By Emy Regan, OUR Peer Research Ambassador

As someone who has engaged in research and creative activity, I have learned that marketing yourself and your work is a key step in the process itself. An important way to do this is through an elevator pitch, or a short but impactful statement describing what you do and why you do it. This elevator pitch is the first impression of your research or creative projects that you’ll share with your peers, mentors and employers, so you’ll want to make it attention catching and easy to understand.

There are a few things to keep in mind when crafting an elevator pitch. It’s important to keep the statement brief – ideally no more than one minute – and to keep yourself on track talking about the main goals of the research or the vision and intended outcomes of your creative project. It’s also important to make it clear what sets you and your research or creative activities apart, and to discuss why your work matters. This is what will stick in people’s mind, and what will affirm your purpose and goals.

In the beginning of my undergraduate career, I was uncomfortable and nervous to talk about the work I was starting. Marketing my projects and myself did not come naturally to me. However, as I continued on, and shared my elevator pitch with more and more people, I gained so much confidence in the worth of my projects, and so much clarity in my core values and goals.

Marketing yourself not only allows the world to see the work you’ve done, but it also allows you to build confidence as an artist or a researcher. By developing a brief but comprehensive pitch describing your work, your mission, goals, and purpose will become clearer to you. You’ll be prepared for any research or creative opportunity that may arise, knowing that you are prepared to articulate the premise and importance of your work whenever you need to.

Emy is a senior majoring in studio art with a concentration in illustration. Click here to learn more about Emy.

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