I landed my first online marketing job with a pitch deck.
Pitch decks are powerful. You can use them to…
Present new ideas
Secure funding
Get new clients
Attract partnerships
Launch new products
Teach others
But how do you create one? And how do you make it effective?
Well, I’ve studied the pitch decks of Fortune 500 companies and the biggest startups.
This is my complete, unofficial guide to creating killer pitch decks.
Let’s get into it.
1/ The structure
What is the purpose of your pitch deck? To land a new job? To get funding?
Structure the pitch based on your purpose.
Land a new job → State clearly what you want and who you are. Add samples, credibility points, and strategy.
Get funding for your startup → Problem, solution, market, business model, traction, and team.
Then… RESEARCH. RESEARCH. RESEARCH.
Go to the first, second, and third pages of Google. Stalk them on X, YouTube, and listen to their (or their companies’) past interviews.
From here, write an outline with ONE idea per slide. More than one idea overwhelms the reader and creates clutter.
Pro tip: Learn everything you can to personalize the pitch deck. If you are pitching to a company or for a new partnership, your pitch deck should only make sense to them.
2/ The design
The most important design principles are consistency and simplicity.
Use the brand colors. Keep the header in the same spot. Use one visual to support the message. Stick to one list of bullets.
Complexity has killed far more slides than keeping a simple, one-idea-per-slide approach.
So keep it simple.
Ok, but how do you design well?
You learn by observation and attention to detail.
Study the best slide decks, take what they did, and use those ideas in your own pitch deck.
Here’s a breakdown of a great pitch deck.
Deconstructed: Airbnb
This Airbnb pitch deck is one of my favorites.
Little words. Consistent fonts and formatting. Clear visuals.
The deck follows a clear progression of problem, solution, market, product, business model, competition, and team.
It’s easy to follow and clearly demonstrates Airbnb’s value.
Pro tip: Study and rework the most successful pitch decks. Here’s a list of pitch decks for startups you can learn from: Pitch Deck Examples from 35+ Killer Startups
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3/ Final tips
Here are my best pieces of advice for pitch decks:
Pair a pitch deck with deliverables (Loom videos, pre-made posts). Doing the work upfront shows your competence.
Use more stories, analogies, and frameworks
Write a lot of content. Cut to the core ideas
Use consistent fonts, colors, and layouts
Use high-quality visuals
Personalize to your audience’s knowledge level
Study the best pitch decks
Now go and create your pitch deck.
- Warren