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How Steve Jobs Perfected the iPhone Pitch — He Rehearsed It Every Day for Years

By Steve Jobs · Product & Building · 1 min read

He was working on the story from day one. He would pitch us, look at our faces, talk to trusted people outside the organization, modulate it, change it. When he came out on stage, it was like a Tony Award-winning play that had been worked on for ten years.

Key Points

Jobs rehearsed the iPhone pitch every day with his team — watching their faces, refining the story
The 'three things in one' pitch broke every marketing rule — but it worked because it showed the pain
He was an actor as well as a storyteller, but the truth came through — it was a non-fiction story

It was like a Tony Award-winning play that had been worked on for ten years. But the truth came through. It was a non-fiction story — and then he added those personal flourishes on top for dramatic effect.

He Was Working on the Story From Day One

Steve was doing that the entire time — working on the story from day one. He was pitching us this, this, this. Then he would look at our faces. Most people working for him wouldn't tell him what they really thought. But he would look at your face.

Then he would talk to a few real trusted confidants outside the organization, see what they thought. They could really challenge him. He would also look at their faces. And he would modulate and change it slightly. He was working on the story and the storytelling the whole time.

He would pitch us, look at our faces, talk to trusted people outside, then modulate. Working on the story the entire time.

The Laziest Form of Storytelling — That Was the Best One

When he comes out on stage, he does something every marketer is told not to do — 'these three things are now combined in one.' They say that is the laziest form of storytelling possible for marketing.

But it was the best one. Because it was all those pains — I want my iPod, I want my communications, I want my internet browsing on the go. You had a laptop, an iPod, and a phone. You had to carry all of these things. Now we're going to solve that pain and put it all together.

He was just showing you the pain, beating that virus of doubt — it's now in this one magical thing.

Every marketer says don't do that. It's the laziest storytelling. But it was the best — because it showed all the pain.

A Tony Award-Winning Play Worked on for Ten Years

He could masterfully tell that story because he told it almost every day to all of these people inside, very quietly. And then it was just right. It was like a Tony Award-winning play that had been worked on for ten years.

He was dramatic at certain points. He would raise his voice, a wry smile — all those touches. He was an actor as well as a storyteller. But the truth came through. It was a non-fiction story. And then he added those personal flourishes on top for dramatic effect.

He told it almost every day, very quietly. Then it was just right. He was an actor — but the truth came through.