When you’re presenting your 5-minute startup pitch to investors, the less you give them on the slide, the better. Remember, YOU are the focus of your pitch, not your slides! Your slides are just there to support you.
When my clients are pitching to investors, some of them suffer from “information overload”. They include so much detail on each slide that their audience literally takes none of it in.
This is the opposite of what you want to happen.
During my pitch coaching intensives, I always spend a couple of minutes reviewing the basic rules of slide presentations.
A lot of it may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised by how even the smallest mishap – like a typo – can negatively impact your pitch.
Do the math: if they’re reading the slide, they’re not listening to you.
If you have too many words on your slide, they can read it four times faster than you can read it to them.
When you’re doing a 5, 10 or 15-minute pitch, remember, the less you give them on the slide, the better.
Only share ONE IDEA PER SLIDE. Not two or three. They’re not going to be able to remember it.
They can read all the details in your backup investment deck. What they’re really buying—and what you’re really selling here—is YOU.
You are the focus of your pitch, not your slides! Your slides are just there to support you.
Think of your slides as a container for each idea. The images are there to provide a metaphor, to enhance the meaning of your idea.
Choose images that are memorable, but not too busy – you don’t want them to detract from what you’re saying.
When all you have is an image on your slide, you can superimpose a number.
Just make sure your audience is walking away with ONE key idea.
When you’re trying to squeeze a lot of valuable information into a 5-minute pitch, I understand how hard it can be to know what makes it in, and what you need to cut. Read my article “Murder Your Darlings” for more about this.
You're the expert! Write for The Engine or share your articles, papers and research
Add your contentAdd your content
Sign up for Ignition, our regular, ideas-packed newsletter