Edit wiki/memorize-one-liner.md — Rookie Mistakes & Gotchas

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# memorize a one-liner for your product

## what happened

still the description isn't very clear — should have memorized the one liner. kept explaining the project differently every time someone asked, each version more confusing than the last.

## why it's a gotcha

you will be asked "what does it do?" dozens of times — by judges, mentors, other teams, sponsors. if you fumble it every time, people assume the project itself is unclear, not just your explanation.

## the fix

write one sentence that explains what your project does. memorize it. use it every time. format: "[product] is a [thing] that [does what] for [who]." practice saying it out loud until it sounds natural, not rehearsed. same concept applies to [[how-you-introduce-yourself|introducing yourself]]. the one-liner is the foundation of your [[pitching-matters-as-much-as-product|pitch]], and it should [[frame-impact-explicitly|communicate impact]], not just features. [[practice-presentation-once|practicing]] includes practicing the one-liner until it's automatic.