How To Design The Perfect Investment Pitch

Fact: any pitch can be scary. But there’s something about investment pitches that make them the he-who-must-not-be-named of the presentation world.

Not only is it because there’s so much at stake, but also an investment presentation is so hard to get right. Investment pitches are all about numbers, data and statistics. And nothing’s harder to visualise than numbers, data and statistics.

That’s because humans are visually wired. We react to pictures not numbers. So when it comes to convincing people of your business’ worth through facts and figures, we have a problem. But fear not. This is where design can save your skin.

Designing a good investment pitch is about making sense of the numbers for the client and presenting it all in an easy, digestible way. This is called designing data and it’s crucial for the success of your pitch. Presenters using visual aids are twice as likely to be more persuasive than those just using text. So instead of having a slide full of numbers, try turning those stats into an infographic or data visualisation.

As well as presenting your data in a way your audience can understand, there are a few simple things you can do to make your design stand out.

Make two versions

Create two versions of your pitch. One that you’ll present live and one that you’ll send out via email. In a live presentation slides punctuate what the speaker is saying, whilst on an email, slides are all the audience has. Design a more detailed email presentation with all the information you want to investors to know, then strip it back to the bare bones when you’re ready to present live.

Brand everything

Make sure every slide is branded. You’ll look prepared and professional. Your story is also a big part of your brand. Investors want to know about you and your company. People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Tell a great story about how you got started and get some great visuals to go with it.

Lose the spreadsheets

The balance pages at the end of an email presentation are pretty much a necessity. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make them easier to read. Instead of plastering a bunch of numbers that look like an excel spreadsheet on a slide, spend some time making it easier on the eye. Those numbers are mightily important, so give them a visual twist and they’ll have an even larger impact.

Yes investment pitches are hard, but when you know you have a well designed presentation working for you, they suddenly become a lot less scary.

If you need a investment pitch presentation designed for you, give us a shout!