The average time an investor spends with a pitch deck is two minutes and 42 seconds.
If you’re thinking that’s not a lot of time, data also shows that time is decreasing.
While more time spent on a deck doesn’t necessarily correlate with more funding, there are ways to make sure your deck gets the thoughtful consideration it deserves. Superior design is one of those ways.
We spoke to several VCs who review hundreds of decks per year and poured their advice into our new Design Deck Guide—it’s everything you need to know to make your deck stand out. Read the full guide or keep reading here for some highlights.
Narrative structure: How should my pitch deck flow?
“The flow makes or breaks the pitch. We spend 30+ hours with each of our portfolio companies to perfect their flow for future pitches. It is the narrative that should dictate the flow, not the deck. We work with founders on their story first, then build the deck around it.” —Vatsal Kanakiya, Principal & CTO, 100x.vc
Your narrative is your overarching story, and it’s the red thread that sews your pitch deck together. Your primary goal with your narrative is to build FOMO for investors—make them feel like they’re missing out on a great investment opportunity without actually saying it.
Brendan Baker, partner at Ridge Ventures, recommends in his talk from Webrazzi 15 building three story arcs for your narrative, with the following slides:
- “Pain and response”: Problem and solution
- “It’s working”: Product and financials
- “It’s growing”: Traction, business model
Pro tip: Don’t start from scratch. Download our pitch deck template to start forming your narrative structure more quickly.
Content: How much is too much?
“Text should be minimal; investors don’t like to read paragraphs of copy. It should read like a series of headlines and below the headline, the supporting data. Keeping it simple shows that you are confident enough in the data that is provided, without having to ‘oversell’ it.”—Christin Powell, CEO, Kinship Skincare
The number one factor that ruins pitch deck design is content stuffing.
We get it—as a founder, you want your pitch deck to represent your vision. But it’s best to think of your pitch deck as a movie trailer, not a full-length film. Here are some tips to help you cut a movie trailer for your pitch deck:
- One point, one slide: Expand on your business model and product sections, but keep the rest brief and split up slides by the point you’re making, not the section itself
- Control the font size, limit the content: Use a 30-point font to stop you from adding a lot of text to a slide
- Minimal, striking screenshots: Keep screenshots minimal and make sure they communicate features easily without much explanation
Pro tip: Ask a friend to go through your deck and time them. Ask them where they slowed down and why.
Aesthetic: How should my pitch deck look?
“Design doesn’t need to be expensive. Forum has numerous resources on hand that do deck design, and an end-to-end design that we would consider good can be done with as little as $500. Getting a more polished and professional impression across to VCs for that price is expected value in the long run.” —Jonah Midanik, Partner & COO, Forum VC
Investors look at hundreds of decks per year. Design doesn’t matter until it does, meaning color, font, branding, and unique aesthetic choices come together to create an ineffable experience that’s pleasurable for a reader. If you want to surpass that two-minute-42-second mark, design is the way to do it.
Here are some tips to make your pitch deck look better than the other ones investors received that day:
- Opt for font simplicity: Use simple fonts rather than decorative or unique ones
- Use color in the right way: Narrow down colors to just two or three, but use your brightest color sparingly so it pops when you want it to.
- Get professional headshots for the team: Or, if you can’t afford a professional photographer, use your team’s LinkedIn profile photos.
Pro tip: If you can’t afford much for a designer, use the following websites for pitch deck design:
Want full instructions on how to put together your pitch deck? Read the full deck design report.
