Presenting in front of an audience isn’t something most people love doing, and even fewer people are good at it. Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of our top five suggestions for making a killer pitch.
1. You Must Have a Goal
To succeed as a pitcher, you need to have a specific objective for each pitch you make. For example, your goals might be to increase awareness of your brand, secure funds, or persuade someone to work with you. Top pitch deck services advise that tailoring the whole of a presentation around a single goal is often the best idea.
For example, if you’re only looking to showcase your product, consider concentrating on the need it addresses and the process by which it does so (no need to go into detail on the marketing plan). Set a goal for presentation, and stick to it.
2. Know Your Target Market
Once you know your objective, carefully consider the audience you’ll be speaking to. Your pitch will differ depending on who your intended market or audience is. Of course, pitching to a group of web developers who may help create or develop your idea will be different from pitching to investors.
As a general guideline, it’s best to keep things basic and easy to understand so that everyone can understand your pitch, regardless of their level of education or experience. Knowing your audience will help you better decide what level of simplicity will be welcome and what would be considered oversimplified.
3. Tell a Compelling Story
Some people may lose interest in your pitch, even if it doesn’t take long to deliver. When you’re attempting to raise money, you don’t want your audience of potential investors to nod off on you.
However, when you make a pitch more personal and engaging, you can win over everyone’s attention so that they focus on what you’re saying.
It’s the power of storytelling on the brain that allows the audience to have an image of things in their minds or perceive things from a new perspective. People are far more likely to follow a presentation with a narrative that gives them a reason to keep listening because of the increased oxytocin levels we get that make us feel comforted by stories.
So rather than just explaining, give your pitch a narrative. Whether you tell the story of your business from the beginning or share an interesting anecdote about how a product helped a customer, choose something that will keep people engaged, and you can confidently share.
4. Make Use of the Data
In addition to simplifying materials, figures can lend credibility to your presentation. To convince your market or audience that you aren’t just making things up, numbers suggest that research, polls, or studies have been used to generate them.
Your pitch may include something like, “500 individuals have indicated they would like to buy into my service,” or “according to my internal polls, 95% of participants responded that they felt this was an excellent service.”
5. Use Just 3–5 Subpoints
You certainly have a lot to say, but you should only provide the essential details. Your audience will be better able to recall your whole pitch if you limit your presentation to only 3-5 important subpoints. It’s also best to introduce your subpoints at the beginning of your presentation, so your audience knows what to expect and can follow along.
Get the Results You’re Looking For
Your pitch has a purpose, and you need the audience to help you with your goal. Don’t waste your time presenting to blank stares. Use these tips to develop a solid pitch that calls your audience to action with impressive results.
