If you are a start-up founder, you understand the daunting task of seemingly never-ending pitch deck updates and edits. Since we work with a lot of start-ups here at GreenHouse Agency, we often help our clients design and update their pitch decks. Here are a few pitch deck strategy tips to help you keep your sanity while creating your pitch deck.
Keep it simple
Although this is easier said than done, keeping your deck as simple as possible will go a long way. Remember that even though you have presented your business hundreds of times, it will be the first time for these investors. Over-loading your sides with lots of text and busy images will just distract from your story.
See more tech start-up branding examples.
Less is more
Just because you have a certain amount of time to present, doesn’t mean you should add more to your presentation to reach that time. As long as you are covering your key points, sometimes having a shorter presentation actually allows for your audience to stay more focused and understand your pitch better.
Don’t follow the template
You have probably looked at a million pitch deck templates that give you a list of specific slides in a specific order. Although they are a good starting point every business is different, so there is no need to try to squeeze your pitch into any particular format. We actually find that mixing it up helps you stand out from the crowd. Whatever format you decide to use, here is some information you should think about including:
Have personality
Make sure that your personality comes through in your presentation. Find places to add little jokes to help break it up, and add parts that allow your personality to shine through.
Have different versions of your deck
You should have a presentation deck, and an email deck. When presenting, less is more -- you want people to focus on what you are saying, not tiny text and giant charts on your screen. With that said, this means your presentation deck won’t tell the whole story, so you will need to create a version that can stand alone to email to potential investors who won’t be able to watch as you present.
Rehearse and revise
A test-run is always a must before you present your pitch deck to investors. Friends and family often offer to be your audience and give notes, but without experience as either a start-up founder or investor, their advice could lead you down the wrong path. If you have trusted business advisors, it’s best to get their input before presenting to investors. And if you need a larger audience of experienced tech founders, investors, and advisors, there are start-up programs that can help be your sounding board. They can point out things that are working, things that need further development, and more.
Be two steps ahead
We work with many start-ups here at GreenHouse, so the last piece of advice we’ll leave you with is to make sure you build out your marketing plan in addition to your pitch deck.
Once your pitch deck gets you in the door, investors want to see that you have a thought-out marketing plan. If you are looking for help starting this process, contact us here.
