A pitch deck is a presentation that showcases your business idea, product, or service to potential investors, customers, partners, or other stakeholders. It is one of the most important tools for entrepreneurs and startups, as it can help you secure funding, generate leads, build relationships, and grow your business.
However, creating a pitch deck that stands out from the crowd is not an easy task. According to a study by DocSend, the average investor spends only 3 minutes and 44 seconds on a pitch deck. That means you have a very limited time to capture their attention and convince them of your value proposition.
In this article, we will share some tips and best practices on how to design a pitch deck that stands out. We will cover how to know your audience, tell a compelling story, and keep it simple and clear. By following these tips, you will be able to create a pitch deck that showcases your vision, solves a problem, and delivers a strong call to action.
Tip 1: Know Your Audience
One of the most important aspects of designing a pitch deck that stands out is to know your audience. Your audience is the group of people who will be viewing your pitch deck, such as investors, customers, partners, or other stakeholders. Knowing your audience will help you tailor your pitch deck to their needs, goals, expectations, and objections.
Before creating your pitch deck, you should do some research and analysis on your target audience. You should ask yourself some questions, such as:
- What are their pain points and needs? What problem are they facing that your solution can solve?
- What are their goals and expectations? What are they looking for in a potential partner or investment opportunity?
- How can your solution benefit them? What value proposition and benefits can you offer them?
- What are their objections or concerns? What are the risks and challenges that they might have in mind?
By answering these questions, you will be able to understand your audience better and address their interests and concerns in your pitch deck.
For example, if your audience is a group of angel investors, you might want to focus on:
- The market opportunity and potential of your solution
- The traction and validation of your solution
- The team and expertise behind your solution
- The financial projections and funding needs of your solution
On the other hand, if your audience is a group of potential customers, you might want to focus on:
- The problem and solution of your solution
- The features and benefits of your solution
- The customer testimonials and case studies of your solution
- The pricing and payment options of your solution
By knowing your audience, you will be able to create a pitch deck that speaks to them and persuades them to take action.
Tip 2: Tell a Compelling Story
Another key aspect of designing a pitch deck that stands out is to tell a compelling story. A story is a narrative that connects the dots between your problem, solution, and audience. It helps you engage and persuade your audience by appealing to their emotions, logic, and imagination.
A good story has some elements, such as:
- A clear problem and solution: This is the core of your story. You should identify the problem that your audience is facing and how your solution can solve it. You should also explain why your solution is unique and better than the alternatives.
- A relatable protagonist and antagonist: This is the human element of your story. You should introduce the main character of your story, who is usually your ideal customer or user. You should also introduce the villain of your story, who is usually the current situation or the competition. You should show how your protagonist struggles with the problem and how your solution helps them overcome it.
- A hook and a climax: This is the dramatic element of your story. You should capture your audience’s attention from the start by presenting a surprising fact, a shocking statistic, a personal anecdote, or a provocative question. You should also build up the tension and excitement by showing the challenges and opportunities that your solution faces. You should then deliver a powerful climax by revealing the results and impact of your solution.
- A call to action: This is the final element of your story. You should end your story by asking your audience to take a specific action, such as contacting you, visiting your website, signing up for a trial, or investing in your business. You should also provide a clear and compelling reason for them to do so.
For example, if your solution is a mobile app that helps people find and book local services, you might tell a story like this:
- Problem and solution: Have you ever needed a plumber, a mechanic, or a tutor in a hurry, but didn’t know where to find one? That’s the problem that millions of people face every day. That’s why we created ServiceFinder, the app that connects you with local service providers in minutes.
- Protagonist and antagonist: Meet Sarah, a busy working mom who has a leaky faucet in her kitchen. She tries to fix it herself, but ends up making it worse. She searches online for a plumber, but gets overwhelmed by the options and reviews. She calls a few, but they are either too expensive, too busy, or too far away. She is frustrated and stressed out. She needs a plumber fast, but she doesn’t know who to trust.
- Hook and climax: That’s when she discovers ServiceFinder, the app that solves her problem. She downloads the app, enters her location and service request, and gets matched with a nearby plumber who has a high rating and a fair price. She books the plumber with a few taps, and gets a confirmation and an ETA. The plumber arrives on time, fixes the faucet, and cleans up the mess. Sarah is relieved and happy. She pays the plumber through the app, and leaves a positive review. She loves ServiceFinder, and recommends it to her friends and family.
- Call to action: ServiceFinder is the app that makes finding and booking local services easy, fast, and reliable. Whether you need a plumber, a mechanic, a tutor, or any other service, ServiceFinder has you covered. Download the app today and get $10 off your first service. Don’t miss this opportunity to save time, money, and hassle. Try ServiceFinder now and see the difference for yourself.
By telling a compelling story, you will be able to create a pitch deck that captures your audience’s interest, empathy, and curiosity.
Tip 3: Keep It Simple and Clear
The final aspect of designing a pitch deck that stands out is to keep it simple and clear. Simplicity and clarity are essential for effective communication, especially when you have a limited time and space to convey your message. You want to avoid clutter and confusion in your pitch deck, and make it easy for your audience to understand and remember your key points.
To keep it simple and clear, you should follow some guidelines, such as:
- Use a consistent and professional design: Your design should match your brand identity and tone, and create a visual harmony and contrast in your pitch deck. You should use a color scheme and a font that are appropriate for your industry and audience, and avoid using too many colors or fonts that distract or clash. You should also use a standard format and layout for your slides, and align your elements properly.
- Use a logical and coherent structure: Your structure should follow a clear and logical flow that guides your audience through your story. You should use a standard structure for your pitch deck, such as:
- Cover slide: This is the first slide that introduces your company name, logo, tagline, and contact information.
- Problem slide: This is the slide that defines the problem that your audience is facing and why it matters.
- Solution slide: This is the slide that presents your solution and how it solves the problem.
- Market slide: This is the slide that shows the market opportunity and potential of your solution.
- Product slide: This is the slide that demonstrates the features and benefits of your solution.
- Traction slide: This is the slide that validates your solution with data and evidence, such as customers, revenue, growth, etc.
- Team slide: This is the slide that introduces your team and their expertise and experience.
- Financial slide: This is the slide that projects your financial performance and needs, such as revenue, expenses, profit, etc.
- Ask slide: This is the last slide that summarizes your value proposition and asks your audience to take action.
- Use bullet points and keywords: Your slides should not contain too much text or information that overwhelms or bores your audience. You should use bullet points and keywords to highlight your main points and make them easy to scan and remember. You should also use headings and subheadings to organize your content and create a hierarchy of information.
- Use simple and concise language: Your language should be clear and understandable for your audience, and avoid unnecessary jargon or acronyms that might confuse them. You should use simple and concise sentences and phrases that convey your message effectively and efficiently. You should also use active voice and positive tone to make your pitch deck more engaging and persuasive.
For example, if your solution is a mobile app that helps people find and book local services, you might keep it simple and clear like this:
- Design: You might use a blue and white color scheme and a sans-serif font that reflect your brand identity and tone. You might also use a standard 10-slide format and layout for your pitch deck, and align your elements neatly.
- Structure: You might follow the standard structure for your pitch deck, and use headings and subheadings to label your slides, such as:
- Cover slide: ServiceFinder – The app that connects you with local service providers in minutes
- Problem slide: Finding and booking local services is hard, time-consuming, and unreliable
- Solution slide: ServiceFinder is the app that makes finding and booking local services easy, fast, and reliable
- Market slide: ServiceFinder targets a $500 billion market of local service providers and consumers
- Product slide: ServiceFinder offers a simple and intuitive user interface, a smart and secure matching algorithm, and a convenient and flexible payment system
- Traction slide: ServiceFinder has over 10,000 service providers and 100,000 users, and generates over $1 million in revenue per month
- Team slide: ServiceFinder is founded by a team of experienced and passionate entrepreneurs, engineers, and designers
- Financial slide: ServiceFinder projects a 50% growth rate and a 20% profit margin, and seeks $5 million in funding
- Ask slide: ServiceFinder is the app that solves a real problem and creates a real value. Join us today and help us revolutionize the local service industry
- Bullet points and keywords: You might use bullet points and keywords to summarize your main points and make them easy to scan and remember, such as:
- Problem slide:
- Need a plumber, a mechanic, a tutor, or any other service?
- Don’t know where to find one?
- Overwhelmed by the options and reviews?
- Frustrated by the prices and availability?
- Stressed by the quality and reliability?
- Solution slide:
- Download ServiceFinder app
- Enter your location and service request
- Get matched with a nearby service provider
- Book the service with a few taps
- Pay the service through the app
- Problem slide:
- Language: You might use simple and concise language to convey your message effectively and efficiently, and avoid unnecessary jargon or acronyms that might confuse your audience, such as:
- Problem slide: Have you ever needed a plumber, a mechanic, a tutor, or any other service in a hurry, but didn’t know where to find one?
- Solution slide: ServiceFinder is the app that connects you with local service providers in minutes.
- Market slide: ServiceFinder targets a huge and growing market of local service providers and consumers.
- Product slide: ServiceFinder offers a simple and intuitive user interface, a smart and secure matching algorithm, and a convenient and flexible payment system.
- Traction slide: ServiceFinder has over 10,000 service providers and 100,000 users, and generates over $1 million in revenue per month.
- Team slide: ServiceFinder is founded by a team of experienced and passionate entrepreneurs, engineers, and designers.
- Financial slide: ServiceFinder projects a 50% growth rate and a 20% profit margin, and seeks $5 million in funding.
- Ask slide: ServiceFinder is the app that solves a real problem and creates a real value. Join us today and help us revolutionize the local service industry.
By keeping it simple and clear, you will be able to create a pitch deck that delivers your message in a concise and effective way.
Tip 4: Use Visuals and Animations
A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth a million. Visuals and animations are powerful tools for enhancing your pitch deck and making it more memorable and persuasive. They can help you illustrate your problem, solution, product, traction, and other aspects of your pitch deck in a more engaging and effective way.
To use visuals and animations, you should follow some guidelines, such as:
- Use relevant and high-quality visuals and animations: Your visuals and animations should match your content and message, and support your story and argument. You should use relevant and high-quality images, icons, charts, graphs, diagrams, videos, gifs, etc. that convey your information clearly and accurately. You should also avoid using low-resolution, blurry, or distorted visuals and animations that might distract or confuse your audience.
- Use appropriate and consistent visuals and animations: Your visuals and animations should fit your brand identity and tone, and create a visual harmony and contrast in your pitch deck. You should use appropriate and consistent colors, shapes, sizes, styles, effects, transitions, etc. that match your design and structure. You should also avoid using too many or too few visuals and animations that might overwhelm or bore your audience.
- Use simple and clear visuals and animations: Your visuals and animations should be easy to understand and remember for your audience, and avoid unnecessary complexity or ambiguity. You should use simple and clear labels, legends, captions, titles, etc. that explain your visuals and animations. You should also use data and evidence to back up your visuals and animations, and cite your sources if needed.
For example, if your solution is a mobile app that helps people find and book local services, you might use visuals and animations like this:
- Problem slide: You might use an image of a frustrated person trying to fix a leaky faucet, or a video of a person searching online for a plumber and getting overwhelmed by the options and reviews.
- Solution slide: You might use an icon of a smartphone with your app logo, or a gif of a person using your app and getting matched with a nearby plumber.
- Market slide: You might use a chart or a graph that shows the size and growth of the local service industry, or a map that shows the locations and numbers of your service providers and users.
- Product slide: You might use a screenshot or a video that demonstrates the features and benefits of your app, or a diagram that shows the workflow and logic of your app.
- Traction slide: You might use a chart or a graph that shows the data and metrics of your app, such as customers, revenue, growth, etc., or a video that shows the testimonials and case studies of your app.
- Team slide: You might use an image or a video that introduces your team and their expertise and experience, or an animation that shows the roles and responsibilities of your team.
- Financial slide: You might use a chart or a graph that projects your financial performance and needs, such as revenue, expenses, profit, etc., or a video that shows the impact and potential of your app.
- Ask slide: You might use an image or a video that summarizes your value proposition and benefits, or an animation that shows your call to action and contact information.
By using visuals and animations, you will be able to create a pitch deck that appeals to your audience’s senses, emotions, and imagination.
Tip 5: Practice and Prepare
The last but not the least aspect of designing a pitch deck that stands out is to practice and prepare. No matter how good your pitch deck is, it will not matter if you cannot deliver it well. You need to practice and prepare your pitch to make sure you can present it confidently, clearly, and convincingly.
To practice and prepare, you should follow some guidelines, such as:
- Practice your pitch aloud and with feedback: You should practice your pitch aloud and with feedback from others, such as your team, your mentors, your friends, or your family. You should rehearse your pitch several times, and try to improve your delivery, timing, tone, and body language. You should also ask for honest and constructive feedback, and incorporate it into your pitch.
- Prepare for different scenarios and questions: You should prepare for different scenarios and questions that might arise during or after your pitch, such as technical issues, interruptions, objections, or challenges. You should have a backup plan and a contingency plan for any unexpected situations, and be ready to handle them calmly and professionally. You should also anticipate and research the common and specific questions that your audience might ask, and prepare clear and concise answers for them.
- Prepare your materials and equipment: You should prepare your materials and equipment that you will need for your pitch, such as your laptop, your projector, your remote, your microphone, your charger, your adapter, etc. You should check and test your materials and equipment before your pitch, and make sure they are working properly and compatible. You should also have a backup copy of your pitch deck on a USB drive or online, in case of any technical issues.
For example, if your solution is a mobile app that helps people find and book local services, you might practice and prepare like this:
- Practice your pitch aloud and with feedback: You might practice your pitch aloud and with feedback from your team, your mentors, your friends, or your family. You might rehearse your pitch several times, and try to improve your delivery, timing, tone, and body language. You might also ask for honest and constructive feedback, and incorporate it into your pitch.
- Prepare for different scenarios and questions: You might prepare for different scenarios and questions that might arise during or after your pitch, such as:
- Technical issues: Your laptop crashes, your projector fails, your remote stops working, etc.
- Interruptions: Your audience gets distracted, your phone rings, your alarm goes off, etc.
- Objections: Your audience questions your problem, your solution, your market, your product, your traction, your team, your financials, or your ask.
- Challenges: Your audience compares your solution to your competitors, your audience asks for a demo or a trial, your audience asks for more details or evidence, etc.
- Prepare your materials and equipment: You might prepare your materials and equipment that you will need for your pitch, such as your laptop, your projector, your remote, your microphone, your charger, your adapter, etc. You might check and test your materials and equipment before your pitch, and make sure they are working properly and compatible. You might also have a backup copy of your pitch deck on a USB drive or online, in case of any technical issues.
By practicing and preparing, you will be able to create a pitch deck that showcases your confidence, clarity, and credibility.
Tip 6: Be Passionate and Authentic
The final touch of designing a pitch deck that stands out is to be passionate and authentic. Passion and authenticity are the qualities that make you and your solution stand out from the rest. They show your audience that you care about your problem, your solution, your market, your product, your traction, your team, your financials, and your ask. They also show your audience that you are trustworthy, credible, and likable.
To be passionate and authentic, you should follow some guidelines, such as:
- Show your enthusiasm and excitement: You should show your enthusiasm and excitement for your solution and your pitch. You should use positive and energetic words and phrases that convey your passion and emotion. You should also use expressive and confident voice and body language that convey your excitement and conviction.
- Show your personality and style: You should show your personality and style in your pitch deck and your pitch. You should use your own voice and tone that reflect your identity and character. You should also use your own style and flair that reflect your creativity and uniqueness.
- Show your honesty and integrity: You should show your honesty and integrity in your pitch deck and your pitch. You should be truthful and transparent about your problem, your solution, your market, your product, your traction, your team, your financials, and your ask. You should also be humble and respectful about your achievements and challenges, and acknowledge your sources and references if needed.
By being passionate and authentic, you will be able to create a pitch deck that shows your audience that you are not just another entrepreneur or startup, but a person and a solution that they can trust, like, and support.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shared some tips and best practices on how to design a pitch deck that stands out. By knowing your audience, telling a compelling story, keeping it simple and clear, using visuals and animations, practicing and preparing, and being passionate and authentic, you will be able to create a pitch deck that showcases your vision, solves a problem, and delivers a strong call to action. If you want to learn more about how to design a pitch deck that stands out, or if you need help with creating your own pitch deck, please contact us today and we will be happy to assist you.
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