Pitch Decks - Why the first and last pages are so important

Now that we have discussed the purpose and evolution of the #PitchDeck in the Avoiding Common Issues in Startups series, let’s get into the contents of it. Where to begin… That’s easy… The first page. It is usually the first impression your audience has of you and your company.?

The first page is a very powerful, 2- to 5-second marketing opportunity to:

• Convey what your company does
• Look professional and polished
• Show you can communicate in concise terms, yet pay attention to detail
• Tell them who you are and how to get in touch with you

All that in 2- to 5-seconds? Yes! Keep reading and we’ll show you how and why.?

First Page Key Elements

The first page of your Pitch Deck is on the screen for a minimum of a few seconds as you take the stage. It could also be up for minutes, especially if you are pitching first at a Pitch Competition. (I was at a pitch competition late last year, where the facility had technical difficulties, and the opening slide of the first pitch deck was on the screen for over 30 minutes! We had no choice but to look at it for half an hour! Unfortunately, it was missing some of the key elements, so it was a huge missed marketing opportunity.)?

There are 4 key elements of your first page.

Company Name

Ok, I know what you are thinking… “Duh.” But, hear me out. You would be surprised how many times this is an issue. Is your company name reflective of what you do? Does it give an outsider an idea of what you do? And, here is a good one… Does it inspire a potential customer or investor to want to learn more about what you do?

Let’s think about two examples that we all know, Home Depot and Lowe’s. I think we can all agree that the name, “Home Depot,” conveys fairly well that they are a home improvement store, even if you have never heard of them. As a side note, an early investor is the one that came up with the name, so you may want to listen to your investor’s suggestions!

Now, onto Lowe’s. This is a little less obvious. According to a quick Google search, Lowe’s has been around since 1921. Since 1955, the Lowe’s logo contained other wording only once - from 1997 to 2008. (We are going to ignore the outline of the house for now, since it really doesn’t look that much like a house.) Other than that, the logo has contained only the name, “Lowe’s,” in various block fonts. And, if you are wondering if their legal name is any better, it is not. It is Lowe’s Companies, Inc.?

Back to the questions at the beginning of the section. I think that even as a startup, the name Home Depot is a good choice. It conveys what they do and even makes me a little curious about what they sell. Conversely, obviously, Lowe’s has been very successful, despite their name choice, but I would argue that Lowe’s is not a good name for a startup, because it gives you no indication of what the company does.?

Tagline

Use of a tagline is not mandatory, but it can really help focus your audience on exactly what you do. To avoid going into an entire marketing discussion, I’ll just say that a tagline should be short and concise, ideally 3 to 5 words. It should be professionally laid out and not look like simple text on the page.?

Let’s go back to the Home Depot and Lowe’s example. Home Depot’s tagline, “How doers get more done,” compliments the name by implying who they sell to - DIYers. Lowe’s tagline is, “Lowe’s knows Home Improvement.” That is good, but the thing that it (or the name) still doesn’t tell you is, do they sell a product or a service? I don’t think their last two taglines do much to answer that question any better - “Never stop improving” and “Home to any possibility.”

Again, not to bash Lowe’s (I go to the one down the street on a very regular basis), but their name and tagline would not be good choices, if they were a startup.

Images

Nowhere is the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” more true than here. This can take a while to perfect, but find a picture - or maybe two - that completely conveys what you do. Usually, it takes up most of the page and has the other three key elements overlaid on it. Try to find an image that matches your deck’s color scheme.?

There are a number of websites, where you can find royalty-free images to use, such as Pexels, Unsplash, and Pixabay. The paid sites, such as Adobe Stock and iStock, tend to have better images, and sometimes they have free trials. So, this doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor.?

Contact Information

Don’t go overboard with this one. Just put your name, title, and email address. Put it somewhere near the bottom in a subtle place.?

Last page Key Elements

Similar to the first page, this is an opportunity to highlight your brand and share your contact information. In addition to that, it is an opportunity to recap the key points that you want your audience to take away from the pitch. We’ll talk more about that in a minute.

What is unique about this slide is that it may get more screen time at a pitch than the first page unless you scroll through the slides during Q&A. This is especially true if you are the last one to pitch at a competition - your last slide may be on the screen until everyone clears the room.?

Company Name and Tagline

Similar to the front page, the company name and tagline should be on the last slide.?

Images

Now that everyone knows what you do, try to find a different image than is on the first slide. It still needs to send a message on what you do, but you have a little more leeway here. Make sure that the image is high quality and entices the audience to engage with you. If you do use the same image as the first slide, that is ok, but changing it may show a little creativity.?

Key Points

You should have 2 to 4 key points that you want your audience to take away from the pitch. Not everybody does this, but I try to find a creative way to reiterate them on this page. Note: a bullet list is not terribly creative - I recommend avoiding this. Maybe you can do this through the images that you choose. Maybe find a way to do it through transparent text in the background - similar to text in a watermark. There are lots of ways to do this - see if you can find a way that works for your deck layout and color scheme.?

Contact Information

Now that your audience knows what you do and is excited about you and your company, make sure they can contact you. Put your name, company name, and email/phone number prominently, but subtly, on the slide. You can also incorporate a QR code, if your slide’s color scheme allows it to not be too obnoxious.?

Testing Your Pages

Now that you have your pages put together and you think they are ready for the outside world, go test them.?

We will talk about this a lot throughout this series. Get feedback on your Pitch Deck before you go out to your intended audience with it.?

First, get feedback from people who know you and your business, but make sure that you choose people who will be honest with you. (The key word in that sentence is “people,” as in the plural form of “person.” Get at least 5 opinions.) Ask them, “does this first page convey who we are and what we do?” If the answer is, no, obviously, ask them why and for suggestions. Adjust the slides accordingly. Once those answers are, “yes,” then go to people outside your circle - people, who do not know what your business is, and maybe even people, who you do not know at all. Show them your cover page and ask them, “based on that page alone, what do you think our company does?” If their answer is wrong, tell them what you do, and ask for suggestions on what image or tag line would better convey what your company does. Do this until three or four people give you the right answer. Then, you know you got your message across.?

Summary

The first and last slides may seem mundane, but they are a highly effective marketing tool, if done correctly. Hopefully, this has given you some guidelines to create highly effective first and last slides for your pitch deck.?

Follow me to see more of the series as it is published.?

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