Being a business owner, your job is to sell, and that includes selling yourself and your brand to investors through one very important document: a pitch deck.
A pitch deck is a document, usually a presentation, that simply helps investors learn more about your business and industry in order to make an informed decision.
The quality of your pitch deck is a dealbreaker, because it can, very well, make or break your business.
Creating a good pitch deck document is tricky but not impossible, and with our guide, it will become even easier.
-
Basic Elements of a Good Pitch Deck
Before we even dive into the pitch deck’s content, there are a few elements that you need to make sure are pristine in order to have a good pitch deck. Otherwise, no matter how good your content is, it will never really show.
1.Great Graphics
This document is usually in the form of a presentation, which means less talking and more showing.
Your graphics don’t need to be something over-the-top, just use proper color combinations, decent illustrations, and high-quality images and icons.
2. Accurate Numbers
In order to sell your company to an investor, you need good numbers. By good, we mean important and accurate numbers.
Imagine adding a statistic to your pitch deck to support a claim only to discover that this statistic has changed recently! How embarrassing.
Aside from including numbers, you have to make sure they’re constantly updated.
3. No Cliches!
Investors view so many pitch decks for many companies in several industries, so it is very likely that they have read all that extra information you’re stuffing in your pitch deck.
Did you know that investors read pitch decks in an average of 3 minutes and 44 seconds, according to Tech Crunch? Makes sense since they are busy people. Based on that, it is important to make sure yours is telling them enough about you, rather than enough about everything else but not your company.
Keep your presentation short and to the point.
-
Composition & Pitch Deck Examples
There is no need to use 100 slides on your pitch deck: the average 19-page is more than enough.
Out of many details you can add to your pitch deck, here are the most common and effective slides of pitch deck samples:
1.Introduction
Start simple. Give a basic, to-the-point introduction about your company.
2. Problem
Every startup solves a problem. Here, you’ll focus on what is the problem that your company saw the light to solve. Identify one or more problems that your company works on.
A good example of a well-executed problem slide is the Airbnb one below:
Image courtesy of visme.co
Download Airbnb pitch deck template.
3. Solution
To every problem, there’s a solution or plenty! As startups grow more and more each day, it is very common for one problem to have several solutions. Be general here, and discuss the possible solutions for the problem you’re focusing on.
Airbnb also mastered their solution slide:
Image courtesy of visme.co
Download Airbnb pitch deck template.
4. Market Size and Opportunity
This slide loves numbers; statistics are your best friend here. Tell the investor more about the market you’re selling to, where you fit into that market, and how your solution can thrive here.
Mint’s market size and opportunity slide is a great example:
Image courtesy of visme.co
Download Mint pitch deck template.
Check The Ultimate Growth Marketing Sheet for Startups.
5. Product
The difference between solution and product is that solution gives a general overview of the available solutions while product tells the investor how exactly your product is a solution.
This is where you present your solution simply and concisely while low-key focusing on why your solution is different and worthy.
TouristEye showcased their product using screenshots in their pitch deck. This gives transparency.
Image courtesy of visme.co
Download a ready-made template inspired by TouristEye.
6. Growth
Give the investor a brief on how your company has grown since it has been launched, and if it’s not launched yet, explain how you plan to grow in the upcoming phase. Show them how you’re focused on growing and share your business goals here.
Buffer’s growth slide was iconic: short and to the point with the facts.
Image courtesy of visme.co
Download Buffer pitch deck template.
7. Team
What matters just as much as the product does is the people behind it. Whether your team consists of industry giants or ambitious dreamers, take the time and opportunity to introduce the investor to the ones behind it all.
This helps showcase the business as human after all, and it builds some sort of a connection.
Piccsy showed investors their team in a simple yet creative way:
Image courtesy of visme.co
Download a ready-made template inspired by Piccsy.
8. Competition
Who doesn’t have competition? Within your pitch deck, you have to include your most competitive companies with an analysis and a competitive advantage as well to tell them why they should choose you rather than one of the competitors.
You can display that in a feature table for an even easier read.
Because the competition slide is a tricky one, here’s a great way it was executed by Buzzfeed:
Image courtesy of visme.co
Download BuzzFeed pitch deck template.
9. Financial Details
Numbers once again. This is where we start to get down to business. Discuss your financial and business models here with a simple overview of how you plan to grow over the upcoming years. Do enough research and analysis to show promising potential here.
Enlive gave a very detailed financial details slide:
Image courtesy of visme.co
Download a ready-made template inspired by Enlive.
10. Investment Details
Investment details, or how some people refer to it, “the ask”. In this slide, you tell investors how much funding you’re aiming for (be specific), but don’t just stop there.
Break down how exactly you plan on using this funding for your company: what you plan on buying, how you’ll use the money to develop the product, etc.
This helps the investor see that you have your plans set, and it helps them trust you more.
Intercom’s pitch deck is known for its direct ask:
Image courtesy of visme.co
Download Intercom pitch deck template.
Also check Premast‘s pitch deck templates.
It is as simple as this. You can add more details and slides if you feel the need to include more details, but don’t go overboard. It’s quality over quantity, and as long as you have good content, great graphics, accurate numbers, and skip on the cliches, you’re good to go.
Creating a pitch deck feels like a breeze now, doesn’t it?
