The science of a stellar pitch deck
Photo: Vogue Spain Business
Whether you’re pitching a new product or repositioning your legacy brand, understanding the science of a stellar pitch deck generates elite positioning skills.
A pitch deck asks the impossible. It requires you to pour yourself into a pithy, punchy, shareable presentation designed for total strangers who you soon hope will be partners. A pitch deck has to express a burgeoning idea, explain why that idea is needed now, show how the idea will change the world, and then outline how it’s going to happen. Oh, and you have about 10 minutes to go through it before questions.
But the impossible always becomes possible when you carefully choose language with purpose and power. In our experience writing and refining pitch decks for startups, we’ve considered them beautiful, exciting exercises. The process is as illuminating for founders as it is for potential investors, as elevator pitches and ideas in the ether take shape into something real.
Pitch decks are the opportunity to show the world your dream.
As experts in bringing that dream to life, we’ve learned some essential truths about what your deck needs to do, such as:
Give them a reason to believe. People want to be inspired by your commitment, and even the most seen-it-all investor wants to go on a journey with you. We tell a story not just about the idea but the passion behind it. Why you, why now, what drives and draws you to build something?
Always drive the solution for a problem. Every slide’s singular mission is to support how you meet a need, fill a gap, offer a better alternative, or solve a problem. We root out tangents, repetition, and nonessential information to keep the mission strong.
Refine, refine, refine. We love words, but a little goes a long way in pitches. We refine the language to the point of poetry, focusing on short, tight phrases that quickly convey the purpose of each slide.
Take nothing for granted. Always assume the person you’re presenting to is unfamiliar with your subject. However, oversimplifying can turn people off. We strike the appropriate balance, ensuring a deck’s tone is clear, direct, engaging, and respectful.
Keep your balance. A thoughtful assessment of the competition’s advantages and disadvantages shows you’ve done your research and learned as much about what works in the market as what doesn’t.
Convey complexity through visuals. If you’re using a lot of words to explain a process, take a beat and think of how that process flows in the real world and how art, iconography, color, and symbols can help it stick in memory.
Find the why for your executive team. Investors need to see the expertise of your startup team. Have you done anything like this before? What brings you together? Do you share the same dream? We highlight diverse experiences AND unify everyone to reach a common goal.
Don’t fear the appendix. A short slide count is no sin. Tables of data, forecasts, and research can and should go into a post-Thank You section. Or a separate deck available by request or as a follow-up.
Do you have an idea that can change everything? Are you thinking about how additional partners and funding can help you evolve that idea? Let’s make it possible.