Do you have a fantastic idea for a startup but don’t know how to pitch it? Believe it or not, this is a typical problem. Many entrepreneurs struggle with creating the perfect pitch deck. But don’t worry, we’re here to help! A pitch deck is a presentation given to potential investors to convince them to invest in your startup. It can be an essential tool for raising money. Countless startups are always looking for funding, so you must create the best pitch deck possible to stand out from the competition. This post will walk you through seven simple steps to help you assemble the best pitch deck possible. By following these tips, you’ll be able to wow potential investors, increase your chances of securing funding for your startup, and open yourself up to new business opportunities.
Slide one: Develop a reliable, straightforward narrative and brand voice immediately
Before you assemble your pitch deck presentation, it’s vital to get your story straight. A pitch deck isn’t just a tool to spread brand awareness; it’s a storytelling device. You’ll want your pitch deck to introduce a narrative that compels your audience to get involved. While this may be easier said than done, you can still communicate your message using the appropriate language.
Consider your audience of investors and vision for your pitch deck. Ask yourself what story you’re attempting to tell, and then utilize the appropriate language to achieve that narrative. You can use power words to inspire action or emotional expressions to evoke meaning and connection.
Understanding your brand’s story will help you develop a consistent voice throughout your pitch deck. This uniform, reliable voice you use as a brand is vital to remaining trustworthy and recognizable to investors.
When creating a pitch deck, keeping the narrative simple is essential. Including only the most critical information and avoiding fluff or filler will skyrocket your pitch deck from just mediocre to outstanding! Remember, you only have a limited amount of time to pitch your idea, so you should ensure that your first slide is clear and concise.
Again, it would be best if you spent the necessary time building your brand narrative and voice. These factors are the foundation of a successful pitch. Once you’ve identified that narrative and brand voice, you’re ready to get started.
Keep your first slide focused on your brand’s story, background, and vision. It would help to use the first slide to propose your value proposition. Your value proposition should explain your product or service and demonstrate why it’s more profitable than your competition. We suggest keeping the background information and value proposition to a sentence each. Remember, simple is best!
Slide 2: Identify and present the problem your product or service solves
Once you’ve identified how to best get your background and narrative across, you can start to determine the problem that your product or service seeks to solve. You can do this by concentrating on your target market’s problem. If you want to tell a compelling story, part of that story involves conveying to your investors how you can help others.
Take time to consider what needs or wants your product or service meets. Is there an existing solution to this problem? If so, how does your product or service improve upon that solution? And if there isn’t a current solution, what niche does your product or service fill?
Answering these questions will help you focus on the problem your product or service seeks to solve. And once you’ve determined the problem, you can build a pitch deck that tells a story about how your product or service is the solution.
Pointing out the real-world impact of your product or service is a great way to get investors on board, as they’ll be more likely to see the potential return on their investment.
Your problem slide should set that problem up front and center and define your target audience. If you can get your investors to relate to your problem, it will hook their interests instantly. You can even try conveying a relatable story about the issue at hand. Again, you must clearly present the problem as an urgent issue that needs to be solved via your product or service.
Slide 3: Provide a clear solution
Now it’s time to communicate your solution. That’s right! Get ready to jump in and inform your investors how your product or service uniquely solves the problem you presented in your previous slide. The solution slide is also the time to expand upon your value proposition from your first slide.
Identifying the solution should be one piece of a larger puzzle which, of course, is your pitch. Your pitch should be able to do two things here: educate and persuade. Then, you should be able to communicate the value of your product. In other words, how does your product or service differ from competitors, and how can you solve the problem more effectively?
Your solution slide will build upon the information in your previous slides. Present it with a bang! Think of this slide as the climax to your story.
To reiterate, for your pitch deck to communicate the value of your product or service, you need to focus on three essential elements in your solution:
– A recap of the problem your product or service solves
– Your unique solution
-Your value proposition
These three elements will be the foundation of your pitch and should be evident throughout your narrative, especially in the slide dedicated to presenting your solution.
Slides 4-6: Business model, marketing strategy, and financials
Getting into the nitty gritty of your business model, marketing strategy, and financials might be a little less exciting to discuss, but it’s essential to hook your potential investors’ attention. Your business model and marketing plan will be your company’s profitability roadmap. Without these strategies and figures fleshed out, your investors will question your business’s ability to make money.
First, your business model slide should discuss how you make your money. It would help if you lay out how your pricing compares to your competition in simple figures.
Secondly, your marketing strategy slide should focus on the advertising platforms or channels you have succeeded with in the past and any future digital marketing strategy. Again, directly discussing your advertising competition is a great way to show how your business fits into a more significant competitive landscape.
Lastly, you’ll want to present a few financial facts and figures demonstrating your sales forecast, income statement, and cash flow forecast. You don’t need to go overboard with the spreadsheets here, but you do need to display some simple visualizations of your profits, sales, and expenses. Be prepared to explain how you made your projections and why they’re reasonable considering the competitive landscape of your niche.
Slide 7: Ask for investment support
If you’re seeking funding from investors, you should end your pitch deck with an outline of how much money you’re looking for and what you plan to do with it.
Believe it or not, this is where many startup pitch decks falter because they either ask for too much money or don’t have a clear plan for how they’ll use the funds. The investment slide is also where you need to persuade your investors of the value their funding will provide and exhibit options for how they can get involved.
In your last slide, you should highlight the support you need and how much money you’re seeking. You also need to present a clear plan of what you’ll do with the funds, so investors know their money is going to good use.
Lastly, this is also your chance to show off the value your investors’ funding will bring and get them excited about being a part of your journey. Show off some of your current initiatives, projects, or plans to get them excited.
Conclusion
Following these seven pointers will build the best and most simple pitch deck for your brand in 2022. To recap, you’ll need to develop a consistent narrative and voice, research your audience’s needs, identify your buyers’ problems, and exhibit how your product or service can help alleviate those issues.
Remember, a pitch deck is a critical tool in getting startup funding, so you’ll also want to develop a concise visualization of your financials and funding needs. Present this information with a reliable narrative to get investors excited about participating in your journey.
Make sure your slides communicate each pitch deck component uniquely, and you’ll be one step closer to growing your business with the help of just a few slides and figures.
Again, with just these seven simple steps, you’ll be on your way to crafting a pitch deck to help you get the funding you need to bring your startup to life.
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