5 tips for creating your crowdfunding pitch deck

As an entrepreneur, a pitch deck is one of the most important tools in your ever-expanding toolbox. 

Whether you’re looking to present the business opportunity to your friends and family, a venture capital firm, a bank, or for an equity crowdfunding campaign, you will need a strong pitch deck - not to mention clear and concise messaging too.

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"Can you use the same pitch deck for every pitch?"

Something that we’ve come to notice in working with companies on their raise is that the investor deck they want to use for their campaign is oftentimes the same one they use at live pitch events. 

While it seems intuitive to use the pitch deck across multiple platforms, the information communicated or conveyed at a live event may be different with an in-person audience. 

We know from experience the value that anecdotes can contribute to pitching an opportunity and oftentimes those stories or background information are not written on the slides, but rather spoken with authenticity. 

So while it’s a good idea to create a master pitch deck, we recommend you customize it for the audience and the medium in which it will be distributed. 

With that in mind, here are 5 tips for creating a great crowdfunding pitch deck:

1. Understand who your investors are and what they want to know 
2. Communicate everything you need to on the slide 
3. Answer potential questions in the slides or provide supplementary information
4. Don’t be afraid to address the macro-environment and how your business is impacted
5. Lean in to the brand and ensure the slides are easy to read 

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1. Know Your Audience 

Investors who support private companies through crowdfunding are very passionate about getting to know the business. They want to understand the story of how your company came to be and get to know the team behind it all. Trust and authenticity are incredibly important for these investors.

So all the anecdotes and authenticity that you would bring to a live investor event should be communicated in your crowdfunding pitch deck where possible. This could include the reason behind starting the business, what the company’s mission is, a little about yourself as the founder, and any other information that will resonate with your potential investors. Don’t shy away from showcasing your brands personality.

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2. Consider the Medium 

Equity-crowdfunding gives a 1-1 interaction the scalability of 1-100.

Potential investors get directed to a single page where they have the opportunity to learn everything they want to know about the business and then make the decision to invest. ALso keep in mind that this presentation may be downloaded, so only include information you are willing to share publicly. 

We recommend keeping the presentation clear and to the point but do consider that investors can’t infer details about your business unless they are written on the slides. On average investors spend 7 minutes on the campaign page so try to keep the pitch deck under 20 slides. 

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3. Anticipate the Dragons 

Who doesn’t want to feel like an experienced investor on Dragon’s Den? The objective of the pitch deck is to generate interest form investors and with interest comes questions. It’s important to realize that some investors may be very knowledgeable on your industry and business while others might be new to it. 

Try to anticipate some questions they may ask and aim to answer them in the presentation. This could even be done through appendices that are made available at the end of the presentation or as notes on the slide. Also, make sure that your contact information for investor questions is clearly visible.

It’s difficult to answer everyone's questions, so look forward to using the questions that do come to further engage with and educate these potential investors. You can also post these questions to the Q&A section of your campaign page, to benefit your entire audience. 

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4. Acknowledge The Macro-Environment 

Every so often an event comes along that impacts everyone in a way that unites people in a collective experience. It could be a recession, it could be the world cup or even a global health crisis. It's okay to talk about the state of the macro-environment and how your business is impacted. Some of our favorite companies today (Slack, Uber, and Square) were founded during the 2008 financial crisis.

What we’re seeing right now is that companies are strategically making shifts to their business to adjust to the new climate. This could be implementing more digital work policies and procedures, changing their distribution methods or even offering new services. Others may have always been well positioned to succeed in the current state. In either case, it's okay to communicate this information. 

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05. Focus on Design 

You could have the best pitch in the world but it's too difficult to read. Investors may not take the time to learn about your business. Make sure that the font is clear and easy to read and that you don’t overload each individual slide with information. Also be mindful of how many slides you have for each section. Five slides in a row dedicated to technology could be too much of the same information. 

We also encourage companies to lean into their brand. Incorporate your branded colours and visuals that represent your business into the pitch deck but also keep in mind how they read for others. For example, if your brand colours are red and blue be aware that red font on blue background can cause strains to peoples eyes. And to be sure that your pitch deck is clear and easy to understand, we encourage everyone to test their deck by asking those close to them for some feedback. 

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Now, as you're working on making your pitch deck here is a summary of the key sections to include:

• Title slide with your company’s name and information 
• An overview of the company and your purpose 
• Explain the problem that the market is experiencing
• Showcase how you are solving those pain points 
• Compare your business to your biggest competitors
• Highlight your unique selling proposition 
• Describe the size of the market and the opportunity 
• Explain your business model
• Outline your marketing and sales strategy 
• Feature business milestones and traction 
• Introduce your incredible team 
• List financials and projections (if applicable)

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You can view some pitch deck examples here from past issuers on FrontFundr and pitch decks from businesses various industries that we think do a great job of pitching their unique investment opportunities.