Designing Your Pitch Deck
A pitch deck can be a great way to introduce your business and differentiate it from the competition. When you’re putting together a presentation, it’s important to remember that people are busy and that your goal is to get them interested in what you have to say quickly. That means cutting out any unnecessary information and making sure you use visuals when possible.
Some companies create decks before they even have a business plan built out – don’t do that! You need to figure out how you’re differentiating your product or service first so there’s no fluff in your deck. It should be clean cut with minimal information because it can get overwhelming if too much is included. If there are visuals, make sure the colors are complementary to each other as well as balanced on all sides of the screen (i.e., nothing cutting off). When working with imagery make sure it doesn’t clash with any text either! A good way to start is to research other deck examples online, but make sure you do not plagiarize.
Pitches can be presented via video or PowerPoint slides – whichever will maximize your message and impact the most. Try both out if possible so you know what suits your business best! It’s important to remember that as a startup, people are skeptical of new companies trying something they’ve never done before which is why it’s crucial for them to see results from those who have come before them using similar products/services. Easier said than done though right? Fortunately there are plenty of great programs like Y Combinator where startups without much experience can get their feet wet and work on perfecting their pitch in front of an audience takes pride in improving the overall quality of business in the startup community.
As a final note, it’s important to remember that pitch decks aren’t meant for mass distribution – they’re an overview of your company and its offerings which is why you should not be giving them out liberally! Some places where you can share your deck include social media, investors or potential partners. Make sure everything fits within the context of what your brand represents so there isn’t any miscommunication either way! Once people see how great things are going for you, they’ll want to get on board too!
