What Are the Types of Pitch Decks?
Many startups, entrepreneurs, and companies need a way to consolidate their ideas before putting in the effort to build their products or service. That is why they need a way to communicate and the ability to pitch their vision to investors, team members, or end customers. But what is the best way to communicate your ideas and knowledge is the best? Maybe you need pitching decks or something like that to showcase important data gathered in one place to make it more informative.
What Is a Pitch Deck?
First, let's focus on the question, "What are pitch decks, and why are they so important?" A pitch deck is a brief presentation created by the co-founders of a startup company. Typically, the purpose of such a presentation is to provide a quick overview of the company's business plan. But, despite the classic pitch deck meaning, such presentations are also crucial for customers. For example, you can tell more about your products, services, or upcoming plans using a couple of slides.
Regardless of the types of pitch decks, you have to follow the basic rules. First, try to keep your presentation around 10-15 slides. Also, forget about educational patterns, as your goal is to inform your audience. Instead, create as many slides as you need in 15 minutes for your presentation (including any potential questions and answers). Such a strategy will allow you to use the slides effectively and achieve your goal.
What Types of Pitch Decks Are There?
Different decks require different approaches, and you shouldn't forget that. Some presentations should be as informative as possible since you have to devote investors to the company's details, but you will probably use a different approach to communicate with customers. The same strategy is relevant when you need a presentation for your employees, partners, or co-founders. Let's check out the basic pitch types to know their key difference.
Investment Pitch Deck
Sometimes such a presentation is called a startup pitch because your goal is to show investors the prospects for cooperation with your company. Why should they invest in your ideas? What growth rate can your company show in the next few years? When will you pass the breakeven point? Usually, you will need no more than 10-12 slides to craft a good presentation.
As a rule, your slide file should contain the essential information for investors without complex mathematical formulas or profit forecasting depending on a dozen factors. In addition, try to keep the information you add to each slide independent. It means that the investor should be able to analyze it independently, even without your help.
Marketing Pitch Deck
This presentation pitch is usually aimed at partners or customers. Your key goal is to present your product or service. As a rule, you will need 5 to 10 slides to describe the value of your offer and encourage people to take certain actions. In some way, your set will be "independent," and people should not need further analysis. Instead, use direct language and obvious descriptions of the benefits of working with you.
Competition Pitch Deck
Usually, such a presentation aims to grab the audience in the first 30-40 seconds. However, as a rule, the competitive model implies the presence of competitors, so you will only have 3-5 minutes for your speech. That is why the number of your slides will be limited. Try using no more than a dozen mini-pages with graphics so your audience can quickly understand your ideas and plans.
Opportunity and Vision Pitch Decks
Proper positioning is the key to success. For example, your company targets a specific market, audience, and goals. You must use the vision-opportunity pitch to communicate your vision, business model, products, and services. What opportunities open up for your company if you receive investment? And what is your entry strategy, and what alternatives are you willing to give people as opposed to your opponents? Design your presentation by abstracting away the different types of pitches. In other words, your slides should be highly informative and not require additional analysis.
Team Pitch Deck
This type of presentation is essential for describing your team, collective goals, or the exceptional qualities of each member of your company. As a rule, a team pitch is a well-balanced portrait image for each member. You can also describe problems or challenges your company is facing. Show ways to resolve any disputable situations from the position of the team. In other words, such a presentation provides an opportunity to look at the team from different angles.
Traction Pitch Deck
A traction pitch deck is only good if the company has gained significant traction up to that point. Show your goals, the positive dynamics, and prospects that await your company, startup, or business department. Add the vision and opportunity at hand and describe the possible challenges you have to overcome. Only in this case, your slides will be informative.
Personal Pitch Deck
A completely different situation awaits you if you decide to craft a personal pitch deck. In this case, you must focus entirely on your achievements, statistics, key ideas, and views. Try to pay attention to those nuances that relate to your area of competence. You may also need to add data that shows your productivity or personal growth.
Problem-Solution Pitch Deck
As a rule, this type of presentation has a standard structure. First, you should describe a relevant problem to you or your company. You should also add possible methods for solving a similar problem or ways to reduce risks. But do not forget that you should always describe the consequences and nuances of choosing a certain action strategy. And don't make the problem-solution pitch deck too big. As a rule, 10-15 slides are enough to describe the key issues and how to solve them.
The Elevator Pitch
Creating this type of presentation is related to the need to present your business idea to VCs and angel investors. The fact is that these people are bombarded by hundreds of startups every day. That is why you should briefly create a short presentation of 15-30 seconds to demonstrate the benefits of investing in your project briefly. But never make your pitch deck longer than a minute. Investors usually don't have time to do a long initial analysis. Your idea must be catchy and solid, so people want to contact you to discuss the details.
How Many Slides Should You Have In Any Pitch Deck?
On average, you shouldn't exceed the 20-slide limit no matter what type of presentation you're crafting. The fact is that several such pages correspond to about four minutes of continuous reading of slides. But do not forget that part of the pitch decks involves the creation of no more than 10-15 slides for certain technical reasons. That is why you should not craft dozens of pages and try to add all the essential information there. Finally, don't forget that your decks are tools to help you achieve your goals.
Final Words
As you can see, it's not hard to identify the types of pitch decks and craft the slides. But you should carefully study the rules and adhere to the key requirements so that your presentations stand out from the crowd. Try not to rush and try different approaches to achieve the best result. In addition, there is nothing wrong with checking the samples and seeing the elements most often used for certain presentations. Then, in just a few minutes, you will be able to understand how to get off the ground.
