Tips for Presenting a Pitch Deck

May 1, 2016 7:06 am

A Pitch Deck is a brief presentation (sometimes called a slide deck or pitch slide deck) where a business communicates with potential investors. Usually the content of the pitch deck can help the investor to determine whether or not to continue evaluating/financially supporting your business. In addition, these presentations are typically an overview of a company’s business plan with potential investors, customers, partners, and co-founders. Many times these meetings are face-to-face or, possibly, through online meetings. So, how can a company perfect their “pitch”? What are some key points to be sure you cover as well as mistakes to avoid in presenting your Pitch Deck?

Key Points to Include:
Engage your audience right off the bat! Presenters need a hook or story to start their presentation in order to capture the attention of the audience. Tell a short anecdote about the company or your brand. The more you can humanize the business the more the investors will be interested. Make a powerful first impressions because the first 2-3 minutes are the most important in any presentation.
Keep your presentation short. Cover your pitch in broad strokes and insert important details as you go. This includes limiting each slide to one idea at a time. As you go through your presentation avoid reading from notes or directly from the slide. Everyone in the audience knows how to read and wants to hear the words from you instead of being read to.
Know your topics well. Along the same lines as the advice not to read from your slides or from a speech, know your topic inside and out. Understand the metrics and be able to speak to them in depth if necessary, or if questions arise. Anticipate questions that may come up and be prepared to answer them.
Show off the team members. One of the biggest assets of any company are the people that work there. Highlight the specialties of the main team members. Focus on a significant, relevant accomplishment for each person in a team that identifies that person as an asset.
Be clear and precise. During your pitch be sure to hit key points such as: the benefits of your company, why you are unique and special, how your company has the competitive advantage and, of course, your financial projections.
Keep a cohesive presentation look. Believe it or not, your brand will come through with your slides so keep the look, color palette, font and logo consistent on all of your slides. This will also go a long way to make your presentation polished and professional.

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