Compelling pitch decks at any stage of a company’s funding make it easier to raise funds. Of course, appearance and delivery are critical to your pitch, but the deck’s creation also plays a significant role.
Pitch Deck Essentials
Every pitch deck requires the same essentials, so make sure to provide them by following these guidelines:
1. Telling Your Story
Your pitch deck must contain a narrative that flows. You must pose the problem, the solution, and how your product contributes to the answer. Furthermore, you must show how your solution will lead to success for your company.
Consider the following essential elements for creating the perfect pitch deck.
- Don’t add too many boring details; keep it streamlined and easy to understand.
- You can provide a personal touch, but remember to present it to people who don’t know the business like you.
- Show how your products will inevitably find a dominant place in the market.
2. Keep it Updated
Every pitch deck needs to answer the questions posed by multiple investors you present to. Therefore, consider incorporating the answers to these queries into your presentation. Keeping all data about your business and the market updated is also crucial.
Consider Your Audience
When presenting your pitch, ensure it is relevant to your current audience. For example, if this is not the first time you are presenting, you don’t want to bore the investors with a pitch intended for investors that don’t know you. Solve this problem by preparing separate decks if you’re going to entice investors at a first meeting or provide additional information for a follow-up meeting.
Remember that your presentation will also look different if you present it online or with a printed copy. Additionally, since you want investors to interact with you after reading it, don’t include too much information on the deck if pitching from afar or in a meeting.
3. Anticipate Investor Questions
People often overlook this step in pitch deck creation – anticipating investor questions. First, closely examine your company and your presentation to help you identify any potential gaps. Then, think of questions you would ask if you were an investor and include the answers to these into the pitch deck.
4. Keep it Polished and Professional
Let investors know they are dealing with a professional company by making an excellent first impression with a carefully selected design and colors. A good pitch deck should align with your company’s brand and personality and keep the investors in mind, so take it from there and perhaps leave out all gimmicks.
5. Mistakes to Avoid
- Keep it Short – A maximum of 20 slides is enough to ensure you keep within the investor’s attention span. Keep to the compelling elements because this is not a business plan, so short and simple will do.
- Include Only Key Points to Slides – Investors won’t read if you add too many details and fine print to a slide. Therefore, the less you include, the easier it is to remember. Charts, images, and graphs make powerful tools for communicating your message, but add only those that provide value to your pitch.
- Make Sure Your Language Doesn’t Confuse – Even if your product or service is technical, find a way to describe what it does precisely in as few words as possible to avoid confusing potential investors.
- Don’t Badmouth Your Competitors – You can acknowledge that what your company does is better than your competitors, but don’t badmouth them because it gives investors a poor impression of you.
6. Always Include These Slides
- The first slide sets the stage for investors and should include a company overview that covers what the product solves, some background on the management team, and key traction observed.
- Follow this with a slide about your company goals by choosing whether you prefer to share its mission, purpose, or vision. Try and keep your idea unique by not making comparisons with other well-known companies in your industry.
- In the third slide, discuss your founding team to show how their experience and dedication will contribute to the company’s success. If you are the only team member but need to hire once you are past the seed stage, this is an excellent time to share how you plan to bring skilled people aboard.
- The following slide should include your company’s current traction or progress statistics. In addition, regardless of its current stage, include the growth metrics available to you and highlight any milestones. For example, show traffic, sales, and download data, or add strategic partnerships, testimonials, etc.
- Include a slide with the Total Addressable Market to demonstrate how your product is part of a more significant market swing.
- Follow this with a slide about the customer pain point your company will solve. Make it relatable and even add a personal touch if you want.
- Immediately follow with a slide about your company’s solution to the problem with details about why it’s unique to similar products.
- As you approach the final slides, make sure to add one about the business model in which you adress things like your pricing strategy, sales model, and distribution plans. If you have current figures, include them and also add future models.
- Your marketing and growth strategy and current financials are essential, giving your potential investors a complete picture of your planned growth and how your company financing looks.
- Finally, complete the stack with the investment amount required. Again, present a clear and well-thought-out picture with an exact target number rather than an estimate. Your investment “ask” must communicate precisely how the money will take the company to its next milestone.
Conclusion
Now that you know what investors expect from you, prepare a pitch deck they will find impossible to turn down.
