Pitch Deck - Present and Convince

The term "pitch" originally comes from the advertising industry. When pitching, an idea or product must be presented quickly and convincingly in the form of a presentation. Usually, several agencies or companies compete against each other to convince potential customers. This principle of presenting ideas quickly also plays a decisive role for startups looking for potential investors. In order to make the whole thing as quick, precise and short as possible, the so-called pitch deck for a pitch presentation has become established in recent years.

A pitch deck is about presenting the idea, the product and the business plan behind it on a few presentation slides. Thus, investors can quickly decide whether the idea is relevant for their own company, their own interests. This form of pitch deck has become particularly popular in the search for so-called venture capital (temporary capital investments in young, innovative, non-listed companies). In other forms of financing, such as bank loans, a pitch deck or pitch presentation plays no role. Instead of a pitch, a business plan is directly required there.

Pitch Deck vs. Business Plan

While the business plan is primarily a written presentation of the idea itself, the pitch deck emphasizes the idea through visualizations using pictures and illustrations. Similarly, a pitch deck must contain the key points of the business plan. In a condensed form, it presents the main outlines of a venture - the business idea, the most important aspects, the vision and the basic financing requirements. This also includes the planned implementation of the business idea.

Important question for the preparation of a pitch deck:

• What information is relevant to my target audience when pitching?
• What questions might my target audience ask during the pitch presentation?
• What information can my target audience do without in the pitch deck and the pitch deck structure?

The Structure of a Pitch Deck - What Information Belongs in the Pitch Deck?

The most important rule in the structure of a pitch deck is: every sentence and every page must fit. Everything must be explained succinctly for the pitch. Therefore, the number of pages for a pitch deck should be between ten to twelve and in no case exceed 15 slides. It is also important that the individual pages are also designed precisely and that the slides do not contain too much text when building the pitch deck. Graphics, images and symbols help to reinforce the message of the individual pages. These should also visually match the corporate design of the company, if this already exists. The existing and predefined structure facilitates the creation of a pitch presentation.

Example Pages

Structure of the Pitch Deck

• Problem
• Market Analysis
• Solution
• Montarization
• Team
• Sponsor

Did you know? Investors, the primary audience for a pitch deck, spend less than four minutes viewing the presentation.

The Elevator Pitch

The Elevator Pitch or the "elevator presentation", which is based on the duration of a ride in an elevator, can be described as the supreme discipline of the pitch. Here, you have to present an overview of your business idea or your startup within the shortest possible time - about 30 seconds - in order to convince your counterpart. In addition, you do not have any aids such as presentations or flyers at your disposal. Think about how you would structure your "elevator pitch". This will give you the first basis for your pitch deck. After all, this is all about getting to the point quickly.

Pitch Deck: These are the Mistakes You Need to Avoid

POOR STRUCTURE WITHIN THE PITCH PRESENTATION

Your message needs to be clear and understandable - and on every page of the pitch deck. Don't write too much info or long lists on each slide. A good and understandable structure is the key to success in the pitch.

SPELLING OR GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN THE PITCH DECK.

When creating a pitch deck, it is important to be meticulous about spelling and grammatical errors. Even small errors can make an investor doubt the competence of the entrepreneurs. Have their slides checked by outsiders who have nothing to do with the topic or the company. Not only can they find possible errors, but they can also provide objective feedback on the comprehensibility of your pitch deck.

WRONG LAYOUT AND DESIGN IN PITCH

Decide on a suitable and beautiful design. Even if your company does not have a style guide yet, the design of your pitch deck needs to be consistent and well-rounded. Choose appropriate colors and fonts, don't use too many font sizes, and use consistent images and illustrations to create a coherent and appealing overall look of the pitch presentation.

Conclusion: The perfect pitch deck requires good preparation and implementation.