How to write a pitch deck in 10 steps

Mastering how to write a pitch presentation requires practice and improvement with time. This is not a skill to hone overnight. However, there are indeed 10 steps on how to write a commercial pitch that we can provide you. And we’ll throw additional tips at that, as well. Following all of these will undoubtedly help a better start as you set out to accomplish an excellent business presentation.

10 steps on how to write a pitch deck

Introduce yourself:

As you learn how to write a pitch speech, you’ll find you need to come up with an inventive and catchy way to introduce yourself to sell. Speak with confidence and start on a sharp hook. Don’t go for clichés or lines we often see before. Genuinely catch people’s attention, so they want to know more. You have the whole pitch to achieve that. 

Use storytelling:

A narrative with a well-shaped story draws people into your presentation. Investors can especially appraise a well-crafted one. In starting to write a commercial pitch, model the narrative by thinking of its overall plot, introduce your idea early, and use personal experiences to support your statements. Seek to connect with your audience as you do that. Putting yourself in their shoes is always an outstanding practice, too. 

Use common language:

You want to be relatable, so don’t use complicated jargon even as you navigate technical items. You must excel at what you do to focus on that as a business, we imagine. And there must be abundant knowledge you can share on your company processes. Yet, people don’t need to know every single detail. If somebody can’t understand what you mean or has difficulty achieving that, you’ll lose that person. Simplify! Common language drives engagement.

Prepare a stunning design:

Captivate your audience on the slickest and great design. A perfect pitch isn’t just about grasping how to write a pitch presentation on the content side. You’ll need a professional-looking presentation that goes beyond commonality in design. It needs to stand out. Yet, don’t let it take the focus away from you, either. It needs to be just right. Use high-quality images or no photos at all, for example. Ensure it’s readable from afar. Brand it with your logo and help that with your choice in font and colors. Remember, you’re selling your business as a memorable and relevant one when you pitch.

Respect your timeframe:

Never go beyond the time you’ve been allotted for a pitch. On the contrary, stay on the short side to enhance how concise you are. Handling your time well is crucial to prove your ability to dominate business needs. And you also need to leave time aside for questions once you’re finished presenting. Time yourself as you practice, which leads us to the next step.

Rehearse:

Tied to the point before, go over your pitch as much as possible before the real shot. Practice your speech with as many people from different backgrounds as you can. Make sure everyone understands everything you’re saying. If they don’t, re-write. Get feedback and listen to it. Implement what comes your way. 

End memorably:

Prepare a compelling ending that leaves a lasting impression. Make sure you finish with a call to action. To do that, clearly state what you expect from your audience. With investors, that means defining the amount you need to raise and what that will do. Show, don’t just tell your audience how confident you are about what you need and set out to do.

Add contact details:

Help people get in touch with you with visible details as you wrap up. The goal is to be called to a meeting or a more private chat, so leave your communication channels wide open for that to happen. If you’re already at that critical meeting by the time you pitch, omit this. Yet, if you’re pitching in a more public space, make sure people know how to reach you.

Choose the right template:

Get a deck that fully adapts to your industry and needs before you start filling anything up with your company details. Most pitch decks begin with a successful startup pitch deck template. Yours doesn’t need to be an exception unless you can afford professional creative design services to improve your deck well above average. If that’s your case, definitely squeeze your financial advantage to come up with a deck that wows you before anyone else. It’s definitely worth it. 

Do research on your audience:

The same goes for your competitors, but moreover, focus on knowing who you’re pitching. Tailor your content and design to suit what your research throws on the people listening to you. This is key in coming up with a pitch deck that resonates with those you’re interested in impressing.

How to write a pitch deck- additional tips

The steps on how to write a pitch deck we present above work to remove a particular fear of facing audiences and replace that with a sense of reassurance. Those should be a sort of light that walks you through a very dark pitch deck tunnel. There are tons of areas still to grasp, however. This is no natural science for as overlooked as the beauty of crafting attractive and effective presentations might be for some. We’ll thus expand with a couple more tips on how to deliver a successful pitch. 

Replace fear with confidence

Not worrying about what and how you present a company, product, or service is crucial in letting that startup’s voice and culture behind any offer shine through to potential business partners. Nothing brings a presentation down like the person giving it not genuinely believing in what they’re doing. The smell of that lack of confidence can be sensed from afar. If the presenter doesn’t handle something right, how can we expect that to be believable? 

Truly let practice make perfect; it’ll get you very far if you’re disciplined in giving it a try. If it helps, we’ve got a set of the best 5 tips on presenting and public speaking that can lend you a hand. Coaches, literature, and even YouTube videos on beating public speaking anxiety and stage fright can help you grow as you move through this practice. 

Master your data 

Be ready to talk about your company from all fronts at all times. No one should know any details on your startup better than the person pitching it. Think of examples of elevator pitches for a minute. Those can be amazing in summarizing our offer and bringing our needs down to essentials. If you have time to work on this, do so. You’ll find it challenging to explain your company in such a short time frame that leaves investors wanting to chat more. But that concise response, especially when learned by heart, can legitimately help you narrow down quite concisely what you’re seeking. 

Audiences want this as much as you do

As a final bit, remember people in your audience want to engage with you as much as you desire. People want nothing more than relevant living experiences. In the case of raising funds, potential investors are looking to invest in you as much as you want them. Valuable funding is their goal, too, and they’re spending their time listening to you because they want that ultimate goal. Make the best of that. With a necessary product or service that solves problems in a sizable market, chances are investors will love your pitch deck in the blink of an eye. Be confident about that and talk about your company, product, and yourself just enough to stir in them to want to know more. 

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