How can you make your pitch deck more compelling?

Logic and emotion weight in their potency to convey cognitive empathy was utilized in understanding the audience being pitched. The range in learners from visual, auditory and tactile when meshed to bring into consideration the expectations, preferences and traction is meaningful. The solution presented that has spoken the pain point or desire while being engulfed with an emotional anchor parallels thought and care to the intended audience. When visual imagery is mirrored with data and engaged with branding teams who capture the emotional piece to it, the path to standing out from others may be further lit for one to potential secure the outcome sought. Tangible impact is made when the audience is considered.

As a pre-seed investor, pitch decks that wow me have a few factors; firstly, in layperson's terms, what do you do? So many decks lose me in their jargon or assumptions. Secondly, why you and why now? The overall story should make clear why you're the right leader and why current tailwinds (ideally ones you can uniquely spot and others can't) make your solution right for now. And, thirdly, what have you done so far? This can be depth of user interviews, a working prototype or sign-ups - just show me your traction, however light. For a customer or later stage deck, you'll need more detail but, early on, a deck exists to get you a meeting.

1 Start your pitch deck with compelling and attention-grabbing introductions 2 Clearly define "pain points" your product(s) or service(s) address 3 Clearly communicate your proposition and how you stand out from others 4 Highlight the benefits you offer 5 Utilize visuals: charts, graphs, and images to make your pitch deck more engaging 6 Incorporate testimonials, case studies, or success stories 7 Avoid information overload and keep your pitch deck concise 8 Anticipate potential concerns or questions from your audience and address them proactively 9 Practice your pitch and ensure a confident and engaging delivery 10 Tailor your pitch to the audience: Customize your pitch deck to suit the specific needs and interests of your target audience.

Totally agree with this! Knowing your audiences can help you prepare answers to all the questions that investors might ask giving you an extra edge! Other than this, knowing your customers can help you identify their purchasing patterns which can help you set prices and target the right audience base.

Injecting a "personal" and authentic story, would always arouse the curiosity of the audience... Key to always remind yourselves, to prepare well in advance what the audience would want to know; and NOT what you want to "tell"....

For a pitch deck, I always suggest following the “Golden Circles Rule” by Simon Sinek. What ~ Why ~ How What: Be crisp and clear about what your business does. Define the output of your business very precisely. Be loud about the values you are going to add to your audience. Why: Expressing reasons for your unique existence in the market space educates the audience about your values, credibility and domain expertise. How: Now it’s time to let your audience know how they can engage business with you. It’s of utmost importance to keep the initial business engagement process as simple and as understandable as possible. Following these three key parameters in this order yields a successful pitch deck. Happy Entrepreneurship! ??

Employ a color palette, font selection, and imagery that aligns with your brand identity and message. A cohesive visual theme not only enhances aesthetics but also aids in conveying your story effectively

Remember the 3Cs - your pitch needs to be Crisp, Clear and Compelling - try to boil your message down to fewer more impactful words

From my perspective, I look at numbers a lot. I need to see that traction you are making, the demand in the market and if you actually know what you are talking about. All that aside, be sure to highlight the TEAM! Some investors care more about the team than they do the project; projects can be adapted to success, team members cooperation and passion ... not so much.

Let’s dig into a few of the major components to keep in mind when designing a pitch deck. Tell a story. One of the best ways to capture your audience is through a compelling story. Make sure you’re really selling your business idea by elaborating on why people are going to want or need it. Be passionate about your idea. No one wants to listen to someone half-heartedly pitch a business idea. You need to believe in it and make your audience believe in it, too. Proofread and practice. Nothing is going to make you seem less professional than typos and a million “ums” during your speech. Review your slides and rehearse them to make sure you’re ready to present. Pay attention Old, boring, bulleted PowerPoints won’t get you anywhere anymore.

Whenever I’m making a pitch deck, I always remind myself this: “Pretend that you are talking to Siri!” This reminds me that the deck needs to be clear, and made for somebody who may not have a lot of knowledge about my services or industry.

Stories are the best way to communicate the heart of who you are as a company. People want to connect with the history of the brand, it’s founders, and even the struggles they faced and how they overcame them. Being authentic goes a long way in building trust. Facts can only go so far; yes, they are an important component of a pitch deck, but stories are what help the client know whether their needs and philosophies align with your company’s. The adage “facts tell, stories sell,” couldn’t be more true and your ability to tell your company’s story so that it resonates with your client is so important in closing the sale. Until you strike an emotional chord with your client, your data is irrelevant and you won’t be able to seal the deal.

You may possess tons of facts, and impressive numbers to show, but what really makes the difference is how effectively you present this information to your audience. A well elaborated story will not only transmit your facts and numbers, it has the power to captivate your audience’s attention directing their focus where you intend. When telling a story ensure a deep connection with your audience, encouraging their engagement, fostering a sense of inclusion with your story. This will significantly enhance the likelihood of successfully transmitting your message.

Storytelling will also keep the audience engaged. People want content they can relate to and storytelling helps with digesting the content.

I believe that more than telling a story, the best way to make a Deck attractive is to know who you are sending it to. Only if you know your potential investor well can you tailor the Deck to the type of investor you are targeting.

Visuals are significantly important in terms of communication. And when we add motion to it the whole picture becomes more engaging for our audience. While creating a pitch deck there should be enough Text, Static Visuals and Motion-based visuals. Data is really crucial to build trust and credibility in our audience’s mind. Visualisation and representation of data in a suitable format is always a dealbreaker in a quality pitch deck.

absolutely. picture is a thousand words video is a thousand pictures if one can show a gif/video as part of your presentation then you are always communicating better. the freudian slip of 'i know what i have said, but dont know what you have understood' is partially eliminated.

I personally like to see regression time-series charts to help with forecast analysis of the pitching corporations; however that is not usually the norm perhaps. Keeping the visuals clear is important; if you are using acronyms, then put a KEY, do not expect the reader to know what you are talking about even if they are a top pro in their industry (for liability's sake). Even if you are a start-up that has not done anything yet, include market data and potential value your corporation would have. I would highly advise against pitching with 0 data.

Achieving the perfect balance between visual appeal and data integrity is a fine art. It's like maintaining harmony in a dual-role performance. Visuals should be visually striking while accurately representing the underlying data. Finding this equilibrium can greatly enhance the impact of your pitch deck.

This advice hits the mark! Take your audience on a journey that connects the visuals and data with the heart of your story – your passion and your mission. It's the fusion of both that truly captivates and convinces.

You will come to find that something which makes perfect sense today will feel out dated and sometimes nonsensical three months from now. You don’t need to obsess over it, but you should occasionally review and update when needed. As you do your pitch, you should get a sense from those you are talking to (facial reactions, nods, smiles or even verbal agreements) what works and what may not. Being mindful can go a long way.

practice-practice-practice and then again practice. watch yourself in the mirror ask your colleagues for feedback on your usage of filler words, your body-language, your facial expressions and how you are dressed too. first impressions last. don't forget to take a bath and clean up.

What I used to do is invite a few friends or colleagues and ask them if I can pitch to them and have them ask me as many questions as they need. This type of practice is more practical because speaking is 20% of a pitch, they rest is answering questions, solidifying data, proving with evidence and being able to show great structured team and operational dynamics. Enjoy, have fun and let your passion show. Your corporation show reflect your core values after all! It is alright to be nervous, whomever you are pitching to most likely already anticipates that you would be nervous.

All great presentations are rehearsed when no one is looking. For longer than I can remember, I thought great story tellers just hopped up on the stage and had these natural abilities to tell incredible stories. What I came to learn years later is that they were just presenting a well refined and rehearsed presentation. The time to figure out what works and what does not work is during rehearsal where you make space to practice and refine.

A great way to understand how to make your pitch deck better is to imagine yourself to be your own viewer. Would you be interested in your own speech? Why would you be interested? What do you need to improve? This way you learn a lot about your strong points and develop new skills.

Three quick tips for a great pitch deck. Firstly build a consistent narrative, a narrative that takes the reader through a journey. Secondly ensure that the deck provides answers to 4 key questions: - why this problem? - why this solution? - why now? - why you? Finally, just get someone else to read it through. They will spot things that you perhaps haven’t explained fully or just simply spelling or grammar issues.

if possible learn a bit about the people you will meet at the pitch. start with a friendly note while introducing yourself try and make a human connection before you dive into business remember to smile, a soft and a genuine smile goes a long way. body language even though subtle goes a long way to the person who knows what they are looking for. firm handshake is also a good thing!

State the dramatic outcomes your business produces for its clients and how this translates into results for the investors. Then, be prepared for your audience to be somewhat disbelieving and say, "How would you do that?" That's a good sign.

Remember that you need to have a deck that you will send to people where you will not be presenting & the one you will be using to present. The former still has to be light but should still pique enough interest to get you a meeting. So be merciless in culling your deck. Seek feedback regularly. If you receive the same piece of advice from many people that is something you need to change now. If you receive similar advice from a few people (more than 2) then reach out to the people who have asked for that change & try & understand the root cause for that suggestion.. if the root cause is identical then its time to change that too. A word of caution People like different styles, different fonts etc.. but definitely get a designer in to help.