From presenting at a small team meeting to giving speeches to large auditoriums, presentations can take on endless forms. But few have higher stakes than presenting your startup to investors. Anyone in the startup biz knows just how tough investor dollars can be to come by; and just how critical they are to the continuity of business.
If you want to nail your investor presentation and secure capital for your startup, be sure to apply the following tips and techniques during the presentation design process.
Tell a Story
Research suggests that storytelling not only helps an audience absorb and retain more information, but it also motivates them to action. That’s because stories evoke emotion and connection from your audience much more than if you presented facts and data alone. That said, if you want to inspire investors to give you money, then you better find the story in your business or idea. A great trick to hone in on a narrative is to think of your business as the hero that’s solving a high-stakes problem.
Use Beautiful Designs
Presentation design standards are a lot higher than they used to be, so if you include subpar images in your presentation, it’ll be much harder for investors to take you seriously as a professional. However, beautiful designs do not mean complicated or overly detailed. While certain images might look great up close, you need to think about how they’ll look from the perspective of your audience. Generally, simple, clean images in cohesive colors is the way to go.
Be Cohesive
Speaking of cohesive, that’s exactly what your entire presentation should be. Each slide should look like it belongs to the same family, with similar fonts, colors, and designs. If you’re not sure how to go about this, simply choose three or four colors and a couple of fonts, and never stray from them throughout your presentation. And just as your images should be simple, so should your fonts. Don’t use overly-detailed fonts that are frustrating to read from a distance.
Dive Deep in the Market
Without a substantial target market, there is no business. Therefore, one of the key areas potential investors will be focusing on is what, exactly, the market looks like and why it presents significant opportunities. Additionally, you should highlight why the market cares so much about your business by delving into the different ways the problem you’re solving negatively impacts lives. To do this, use specific, real-life examples of people that your audience will be able to relate and connect to.
Show; Don’t Tell
Don’t just tell your investors how exciting your business or idea is; show them. Lay out exactly what your business has done so far using tangible measures. Showcase all of the areas you have traction on so far, such as specifics around product development, customer interest, email sign-ups, social follows, and any prominent partners. The more hard numbers you show to investors, the more inclined they’ll be to see your business as a viable opportunity.
Want more hands-on help designing your next presentation? Then check out Ethos3’s presentation design services.
