What is the best way to prioritize investor feedback for your pitch deck?

A lot of people are going to have a lot of opinions about your deck. They key is to figure out which advice keeps popping up. If you hear feedback once, you can ignore it. If you hear feedback twice, you should take it into consideration. If you hear feedback thrice, you should probably change that part of your feedback. In general the pitch is all about telling a story so that fastest way to validate if you're telling the story correctly is if people understand what it is you're doing and where you are in the process.

Not all feedback is equally valuable. Some comments might be subjective or not align with your business goals. Focus on feedback that directly relates to your core message, business model, or overall strategy. This helps you concentrate on the most relevant insights.

Some investors have personal preferences, hidden agendas, or even biases that don't jive with your pitch deck vision. Others might dish out vague, generic, or "too subjective for my taste" feedback that leaves you scratching your head. So, how do we avoid indigestion and feast on the truly helpful stuff? Filtering is key! Look for feedback that's: Specific: Not "Your design needs work," but "The font makes it hard to read on mobile." Actionable: Not just "Make it better," but "Try using a bolder color scheme and larger fonts." Constructive: Not "This is boring," but "I'd love to see more data on customer acquisition."

Think of it like sifting for gold. First, look for common themes. If multiple investors are pointing out the same issue, that's gold dust you can't ignore. Next, weigh the feedback against your business goals. Does it align with your vision and strategy? Consider the source too – feedback from investors in your industry might carry more weight. But remember, it's your pitch, your story. Don't lose your voice trying to please everyone. It's about finding that sweet spot where your vision meets investor insight. And sometimes, the best feedback is what's not said – read between the lines. In the end, it's a balancing act between staying true to your vision and being adaptable to valuable insights.

Filtering feedback isn't just about identifying the "good" comments. Recognizing the bias and potential agendas of investors provides valuable context for interpreting all feedback, even the seemingly irrelevant. This fosters mutual understanding and a more productive dialogue between startups and their potential backers.

Conflicting feedback can be a blessing in disguise! It forces us to revisit our core assumptions and refine our message. The key, as you say, is alignment with our own north star. But how do we decipher the "noise" from the "wisdom"? I find seeking common threads across diverse perspectives often leads to a clearer path forward.

Focus on essential parts of feedback. Care about big picture and ignore feedback related to details such as design, wording, number of slides and so on. - Does the feedback helps to quantify things more? -Does the feedback make it easier to understand what you are building and makes your deck easier to digest? - Is the feedback related to the financials, business model and metrics? Usually a strong feedback somehow touches these aspects and significantly improves your deck as sales tool.