A good 30 second pitch  is probably one of the first things you should do once you have come up with an idea. You need a way to tell others how great it is. Whether it’s for investors, team members, prospects, friends, family, etc., a concise way to talk about what you are working on is critical. That is where the 30 second pitch comes in.

One formula

There are several ways to do this and many differing (strong) opinions on what should be included and excluded for a 30 second pitch. Here is one formula from the books Pitch Anything and Crossing the Chasm.
Everything in the brackets “[]” is to be filled in by you.

[Company or idea name]
For [target customers, beach head segment only]
Who are dissatisfied with [the current market alternative],
Our product is a [category for your new product or service]
That provides [key problem solving capability]
Unlike [the product alternative],
We have assembled [key whole product features for your specific application].

Sandler formula

An alternative method for creating your pitch comes from the Sandler Sales System. It is largely based on tapping into the pain others feel in various situations and finding ways for you to solve their pain.
Everything in the brackets “[]” is to be filled in by you.

Start by listing pains your future customers have.
I’m [your name] with [company name]
We are [what you do, e.g. an Irvine based non-profit that helps startups]
We work with [who are your clients, e.g. entrepreneurs and those who want to get involved in startups]
Who [List your potential client’s pains, e.g. are frustrated by, concerned with, upset because, felling pressure from, etc.).
Do any of these issues apply to you? [If yes, explore. If no, they are either not a prospect or you need better pain descriptions]

30 second pitch contests

One source to hear lots of pitches are pitch contests. Record them if you can so you can see what people choose to include and, based on judges questions, what they excluded. If you get your pitch down well enough, you may want to try entering one!