear cut goals, but I’m taking this challenge to improve my personal blog. It can be a bit random at times as I post pretty much whatever is on my mind at the moment. It doesn’t have a theme the way a “finance blog” or an “entertainment blog” would have a theme. I spent time thinking about why I write in my personal blog and what I hope to share with my readership.

    I ended up writing a post with/about my elevator pitch and the 31 Days Challenge, here:
    http://www.dominickevans.com/2009/04/day-1-making-my-elevator-pitch/

    I tweaked my elevator pitch more than once, but I believe for now, I’m satisfied with it. Thanks for inspiring me to discover my true purpose for writing my blog. I think it will cut down on too much randomness, now that I have a definitive goal for the blog.

  • Gayle

    April 7th, 2009 3:09 am

    Thanks for the wonderful info. I’m getting ready to ride the elevator now!

    My blog is a digital journal of my art and jewelry making. My purpose is to inspire other artists in their creative adventures. I write about art techniques, other artists, do art product reviews, and art tutorials.

  • hami

    April 7th, 2009 3:14 am

    Really liked the idea about 31 days tutorial thing, and an interesting post to start with. Surely, I will change my subtitle today or tomorrow morning as soon as I come up with. This will surely lead me to work on certain types of post, app reviews and a slight change in targeting my readers, as I write reviews sometime for noobs, sometime for intermediate type of level of geeks, but still to write something for hardcore geeks.

    p.s. nice work darren.

  • Bruce > The Hockey Writers

    April 7th, 2009 3:15 am

    Well – thanks for this Darren..

    Here’s mine (by the way, this is something I had been meaning to do but too busy with ‘other things’ – thanks for the excuse to get it done.
    ******
    The Hockey Writers is for the serious hockey fan that wants the Inside Scoop.
    Looking for a video of your favorite player getting caught in the ‘Trolley Tracks’ or the unbelievable shootout goal by that Swedish guy? Editorials, opinions, player biographies, locker room interviews, your comments and more…

  • Dana Hanson

    April 7th, 2009 3:16 am

    Thanks for doing this, Darren. My blog, “how to be a Christian without being a jerk!” is a teaching and encouragement tool for younger Christians looking to share the message of Jesus with those who are receptive.

    elevator pitch short version:

    How to be a Christian without being a jerk!

    elevator pitch long version:

    When you hear the word, “evangelism” do you want to run and hide? And you’re a Christian! Why would being connected to the greatest cause in the galaxies, sharing the message of hope and freedom that Jesus brings, be so awkward? There can be only one reason. You haven’t been reading “how to be a Christian without being a jerk!”

    “how to be a Christian without being a jerk!” is based on a few core principles:

    * Share the compassion of Jesus with everyone; share the message of Jesus with those who are receptive.
    * Spend way more time dealing with what you are for rather than what you are against.
    * Christianity is an astounding view of reality, and the reasonability of the Christian faith is clearly discovered through a careful, straightforward reading of the Bible.

    If Jesus is who he says he is, why wouldn’t he want to connect with you?

  • Brent Rose

    April 7th, 2009 3:18 am

    My tag-line / Elevator Pitch:

    “An actor’s attempt to create a new, distinct character every week, for fifty weeks. Video every Wednesday.”

    What do you think?

    The project just started last week, so check it out if you’re interested: http://50in50.wordpress.com

    Very excited about 31DBBB! Thanks for doing this!

  • Remco

    April 7th, 2009 3:21 am

    The short version of the elevator pitch (6 words) could also be your slogan.
    You could stick it everywhere on your blog……will think of my own short version to publish on sportential.com

  • tim

    April 7th, 2009 3:25 am

    Great to be a part of this training. The idea of an elevator pitch is extremely useful, both in conversation and in marketing/publicity about one’s blog.

    For studentlinc, my tagline is – “Developing lifelong leaders one student at a time.” There’s a lot packed into that statement that I can spend anywhere from 5 – 50 minutes talking about it.

    Looking forward to the journey!

  • Chris

    April 7th, 2009 3:28 am

    ThisMusicSucks.com: Showing you what is wrong with today’s music.

    RealFreeBSDTips.com: Real solutions to real FreeBSD problems.

  • Laura Christianson

    April 7th, 2009 3:30 am

    Timely article, Darren! Tonight I am teaching a workshop to a group of writers on how to deliver a “home run” elevator pitch to editors and agents. Am going to “borrow” a few of your ideas.

    Laura Christianson
    Twitter: @heblogssheblogs

  • David

    April 7th, 2009 3:33 am

    What a great topic for day 1, many thanks Darren.

    I created an elevator for my business website/blog, http://www.ctswestcork.com, without too much difficulty; but my personal blog is proving much harder.

    My personal blog, http://www.davidhollingworth.com, is a real mishmash of productivity postings, reviews and just general uninformed comment so it’s really not one thing or another.

    I think a lot of peoples blogs are like this (aren’t they?); but how do I create an elevator pitch for it?

    Perhaps I should decided to make the blog just one thing and move everything else off the blog?

    Hmmmm…. things to think about.

  • Anne

    April 7th, 2009 3:36 am

    Just wanted to add my Thanks for this. I’ve had a very short elevator pitch for some time for my blog “Dedicated to all things Antique, Vintage and collectable” but I think its a great idea to expand it to a loner one as well.
    Thinking of taking using this particular idea on my web shop
    http://www.antiquesavenue.co.uk
    as well as on the blog

  • Ching Ya

    April 7th, 2009 3:36 am

    Spent 2 hour or so to figure out the elevator pitch & the ‘About’ page. As much as I wanted to do this 2 weeks ago, finally got the urge due to the #Day 1 of BBB. Nothing too fancy for the pitch though…

    “A Comprehensive Social @ Blogging Guide for Dummies”~because I think like one

    Mainly because my blog is about analyzing & detailed, unique posts of the related subjects. The About page is a tough one to write. I wonder if these are ok?

    So there goes the Day 1, and it’s 1:30A.M now… worth the brain storming.

  • Vince Ong

    April 7th, 2009 3:38 am

    Hi guys!

    Well first of all I don’t classify myself as a pro blogger in the industry, particularly I blog about myself.

    My short elevator pitch would be ‘Vince’s Blog, His Story, His Profile’ and it clearly explains about my daily life, routines, works and just put it into my blog. My goal is to gather more personal-based blog bloggers and share among each other.

    Okay that’s what I can think of.

  • Paula G

    April 7th, 2009 3:39 am

    Great starting point for the series. If your blog is just an extension of your brand…. does it get it’s own elevator speech tweak or is it best to keep it consistent? My site is about comfortable in your own skin coaching and the blog is another look into that and visually branded similarly.

    Any suggestions on if a blog needs to distinguish itself further from the elevator speech of the business itself?

  • Justine

    April 7th, 2009 3:42 am

    Great place to start! I’m getting right on that!

  • Megan Smith

    April 7th, 2009 3:42 am

    Love this first assignment. Here’s my elevator pitch:

    Blog: Megan’s Minute, (www.megansminute.com)

    Tagline: Quirky Commentary Around The Clock.

    I’m like the Consumer Reports of media except more fun. Just like we’re all consumers of toothpaste, today we’re also consumers of media: television, movies, news and online video. I rate, rank and rake over the coals. My blog targets women of all colors and if I get riled up about something, you’ll know it.

    Can’t wait to see what you have for us tomorrow Darren!

  • Megan

    April 7th, 2009 3:43 am

    I have a food blog called Delicious Dishings. The tag line I’ve been using is “A place to dish on dishes.” I’m not sure how I feel about it though, and after reading some of your pointers, I agree that maybe a question could be more intriguing, such as, “What are you dishing up?”

    This really is forcing me to narrow down the point of my blog. I use it to write about new recipes I’ve tried or share meals that I’ve made up on my own or talk about restaurants I’ve been to. Sometimes I’ll highlight a new product or re-post an interesting food news article and give my thoughts on it. And I also plan to delve a bit into the history of publishing cookbooks, food books, and food magazines. Really anything food-related… so it’s hard to put that in one statement.

  • Ryan

    April 7th, 2009 3:45 am

    I am looking forward to this series very much. Unfortunately, I have not yet launched the blog that I was hoping to apply all of the lessons to. However, I will apply them to my personal blog and then also apply them once I have a chance to launch my new blog.

    I see the step of creating an elevator pitch as being quite helpful as a part of the process to develop a new blog (or refine an existing one). By having something in writing, it will help me to keep my blog focused and targeted on the key topic I am covering and on what my audience’s needs are.

  • Dorai Thodla

    April 7th, 2009 3:45 am

    Darren,
    Another of your great ideas. Thank you for taking us on this incredible journey. I am hoping to learn a lot from you and the community here and share a few bits of knowledge. I set up a new blog just for this purpose. it is work in progress:

    http://www.tools2think.org/infotools/

    Dorai

  • trish

    April 7th, 2009 3:47 am

    Would love some feedback on my Elevator Pitch.

    My blog is Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’?, and my tagline is “Reading is sexy.”

    I have an about page, but know I need to change it. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far for my Elevator Pitch. Seems like something’s missing or not quite right, but I can’t pinpoint it myself.

    Have you ever needed a good book recommendation, but didn’t know who to ask? That’s where I come in. I’m a prolific reader and will give you my honest opinion about a book. I also have author interviews, author guest posts, and general book talk. If you’re not an avid reader, I would still encourage you to hang around, because while books are my main focus, I talk about other things as well. I’m very chatty and live for the discussions that result in the comments.

  • Eight Women Dream

    April 7th, 2009 3:52 am

    I think I need to revamp my pitch.

  • Dorai Thodla

    April 7th, 2009 3:57 am

    I put the elevator pitch on the blog in the About page, but thought it may be easier for people to read it here:

    Short one:
    This blog will help you with tools and services for discovering, tracking, mining and visualizing information.

    The longer one:

    How do you discover useful information? How do you keep track of information essential to your organization? How do you track trends? How do you use information to increase innovation?

    We plan to focus on information tools:

    * For discovering information sources
    * For tracking information,
    * To detect early and emerging trends
    * To validate trends,
    * Every trend is an opportunity, let us find some

  • MusicBizGuy

    April 7th, 2009 3:58 am

    This exercise was extremely valuable.

    Changed the name of my blog to “MusicBizGuy Speaks” and my tag line to “The New Music Business Explained & Exposed”

  • The Producer

    April 7th, 2009 3:59 am

    “Food Review with a Twist:

    We here at Gimmie Something to Eat (GS2E) wanna eat your food and help those in the world who are hungry in the process.

    Sound too good to be true? Well, actually too good to pass up! Send us your food to eat. We will record us eating and critiquing your product, and entertain you all the way to the food bank.

    Only one dollar a day, days sold at face value. We will donate a portion of our proceeds to Second Harvest food bank. For every day sold we will donate $1, for every month that we sell out we will donate $300. If we sell out the entire year we will donate $5000.”

  • Marty

    April 7th, 2009 4:00 am

    Tag Line:
    Isn’t it about time we started thinking?

    Short Pitch:
    One Pretentious Bastard is a Blog where the lines between philosophy, slacking, pop culture and hard work blur.

    Longer Elevator Ride Pitch:
    Modernity requires us to consistently bend rules and blur lines. Given these pressures, I created this blog to help me understand where I fit in the scheme of things. By sharing my insights and experiences, and encouraging others to do the same, I believe it is possible to help us all understand who we are and our place in this world.

  • Dane

    April 7th, 2009 4:03 am

    “Bionic Butler is a high-concept blog that explores way to improve personal productivity at home — providing uplifting solutions for very busy people.”

    ~Dane / BionicButler.com

  • Jack Smith

    April 7th, 2009 4:08 am

    Great post on one of my favorite topics. Since I find it can often be helpful to have a couple of samples to help get you started, I thought I would leave a couple of my favorite ‘template’ ideas

    1 – I work with ___________(specific audience) who __________ (problem) and I show them how to __________ (solution)

    Using Darren’s it might look like this:

    I work with blog enthusiasts and professionals who want to increase their blogs impact and readership and I show them step-by-step how to easily optimize and market their blog to attract readers.

    2 – I support ___________ (specific audience) to transition from ___________(problem) to _______________(solution).

    3 – I help ___________ (specific audience) eliminate/reduce ___________(problem) in order to increase/expand ____________(solution).

    Cheers – @jackalert

  • adrianliem

    April 7th, 2009 4:12 am

    What a great start to Day 1! Following along from Vancouver, Canada, it looks like we’ll have tons and tons of comments to read by the time we get going on our tasks :)

    Here’s the pitch for a blog I’m working on (definitely open to feedback so feel free to critique!):

    The UltimateHandbook is the go-to destination where Ultimate players of all levels from all around the world learn plays, drills, strategies and skills of Ultimate Frisbee.

    Have you ever played Ultimate Frisbee? Did you know that Ultimate is one of the fastest growing team sports in the world?

    The UltimateHandbook is all about giving Ultimate Fisbee players an online resource on everything Ultimate.

    We feature animations of plays and drills, and give our visitors a way to ask questions about what they see. We also write articles covering a whole range of topics from Ultimate strategy and game tactics, to write-ups on training, eating right, gear reviews and the Ultimate lifestyle.

    Check us out at http://www.ultimatehandbook.com
    Or follow us on Twitter @ultihandbook

  • Noumaan

    April 7th, 2009 4:13 am

    I have a blog where I share quick tips that help me do something on my computer like converting media files or using margins on Google Docs. I used the pitch:

    “Tips and Tutorials to Make things Easier” after reading this blog post I have changed it to:

    “Computer Tips and Tutorials for non-IT Folks” I think it now looks more relevant to my main goal which is to publish tips and advise for non-IT users and secondly it also describes effectively what my blog is about.

    Thinking about the pitch made me realize that my blog’s title is not as good as it should be. Since I don’t have any significant number of readers right now I am thinking about changing it. But I can’t think of something that is short and describes my blog well.

    Noumaan
    http://easy-life.sabza.org
    Twitter: @noumaan_

  • Brian Bowers

    April 7th, 2009 4:13 am

    My website is about teaching actors the business side of entertainment…the current tagline says “entertainment, film, business, and life”

    Maybe “Learning the business of show business”?

  • ChristiaanH

    April 7th, 2009 4:14 am

    After reading this I decided to take a look at my “about” page. Turned out that there wasn’t a link to my about page on my blog!

    Well, got that solved..

    Looking forward to tomorrow

    “Mind the Beginner – A little blog on beginning, it sounds so simple but it’s quite complex. “

  • Amy @ parkcitygirl

    April 7th, 2009 4:15 am

    Great post – it’s got me thinking! I am a quilter/mommy blogger, my desire to better my blog is to make it a marketing tool in the future. I’ve had in my header “A look into my creative side, the people and things I love.” since day 1. Now I’m rethinking, this is still true, but I also want my blog to encourage and inspire quilters and moms. . . . thanks for the exercise — I’m looking forward to this month!

  • Wayne Lindgren

    April 7th, 2009 4:16 am

    Thanks for the opportunity to join in on the 1st of your -31DBBB blog in nars –

    Your first assignment got me thinking-I had changed my bi line yesterday to read “WE ARE HERE TO ENTERTAIN WITH COMPUTER TIPS AND TRICKS-PHOTOGRAPHIC TIPS AND VARIOUS CURRENT EVENTS-WE MIGHT ADD A LAUGH OR TWO ALONG THE WAY–SIGN UP TO THE RIGHT AND WE WILL SEND YOU OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER”

    My Blog is named “Remains of the Day” I think now after reading your first lesson that my bi line is lame–and I am going to work on it to revise, also I have come to the conclusion after viewing most of your commentators blogs that the best Elevator Pitch should be The Title of your Blog–

    Mine Remains of the Day says not too much of what I what to place in my blog so you have got me seriously thinking to loose that name and develop a Hook Name for it–Looking forward to the Rest of the Blog in nar

    Wayne

  • Musings of a Housewife

    April 7th, 2009 4:21 am

    Whew! That was HARD. I’m not sure mine is specific enough, but I’m pleased with this: Musings of a Housewife is the online diary of a busy mother of 3 writing about everything life dishes out with a pinch of humor and a hefty dose of reality.

  • McSweeps

    April 7th, 2009 4:22 am

    Off to a fine start. Challenging beginning as my unpublished earlier work (the blog) will need lots of revision. Perfect chance to make something of no-so-much.

  • Karen

    April 7th, 2009 4:23 am

    This is great – I decided to start a blog just for this as it’s something I’ve wanted to do and have had a difficult time getting a good focus. This exercise has helped me get it.
    My tag line is
    A Wealth of Possibilities with Possibilities of Wealth

  • Googs

    April 7th, 2009 4:24 am

    Wow!

    Great start for a week.

    As everyone can see..we all need to self reflect and put down on paper what we are trying to achieve. This will separate our (or in this forum..your) organization from others. The hardest part is making the statement snap!

  • happynutritionist.com

    April 7th, 2009 4:24 am

    Darren, I’m delighted to be a part of this series. I have a number of blogs, and they all need TLC, and you’re providing just what they need, thank you!

    Here are the pitches I’ve come up with for a few:

    Happy Nutritionist’s Nuggets – Certified Nutritionist who knows that everyone loves food, but wonders whether the food you’re eating is loving you back?

    HerBulletin – Medicinal Herbs working in Synergy to bring your body into harmony. How are you feeling today?

    Aspen the Yorkie – A little dog’s view of the world and how to be a happy, healthy pet, not matter what kind of animal you are…even human!

    Married to Politics – A wife finding her “political voice” in her struggle to come to terms with her husband’s love for politics

    Weeds and Seed Swap – Year-round fun in the Garden and Gardener’s Exchange – do you have something to trade?

    Now to go and add these to my blogs.

    Thanks again,

    Claudia

  • Mike

    April 7th, 2009 4:27 am

    Darren,

    This is an interesting way to kick this off – not what I’d expected.
    -
    Since I operate a humor site, I think the shorter it is the better off I am. The tagline from my header sets it up pretty nicely:

    Unpaid Entertainer: The Unfiltered Observations, Stories, Musings and Humor of Heedless, Misanthropic Extrovert.

  • Webgarden

    April 7th, 2009 4:27 am

    Hi Darren, Thanks for creating this challenge – this is a great opportunity for me to put on my “business hat” and streamline what my business is all about. That said, I am guessing that an elevator pitch can be different than your business tag line or slogan? If so, here’s what I’ve come up with:
    “Educate and Inspire the horticulture industry in web related topics such as SEO, Web Design, Web Marketing and eCommerce”

  • Felicia - I Complete Me

    April 7th, 2009 4:28 am

    This is great! I’m so excited about this.

  • Dean Saliba

    April 7th, 2009 4:28 am

    I am going to have to take a moment to read this again because it confused the hell out of me. :(

  • Hilary at Tandem Antiques

    April 7th, 2009 4:31 am

    This is harder than it sounds. Or perhaps I don’t know what the heck I am doing. (that was a joke.)

    Tandem Antiques & Design – What’s the coolest thing we have found lately?

    Gorgeous images and timely information relating to antiques from primitive to mid-century, art, design, interiors and the antiques trade. Hoping to stimulate dialogue and community in the antiques and design world, while selling fabulous items to people just like you.

    I dunno. Its a start. Great kick-off to the 31-day project!

  • Marc

    April 7th, 2009 4:36 am

    This is a great idea. I am really looking forward to the rest of the tasks.

    I am torn between these two short pitches. Does anyone have a favorite?

    Fun is everywhere. Together we’ll find it.
    or
    Octavarius.com is the internet playground for improv.

    Longer: On Octavarius.com you can sink your teeth into improv theory, find a show, and meet other players. At the very least, you will find something to make you smile.

  • Denise Fisher

    April 7th, 2009 4:39 am

    My current WordPress blog is where I’m getting up to speed with blogging, until I make the switch to my own site. I’m still rethinking the name (comments about it are welcome, thanks).

    (blog’s website) http://denisefisher.wordpress.com
    (current working title) Denise Fisher’s Blog
    (proposed new title) Before Your Next Birthday
    (tagline) Get Fit, Get Organized, Get Your Financial Affairs In Order

    (elevator pitch) A blog for NPRme troops, baby boomers, and entrepreneurs who need to get their act together so they can figure out what they’re going to be when they grow up. Fitness, finances, and organization are interconnected and use similar skills. They’re at the top of every New Year’s resolution list. If you haven’t been able to get it together yet, maybe you DO need to make a major production out of it. Don’t wait for a starting date – start now and work toward a deadline – Before Your Next Birthday.

    My comments about other blogs listed above:

    Riayn – Spud on the Run – I concur with others, your name & tagline are both clever and clear.

    Rarst – I like how you break down the construction into components of tone, content, and standout elements. Cool concept. Works for your description too.

    Libby – FiberArtistToo – outstanding and concise tagline.

    Shannan – Living a Whole Life – I like your simpler (existing) tagline better. Be careful not to creep into the edge of corporate-mission-statement speak – it clashes with the organic flavor of your subject. Nice site, BTW.

    The Producer – Gimmie Something To Eat – What a wild concept! How creative and intriguing. I’d like to see it evolve into something a little more credible at some point, but you’ve got a cool model to start.

    MattyBee – Very practical e-learning concept. I like it. It’s explained clearly in your description. Also, your pitch has a nice rhythm to it.

    Phil – pixelking.org – check the spelling: “focused” rather than “focussed”. Like the concept, but you might want to try phrasing your pitch with verbs. I think it would read better.

    Ben Spark – ReadtoMeDad – Excellent name, and the pitch expands the idea with perfect detail.

    Scary Mommy – very descriptive pitch (and name) with a great sense of authenticity.

    FoodRenegade – beautiful food photos at your site, and your pitch is clear and descriptive.

    JEM – Admin Chronicles – your second rewrite is better, but a little stuffy and generic. Maybe try some variations using verbs or some specific details.

    Lucie – Powderroom – your elevator pitch helps complement and explain the catchy title and tagline. (Whew, I was wondering who would have a blog about cocaine.)

  • Pranav

    April 7th, 2009 4:42 am

    I am planning to promote myself as a developer and hence I plan to have

    “C# and asp.net developer” on my homepage and “C# and asp.net examples and tutorials” as my blog tagline.

    My elevator speech would be:

    “a .net developer with experience in Microsoft technologies right from the days of classic ASP and Vb to .net 3.5,silverlight 2 and ASP.NET MVC”

  • The Diva on a Diet

    April 7th, 2009 4:43 am

    Great first post, thanks so much Darren!

    I’ve had my short, one line, version of the elevator pitch since day one of my blog: “Beach Eats – A Dangerous Combination of Dieting and Mascara.” I think it sums up both my mission and my personality in one catching little line.

    The longer version, however, needs some work. I’ll post it here, but will take this teach as an opportunity to refine it and make it as good as my one line pitch. Here ’tis:

    “Beach Eats”, takes a humorous look at food, dining, dieting and city life. Writing in character as “The Diva on a Diet”, T. explores all things delicious and even shares a make-up tip or two. Beach Eats offers scrumptious and healthy recipes, restaurant reviews and more to a varied and growing audience. Surf on over and join the fun!

  • Rehuel

    April 7th, 2009 4:53 am

    “A few good notes” is a collection of my web design and development related experiences in a Linux environment. (http://afewgoodnotes.com/2009/04/06/a-few-good-notes-in-a-few-perfect-words/)

    Blogging Notes is about my twist on blogging experiences and experiments (http://bloggingnotes.com/2009/04/06/what-is-blogging-notes-the-elevator-pitch/)

  • Make Money Online

    April 7th, 2009 4:54 am

    Todays task may not seem all that difficult but trust making a elevator pitch is no easy task. Requires loads of patience and thoughts. I am still not able to figure out much.

  • Darin Wimbrough

    April 7th, 2009 4:54 am

    Here is my elevator pitch for my company:

    Simplicity makes IT simple again for small to medium business. Our realm of IT covers Website design all the way to IT Systems Management.

  • Bruce Allen

    April 7th, 2009 4:55 am

    This was harder than I thought it would be:

    Boston Sports Media Watch observes the state of sports coverage throughout New England. The site provides daily roundups of all sports stories from the local newspapers, and hits back at some of the cheap shot artists that reside in the press boxes. We’ll get you the latest programming changes, and news on the top writers and broadcasters in Boston. Heard or seen something that annoyed you? We’re probably already talking about it – come and join in the discussion!

  • Andrew Smyth

    April 7th, 2009 4:55 am

    Darren – I am going to have to work on this task a bit. My blog is centered around a new concept/technology that most have never heard of so creating an effective pitch is tricky. My logo has the pitch:
    “Giving A Kick To Online Video”

    While this is an attempt at being clever it doesn’t explain exactly what the blog does. I’ll continue to work on it though.

  • Patrick @ There's a Blog in my Soup

    April 7th, 2009 4:56 am

    I must say I’m absolutely thrilled to be apart of this project. I was worried at first that it was going to be more hashed up information for beginner bloggers. I’m absolutely excited to find the first topic to be more intermediate to advanced. Something that’s not always discussed.

    As for my blog it’s about blogging, social media, and making money. My Elevator pitch and tagline is:

    Your online guide to: Social Media Marketing, Blogging, Making Money, SEO(Search Engine Optimization), (SEM)Search Engine Marketing, and Affiliate marketing. This is one make money blog with a whole lot of attitude!

  • @stuartflatt

    April 7th, 2009 4:59 am

    Wow lots of double posts…..

    Elevator pitch

    ‘A sexist man blog, Gadgets, Cars, Girls, Bikes, Screen, Music, Sports and anything remotely cool…

    AverageJoesBlog.com, for the man in you’

    Sorry only had a few mins as migrating a couple of servers, but it’s short and catchy, slightly controversial but in a way my target audience will find entertaining ;o)

  • Bridget Casas

    April 7th, 2009 4:59 am

    There are many responses to your day one post already! I have been working on my “elevator pitch” and I re-wrote my one paragraph sticky post. I already had my short one, and I had a paragraph to say what I was doing, but after I read your ideas this morning, I went back to it and saw that it really did not say anything! I hope now it does and if by chance you can look at it, please do! I believe this is going to be a great adventure! Thank you.

  • SkyKid

    April 7th, 2009 5:05 am

    I have been thinking of the Elevator Pitch for my blog for a long time – only I prefer to think of it in terms of a mission , or reason for existence .

    The short version I came up for my blog is :

    ” TheSkyKid.com – Coming of age movie reviews ”

    The longer version is :

    TheSkyKid.com – Reviews on coming of age movies are about bringing the most honest impressions about the action, the plot and the act himself. A young talent is really hard to find so I’m trying to search the rarest and the most interesting stuff so I can share it with you

    Both version are displayed on my about page and on the Faq page on my blog. I am using them always when I have to explain what my blog is about – mainly when talking with other bloggers , potential guest authors …etc

  • Techsys

    April 7th, 2009 5:06 am

    Darren,

    Thanks for hosting the 31-day program. A really good first day of thought provoking ideas. I certainly hope each day is as educational as today!

    My goal for the 31-day program is to eliminate the mental roadblocks that are preventing me from committing 3 decades of unique technical experiences into writing.

    Some say that once you put your goal in writing, it’s easier to achieve the goal. I’m hitting enter before I have a chance to cancel my written committment… :-)

    RJ

  • Nikhil

    April 7th, 2009 5:08 am

    Exceptional Article.
    I think that the Elevator pitch can be used at our job interviews also. This will be the powerful tool to impress.
    From a long time I was thinking about the pitch which I can use in the about page. The time had came now.
    Check out my about page in 2-3 days :)

  • Joyce

    April 7th, 2009 5:13 am

    I don’t have my tag line in writing anywhere yet but I do have one. My blog is: From this side of the pond. My tag line…

    The everyday life of an American ex pat living in England.

    I’d like to tweak it. I’ve lived in the UK for almost 6 years but only started blogging in January. One of the reasons I started my blog was to help me record some of my thoughts on repatriating back to the US sometime this year.

    I’m looking forward to learning more.

    Cheers,
    Joyce

  • Kayla

    April 7th, 2009 5:13 am

    A great first day of the series. I’ll surely be creating an Elevator Pitch when I get off of work. Thanks for all the great advice!

  • Dale Cruse

    April 7th, 2009 5:14 am

    Unlike so many of my peers, I write about wine without pretentiousness, so my pitch and tagline is: “Wine without bullshit.”

  • Marcie

    April 7th, 2009 5:16 am

    Thanks so much for this information. Definitely something to think about – short and simple!

  • Ian | Quantum Learning

    April 7th, 2009 5:18 am

    Very helpful exercise! I had my 30 second pitch already on my site but it was helpful to go back and look at it again 9and change it).

    Quantum Learning – “nonviolence as a lifestyle”

    Join me to build a World where conflicts are solved peacefully and everyone is valued irrespective of wealth, origin, colour or beliefs. We can’t solve the big issues out there until we’ve taken care of the small stuff in here. Quantum Learning is about bringing nonviolence into our daily lives – right here, right now.

  • Cindy Schultz

    April 7th, 2009 5:19 am

    My Elevator Pitch:
    The Mom Maven reviews products and services geared to families. The Mom Maven links to other great family sites and shares ideas and information to help you be the best mom you can be.

    My Tag Line:
    Helping you be the best mom you can be.

  • Zannniee

    April 7th, 2009 5:26 am

    “My blog is about me! Hopefully, this is a frequently delightful, refreshing, look at life and the people in it as viewed by a gamer girl, a writer, and a role player. ‘Hey does anyone know if she pronounces that Zan-Knee or Zany?’”

    That’s my elevator pitch. My blog started as an experiement so I could learn how to do it. Now it’s so much more. But still about me! LOL, I’m really pretty shy, but do have thoughts on many things.

  • Kim

    April 7th, 2009 5:30 am

    My blog is a mish mash of all things Mom.

    So I went with the elavator pitch: Capturing Life From A Mother’s Point of View

  • Julie P.

    April 7th, 2009 5:33 am

    My site is not live yet, but in the works. It’s most likely going to be called “Backwoods Babe”. I threw together this draft of my Elevator pitch.

    Tag Line – Empowering Women in the Backcountry

    You want to know what gear you will need for your first backpacking trip. You want to build a fire. You don’t want to eat freeze dried meals. You want to learn how to mountain bike. You want to be able to find your way when you leave the trail. You want to believe that you can be self sufficient in the back country on your own. You can.

    You believe that a woman’s gear should not just be smaller and pink. You don’t believe that women perspire, we sweat. You want to find the best sleeping bag to keep you warm. You want to know the best ways to protect the environment while enjoying the outdoors. You want advice on staying warm in winter that is not, “Just suck it up, it’s not that cold.” You want to laugh at the mistakes that other women have made, and then learn from them.

    You want to win cool gear.

    You are a woman. You are strong. You don’t take any crap and you don’t let men carry your gear.

    You have come to the right place.

  • Matt Cheuvront

    April 7th, 2009 5:33 am

    BLOG: Life Without Pants

    TAGLINE: A no pants blog about everything and nothing

    CONCEPT: Life Without Pants is without limits, without restrictions, sort of like wearing no pants. We talk about everything from entrepreneurship to unicorns, sustainability and technology, to zombies and sports. Go commando, and take a walk on the pantsless side of life!

    http:/www.lifewithoutpants.com

  • Mary H.

    April 7th, 2009 5:35 am

    I have a short description in the sidebar for my blog, but I’ve never given it enough though. This is good motivation for me to really refine what I’m trying to say in that space!

    My blog’s only a few months old, so I’m still working on finding exactly what niche I want to be in. I mostly blog about animal behavior and positive training methods.

    Mary H.
    http://stalecheerios.com/blog –a serial for positive animal training

  • Sami - Life, Laughs & Lemmings

    April 7th, 2009 5:37 am

    Great idea. I have a tagline that I could use as an elevator speech but I’m not 100% happy with it so I’ll use your article to tweak it. Thanks very much.

  • Jeff

    April 7th, 2009 5:39 am

    Active Blog:

    “Helping Small and Home Businesses Use Technology Make More Money”

    Blog in Development:

    “Advice to professionals and low to mid-level managers who need to find a job fast.”

  • Allen of Eating Out Loud

    April 7th, 2009 5:39 am

    Here’s my elevator pitch:

    Eating Out Loud taste-tests unique ingredients and global flavors, sharing easy to make recipes that turns ordinary cooking into an extraordinary adventure.

    I appreciate any thoughts or feedback — thanks!

  • Mandy

    April 7th, 2009 5:46 am

    My elevator pitch:

    Since My Divorce is a collection of women’s stories about their greatest accomplishments since getting divorced. Each lady shares what made her accomplishment so significant and what resources helped. The tone is inspirational, motivational – encouraging women who are going through divorce, that there will be joy and light in the future.

    My tag line:
    Personal stories of achievements and reflections.

  • WOMWON

    April 7th, 2009 5:47 am

    “Women’s Community”

    Short and effective.

  • Debra Askanase

    April 7th, 2009 5:49 am

    Darren, this really intrigued me. Of course I have my own personal elevator pitch, but a blog pitch? I should have thought of that! I not only enjoyed the post. but the comments have been really interesting and intriguing as well.

    Here’s mine: Community Organizer 2.0 – analyzing the intersection of social media, technology and nonprofit organizations.

  • John Lucas

    April 7th, 2009 5:52 am

    My short pitch also serves as the site tage line.

    FireEducator.com – Where Life Safety Experts Make A Difference.

    The expanded pitch:

    By building a community to share ideas and programs, we can make a difference in the safety and well-being of others within our own communities. You will find innovative ideas and programs from people just like you as well as resources to help build your presentation style and motivate you to do the best job that you can do each and every day.

  • Juliet Chase

    April 7th, 2009 5:54 am

    I’m going to try to post my replies for these exercises to keep myself honest in really fully completing them!

    I have 3 blogs going currently:
    http://www.7greenstairs.com – sharing the journey to achieving dreams with advice and meditative rest stops.

    This is a blog to share self development and tips for living a more joyful life. There are weekly visual meditations; a photograph with a thought provoking theme and weekly updates on the status of my personal journey to share what it’s like during the process as opposed to the more usual hindsight found in books.

    http://www.Nurdle.net – Celebrating quirky things and quirky people.

    Topics include video, gadgets, news, occasional conceptual ramblings on my part, and anything else that seems to fit the localized definition of nurdle – which is quirky and offbeat, but with a certain sense of joy.

    psychic-horoscope.blogspot.com – fun finds and tidbits in the area of astrology, psychics, tarot and feng shui.

    Topics include books, websites, calculators and anything else that looks interesting, does not appear to be a scam or redundant,and is either free or available for purchase from a very reputable source.

  • momstheword

    April 7th, 2009 5:54 am

    I just found your blog thru a link on another blog. It’s cool that I got in on the first day of this.

    It’s obvious from my boring “About Me” and the tag in my header or my profile that I have given no thought to being clever or pitching my blog or anything.

    Clearly it sounds like someone who thought, “OOooh, I think I’ll start a blog today” and didn’t give much thought of what to say.

    I have to think about this whole thing. Thank you for the instruction!

  • Paul Gardner

    April 7th, 2009 5:55 am

    Thanks for the great reminder Darren. I’ve incorporated both Tag Line and full pitch into my sites and written a post asking for comments and suggestions to improve. I’d appreciate anybodies input here.

    My Tag Line:
    Asking questions and sharing answers about productivity and leadership

    My Elevator Pitch:
    We all want to really “Make a Difference” in the lives of people around us. This site is about becoming better leaders and a more productive people. As well as sharing my learnings for the benefit of others I hope and pray that others will share with me as we all strive to make this world a better place to live.

  • CGabriel

    April 7th, 2009 5:55 am

    Hey Darren,

    My elevator pitch has always been in short form – though not quite as short as your spot-on six words. Here it is: Blog Harbor offers observations, insights and the occasional rant on current events, sports and the quirky side of life.

    It’s a take-off from my talk radio program which is the same format. Now, however, I have two audio satires that run on my blog – the “trick” is figuring out how to incorporate them into the short elevator pitch. Or would that end up falling into the category of Too Much? I’m a firm believer in “Less is More.”

    All I’m “selling” at Blog Harbor are text and audio designed to make you think and make you laugh. A thought or two from the Oracle at ProBlogger would be welcomed with open arms. :-)

  • Firstborn

    April 7th, 2009 6:07 am

    Great information Darren. I am looking forward to the next 30 days of resourceful material. I can definitely use the help.

    Regards,
    Otis

  • Bo

    April 7th, 2009 6:08 am

    Daily Time Management Tips

    Short and effective

  • Donna

    April 7th, 2009 6:14 am

    Good first day tip. My tagline was a bit long. I was able to break it into the tagline and elevator pitch. Thanks!

  • David

    April 7th, 2009 6:15 am

    I hope some of you can chime in on my elevator. My blog may not make this clear at the moment, but this is what I have come up with and will work to implement on my site so that IT IS clear.

    http://www.davidsilvaonline.com

    “David Silva Online serves as a platform for artists such as myself to share their art, graphics, photography and provide design solutions and inspirational tutorials.”

  • Bruidsfotografie

    April 7th, 2009 6:17 am

    Great first day advice! Makes you think about the ‘why’ part. I know I never gave this much thought before…

  • Megan Taylor

    April 7th, 2009 6:18 am

    Documenting the people, projects and technologies that are changing the way we tell stories

  • amanda lee

    April 7th, 2009 6:28 am

    Tagline: “Style. Substance. Sartoria…For people who are busy with other things.”

    Short speech: “I write about fashion, design, finance, productivity, decor, and happiness. I love fashion, but I think that it’s meaninless if you’re not intelligent, productive, and happy.”

  • Nicole/Madlab Post

    April 7th, 2009 6:34 am

    Darren,

    I just rolled out of bed recently so I will post my elevator pitch later. I may write a few and get some other people to vote on the best one and then use that one.

  • Matt

    April 7th, 2009 6:36 am

    My current tagline is “from average to extraordinary” and I think that’s a great start for an elevator pitch.

    I want something like “I help people who are merely above average create extraordinary lives”.

    However, I want to make clear that I have always only been above average… and that the blog is me trying to create an extraordinary life, and helping other people do it as well.

    Anybody have any suggestions how to get that across while still keeping it short and succinct?

  • MC

    April 7th, 2009 6:38 am

    Hey Darren,

    Great post. I’m hoping this will really help me solidify the playing field for my blog. I’m someone who is very interested in so many different things so it’s tempting to try and include all of my interests into one blog. Music is my first passion, my education and my career so it makes most sense to start there, both from “writing what I know” perspective and from a career advancement perspective. If I manage to create a successful blog in music then I can see about expanding my areas of expertise. In this case I’m taking a page from your playbook – rather than trying to incorporate all of your Twitter articles and knowledge into ProBlogger, you started TwiTip.

    I look forward to tackling this task after work tonight, and can’t wait for the rest of the posts this month!

  • Rachel Langston

    April 7th, 2009 6:39 am

    Too Full Of Hands, the blog, is my effort to entertain, enlighten and explain a little bit of how I juggle all the roles I play, even when my hands are full!

  • Dragos Roua

    April 7th, 2009 6:43 am

    “The Choice Of A Personal Path” – the tagline makes a good elevator pitch for my blog. This is all about it: helping other to make the choice for their personal paths. And many times it helps me find my own personal path.

    Well, that was the first day, I love this challenge :-)

    Look forward for the next ones.

  • Tim Jackson

    April 7th, 2009 6:44 am

    Great post!

    I’m so glad to see a post that promotes improvement through content not just Internet trickery.

    Thanks!

  • Matt

    April 7th, 2009 6:48 am

    Willblogforgood…

    Actually, we’ll all just be better.

    The great thing about blogs is that people can read as many as they want. Thinking in terms of a scarcity mindset is counterproductive.

  • Wanida

    April 7th, 2009 6:52 am

    I have been thinking about my elevator pitch all day. I came up with, ‘tpolitics from a theologian’s perspective and theology from a politician’s perspective”, for the short version.

    It’s not catchy but it sums up what I have been trying to do and hope to do better in the future.

    The longer version is 150 words exactly and I don’t dare put it up here yet – still a little unsure of myself but will hopefully pluck up the courage!

    Thanks for the outline and looking forward to the next 30 days – hope I can stay the course!

  • Dana Mark

    April 7th, 2009 6:54 am

    Thanks for a great 31-day project to help us, and thanks for the first day’s teaching. My initial “short” elevator pitch for a bargain hunting site: “Finding great bargains for you so you can save some money!”

  • Anne Wayman

    April 7th, 2009 6:54 am

    http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/2009/04/the-writers-elevator-pitch/

    sigh… sort of… but you’ve got me thinking which is (probably) good.

    A

  • Janet Barclay

    April 7th, 2009 6:56 am

    I didn’t think the first day would be such a toughie! It’s my own fault, because my blog is too broad in scope. I am in the process of starting a separate niche blog, and I think by separating that topic, I may find it easier to narrow the focus of this one. For now, I’ve added this to my About Me page:

    In my main blog, From the Desk of Janet Barclay, I share insights and helpful tips I’ve picked up while operating my home-based business. You can read more of my tips, articles, and other thoughts at …

  • Melissa

    April 7th, 2009 7:07 am

    Hi Darren,

    We started our blog to help our customers connect with the designer and founder Melissa and learn more about our products and events.

    Our blog focuses on a few things- inspiring women in business, MB products, MB new items, Melissa’s favorite things is too vague of a blog?

    Please let me know your thoughts.

    Thanks!
    Melissa

  • Miss Cal.Q.L8

    April 7th, 2009 7:16 am

    http://misscalculate.blogspot.com

    Miss Cal.Q.L8: the positives and negatives of teaching high school math

    Miss Cal.Q.L8 shares the up, downs, and all-a-rounds of teaching. From serious tosilly, this blog offers help, hope, and happiness to the teacher in all of us. It’s practical and inspirational. From the miscalculations of math to the miscalculations in life, there are tips and tricks for everything. Read it to learn, laugh, and like math. How can you improve your teaching skills? Learn from one ‘miscalculation’ at a time.

  • Kate Foy

    April 7th, 2009 7:17 am

    This has come at absolutely the right time for me. I am blending two blogs together and grappling with how to bring content and going forward with a new focus. Thinking about the blog in terms of an elevator pitch is very useful for the new tag lines, About page, social networking and general branding of my blog.

    I’m on to it!

  • onna@toddlercraft

    April 7th, 2009 7:23 am

    It is so funny that you had this as our first task!! I was trying to do this last night!! Not that I knew it was called an elevator pitch! I was trying to think up a line for my business card to catch peoples attention. This is what I came up with…

    Toddler Craft: A blog Dedicated to Fun Crafts & Tips for kids 1-7

    Feedback would be appreciated!! I am not sure if I am moving in the right direction on this.

    I am really looking forward to do this!! I like having tasks to complete!

  • Jennine

    April 7th, 2009 7:23 am

    Ok, I have two blogs… so here goes, the pitches need to be improved, but I’ll work on that.

    The Coveted
    tagline: be lovely • be stylish • be coveted
    EP: Everyday The Coveted shares fashion inspiration and relates it to unique personal style. We cover personal styling tips, tutorials, reviews, fashion events, emerging designers, vintage clothing, eco-fashion, and sometimes technology….

    Independent Fashion Bloggers (IFB)
    tagline: Stylish & Savvy
    EP: IFB cultivates a community for fashion bloggers to share their experiences and creates a resource so everyone can build a better blog. We do this by posting helpful tips on our blog, host a community linking group, forums and our newest feature LittleBirdie: a platform to connect bloggers and PR in a safe and mutually beneficial way.

  • Barb

    April 7th, 2009 7:23 am

    My tagline is: “Empowerment for Women.”

    My pitch is that I provide advice to weakened women to help them go from mice to mavericks. I’ve been through many tough struggles in my life and I can help others through what I’ve learned along the way.

    This blog has been lying dormant for 9 months, but I believe your challenge, Darren, will give me the kick in the ass I need to get it going again. Thanks!
    –Barb

  • Kristen

    April 7th, 2009 7:23 am

    Here’s my elevator speech. I would love to get input from the other participants:

    “Great resources for serious readers who like to have fun”

    (My blog provides discussion questions, study guides, reviews, and other resources to help book clubs — and solo readers — get the most out of what they’re currently reading and what they might want to read in the future).

    Thanks for doing this, Darren!

  • Adrienne Jamiel

    April 7th, 2009 7:28 am

    Darren…just in time…I have the YogaWomen.net blog up but have been stalled…your assignment has reminded me why I stated it in the first place…have NEVER been able to develop an elevator pitch before…here is it…

    Do you know that during Yoga’s 8000 year long history, that every spiritual practice passed from male teacher to male student was created by men to support and to accommodate male anatomy, psychology, physiology and communication style?

    YogaWomen explores and explains how gender differences such as pelvic structure, low back curve, elbow joint angle, foot shape and even language preferences affect the hundred’s of thousands of women throughout the world who practice yoga every day in a way that was specifically designed for men.

    YogaWomen contributing writers offer solutions that support and serve a woman’s physical, emotional and spiritual development while, at the same time, preserving the essential wisdom of the yogic path which we acknowledge is beyond gender.

  • Donald Wickham

    April 7th, 2009 7:34 am

    My tagline is: “Exploring Relationships and Other Life Foundations”

    My elevator pitch

    To help others unlock the magic that God has placed in them, both personally and for their business.

    Donald

  • Joel

    April 7th, 2009 7:38 am

    Wow. I read this when I woke up (back when it had 12 comments) and had to go to work. I’ve had the short version of “Education for educators” for years now.

    I’ve been thinking about this on and off throughout the day, and decided to modify my About Page and take out some of the superfluous words and information and make it my succinct long version.

  • sarah mae

    April 7th, 2009 7:40 am

    Nicole/madlab: ” I may write a few and get some other people to vote on the best one and then use that one.”

    Excellant idea! I am going to do the same!

  • Shane Hudson

    April 7th, 2009 7:46 am

    I had so much trouble with this! I have trouble putting my website aims into words.. but I know what I mean. I wrote about it on my website, please take a look Darren.

    http://successcircuit.com/developing-the-inner-self-is-part-of-developing-the-outer-self/

  • I am a US Blogger

    April 7th, 2009 7:49 am

    Is it a tag line like “Latest Gadgets News, Reviews, Tips and Tricks” appropriate for my gadget blog?? Please help me!

  • Coop

    April 7th, 2009 7:52 am

    What a great way to start off. Here’s my short pitch for my movie review site:

    “The Small Town Critic: shooting bad movies in the kneecap since 2001.”

    I already like it much better than my long one.

  • Karl Foxley

    April 7th, 2009 8:01 am

    Very informative blog post. I have an elevator pitch but after reading this post I’ve decided I can tweak it and make it a bit more punchy.

    Thanks for the great post.

    Karl

  • Charles Bohannan

    April 7th, 2009 8:06 am

    Short pitch: Wordful helps bloggers create exceptional content.

    Long pitch: Wordful helps bloggers create exceptional content by teaching them how to think and act like their blog’s Editor-in-Chief. Bloggers who are editors have much better control over the quality of their content and the connection with their audience.

    The skills of an editor will be in high demand as the revenue models for content publishing evolve.

    Wordful focus on editorial strategy, writing, editing, publishing, mindset, reviews and profiles of products, services, people, blogs and other websites

    Wordful considers itself the ultimate compliment to Problogger, which focuses mainly on “how to blog,” and Copyblogger, which focuses blog copywriting.

    I don’t have a good tagline yet. It’s something I’ve been pondering for several months now. I’ll find one soon enough!

  • Susan Keeping

    April 7th, 2009 8:11 am

    My tagline is:

    my world and welcome to it…
    The musings of a slightly motivated writer

    Like others, mine is an eclectic blog with a mix of personal opinion, book reviews, web site reviews, poems and speeches.

  • stephen

    April 7th, 2009 8:12 am

    Great post – really got me focused.
    The two blogs I’m working on will I think chart new paths so I’m reluctant to post my pitches in this competitive environment but you can rest assured they’re taped up on the wall behind my monitor and loaded into my iPhone “notes” so I can spend every spare minute memorizing them and rehearsing…
    best, Stephen

  • Atherton Bartelby

    April 7th, 2009 8:19 am

    Thanks for this excellent inaugural post and task for your 31 day challenge, Darren; it’s an excellent vantage point from which to step back and consider our blogs from a different, and perhaps more concise, and (hopefully) unique, perspective.

    I am currently rethinking the content and the “thrust” of my blog, so to speak, so this is an excellent point from which to dive into the next 31 days, and really think seriously about what I am currently offering, and will continue to offer, in my space.

    For the elevator pitch I came up with: “Curious briefings on culture, design, and the digital world, as observed through the looking glass by Atherton Bartelby.” Of course, being me, that was not nearly enough, so I wrote a post to amplify on it: http://athertonbartelby.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/the-curious-pitch/

    This was a very useful exercise to begin this rather exciting project. Thanks! And I look forward to the following days!

  • Natalie Green

    April 7th, 2009 8:23 am

    Flaws are the best part.

    Life is not about being perfect. It’s about heart.
    I write for busy people that do too much and want to be reminded that they share the world with beautifully flawed human beings – like them.

    Selflessness is the most over-rated virtue – and parents; remember: taking care o’ you is the 2nd best thing you can do for your children.

  • Peter Konz

    April 7th, 2009 8:29 am

    Darren, thanks so much for the challenge. I have done something like this before in a sales training course. A thirty second commercial, if you will. I had not thought of it for my blog, but the exercise has been great. Especially given the reasons and applications for having the elevator pitch. I came up with this short version for the tag line:

    “Our faith journeys: places of connection, friction, and intersection between God and humankind.”

  • Dayle Doroshow

    April 7th, 2009 8:32 am

    Great first day. Thanks you!

    My shortie is “Nurturing the Creative Spark”
    My long versions is:
    How do we find that small seed of an idea, the inspiration, and ignite this “spark” to become the project we imagine? Through workshops and individual mentoring, I’ll share with you easy, fun and non-threatening ways to feed, care for, focus on and grow your idea until it blossoms into the creative project you envision.
    Think grand, dream big.

  • How To Blog

    April 7th, 2009 8:33 am

    My new tagline is: wanna know how to blog? wordpress secrets revealed right here!

    My elevator pitch is: Do you want to know how to start your own blog? Find out how to create a WordPress blog, all by yourself, even if you are a complete newbie.

    Sarah

  • @CuriousDina

    April 7th, 2009 8:33 am

    Great start, Darren. I’m applying this challenge to both my marriage blog, and the romance guide I’m writing.

    For the blog, my tagline is:
    Mastering marriage and midlife one boondoggle at a time.

    Which usually works to start the conversation, if only for people to ask about boondoggle (such fun to say).

    For the book, I’m toying with:
    More fun and romance in just one click!

    It captures the topic & the idea the book is web-based but just doesn’t….sing. I’m sure I’ll see great example here. Thanks for all the useful links, folks.

  • Tommy

    April 7th, 2009 8:39 am

    Thanks for the post and the program. I hope I have the time to do all 31 days. Ok, so it took the day but I have finished the first assignment. I posted the process on my blog, in fact I will be posting each assignment on my blog as I finish them. I am using this exercise to get back into blogging regularly. I have neglected it in the past few months due to time constraints and laziness. Anyhow here it is:

    Tagline: Grand Gravey: The journey of an artist through technology, gaming, and beyond.

    Elevator Pitch: Grand Gravey: The journey of an artist through technology, gaming, and beyond. Join me as I discuss new technologies, video games, art as I create it, and blogging while attempting to use new ideas and technology to further my understanding and mastery of all these things.

    You can see the post at http://grandgravey.com/2009/04/31dbbb-day-1-elevator-pitch.html if you are interested.

  • Trishas Travels

    April 7th, 2009 8:52 am

    Great to be part of this challenge.

    My elevator pitch: Follow our journey from struggling internet marketers to living on the road full-time in our RoadTrek RV!

  • Dominique

    April 7th, 2009 9:04 am

    Great first post! I’m looking forward to the series taking my blog to the next level. My tag line is: Bringing You The Best in Gospel Music

  • Wayne John

    April 7th, 2009 9:09 am

    Running with “Simplified Web Development and Blogger Help”

    Would love any feedback from other members. I need to change the width to accommodate the larger tag line. :)

    Thanks again for doing this Darren! Cheers!

  • Anne Maybus

    April 7th, 2009 9:10 am

    This is the perfect starting point for me. Your timing is great! I am really looking forward to this whole event.

  • Beth Robinson

    April 7th, 2009 9:12 am

    I recently updated my tagline to be “thinking towards the whole to create better solutions.”

    It elaborates on my blog’s name, Inventing Elephants, which is intended to be more sticky than descriptive, but I still feel that I’m not capturing everything quite right.

  • Alta Web Works

    April 7th, 2009 9:13 am

    I’ve never heard this called an “elevator pitch” before, but I love it. Here are mine:

    Short (tagline):
    Information to help you build your internet business

    Longer version (103 words):
    Alta Web Works has one goal: to help you build your internet business. Whether you are just starting out, are established and wanting to grow, or are setting up a internet presence, we are here to help. We will offer information, website templates and specialized software all related to growing your internet business.

    The articles at Alta Web Works will cover all kinds of topics related to websites, web design, internet marketing and business issues. Some will be more for beginners, some will be more advanced, but all the articles will offer up-to-date information about topics of interest to web entrepreneurs.

  • Sam Stokes

    April 7th, 2009 9:15 am

    The devschool blog provides insight into the development of online games and is designed for use by students as well as professors.

  • Sam Stokes

    April 7th, 2009 9:16 am

    The Microsoft Research Blog is to examine how the reader, such as university students as well as professors can use Microsoft Research in their academic efforts.

  • needmoney.com

    April 7th, 2009 9:18 am

    Good start. Just wrote my pitch and started adding it to my email signature. cheers Darren.

  • Sam Stokes

    April 7th, 2009 9:18 am

    The Silverlight games site provides information and thinking on how to implement web site based games using Microsoft tools such as Expressions and Visual Studio. The target audience is students and professors, although hobbyists and working web developers.

  • Nichelle

    April 7th, 2009 9:18 am

    My blog’s tagline is…

    Giving students, teachers, and parents an edge in dance education.

    I wrote this one first:

    Dance Advantage is an online resource for and about dance students, teachers, studio owners, and parents. It features constantly updated articles that relate to the education of dancers, primarily focusing on the study of and training in concert dance forms like ballet, jazz, and contemporary. Creator, Nichelle Strzepek writes about dance as a way to share her thoughts and passion for dance art and education. Dance Advantage strives to provide high quality information that will supplement students’ in-class learning and experiences as well as inspire and support teachers in their work.

    Then, I realized it was a bit dry so I altered it a bit…

    Are You A Dance Student? So am I.
    Are You A Dance Teacher? So am I.
    Do You Have A Passion For Dance? So do I!
    I’m Nichelle Strzepek and I write about dance as a way to share my thoughts and passion for dance art and education. My blog, Dance Advantage is an online resource for and about dance students, teachers, studio owners, and parents. It features constantly updated articles that relate to the education of dancers, primarily focusing on the study of and training in concert dance forms like ballet, jazz, and contemporary. Dance Advantage strives to provide high quality information that will supplement students’ in-class learning and experiences as well as inspire and support teachers in their work.

    Would love feedback!

  • needmoney.com

    April 7th, 2009 9:20 am

    @Beth – You need something more concrete, less vague. What you’ve come up with is too woolly; I don’t walk away after hearing it really having any idea what your blog’s about.

  • james

    April 7th, 2009 9:25 am

    Great post… thanks for all the info

  • Christine Eaton

    April 7th, 2009 9:25 am

    Thank you for lesson one. It’s amazing how difficult it can be to summarize your site.

    Here’s mine:

    Name of my site: Women Exposed
    Elevator Pitch: For Women. About Women.

  • Fikri @ Bloggingly.com

    April 7th, 2009 9:33 am

    Bloggingly – What blogging is all about: Down to earth how to’s, blogging culture, insight blogosphere, blogging app review, and everything between blog and blogging.

  • Urban Native Girl

    April 7th, 2009 9:34 am

    Yeah! Day 1 has gone great.

    My tagline: Pop culture with an Indigenous twist

    Elevator pitch: This blog was born out of a love for writing, fashion, film, pop culture and Indigenous culture.

    Urban Native Girl Stuff’s goal is to dispel myths and stereotypes about Indigenous North Americans; to support and celebrate the artistic endeavors by Indigenous people; and to have fun along the ride with dashes of pop culture and life’s infusion.

    I went through all my social networking pages to optimize traffic to my blog.

    Thanks!

  • John Felkins

    April 7th, 2009 9:34 am

    My Pitch:

    I ignite businesses by helping them get three things right. The effectiveness of their planning, the efficiency of their processes & the engagement of their people.

    The problem this solves; They start running their business instead of their business running them.
    Thoughts?

    I also label my self as an “Improvement Engineer”

  • Wayne

    April 7th, 2009 9:39 am

    The “Elevator Pitch” is a great concept, one I have been working on for a while and you put it into a concise statement and example, I appreciate your ideas, thank you!

  • Carla Schuchman

    April 7th, 2009 9:40 am

    I have been blogging. I am in process of creating something new and I believe much needed in todays world. I will be starting a new blog/site for this new “can’t tell ya yet” thing.

    Great program to be starting now! Got my pitch and passing by my core team. (Close friends that are helping and believe in it too.)

    Can’t wait to share it, but a lot still must be done.
    Thanks Darren this is going to be great!

  • Nancy

    April 7th, 2009 9:43 am

    I’ve got 3 blogs: The elevator speech for What I Learned Teaching Sunday School, http://teachingsundayschool.blogspot.com – Sunday School and Bible lessons I’ve written and taught. Encouraging messages, favorite Bible passages, and thoughts from great Christian writers.

    For Starting an Online Store Called givitup http://onlinestoregivitup.blogspot.com – Daily blog about the adventures and learning experiences of starting an online store.

    And A Brides Cookbook or Surviving the First Year, http://www.abridescookbook.com/blog –
    Recipes, menus and tips for brides, empty nesters, singles and new cooks.

  • Larrie Campbell

    April 7th, 2009 9:48 am

    Initially, I thought this would be really difficult for me to do. In part because I’m excessively loquacious in writing, and also because my blog is often quite random.
    But once I sat down to do it, I came up with two elevator pitches: one is 8 words and included in my blog header image; the other is 100 words and will be added to a new ‘About’ page I’m working on.
    Thanks for the great task!

  • Jenny

    April 7th, 2009 9:52 am

    My tagline: My musings on constructing identity in online environments.

    My elevator pitch: This blog is primarily a collection of my thoughts and musings on constructing identity in online environments. Some of the topics relate specifically to my proposed PhD research on the construction of identity in everyday digital life, others may not sit within my specific research area but are in the same field and interest me nonetheless. I wish to use the blog to connect with others interested in similar topics and to generate discussions on the topics raised so that I can shape my research into something that holds value outside of academic circles.

    Thoughts on my pitch would be very welcome.

  • Nicole/Madlab Post

    April 7th, 2009 9:53 am

    o.k. Darren,

    I was not able to consult my writing associates today, so this is the pitch that I cam up with so far:

    The Madlab Post helps movie lovers discover independent films produced across the US.

    That is subject to change as I take some time to edit the pitch on another day when referencing the mission statement and having more free time to devote to coming up with multiple pitch ideas.

  • Online Money Making

    April 7th, 2009 9:54 am

    Great information for getting a blog off to a good start. Thanks.

  • Larry McGee

    April 7th, 2009 9:58 am

    Brokerisms- helping Realtors® and enthusiasts with advice, tips, and solutions for the everyday surprises in residential real estate sales and management.

  • Jon Reid

    April 7th, 2009 9:58 am

    Wow, reading through some of these pitches shows what a diverse and interesting place the world of blogs is!

    Here’s my first crack:
    “blog one another” offers technological tips for a spiritual world / spiritual tips for a technological world.

  • Kristal Kraft

    April 7th, 2009 10:01 am

    Darren ~ Your first post is bringing it all into focus. Knowing what we are about provides direction.
    kk

  • Steve

    April 7th, 2009 10:09 am

    Hello Darren

    Thanks for this 1st day of homework,

    The “elevator pitch” that something new for me never heard of it. Thanks for the great post.

  • Brody Dorland

    April 7th, 2009 10:18 am

    Company Name: Something Creative, Inc.

    Blog Name: Isn’t That Something?

    Tagline: Useful Tidbits for Small Business Marketers

    Elevator Pitch: Click my name to the left to view my pitch page…”About this Blog”.

    Looking forward to the next 30 days…

    Brody

  • So Much More Than A Mom

    April 7th, 2009 10:19 am

    Thank you again for doing this!

    I’m so excited that I already have a short and long elevator pitch. However, I never thought about adding it to my signature on comment pages, forums, social media sites, etc. Great idea.

    http://www.somuchmorethanamom.wordpress.com
    Before we were Moms we had many roles that defined us. How many of us gave all of that up when we became Moms? How many of us lost OURSELVES when we took on the awesome title of MOM? And why did we do that? We are ALL…SO MUCH MORE THAN A MOM!

  • Diary of a Web Gal/Liz Hover

    April 7th, 2009 10:22 am

    Blimey! This is much harder than it sounds. I just spent the best part of two hours twirling my hair, typing words and petting my dog in an effort to create a magical pitch. I may be half an inch closer than I was before I began. Jeeez.

  • CapitalistMonster

    April 7th, 2009 10:33 am

    I know this challenge isn’t for brand new blogs, but I’m going to do my best to keep up.

    Elevator pitch: Unconventional, Unapologetical lessons for life and business.

  • Samuel McCrohan

    April 7th, 2009 10:34 am

    I ended up with “helping you achieve everlasting relationship happiness through the process of conscious dating”. I’m not sure it’s particularly pithy though, nor does it reveal my experience. I would appreciate anyone’s input on any obvious improvements based on my site. :)
    Thanks,
    Sam

  • jen

    April 7th, 2009 10:37 am

    I’ve had a go at a first draft of my elevator pitch. I’m thinking that it will change, especially over the next month. http://semanticallydriven.com/2009/04/my_blogs_elevator_pitch.html. I must say I found it really hard to write because my blog’s not about just one thing.

  • Don R

    April 7th, 2009 10:39 am

    Darren,
    Thank you this first lesson. I have not had a tag line for my blog(s) or for my website.
    A short tag line for me would/could be: “Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?”. This is totally up for re-defining by you or the group.

  • Are Morch

    April 7th, 2009 10:39 am

    Great challenge here Darren.

    On a little mini vacation here. So hope to catch up later this week. But will keep track of your postings here.

    Have to work on my elevator pitch. Some great tips here.

    Time to make a difference with our blogs.

    Cheers..

  • Shireishou

    April 7th, 2009 10:40 am

    Since I have tag line
    “Easy Step to earn money – Tutorial and article”

    I should put it more at my blog. I often use first tag only

    My elevator pitch is: How to making money online and various free tutorial that useful for your life available here.

    Hope I do right thing

  • Brad

    April 7th, 2009 10:43 am

    Short:
    Light My Photo helps photographers overcome their fear of the light.

    Long:
    As a kid, were you afraid of the dark? It turns out some photographers are afraid of the light. Light My Photo demonstrates photography lighting techniques and prepares photographers for any lighting situation they may encounter

  • laidoffguy

    April 7th, 2009 10:46 am

    Darren,

    This is a great start. I’ve been looking forward to this challenge since I heard about it a few weeks ago. Thanks for taking time to present this material!

    The short one line explanation is a very good idea. I knew what the blog is about, but this exercise forced me to put it down on paper and take a look at it. It changed pretty quickly.

    “Helping others through a time of unemployment.”
    http://iwaslaidoff.info

  • Emmanuelle Archer

    April 7th, 2009 10:46 am

    Thanks for this insightful post, Darren. I guess I had never considered having an elevator speech for my blog in addition to the one I use to introduce myself.
    Given that my blog is not about pushing my services but about sharing useful tips and connecting with my readers, having two distinct speeches makes a lot of sense.

    My blog elevator speech: Winning Away offers practical tips and resources to expats and accompanying partners to help them live their expat lives to the fullest.

    The longer version goes into the fact that the resources I share can be used anywhere in the world (they are not location-specific), and how my focus is on addressing the emotional and motivational challenges of life overseas.

  • Dominique

    April 7th, 2009 10:52 am

    Great kick-off for this series!

    I primarily write about regional travel in the midwestern United States. I don’t see a lot of folks blogging out there about the Midwest…which I suppose I could take to either mean no one is interested in reading about it, or that I’ve found a niche that needed filling :)

    Right now, the closest thing I have to an “elevator pitch” is this:

    Sharing stories about some of the best of the Midwest and beyond.

    The blog’s title, Midwest Guest, gives readers some idea of the region I primarily cover and tagline, “…mostly Midwestern meanderings”, was meant to give me a bit of wiggle room if I wanted to write about a destination outside of the Midwestern U.S. that I’d visited as a guest from the Midwest.

    Sounds like I need to sharpen my pitches a bit, though.

  • Mary Jo

    April 7th, 2009 10:53 am

    For my travel blog Flyaway Cafe –

    Where travel is a way of life.

  • Josh Morison

    April 7th, 2009 10:53 am

    Lessons from someone who’s Learning.
    Not bad for a beginner guitarist and beginner blogger huh?!?!

  • A-ron

    April 7th, 2009 10:55 am

    Ok, I’ve been kicking this around all day. It was way more difficult than I first thought.

    I figured it would be more beneficial to focus on the value the readers receive by paying attention to my blog, instead of listing off a bunch of forgettable categories.

    Anyway, here’s my conversation starter if someone asks what I do: “I unleash your inner rebel.”

    I’m not sure I’m 100% satisfied with it, as it has no context. So here’s my pitch:

    “Do you know what a rebel software philosopher is? It is someone who upsets the established order by asking way too many questions about software development. That’s what Code Vigilante’s Rebel Software Philosophy is all about. Too many questions, not enough answers, but plenty of opinions. Pay attention! Your inner rebel just may be unleashed.”

  • Deb

    April 7th, 2009 10:58 am

    Darren,
    I took your assignment, merged it with what I thought I had as an elevator speech and came out with something I can:
    say,
    believe,
    repeat
    and have fun with!
    What’s next?

    Here it is:
    Iowa based blogger writing interviews, strategies for network marketers, reviewing places and products, sharing what I’ve learned. Out, standing in my field.

    @debworks

  • Troy Patterson

    April 7th, 2009 11:01 am

    For my Fantasy Baseball blog

    RotoSavants runs the numbers so you don’t have to.

  • brooks

    April 7th, 2009 11:04 am

    My elevator pitch is “Words with occasional music”. I like to write about fiction (whether it’s a novel or a short story) and I also like to write a little about the music that moves me. My blog is called “Forever Overhead”, which I took from a short story by David Foster Wallace. My elevator pitch is a play on the title of a Jonathan Lethem novel entitled _Gun With Occasional Music_

  • HotSauceDaily

    April 7th, 2009 11:05 am

    So I’m the 418th or so comment, but I gotta jump in.

    Was thinking today about re-doing my About page. What a great way to start off this series.

    *Really* short tagline:
    HotSauceDaily.com – One Drop is Never Enough

    Elevator pitch:
    HotSauceDaily.com – a guide to all things hot and spicy – reviews, recipes, BBQ and more.

    Whatcha’ think?
    I think I’m lucky to have the subject of my blog actually in the domain name.

    Good luck everyone. Lots to learn in this series.

  • Destination Infinity

    April 7th, 2009 11:10 am

    I have updated my about page. Thanks for reminding me about the same Darren. Great start, we are looking forward for the activities ahead. Thanks,

    Destination Infinity

  • Sandra Foyt

    April 7th, 2009 11:14 am

    On Living By Learning –

    Learn, Grow, Explore, Change the World

    I’m a mom, homeschool educator, Girl Scout leader, Cub Scout helper, child advocate, all-around volunteer, activist, and writer who is passionate about inspiring creative life-long learners who want to make our world a better place.

  • Elleni Schaefer

    April 7th, 2009 11:15 am

    Hello Darren, as a Dutch woman, living since 7 mounths in the USA, I have to say, you fit so well in the American dream. I think my about page is covering the task for today, but I will check and re-check it. My husband and I are working on a new blog about the experiences we had for me coming to America. Your 31 days training will help us to be more successful.
    Thanks and bye bye for now
    Ellen

  • Mister Teacher

    April 7th, 2009 11:16 am

    Learn Me Good — A humorous look at a stressful job. I teach, therefore I am… poor.

  • Ryan Miller

    April 7th, 2009 11:16 am

    Great first assignment. Been looking forward to the start of this project since I first heard about it.

    Here’s my pitch.

    Be Useful. Engage Others, and Earn Friends through Social Media.

    That’s what I do with my blog. I try to explain to people the right way to use social media tools to participate in community, build community, and most importantly, contribute to that online community.

    Thoughts?

    @ryancmiller

  • Palma | Buddha Trance

    April 7th, 2009 11:20 am

    Darren, this is a great start! It is pushing me to face something I have been setting aside for a while now.

    I have two tag lines. I love both of them. One is in the title tags, the other one is part of the header image. They both reflect the essence of my blog.

    Is it ok to have more than one tag line?

    The about page needs to be rewritten. I want to make it more personal, adding info about me, not just the site.

    The blog description/longer pitch needs total editing. I have never been happy about it. I just put a few words together when signing up for MyBlogLog and others.

    Lots of thinking to do!

  • Lisa82367

    April 7th, 2009 11:21 am

    What a great program! I have a brand new blog with almost no readers. I am so curious to see how participating in this program will impact blog traffic. Any traffic would be great at this point!!

    Here is my blog’s elevator pitch:

    A fun blog about all things woman — dieting, baking and fashion. Oh, and we are going to talk lots about Stampin Up! card making too!

  • Crystal

    April 7th, 2009 11:31 am

    Darren, Thanks for getting this series started. I am really looking forward to learning.

    This is something I am going to work on. I don’t have a tag line or an elevator pitch so I am going to give it some thought and then add it to my homepage and about page.

  • Alease Michelle

    April 7th, 2009 11:32 am

    I’ve created my elevator pitch. It was harder than I thought.
    Below is the link.
    http://aleasemichelle.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/an-elevator-pitch-for-your-business.html

  • Lynn

    April 7th, 2009 11:34 am

    Thanks for a great start. Writing this wasn’t difficult, but I struggle with whether/how far to stray from the pitch in my posts, because just book reviews probably won’t attract a big enough audience (so I tend to mix in crafts and parenting articles to mingle more with other “mommy” bloggers).

    My pitch:
    Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile is a blog that reviews children’s books and includes the perspective of a (now) 16 month-old reader in every review. The concept of the blog is to help parents to select books for their children that the children will love, rather than books that just receive accolades from adult critics.

  • Gareth Gwynne

    April 7th, 2009 11:36 am

    Hi Darren,

    Great start for the 31 days. Looking forward to posts to come. Here’s mine:

    Blog: Brand Ignition

    Tagline: Kick start a new brand. Jump start an old one.

    Pitch: Tips, thoughts and ideas that help small and medium businesses invigorate their brands, based on my two decades of global branding experience.

    Cheers,

    Gareth

  • Mary@goodlifezen.com

    April 7th, 2009 11:38 am

    Phew…! It took me a while to rethink the tagline for GoodlifeZen.com

    Here it is:
    “Practical Inspiration that Helps you Reach for the Stars.”

    At first I hit on this:

    “No-fluff Inspiration that Helps you Reach for the Stars”

    I had my doubts about starting with a negative, though.

    What do you think, fellow bloggers?

    cheers
    Mary

  • Jeanette Bolvary

    April 7th, 2009 11:44 am

    Hi, mine is “A blog about everything that influences a baby’s genes during pregnancy” longer version would include a short description of the epigenome, (soon after conception a baby switches genes on or off in different cells according to signals received from his environment, this process called the mapping of the epigenome).

  • Michelle Steiner

    April 7th, 2009 11:44 am

    Excellent start to the challenge. I just started to take my website to blog format, and will be taking it to my own server once I have all the articles moved over.

    I have sadly negleted this website for the past year or so, but it has never changed focused and my tag line for it has always been the same: Equestrian Days ~ From Your First Horse to Your First Foal.

    My “elevator” intro to the site is: a website for first time or novice horse owners with articles, and tips on all aspects of horse ownership.

    In honor of this website, I also run Cloud 9 Ranch Blog which tells of stories around the ranch, including raising horses, health issues, trail rides, and life on the ranch in general. No real tag line for this site yet, other then “Demanding the best in life”. http://cloud9ranch-tn.com/blog/

  • jayson

    April 7th, 2009 11:46 am

    I am an Innovative Entrepreneur, Web Media Educator, Strategist & Consultant. I love to help, listen & teach. I work with entrepreneurs and indie businesses to develop and maintain their internet presence. I have a long history in business development, web startups, website development, design and education.

    Some ideas I have for a tag line or elevator pitch:

    “helping you make a home on the web where everyone wants to visit”
    “revealing the wizards from behind the curtain”
    “making a brand out of You”
    “I teach people how to be found on the internet”
    “teaching businesses how to spin a better web”
    “growing people on the web since 1998″

    any and all comments or thoughts are welcome,

    all the best,
    Jayson

  • Vaughn

    April 7th, 2009 11:47 am

    Hi,

    I’m lauching my book in the next 40 days. Wired to the max right now! By the way, I love this blog. The timing is good for me. Some of you all posted some really stunning elevator pitches.

    My site is http://www.breakthepovertycurse.com

    My elevator pitch is: My book is about helping people understand the spiritual dimension of poverty and how to unlock their prosperity.

    I’m on twitter at vsberkeley. Looking for tweets who share the same interest.

    Cheers,
    Vaughn

    ps. looking forward to day 2 of this blog

  • Peter

    April 7th, 2009 11:51 am

    This was actually the first thing I did for my blog, before even writing any content, but I didn’t really have a name for it. I just thought I needed something short and snappy to sum up the site:

    “Guitar articles, lessons, news, reviews and interviews. Everything about being a guitar hero except for the hair care tips. By Peter Hodgson.”

    Depending on where the pitch is going, I add a little mention of the guitar magazines I write for.

  • Scott Myers

    April 7th, 2009 11:53 am

    Day 1 Task completed, located at the site above.

    Kind Regards,

    Scott Myers

  • Allen Dresser

    April 7th, 2009 11:54 am

    Hello Darren!!! thanks for this challenge and wake up call. My tagline is “Bluegrass Music and Banjo Therapy” my first cut at the “elevator speech” from today’s lesson is :

    “From The Desk of Allen Dresser” is about life-long creativity. It is inspired by those who keep the creative fires in their lives burning, no matter what the age. This blog has a focus on music, especially acoustic music and specifically bluegrass. Why bluegrass? The BANJO ! Of course! The banjo is the loudest, fastest most thrilling of the fretted string instruments and guaranteed to raise a smile whenever its raucous, ringing twang is invoked. So, if you have not acquired a taste for the 5-string, get yourself some quality bluegrass music on your favorite device and dig in.

  • derekmcclain

    April 7th, 2009 11:56 am

    Great start to this challenge. Are they going to continue to get harder? Cause this one took me awhile! Let me know what all of you think!

    http://derekmcclain.com/2009/04/06/my-blogs-elevator-pitch/

  • Ani Long

    April 7th, 2009 11:56 am

    My tagline or “elevator pitch” is “A girl’s perspective in games and anime”. I think it’s simple, but I don’t know if it’s too simple that it’s dry. However, I do have an about page (labeled, “The Legend of Ani Long and Star Haven”), which explains the tagline. It’s a little long, but it helps explain the tagline (as well as what to expect in my blog).

  • Leesa Watego

    April 7th, 2009 11:58 am

    Thanks for the tips – they’re great.

    I also realised that when you’re “writing” your elevator pitch its actually important to also “say” it out aloud.

    Sitting here at home (by myself), my written word seems to be clear, but when I actually meet a human (especially at a networking event), I’m quite often stuck and more than a bit “stumbly” when it comes to what my blog is about.

    Thanks again. Looking forward to more.

  • GossipSecretaries

    April 7th, 2009 12:01 pm

    My elevator pitch for our blog would be something like this:

    GossipSecretaries is the online resource for secretaries and administrative assistants.

    A virtual office where secretaries and admin. assistants receive tips and strategies for professional development, and a place to share their successes, frustrations, and real life experiences with others.

  • Lynn

    April 7th, 2009 12:07 pm

    And I guess my tagline is my header…
    Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile: Reviews of a baby bookworm.

  • StuffCooksWant

    April 7th, 2009 12:13 pm

    StuffCooksWant…Your best online resource for the newest, coolest kitchen gadgets and more.

  • VitaminCM

    April 7th, 2009 12:14 pm

    My blog is called VitaminCM.com
    My new tagline is: Technology to Make Your Mind Grow
    My new elevator pitch is:
    VitaminCM.com’s goal is to help people get more from their technology. I want to help and inspire people to do more fun and useful things with computers, the internet, and gadgets. This help is provided via detailed written and video tutorials along with News, Reviews, and Surveys.

    Still working on it.

  • Amy Dumas

    April 7th, 2009 12:15 pm

    Great start to the 31 days! Here’s my elevator pitch…

    Exploring food sensitivities – the symptoms and the solutions while providing delicious gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and soy-free recipes.

  • michelle

    April 7th, 2009 12:18 pm

    Here it goes…

    Are you tired of being a starving artist and unpaid writer? Have you been given so much advice that you don’t know where to start? Follow along with me as I use trial and error (and lots of caffeine) to reach my artistic goals. Learn about self-publishing, book marketing ideas, art for sale sites, social networking, and more!

    Become a z-list celebrity like me!

  • lizriz

    April 7th, 2009 12:18 pm

    I’m really enjoying reading everyone’s pitches. Here’s mine:

    Everyday Goddess is my personal blog where I write about all the things I’m passionate about: Television, Reading, Cooking… I’m an aspiring director living the dream in Los Angeles, so I write a lot about that, too.

    It’s all about Life and Love in the La La.

  • Nuwomb [Scott Webb]

    April 7th, 2009 12:19 pm

    I have quite a vacation this month but I know I am going to come back to a lot of info to work with.

    Been working on it all.

    Tag: Bringing Creativity to Life.

    Pitch: Nuwomb Creative helps to provide a digital womb of creativity to inspire, motivate and touch artist’s, designers, and photographers alike.

    I find it short and sweet and it’s better than the jargon I have up right now. I would plan on expanding into more detail in an about page.

  • Mike

    April 7th, 2009 12:19 pm

    Daily Shot Of Coffee is your source for everything coffee: coffee reviews, coffee shop reviews and much more. It’s written by the average joe for the coffee lover in us all.

  • Kikolani

    April 7th, 2009 12:21 pm

    I am so excited about this project. Here is the new elevator pitch for my site:

    Tagline: The Art of Blogging | Technically, Beautifully, Beneficially | Kikolani

    Description: Kikolani is about the art of blogging – the technical aspects with blogging and social networking tips, the beauty with photography and poetry, and the benefits for writers and readers.

    ~ Kristi

  • Denise Fisher

    April 7th, 2009 12:24 pm

    @John Felkins – I tried to send you an e-mail about your pitch and website, using the EM address on your site’s contact page, but the message was returned as invalid. I know we haven’t covered “contact me” pages in this assignment yet, but you might want to get a head start.

  • India's World

    April 7th, 2009 12:27 pm

    thanks! i think i need to change my tagline–just to real spell out what my blog is about–thanks!

  • Corvida

    April 7th, 2009 12:28 pm

    Here’s what I’ve cooked up:

    Tagline: Technological Conversations

    Description: Technology reviews, critiques, & resources surrounding web technology, new media, social networks, and mobile platforms.

  • Marvin

    April 7th, 2009 12:29 pm

    Cool! This will help a lot.

    I’m starting a new blog and 31DBBB will help me a lot in setting this up. Thanks Darren.

    ———————-
    http://raisingfilipinoboys.com
    Towards a Godly, manly and entrepreneurial generation of Filipino men.

  • margalit

    April 7th, 2009 12:32 pm

    MCMM is a group blog for moms parenting teenagers, SpED teens, and young adults.

  • Katy Barrilleaux Search Matters

    April 7th, 2009 12:34 pm

    Darren,

    Great start; I’m looking forward to the next 30 days. My blog’s name/tagline is:

    Search Matters
    Where Search Begins for Agencies

    It is for advertising, PR and interactive agencies who want to learn about search marketing.

    Obviously you are the king of blogging with incredible traffic already. But in an effort to give a little back, here’s an SEO tip for you–and your readers. Embed your blog’s URL in the image (like you did with the headline) and include your keywords in the title of the image. This way, it will get picked up in image searches and if/when the photo is used elsewhere by someone else, the image will have your blog’s URL in it.

    Thanks.

    Katy Barrilleaux
    Search Matters

  • Annie Reuter

    April 7th, 2009 12:38 pm

    I’m so glad I signed up for this blog challenge! I wrote this assignment and turned it into my About Me section on my blog. Here’s what I wrote with your advice for my music blog, You Sing, I Write:

    Follow my adventures touring with bands, traveling to music festivals and uncovering the inside scoop of what it’s like being an up-and-coming band in this crazy, constantly changing music business. A must read for every music fan who has ever wondered what really goes on backstage and on the road with a touring musician. What do YOU want to know? Contact me!

  • Rob Mark

    April 7th, 2009 12:40 pm

    My blog – Jetwhine.com – is an aviation blog of “buzz and bold opinion,” that gives me quite a bit of latitude in what I write.

    In addition to the great ideas Darren’s shared here, we just developed a cartoon-like button about 2 1/2 in diameter with a illustration of a happy jet plane that explains our blog from a reader’s perspective.

    In life, Whiners are obnoxious. At Jetwhine, our readers think it’s cool. So the button says, “I’m a Whiner … Jetwhine.com”

    Wish I could figure out a way to share the artwork here. We’re pretty proud right now.

  • Senthil

    April 7th, 2009 12:43 pm

    Hi Darren,

    Here is what I have to say about my blog

    TIPS & TRICKS ON GMAT,GRE,CAT

    All details you need to know about preparing for GMAT,GRE,CAT and other competitive exams with falsh cards and free email course.

    http://www.catdumps.blogspot.com

    Thanks.

  • Harris

    April 7th, 2009 12:46 pm

    Excellent Darren.

    you are indeed a crazy brilliant blogger. i have just started my blog at http://www.Inspiero.com. It’s in Bahasa Indonesia.

    What you have written here is excellent for me as i run into the future of making my blog a reference for other beginners in blogshpere.

    thanks darren
    keep up good workd

  • desiree fawn

    April 7th, 2009 12:49 pm

    So Fawned is my blog title & the subtitle has always been “My life. My inspirations. My loves.”
    It’s a somewhat person/parenting/family etc. blog, with hints of design & art focused content.
    “A Canadian mother, blogging about life, inspirations & loves.”
    Can something such as a personal blog use a pitch like this?

  • Peter Liu (@peterliu47)

    April 7th, 2009 12:57 pm

    Excellent first day post and assignment. Having a good elevator pitch is key to any endeavor. I look forward to the rest of the course. Thanks.

  • Matt Chandler

    April 7th, 2009 12:58 pm

    I am going to use your comment system to help me keep up with my home work.

    My pitch for http://Newmacuser.com is… I am trying to help new and old mac users to be ale to get the most out of the mac in front of them. I like trying to give tips to users who might otherwise not know about them.

  • Katherine

    April 7th, 2009 12:59 pm

    SimpleEcoLife is the one stop to make on the web to learn how to be a little greener, a little more frugal, and how to simplify life a bit. It’s a community of friends helping each other grow.

  • Zuri

    April 7th, 2009 12:59 pm

    Here it goes:

    I write about sports, providing professional commentary in an unprofessional capacity. I keep it fun and keep people thinking.

  • Kyle

    April 7th, 2009 1:03 pm

    Never thought to create an “Elevator Pitch” before, it really does help you put your blog into perspective. I look forward to the next 30 days.

    My pitch:

    SuburbanDollar provides a layman’s view on personal finance from the viewpoint of someone who doesn’t know it all. I provide my experiences and reviews of what I learn as move towards a more complete understanding of investing and finances.

  • Heathen Mom

    April 7th, 2009 1:15 pm

    I use the tag line “Homeschooling for the rest of us”.

    I really need to work on an elevator pitch, so this is a great assignment for me. I’m going to take my description that I use for some ad sites and tweak it/change it to create my elevator pitch. My description as it stands is:

    Heathen Homeschoolers is a blog written by a mom who educates her children from a secular point of view. Heathen Mom blogs about education resources, homeschooling topics, family adventures and more.

  • Lee

    April 7th, 2009 1:17 pm

    Dr Fitness and the Fat Guy Radio Show Blog

    Elevator Pitch is Making Healthy Living Fun For Everyone

  • shelley

    April 7th, 2009 1:18 pm

    thank you darren,
    this is great timing as i am a new blogger and want to get everything “just right”… so here’s hoping… and here’s to getting me thinking..

  • khmerbird

    April 7th, 2009 1:29 pm

    yes, i would agree that the my blog didn’t have any Elevator Pitch content,

    my blog take from very personal back to crazy advertising which i earned nothing at the end of the day.

    i now take my blog back to what it is, meaning i learned from my experiences, reader need to feel something about what you write,

    for me blog is still something real and about life.

    thank for this first day tip, i will think about creating one Elevator Pitch for my blog ;-)

  • Rhett

    April 7th, 2009 1:30 pm

    Thanks for helping all of us new bloggers along the way.

    Here is my elevator pitch for ProMapTraveler.com

    ProMapTraveler provides both new and experienced travelers practical and useful hints, facts and ideas for safe and fun inland and coastal travel all around the globe.

  • Jaye L

    April 7th, 2009 1:32 pm

    My elevator pitch is: Commentary on works in progress and creativity.

  • Amir Shevat

    April 7th, 2009 1:36 pm

    It is a very interesting post; it made me think about the mission statement that is build into a Drupal site.
    I guess this the mission statement is the first think people see in your site and it helps them determine if they got to the right place or not.
    IMHO, Drupal site statement really encapsulates this essence of elevator pitch.

    Anyway, my site-statement/elevator-pitch has changed because of this post and will be:
    Spacebug – “Keeping software simple, open and pragmatic”

  • Jim McDowell

    April 7th, 2009 1:40 pm

    New phrase and new understanding
    Thank you for both.

  • Ganga

    April 7th, 2009 1:41 pm

    Hi Darren,

    Great first day’s lesson, and amazing ideas from everyone! Thank you for starting this! As a coincidence, I’ve just started to build my personal blog – which is why I got excited upon seeing your 31 day exercise!

    Anyhow, here goes my elevator pitch:

    My Blog: Story Analytics (I hope to get it functional by this weekend!)

    Tag line: Exploring the art of stories in business analysis, project management and decision making.

    About the blog: (the long version)

    Story Analytics comprises of musings on stories and how they can be applied in business and IT, notably in the areas of business analysis, project management, process improvements and decision making.

    While the term “Analytics” is all about numbers and while organizations increasingly focus on data, this blog will attempt to examine the story aspect and how lessons can be learned from such stories.

    The goal is to continue adding stories from real life, history as well as made-up stories and examine how they relate to business and IT.

  • Michael Cowen

    April 7th, 2009 1:42 pm

    Thanks for this Darren. I have really been looking forward to this series. So thank you for taking the time to put it together.

    I have my elevator pitch: Controlling how brand decsions are made.

    I think I have the essence here but maybe not the words. This is not as simple as it looks.

    Anyway — looking forward to the next installment

  • Tracy

    April 7th, 2009 1:44 pm

    Thanks for prompting me to update my about page. I used the elevator pitch to make it punchier based on your advice that new readers will check out this page. I still need to work on my pitch itself. The blog is for the hospitality industry and I find the term ungainly and kind of undefined – I make need to make up a new word.
    NO Vacancy – sales secrets for busy hotels (restaurants, cafes, B&B’s. motels, foodstores etc) See what I mean?

    @TotalResults

  • D. Travis North

    April 7th, 2009 1:45 pm

    I can’t believe I didn’t have an ‘about’ section on my blog, nor did I have a short description. Here’s my pitch (tagline is the first sentence):

    Shutter Photo is a place where photography skills can be developed and expanded through discussion and example. Here, you can learn from hobbyists like yourself. For many, this is a distinct advantage over learning from professionals who may have long forgotten how they mastered their skills.

    This is now a sidebar item on my Blog. What was formerly my “about” page has been renamed “bio”, as it is really about me, and not about the site.

  • Miss Mikelah

    April 7th, 2009 1:46 pm

    This is a great start I’ve been trying to re-think the purpose of my blog to get some inspiration and this is perfect!

    Style & Vibes is the Caribbean Urban guide to fashion, music entertainment and everything in between. Showcasing the best (and worse) of Caribbean and Urban lifestyle from around the globe.

  • Meredith

    April 7th, 2009 1:49 pm

    Thanks for the tips! I’m just getting back into blogging after a hiatus of sorts, and it’s more of a personal venture, but I figured that your advice and this challenge would help me find focus in my writing and improve my blog overall. Looking forward to the next month!

  • dr justin trosclair

    April 7th, 2009 1:49 pm

    Performance Chiropractic blog has been created to educate,inform, and entertain people about natural health care options and the benefits that chiropractic has to offer.
    http://www.westminsterchiropracticclinic.com/blog

  • Darren

    April 7th, 2009 1:50 pm

    Been working on the perfect “about page” for my website. This really helps point me in a good direction. Thanks Darren!

  • Handmade

    April 7th, 2009 1:51 pm

    Handmade – Canberra’s Upmarket

    Handmade – Canberra’s quarterly Upmarket brings together talented artists, designers, stylists, craftspeople and gourmets all at one destination.
    It is a unique event to connect the makers of beautiful things to people who appreciate the quality, handcrafted and locally designed.

    http://www.handmademarket.com.au

  • Omar

    April 7th, 2009 1:53 pm

    Thank you for this Darren,

    I am still working on a niche topic for my site, so a pitch is still something i am working on. This is the description of my site I have for right now:

    “Raw Wealth is an information hub, a niche dedicated to allocating and outlining valuable, random and important material. It’s the daily milestone for the curious, interactive, and progressive individual. Read the wealth. Share the wealth.”

    The problem is, I write about so many random things- from daily political news to articles about artificial life. So i am still trying to find a balance. If you have any tips as to how I can find a niche using an effective process of elimination I would appreciate it.

    Omar
    http://www.rawwealth.com

  • J Barson

    April 7th, 2009 1:53 pm

    The about me page is usually one of the highest traffic pages and, if you have a sense of humor, can set your tone.

  • zParacha

    April 7th, 2009 1:56 pm

    Excellent post. Looking forward to 30 more exercises to improve my blog. I am still thinking about my elevator pitch, the problem is I have multiple subjects that I blog. Should I concentrate on my core subject (Java programming) and ditch other tangential topics.

  • Robert Owen

    April 7th, 2009 1:56 pm

    This is a hard one for me… Never thought much in the way of Tag Lines.
    I just did a major revamping of my website and had not worked on the “About” page yet. This exercise gave me an opportunity to work on that. I’ll Continue to work on it though…

    Thanks for the first exercise!!

  • Brent

    April 7th, 2009 1:58 pm

    497 comments on the first day and still counting! WOW. Congrats on the launch of the highly successful “31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge”. I can’t wait to see the post in the series that gets more comments than this one! Gotta go write my elevator pitch. I’ll check back tomorrow for day 2.

  • Clay

    April 7th, 2009 2:00 pm

    My tagline’s not perfected yet, but I’m thinking of something along the lines of…

    “If you want to be a remarkable person, you’ve got to do remarkable things. Follow me as I become remarkable.” I’ve just got to figure out how to compress it into one sentence.

  • Simon

    April 7th, 2009 2:10 pm

    Thanks for putting together this series, Darren. Here’s the pitch for the blog I’m going to try to revive, ‘The Smartest Searcher’:

    “Dedicated to getting you in touch with the information you’re looking for. Hints, tips and strategies for optimizing your research so you spend less time finding and more time doing.”

    The tagline I put on after that is:

    “Don’t just look for something; search like you mean it.”

  • Stephanie Sandifer

    April 7th, 2009 2:20 pm

    Hi Darren — long-time reader, first-time participant in your 31 Days Challenge…

    I found this task a little difficult since I had already spent considerable time over the past few years writing and rewriting my blog’s “tag line.” After reading this post and reflecting on my “tag line” as a short elevator pitch I have decided to leave it as is for the moment. That is not to say that this isn’t a very valuable task for us to do — I do feel more comfortable with my tag line after reflecting on it with the guiding questions/thoughts that you presented in this post.

    I am looking forward to the next 31 days!

  • Jane Kovacs

    April 7th, 2009 2:25 pm

    Thanks for the impetus to get started refining my blog. Seems intuititive, but it is very hard to take a blog anywhere if you aren’t sure where you want it to go. Thanks for the reminder to focus.

    Here’s my pitch for now:
    A geek-sympathizing, button-pushing PR flack’s guide to corporate PR. No extra charge for poetry on Fridays … we all need a day off.

  • Andi

    April 7th, 2009 2:27 pm

    I was really looking forward to this project and the first day is already an interesting challenge! I have a tagline for my personal blog currently, but don’t love it. For the purposes of our day #1 exercises I came up with: Merry musings of a feisty foodie slash lit-chickie slash globe-trotting wannabe frenchie!

    I am also doing this project for my fledgling biz blog, the really short speech would be “Social media made easy.” I would extend it with more info ending with something like: Your Online Go To Gal, your guide for navigating through the social media maze.

    This is going to interesting as hell, thanks Darren!

  • Victoria

    April 7th, 2009 2:29 pm

    I am already having trouble and it is only day one! I am a nurse working in a complex area that spans across medical and legal lines. My customers are insurance companies, attorneys, employers as well as the general public. I write about different medical and legal subjects. Sometimes they overlap and sometimes they don’t. I have never been able to come up with a short elevator pitch for my business much less the blog. I tend to have different “elevator pitches” depending on my audience at the time. Even my family doesn’t know how to explain what I do. Suggestions?

  • Marketophile

    April 7th, 2009 2:31 pm

    Killer Opener Darren. We held up the launch of our new blog (Marketophile) to coincide with the 31DBBB. Great advice on day 1. Can’t wait to see what you have planned!

  • Clara Mathews

    April 7th, 2009 2:31 pm

    What a great way to start of this series. It took me all day to think of the right pitches for my blogs. They may still need a bit of tweaking, but this task helped me change my tag lines to something that more accurately describes my blogs.

    Just Chick Flicks Elevator Pitch:
    http://justchickflicks.com/2008/11/11/my-top-tear-jerkers/
    A sometimes serious, often humorous, but always uniquely feminine view of movies, Hollywood and the world.

    Tag Line: A uniquely feminine view of movies, Hollywood and the world.

    The Concierge Lifestyle Elevator Pitch:
    http://lifestyleconciergeservice.net/blog/2009/02/come-to-my-house-for-breakfast/
    Chronicling the life and adventures of a Corporate Concierge in Dallas. If you want to know about the newest and hottest restaurants in town, honest reviews of theater and other local events…ask the concierge!

    Tag line: Exploring the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and beyond.

  • elizof

    April 7th, 2009 2:36 pm

    Great start to the 31 Day journey….Thanks again for running this!
    I have two blogs; one on blogger and the other on wordpress. They are relatively new and I write 1-2 monthly pieces on motivational everyday topics that interest me.
    If I had to pitch my blogs, I would say ” I blog to motivate people to laugh and live positively.”
    What I would love to do is find new, short names for my blogs. I have “eof737″ and “I twitter, therefore I am” and I tired of both names. Any ideas?
    I plan to work on this too over the next 31 Days.
    Thanks!

  • Angelique

    April 7th, 2009 2:40 pm

    Still teasing out my longer version (feel it might be too gimmicky in language?), but I’ve long adored my tagline.

    SHORT: One woman’s inspired adventure with paint, torn paper & glue

    LONGER: If art is a journey, this blog is my “captain’s log”—a documentation of techniques, trial and error, a celebration of the finished object, and a glimpse at the works in progress in my studio. It’s also an opportunity to connect and collaborate with other artistic wayfarers, and I appreciate your comments along the way.

  • Adam

    April 7th, 2009 2:55 pm

    My new elevator pitch: I’m a professional good luck charm.

    I’ll let the stats speak for themselves:

    http://mlnmm.com/am-i-a-good-luck-charm/

  • grokthenet

    April 7th, 2009 3:00 pm

    Darren -
    I’ve been signing up for a few different courses across different mediums and working at them after-hours as I can.

    Your blog posts are always first on the ‘open’ list, not only because they contain very useful information, but mostly because the information is delivered without the Internet marketing hype so common to many web marketers and people offering instruction. I find the ‘feeding frenzy/buy now or miss out forever’ stuff unprofessional and I often feel like I’m being taken for a ride.

    On the other hand, Problogger is always relevant, well-written, and lacking in condescension, you-too-can-be-rich bumpf… it’s just great content by someone with talent helping other people to develop their talent.

    That is the greatest leverage the web offers: being able to be of help to others, in a mutually benefiting relationship that makes both parties – the content publisher and the consumer – feel satisfied with the value of the exchange.

    My pitch is:

    GroktheNet.com: Translations from Planet Web for Ordinary Folk.

    In my 12 years of being online I’ve spent thousands of hours researching tools, software, hardware, and publications to grow not only my own business, but those of my customers, friends and family. I provide shortcuts to finding the tools you need to accomplish your goals online, and share some of the odder discoveries too.

    If an Internet question has been stumping you, I’ll help you find the answer. If you’ve got a great link or idea that will help my readers, I’ll share it with them. If you’ve got a tool or app that makes life easier for the ordinary person I’ll promote it.

    If you’re new to the Internet or feeling out of your element, I’ll help you feel at home.

    Thanks for a great first project, Darren – here I thought I was too tired to complete it :)

  • Jarlin

    April 7th, 2009 3:06 pm

    Thank you, Darren.

    I’m really excited to take part in this 31 Days challange program and expecting more articles from you.

  • AbangAbu

    April 7th, 2009 3:36 pm

    Hi , daren , It was cool . we nee dto have that to hook the visitor and i really never thought it.
    What about mine.

    Always Believe in Urself
    Always Be Urself
    Always Be Unstoppable

    Is this okie?

    On the longer version
    AbangAbu helps to instill believe in you no matter what is your condition and make you financial fit for life.

  • Felix

    April 7th, 2009 3:42 pm

    Mine is : Love your blog and it’ll love you back

  • Susan

    April 7th, 2009 3:43 pm

    This is harder to do than I thought. I discovered that this blog isn’t really about women’s ministry. It’s more about me and my desire to share biblical info so women can live life better. But I also discovered that often I take the easy road and don’t get personal or that biblical about my info.

    So my initial pitch for my blog Fruitfulwords is as follows: Sowing words of hope, instruction, and grace to help women grow beyond their fears and limitations.

    I am looking forward to this series. I wonder what else I’ll learn?

  • Philip Nowak

    April 7th, 2009 3:43 pm

    Darren,

    Thank you for creating this 31 day challenge. Hopefully, there will be 9,200 better blogs out there once the challenge is over.

    Blog Name: POTHOLES

    Tagline: Swerving Through Life in Chicago

    Long Pitch: Potholes is a blog about my thoughts and experiences about everything and anything related to Chicago. The blog allows me to combine my love for Chicago with my passion for the internet, technology and social networking. Blog post topics can include anything that is related to Chicago including bars/clubs, business, celebrities, government, music, news, real estate, restaurants, sports, theater and much more.

    Anyone can comment on how to improve my pitch. Thanks for your feedback!

    -Philip Nowak

  • tali buchler

    April 7th, 2009 3:44 pm

    matzo ball soup
    Modern Jewish parenting, the creative way

  • Brona

    April 7th, 2009 3:44 pm

    Simple first step but not something I had actually done before. Looking forward to the next 30 days!

  • Vanessa

    April 7th, 2009 3:49 pm

    Thank you for this series. I must agree that the assignment was not as easy as I thought it would be. I’m looking forward to learning more and becoming a better blogger.

  • iCan't Internet

    April 7th, 2009 3:55 pm

    True Vanessa, it is not as easy as it seems at first (this assignment that is. Or blogging. Or life, whatever ;-) ), but I also think that this will most definately pay off!

  • spencer

    April 7th, 2009 4:01 pm

    SkiersRealm is a freeski blog started as a way to keep up with the rapid movement’s of both the athletes and manufacturers that make the ski industry fun. This site is your source for all that is freeskiing. What makes us different from a member driven forum like newschoolers or a mag website like Freeskier? SkiersRealm contributors take the best industry news and commentate from an ordinary skier’s point of view. Keep up to date on FreeSkiing news with us by subscribing to our RSS feed.

    http://www.skiersrealm.com/skiersrealm-freeski-blog

  • Networking Clues

    April 7th, 2009 4:03 pm

    Darren,

    Amazing stuff and this is just Day 1? We are in for some tutorials. Thanks for sharing these priceless info.

  • Copra

    April 7th, 2009 4:21 pm

    Thank you very much Darren for the Challenge! Already you have pepped up my creativity, something which I have felt lacking from my writing for some time now. In fact, I’m planning on using the ideas and tasks on another blog I’m planning at the moment.

    However, the tag line and elevator pitch for my current one are:

    Tag line
    BullCopra: World of Warcraft as seen by a social, casual gamer dad.

    The Elevator Pitch
    BullCopra is a blog about World of Warcraft through the eyes of casual gamer dad, who’s interest in the game lies in the social gaming, exploring the content and finding ways to improve the game as whole. I write the blog for the casual gamer from the viewpoint of how the newcomer, viewing the game from my own first timer experience. Occasionally I may write about something else touching my gamer life, like other games or game news in general.

    Copra out

  • David Hutchison

    April 7th, 2009 4:54 pm

    Day 1 Homework complete:

    Everything for and about goaltending. inGoalMag.com

    that’s ice hockey goaltending for you aussies!

  • Beachcomber

    April 7th, 2009 4:58 pm

    My elevator pitch:

    Lunar Tide is a personal blog not a profound one. The beautiful ocean and coastline inspire me to write and take pictures of things I have discovered here alone and with my family.

  • Annemieke

    April 7th, 2009 4:59 pm

    That was very difficult but finally I came up with a very short line.

    CamelLive

    Language of the Human Soul.

    I think music in general is a language of the soul, but I think the music of Camel (where my blog is about) is the language of the individual human soul.

  • Karenne Sylvester

    April 7th, 2009 5:01 pm

    How to Learn English (http://how2learnenglish.blogspot.com) offers straightforward, common-sense advice on learning English as a foreign language. Aimed at students, it provides learning-to-learn strategies, tips on mastering English idioms and reviews common errors.

    Kalinago English (http://kalinago.blogspot.com) talks to EFL teachers about different tech-tools to use in their language classrooms, reviews training workshops, offers methodology and advice on teaching conversation and provides free lesson tips and plans.

    Thanks Darren, am looking forward to all the learning this month and hope your computer and hard drive are okay now!

  • Darren Rowse

    April 7th, 2009 5:10 pm

    fantastic to see soooo many elevator pitches here. thanks everyone for your participation, it’s hard to believe that it is only just day 1!

  • Tim

    April 7th, 2009 5:13 pm

    Darren,

    Great work. Loving the challenge of this obvious but overlooked challenge. Question? Who has actually crafted teh 100-150 word pitch? A tag line might be easy enough – but I appreciate your point of thinking about this as a conversation opener.

    Once said, where will you take the conversation from there? That’s the important part in my mind. I’ve gotten further in this by considering real conversations I’ve had.

    Ready for the next piece you pitch!

  • Jade Robbins

    April 7th, 2009 5:20 pm

    The short version is:

    Montana Fragfest is Montana’s local connection to the lighter-side of video games.

    The long version is:

    Montana Fragfest is Montana’s local connection to the lighter-side of video games. We do this by using our sense of humor to look at the funny side of gaming, using that perspective to create content that is both humorous AND useful, and by providing services to our community in the form of game servers, local LAN party advertisements, local video game organization sponsorships.

  • Damien Basile

    April 7th, 2009 5:22 pm

    BLOG NAME:
    The Cause Is The Habit

    TAGLINE:
    Simple brand connections in a complicated consumer world.

    ELEVATOR PITCH:
    At The Cause Is The Habit Holistic Brand Strategy Group we focus on the connections between brand strategy, communications, technology & social media. We show you how you can benefit holistically from the brand advice professionally and personally.

  • Joe Cheray aka wildheart4vr

    April 7th, 2009 5:24 pm

    Well I took this one step further and used my tag line:

    Digital Design Work’s and Internet How To’s, to formulate a mission statement that I plan on using for my about page.

    To provide the most comprehensive up to date information in regards to digital design with emphasis on paint shop pro,while also providing the latest information for the digital consumer in order to facilitate a more enjoyable and productive internet experience.

    I generally use my tag line in signature lines for forums and other places that allow use of signatures to read:

    For my latest digital design works and internet how to please visit my blog at http://wildheartsworks.com

    Depending on the forum tho I sometimes switch it up a bit but it more or less stays the same.

  • Picky Cook

    April 7th, 2009 5:32 pm

    Thank you so much for creating this!

    Picky Cook
    I don’t make vegetarian food – I make real food vegetarian.

    I am working on the “longer” version.

  • Wendy

    April 7th, 2009 5:36 pm

    Hi Darren

    Thanks for this! You said we could share so here goes.

    “WISEWOLF TALKING

    Information and comment from Wisewolf Consulting for those managing change or going through change themselves – from strategy and programme management to personal mentoring and things to help you make the most of the opportunity!
    Thought pieces to stimulate discussion and to help you develop yourself and your business.
    Sometimes original, sometimes interesting pieces from elsewhere But all aimed at helping you to meet the challenge.”

    Looking forward to the rest of the course

  • Wendy

    April 7th, 2009 5:39 pm

    Wow, it took me an hour to get through the comments (and I bookmarked some of them because their pitches sounded so interesting)!

    My tagline: Simple Tips for Green Living

    My elevator pitch is a few paragraphs contained in my ‘About Wendy’ tab. I revamped it after reading this post:

    I created My Green Side as a way to remind myself, while hoping to educate others, on how to live thoughtfully and responsibly for our children, ourselves and our planet.

    I’m a wife to an amazing man and a mother of two awesome little girls. Everything I do is seen through this lens. My passion for sustainability is a gift from my parents who were green long before it was cool to be green.

    The journey I’m on has opened my eyes to many simple things we can do to make a big difference in the world around us and in our own homes.

    If we don’t try harder to live better, we will all languish in a pool of empty plastic bottles.

    What do you think?

    Great post! Thanks Darren!

  • Maria Keckler

    April 7th, 2009 6:04 pm

    Darren,

    First let me say “thank you” — you model what you preach and do it with class. What a great post!

    “Essentials for Servant Writers” is my blog’s current tag line and short elevator pitch. However, just in the last few days, I’ve been flooded with authors interested with being interviewed and featured in my blog — so far have 12 lined up. So I am thinking that a more appropriate short pitch should include the word “connections” — “Essentials and Connections for Servant Writers”

    The still short (but a bit longer) pitch is: “WritingtoServe.net aims to bring you tips, solid advice, and inspiration from publishing experts, seasoned authors, and servant writers in the trenches. The goal is to provide a community of mentors and up-and-coming servant writers.

    I will ponder all your points some, particularly to get more milage from the pitch by using it in e-signatures and others sites like “Twitter” profiles and others. I never thought of that. But it is true, developing a consistent brand is important for my message, in which I believe wholeheartedly, to get out to the audience I want to reach.

    Looking forward to learning more. Thank you for sharing your expertise so freely with us.
    Maria

  • Michael Godawski

    April 7th, 2009 6:06 pm

    OK, here we go:

    Zen Life
    Bringing Zen Into Your Life

    Welcome to Zen Life – a blog that helps you to add calmness, consciousness and awareness into your life.

    Zen Life is a pure and honest life, without fancy clutter, without distractions, without deceit. Sometimes it gets uncomfortable to be honest with oneself. But the benefits are greater than living like a blindfolded person. Focus, connection, awareness, empathy, honesty, truth should be our path.

    But why so serious? Life is also about fun. More specific it should be the biggest fun of all times, because with have only this single chance on earth to live.

    So if you feel your life is one big rush and you are not able to keep up with it, Zen Life is just the blog for you.

  • Cindy King

    April 7th, 2009 6:08 pm

    I just increased visitors to my blog, 92% in March, by implementing one single tip from your ProBlogger book… so I just had to take my blog in for a revision.

    That is why I’m following your challenge. Thank you Darren!

    And I have started off with a post on my blog about adapting an elevator pitch for international blogs.

    Looking forward to the rest of the challenge.

  • Simone

    April 7th, 2009 6:09 pm

    http://codeclimber.net.nz

    “CodeClimber helps developers climb the cliffs of web development on the .NET platform using the best practice tools and principles.”

    Hope it’s clear enough :)

  • Nik

    April 7th, 2009 6:16 pm

    Many thanks for the challenge & delightful first task, Darren!

    Here’s my take:

    You deserve a brilliant website: exciting design, inspiring content, and outstanding promotion. Our courses will help you create the online project of your dreams with WordPress.

  • Thandelike

    April 7th, 2009 6:25 pm

    I have several blogs which are doing very little for me – and I have zero time this month to devote to overhauling – so I’ve chosen my Twitter blog as my test case. I’m most active there and what I learn in this course I can apply to the other blogs (or create a new one).

    So assignment #1 got me to change my announcement about my Twitter blog on Facebook and in my email signature to “my up-to-the-minute cultural producer stream: what’s crossing my desk & my mind” . (Before this I had a graphic Tweetie bird which invited people to follow but gave no info about what they would find if they did. Plus, for non-twitterers being invited to ‘follow’ can sound presumptuous.)

    For a longer statement I can append this to my mini-bio – “I’m a cultural writer and multimedia producer focusing on women, travel, and history” and my blog is “an up-to-the-minute stream of what’s crossing my desk & my mind”.

    Going longer, I can add: “I share resources for writers and travelers, expats, Turkophiles and culturati of all stripes”

    Thanks Darren for a simple exercise bringing true value to both bloggers and their audience!

  • Jennine

    April 7th, 2009 6:30 pm

    hmm, i submitted my elevator pitches, and they aren’t here… did they get caught in the spam filter?

  • Gina Ryan

    April 7th, 2009 6:33 pm

    Aloha and don’t forget those of us at the END of the time zones…I still have an hour and a half here in Hawaii to finish my assignment on time ;)

    So my pitch came together so much easier with your instructions Darren…Big Maui Mahalo to you!

    Here it is:

    “Ever wonder how to heal a stressful relationship with eating? Self compassion! I help people see their lives from a higher more compassionate perspective greatly accelerating their recovery from disordered eating.”

    Let me know what you all think….I feel great about it right now/

    see you in class tomorrow.

  • Brian Auer

    April 7th, 2009 6:35 pm

    OK… here’s what I’ve come up with (with the sentence in bold being my short version):

    Epic Edits is a resource and community for photography enthusiasts of all experience levels. We explore many aspects of photography through discussion, example, and participation in group projects. Topics span from digital to film, capture to post-processing, camera gear to computer parts, and inspiration to execution. The community of Epic Edits is most important, and reader comments, messages, websites, and photos are highlighted as often as possible in order to give others a chance to be recognized for their efforts. In general, the concept of Epic Edits is to explore the medium of photography and learn from each other as we make our way through this hobby and profession.

  • frontierblog

    April 7th, 2009 7:10 pm

    I cannot agree more, actually I wrote a similar post weeks ago

    Edward

    Frontier Blog – No one ahead, no one behind
    http://www.hwswworld.com/wp

  • Maria

    April 7th, 2009 7:32 pm

    I can already see that this 31 day challenge is going to change my blogging experience (given that I follow through with the challenge!). The first task alone completely realigned and made me think of how much my blog had strayed and went out of focus from my original thesis: Kalesa ni Maria is a web site catering to the Filipino migrant community with primary focus on disseminating information about consular services and assistance to Filipino nationals in different regions.

    Under Philippine law, each embassy or consular office of the Republic of the Philippines is mandated to provide assistance and help to Filipino nationals regardless of their immigrant status.

    But in so many instances, Filipinos are hesitant to seek embassy help especially if they have problems with their papers.

    Kalesa ni Maria not only lists contact information but also announcements and other news from Philippine Consular Offices in different regions affecting immigrant Filipino communities.

  • Tobias op den Brouw

    April 7th, 2009 7:48 pm

    Cool. http://development.tobiasopdenbrouw.nl/post/2009/04/07/Welcome-to-the-SolutionBrewery!.aspx

    IT SolutionBrewery

    Sweet mashups and bitter hacks in ASP.NET, Delphi and SQL

    This is Tobias op den Brouw’s blog about development and my development area of BlogEngine.NET – my SolutionBrewery! The blog’s purpose is to share the sweet and the bitter I run into in my coding and IT projects, because it just might be useful to someone. I also air (IT) thoughts/trends that I think won’t hurt adding my voice to. They may be original to me, they may not be, but unless I air them, I’ll never know who else out there (dis)agrees, right?

  • Vanity Scientist

    April 7th, 2009 7:59 pm

    My elevator pitch:

    European School of Makeup

    High quality education at low tuition costs. Don’t dream it, be it. Become the makeup artist you always wanted to be. Bring us your passion and we will give you the tools you need to help you succeed within the makeup industry. Learn from the best and become the best.

    Comments are appreciated:)

  • Peter J. Coburn

    April 7th, 2009 8:02 pm

    Thanks for Day 1:

    Blog now has a new Elevator Pitch.
    —
    Peter J. Coburn Reflections:
    Inspirational Reflections, for all intrigued by Christianity, derived from 50 Years in the School of Life and tempered with wisdom from the Holy Bible.
    —

    Thanks for the intentional focus that fine tunes the blog.

  • Peter J. Coburn

    April 7th, 2009 8:04 pm

    Thanks for Day 1:

    Blog (http://blog.Coburns.biz) now has a new Elevator Pitch.
    —
    Peter J. Coburn Reflections:
    Inspirational Reflections, for all intrigued by Christianity, derived from 50 Years in the School of Life and tempered with wisdom from the Holy Bible.
    —

    Thanks for the intentional focus that fine tunes the blog.

  • Sylvian Patrick

    April 7th, 2009 8:13 pm

    My Tagline: My Views & Skews

    I am a Marketing Analyst by profession, a quizzer by passion, a non-conformist by birth, a misfit through the eyes peers and an absolute rebel. Everybody in this world is opinionated and I am everybody. So I am opinionated about the world around me. From Politics to Poverty, Movies to Murders you can plethora of articles which has my views and also my skews.

  • Tyrone - Internet Business Path

    April 7th, 2009 8:18 pm

    Hi Darren,

    Great post. You’ve got to the heart of every blogger! I came up with my tag line for my business which is focused on Internet Business Profits:

    “The path to helping businesses profit online”.

    I am eager to apply the elevator pitch on other parts of my blog, like the about me page and so forth.

    Also to mention I’ve found that writing a business time line seems to help introduce my blog to people as well and helps build a relationship with them. Somehow I am going to try to incorporate an elevator pitch in there.

    Thanks

  • Frank - Our Hiking Blog

    April 7th, 2009 8:18 pm

    Great starting off task and really made me think.

    Elevator pitch:

    Our Hiking Blog:

    We have fantastic adventures on our hiking trips and so can you.

    Frank and Sue help you have great hiking and backpacking trips into the wilderness.

    Experienced Aussie bushwalkers share their experiences and advice so anyone can enjoy multiday hiking trips that are well planned, safe and above all else, fun.

  • themaphabit

    April 7th, 2009 8:36 pm

    “I make treasure maps. Is your life an adventure?”

    (Great post Darren and I am very excited that the 31DBBB is off and running!)

  • Agent 001

    April 7th, 2009 8:51 pm

    So the series has started. Nice tips but could you keep it simple. Beginners out there might have difficulty understanding everything.

  • Chris Somers

    April 7th, 2009 8:57 pm

    Thank you for day 1 regarding the elevator pitch. We already have a tag line for our main real estate business which is “Protecting and Growing Your Wealth” but for the blog I am now thinking of revising it to “Growing Your Wealth Through Real Estate” . Our longer version would “Our blog is about connecting with all people involved in Real Estate…buyers, sellers, consumers, Realtors, investors by sharing our experiences to help build, grow and protect your wealth.”

    We think it still needs tweaking but it is a starting point for day 1 .

  • Lisa Germany

    April 7th, 2009 9:21 pm

    Great place to start! I just added this page to my blog:

    —–

    Tagline: The story behind the photographs

    Elevator Pitch:

    There is a story behind every photograph.

    It can be a story about the situation: located in time, place and emotion, or a story about the photographer: the thought processes behind the image and what was learned from the experience.

    This blog tells both types of story, as well as highlighting information I have found useful for improving my photography.

  • Tim

    April 7th, 2009 9:26 pm

    When saw this was the topic of the first day, I felt a little skeptical about how well it would fit my blog. My blog is very much just an informative blog, where I share my experiences/experiments in programming, and generally publish solutions to problems I encounter.
    I figured because I wasn’t selling anything, or trying to push an agenda, that an elevator pitch wouldn’t be that helpful.

    However, it’s really helped me realise just what I should be posting there, and just how irrelevant some of the things I’ve been posting. I’ve manage to figure out exactly what I’m trying to say, and why I’m writing, and the clarity is refreshing.

    So, this comment is to anyone reading, thinking that an elevator pitch probably isn’t compatible with their kind of blog – do it anyway. You’d be surprised.

  • Infonote

    April 7th, 2009 9:32 pm

    My elevator pitch is the following:

    Anticipate and meet the information requirements of people in Malta and around the world.

  • Rachel

    April 7th, 2009 9:47 pm

    What a great start to the series. This is definitely something that I have neglected.

    My tagline is currently “household management for the postmodern age” and this is the full elevator pitch:

    “Beyond Beeton is about one woman’s attempt to juggle a career, marriage and household while getting back to her pre-marriage weight (with occasional success).

    Here you will find information on budgeting, cooking, eating, weight loss, housework, shoes and surviving the corporate world in Perth, Western Australia, all smothered in a generous serve of failure, hypocrisy and sarcasm.

    Life is not easy beyond Beeton!”

    I don’t think it is the best snapshot of what I predominantly blog about – which is food, healthy recipes, balancing career/home. My current audience likes the recipes but I’m in a fairly crowded space there. I have a series on meal planning and fridge/pantry management coming up, along with some more weight-loss stuff, so it is possible that my focus will adjust somewhat.

    I guess I’m not sure how to decide how/when to focus.

    I have a lot of work to do, and I’m very grateful to you for running such a great course.

  • Phillip Gibb

    April 7th, 2009 9:50 pm

    Tag Line: Leveraging the Synthesis of Video and Social Media for the Church

    Using Video and Social Media (blogs, twitter, facebook, vimeo, youtube, etc) to interact, connect and learn. For the purpose of Glorifying God