a presentation deck

10 tips on how to make slides that communicate your idea, from TED’s in-house expert

When your slides rock, your whole presentation pops to life. At TED2014, David Epstein created a clean, informative slide deck to support his talk on the changing bodies of athletes . Photo: James Duncan Davidson/TED

Aaron Weyenberg is the master of slide decks. Our UX Lead creates Keynote presentations that are both slick and charming—the kind that pull you in and keep you captivated, but in an understated way that helps you focus on what’s actually being said. He does this for his own presentations and for lots of other folks in the office. Yes, his coworkers ask him to design their slides, because he’s just that good.

We asked Aaron to bottle his Keynote mojo so that others could benefit from it. Here, 10 tips for making an effective slide deck, split into two parts: the big, overarching goals, and the little tips and tricks that make your presentation sing.

Aaron used this image of a New Zealand disaster to kick off a slide deck from TED’s tech team — all about how they prepares for worst-case scenarios. He asked for permission to use the image, and credited the photographer, Blair Harkness. View the whole slidedeck from this presentation.

The big picture…

• Think about your slides last . Building your slides should be the tail end of developing your presentation. Think about your main message, structure its supporting points, practice it and time it—and then start thinking about your slides. The presentation needs to stand on its own; the slides are just something you layer over it to enhance the listener experience. Too often, I see slide decks that feel more like presenter notes, but I think it’s far more effective when the slides are for the audience to give them a visual experience that adds to the words. .
• Create a consistent look and feel . In a good slide deck, each slide feels like part of the same story. That means using the same or related typography, colors and imagery across all your slides. Using pre-built master slides can be a good way to do that, but it can feel restrictive and lead to me-too decks. I like to create a few slides to hold sample graphic elements and type, then copy what I need from those slides as I go. .
• Think about topic transitions . It can be easy to go too far in the direction of consistency, though. You don’t want each slide to look exactly the same. I like to create one style for the slides that are the meat of what I’m saying, and then another style for the transitions between topics. For example, if my general slides have a dark background with light text, I’ll try transition slides that have a light background with dark text. That way they feel like part of the same family, but the presentation has texture—and the audience gets a visual cue that we’re moving onto a new topic. .
• With text, less is almost always more . One thing to avoid—slides with a lot of text, especially if it’s a repeat of what you’re saying out loud. It’s like if you give a paper handout in a meeting—everyone’s head goes down and they read, rather than staying heads-up and listening. If there are a lot of words on your slide, you’re asking your audience to split their attention between what they’re reading and what they’re hearing. That’s really hard for a brain to do, and it compromises the effectiveness of both your slide text and your spoken words. If you can’t avoid having text-y slides, try to progressively reveal text (like unveiling bullet points one by one) as you need it. .
• Use photos that enhance meaning . I love using simple, punchy photos in presentations, because they help what you’re saying resonate in your audience’s mind without pulling their attention from your spoken words. Look for photos that (1) speak strongly to the concept you’re talking about and (2) aren’t compositionally complex. Your photo could be a metaphor or something more literal, but it should be clear why the audience is looking at it, and why it’s paired with what you’re saying. For example, I recently used the image above—a photo of a container ship about to tip over (it eventually sank)—to lead off a co-worker’s deck about failure preparation. And below is another example of a photo I used in a deck to talk about the launch of the new TED.com . The point I was making was that a launch isn’t the end of a project—it’s the beginning of something new. We’ll learn, adapt, change and grow.

Here, a lovely image from a slidedeck Aaron created about the redesign of TED.com . View the whole deck from this presentation .

And now some tactical tips…

• Go easy on the effects and transitions . Keynote and Powerpoint come with a lot of effects and transitions. In my opinion, most of these don’t do much to enhance the audience experience. At worst, they subtly suggest that the content of your slides is so uninteresting that a page flip or droplet transition will snap the audience out of their lethargy. If you must use them, use the most subtle ones, and keep it consistent. .

• Try panning large images . Often, I want to show screen shot of an entire web page in my presentations. There’s a great Chrome extension to capture these—but these images are oftentimes much longer than the canvas size of the presentation. Rather than scaling the image to an illegible size, or cropping it, you can pan it vertically as you talk about it. In Keynote, this is done with a Move effect, which you can apply from an object’s action panel. .
• For video, don’t use autoplay . It’s super easy to insert video in Keynote and Powerpoint—you just drag a Quicktime file onto the slide. And when you advance the deck to the slide with the video that autoplays, sometimes it can take a moment for the machine to actually start playing it. So often I’ve seen presenters click again in an attempt to start the video during this delay, causing the deck to go to the next slide. Instead, set the video to click to play. That way you have more predictable control over the video start time, and even select a poster frame to show before starting. .

Lastly, I’d love to leave you with a couple book recommendations. The first is Resonate , by Nancy Duarte. It’s not so much about slides, but about public speaking in general – which is the foundation for any presentation, regardless of how great your slides are. In it, she breaks down the anatomy of what makes a great presentation, how to establish a central message and structure your talk, and more. (One of her case studies comes from Benjamin Zander’s charming TED Talk about classical music, a talk that captivated the audience from start to finish.) Think of this as prerequisite reading for my second recommendation, also by Duarte: Slide:ology . This is more focused on presentation visuals and slides.

Happy slide-making.

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Home Blog Design How to Create a Slide Deck in PowerPoint

How to Create a Slide Deck in PowerPoint

A commonly used term when working with presentations is “slide deck,” but what exactly do we mean by that? Should you be familiar with some core terms before making your first presentation?

As we believe continuous education is key for presenters, regardless of their presentation skill level, today, we will talk about presentation deck meaning, how to build a presentation deck, and which elements define success in this process. Additionally, for a broader understanding and skill enhancement in making effective presentations, our section on how to make a presentation offers valuable insights and practical tips. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Table of Contents

What is a Slide?

What is a slide deck, what should be included in a powerpoint slide deck, recommended slide decks for any kind of presentation.

A PowerPoint slide can be defined as a digital canvas in which we organize information and ideas in a visual format, primarily oriented for professional settings like business presentations, conferences, or academic presentations. People instantly associate slides with PowerPoint due to Microsoft PowerPoint being the industry-leading software in presentation software, offering full compatibility format with free software options like Google Slides.

The starting point of any slide is a blank canvas to which you can add a title, and you’ve got plenty of space to insert images, draw shapes, add videos to your presentations, and more. PowerPoint has a standard layout for its blank slides, as shown below. This layout can be modified by accessing Slide Master in PowerPoint .

Each slide is a single page of a presentation and can be edited to meet the requirements of any presenter without meaning you alter the following slides. Remember, presentation software tends to work with destructive workflow methodologies – meaning the changes you make cannot be reverted if you save the file and try to access it later. If you want to test multiple design options on a single slide, we highly recommend you create individual slides for each design or even save them as different file names so you can revert to a previous stage without inconvenience.

A slide deck or PPT deck is a collection of slides curated for a sole purpose: serving as visual aids for a presentation topic. These slides can contain multiple tools like charts and graphs , placeholder text areas, icons, dashboard display, illustrations (in the format of vector images), and way more depending on three key elements:

• Build quality: How much effort the creator put into crafting the slides.
• Software: Although compatible, PowerPoint decks may offer some effects that aren’t available in Google Slides. For that reason, creators often flag animated slides or slide decks containing complex shadow effects as only PowerPoint-compatible.
• Topic: A presentation deck intended to present a marketing plan won’t contain the same elements as one intended to deliver a motivational talk. 

Before deciding how to start a presentation , select a slide deck compatible with the topic your presentation is geared toward.

We like to work with the method of using one topic per slide. This means not overpopulating your slides with content for the sake of showing content. Such practices affect readability and the overall understanding of your presentation.

Instead, we will teach you how to curate content in your slide decks by taking pitch deck templates as an example. 

Say we select the Executive Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template . This pitch deck is intended to introduce potential investors to what the business is about. 

Rather than filling all the data in just 2-3 slides, take it easy and work with the layout this template offers:

• Title Slide: Every single presentation should list a title slide, with quality graphics and the presentation title being clear enough. Additional information can include the presenter’s name, the company’s name, logo, etc.
• About Us Slide: In business environments, companies should always introduce themselves, highlighting key information like the industry they move in, significant milestones, etc. Remember, this is an introduction to the company as an entity, the company profile presentation , not a description or introduction of team members .
• Best Services: Depending on your niche, take this as an opportunity to promote your core activities as a company.
• What We Do: This is complementary to “Best Services.” It is the section where you specify which areas your company covers and why your services stand out against competitors.
• Mission and Vision: Required for any pitch deck presentation.
• Meet the Team: This slide can either be an org chart or be presented through photos for the managers per department (the interaction points between stakeholders and management).
• Our Advantages: Ideal to complement slides 3 and 4, this expresses the competitive advantage of the company and marketing plan, and you should present your flagship product or service.
• Market Opportunity: What led your company to approach its niche, attending to customers’ pain points.
• Timeline: This slide serves to introduce significant milestones, projects, planned strategies, deadlines, etc.
• Market Size: When we have to answer the total addressable market (TAM), we can use a slide representing TAM, SAM, and SOM .
• Competitors: Two slides in this presentation deck talk about a company’s competitors and different approaches to representing that data with visual impact. 
• Data Chart: If you intend to discuss a KPI in particular, this chart slide can work to expand the talk over that point. 
• Product and Demo: This works either for e-commerce or physical products. Presenters can alter the slide to discuss services rather than products or just keep the “Best Services” slide.
• Pricing Slide: When discussing a business pitch, you must present your current pricing range to potential investors. In this case, the slide resembles the pricing tier format you can find on many websites.
• Thank You Slide: Knowing how to end a presentation with class is critical to securing a business deal. You can include a photo that resembles closing a business deal, a video that further expands your company’s history, products/services, and culture, or leave it with a minimalistic “thank you.”

With just 15 slides, you can create a powerful slide deck communicating your message to your target audience. Keeping a clean layout and following the 1 topic per slide rule ensures your presentation delivers a clean speech.

Now, we’ll move on to how to make a presentation deck from scratch. We recommend working with PowerPoint templates , as design decisions are already taken for you (font pairing, color schemes, placeholder areas, balance between text and graphs).

Select a Slide Deck

By browsing professional PPT template creators’ websites like SlideModel, you can find a vast selection of products tailored to your needs. It is as easy as to browse for the topic you want via the search bar, locate a product you desire, and download it to your account. You can also explore the available products per category through menu elements.

Insert your Content

Every single presentation deck available at SlideModel.com is entirely customizable. We can add illustrations by going to Insert > Picture and selecting the origin from which you want to upload your image into the presentation.

Also, users can customize the template and replace the image in the placeholder area by right-clicking over it and selecting Change Picture .

Text content can be edited in the text placeholder areas by clicking over it. Charts and graphs may require some extra steps depending on how they were crafted. To replace the placeholder data, simply select the chart or graph element and click on the Filter option next to it. Seek the Select Data option at the end of the contextual menu.

Modify the data used as a sample in the chart with the information pertinent to your company or project. An MS Excel spreadsheet will open up to allow that procedure.

Other Customization Options for Slide Decks

Finally, we recommend you check the following articles to learn more about aspects to edit in slide decks:

• How to change fonts in Slide Decks .
• How to change the theme in Slide Decks .
• Which fonts will make your Slide Deck stand out .
• How to insert 3D models in Slide Decks .
• How to change slide layout in a Slide Deck .
• How to rotate a slide in PowerPoint .

If you need a quick method to create a slide deck presentation, check out our  AI presentation maker . A tool in which you add the topic, curate the outline, select a design, and let AI do the work for you.

A clear and cohesive theme, concise and impactful text, and high-quality graphics are all you need to create a powerful slide deck, as long as it follows a logical flow that guides the audience through the presentation.

Yes, our expertise in this field tells us there are no visible differences between working with PowerPoint and Google Slides or Apple Keynote to create a quality presentation, except for some curved text effects and complex animations. When considering a Slide Deck vs PowerPoint, it’s important to note that all these tools can effectively deliver professional presentations.

– Select a theme or template that aligns with the presentation’s topic or audience. – Consider the context and setting of the presentation. – Opt for a clean and professional design that backs up your speech rather than add distracting elements.

When working with presentation software, you can format text as you would work with any text editor. Remember to stick to concise and clear language, with no technical jargon. Huge “text walls” deter the audience from your talk, as there’s a natural impulse to read the content. Opt for legible fonts rather than complex script typefaces.

Using a consistent color scheme is the first step, which can be analogous (easier to work), complementary, or bolder options as long as you stick to recommended color pairings. Avoid harsh contrasts, as they make your slides less legible. Use a maximum of 3 different fonts in your slide, best if 2 only.

1. Innovative Business Presentation Template Slide Deck

Powerful graphics with contrasting tones that add a vibrant vibe to your presentation. This slide deck is ideal for startups, tech talks, or any presentation that wants to showcase a vanguard style in touch with the latest design trends.

Use This Template

2. PPT Slide Deck Template

A semi-formal slide deck that balances many visual aids and placeholder text areas while bearing a complementary color scheme. Ideal for team meetings, introducing your company to investors, or academic presentations.

3. Business Executive Presentation Deck for PowerPoint

Sleek, formal, and with plenty of tools to repurpose this slide deck for multiple presentation requirements. A fully editable PPT presentation deck that can accommodate an alternative theme to its distinctive cool blue executive tones.

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What is a Slide Deck? Everything You Need to Know!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

In my personal experience alone, I’ve seen people use very many different words including the word “Slide Deck” for a presentation. I always wondered what is the meaning of Slide Deck, and how is it different from other words commonly used to describe a presentation. So, I did a little research, and here’s what I found out!

A Slide Deck is a term assigned to a group of slides that together form a complete presentation. A slide deck is usually created using a presentation design application. A slide deck is often used as an aid for storytelling or presenting information about a topic or an organization.

But, how is a slide deck different from a slide show or a PowerPoint? In this article, we will understand the nuances of the various presentation terminologies used. Plus, I will also help you understand why is a slide deck really called a slide deck!

So, let’s get started.

A Quick Note Before We Begin – if you want to make jaw-dropping presentations, I would recommend using one of these Presentation Designs . The best part is – it is only $16.5 a month, but you get to download and use as many presentation designs as you like! I personally use it from time-to-time, and it makes my task of making beautiful presentations really quick and easy!

What is a Slide Deck?

When it comes to describing a presentation, there are several words that are used. One word that is often used is a “Slide Deck”.

As mentioned above, a slide deck really is a collection of slides put together to form a presentation. A slide deck is used in many organizations to give an overview about their organization, to share strategies or plans, or showcase performance updates, or even just sharing a piece of interesting information about a topic. There are several use cases for a slide deck!

You may wonder, “Is slide deck not just the same as a presentation?”. If so, then why not just call it a presentation instead of a slide deck? Why use the term slide deck at all?

Pro Tip: All slide decks are presentations, but not all presentations can be classified as a slide deck!

A presentation is usually a much broader term. For instance, when you are displaying a physical product and verbally sharing nuggets of information about that product, it is still referred to as a presentation. More specifically, it is called a product presentation.

The key difference between a slide deck and presentation is that a presentation is an act of delivering information such as a speech or a talk. Whereas, a slide deck is the visual aid used while giving a presentation!

Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, a slide deck and a presentation are actually two different terms!

Why is a Slide Deck called a Slide Deck? A Brief History!

The term slide deck evolved from an old technology that was used for projecting the slides on the wall. A physical 35 mm slide was inserted into a carousel slide projector . All the slides that were used during a presentation were collectively known as a slide deck (as in a deck of cards).

The term “slide deck” stuck around and became synonymous with a presentation even after the technology evolved . Thus, even today, many people refer to a presentation as a slide deck.

If you are wondering how this projector really worked, then you would be amazed to know that each model came with slots for 40 or 80 slides that could be inserted at a time.

Each slide would be placed upside down and backward in terms of the chronological order so that the image projected is in the correct orientation and order. The slide themselves were usually photographs and not much could be done on the slide.

Difference Between Slide Deck and Slide Show?

Another term that people often use interchangeably is a slide deck and a slide show.

A slide deck is the group of slides used to create a presentation. However, when these slides are displayed or shown to an audience while giving a presentation, the process is known as a slide show.

In other words, a slide deck is usually a presentation file whereas a slide show is a process of showing the contents of that file to an audience.

Slide Deck vs PowerPoint: What’s the Difference?

I’ve also seen people get confused between a slide deck and PowerPoint. Again, these are also another set of terms that are used interchangeably. But, there is a difference.

As mentioned before, a slide deck is usually a group of slides collectively put together to give a presentation. The term slide deck has existed even years before PowerPoint was introduced. As we learned above, a slide deck was initially used to describe the batch of physical slides used in a projector.

PowerPoint, on the other hand, is a presentation design software. Unlike a slide or a presentation, PowerPoint is actually a program that is used for designing a slide or creating a presentation.

As the technology evolved and a computer started to have more computing power, complex applications were designed to enable the ease of leveraging technology.

Contrary to the common opinion, PowerPoint was not created by Microsoft. It was first released by Forethought Inc in 1987 initially only for Mac OS. However, Microsoft acquired PowerPoint 3 months after its initial release and rebranded it as Microsoft PowerPoint.

What is the Difference Between Slide Deck and a Pitch Deck?

Another term that you may hear often, especially in the more recent times, is a pitch deck. It is important to note that using the two interchangeably might not be the correct thing to do. Here’s why –

A slide deck is basically all the final slides put together to create a presentation. However, a pitch deck is a type of a slide deck created with a very specific purpose of pitching an idea or a business model to an investor with the intention of raising funds for implementing the idea.

In this era of start-ups and entrepreneurs, a pitch deck is quite common. In fact, every time an organization is looking to raise funds for the project or business, a pitch deck is required.

Simply put, a pitch deck can also be called a slide deck, but not all slide decks can be referred to as a pitch deck!

What is a PowerPoint Slide Deck?

There are multiple ways of creating a slide deck. As we learned earlier, traditionally a slide deck was created using actual physical slides.

As the technology evolved, sophisticated computer applications were used to create a slide deck. One such application is Microsoft PowerPoint.

A PowerPoint slide deck is a term used to describe a slide deck or a presentation that is created using Microsoft PowerPoint as the presentation design application. A PowerPoint slide deck usually consists of multiple slides put together to create a presentation.

That said, a PowerPoint slide deck is more commonly referred to as a “slide deck” or just “Presentation” as PowerPoint is not the only presentation design application available to a user.

What is a Slide Deck in Google Slides?

Although PowerPoint has been one of the most well-known and commonly used presentation design programs, another application that has been gaining in popularity amongst the users is Google Slides!

The idea of a slide deck in Google Slides is pretty much the same. When you put together all the final slides that are going to be used in a presentation using Google Slides, it is known as a slide deck in Google Slides.

If you are not sure what exactly is Google Slides and would like to understand this a bit more in detail, I’ve written a detailed post on this topic. Make sure you check it out! Click on the below link.

What is Google Slides? The ULTIMATE Guide!

How to Make a Slide Deck in PowerPoint?

If you are using PowerPoint, one of the things that you may often be asked to do at work is to make a slide deck in PowerPoint. But, how exactly do you do that? Let me try to answer this question.

Here’s how to make a slide deck in PowerPoint –

• Open a PowerPoint Presentation
• Create a structure for your content
• Create a Title Slide
• Design the Other Remaining Slides
• Use Images relevant to the content
• Add Animations and Transitions
• Create a Thank You Slide
• Save Your Slide Deck
• Share the File with your team

Honestly, this topic deserves a separate article in itself. Perhaps even a single article may not be complete enough to cover this topic.

How to Make a Good Slide Deck?

Let’s face it – most of us don’t want to come across as incompetent. Thus, making a good slide deck is almost always important. But, how exactly does one do that?

There are actually several things that you can do to make an attractive presentation. I actually wrote a detailed article on how to easily create a good slide deck. The tips that I share in that article are also relevant for beginners. So, make sure you check out that article as well! The link is mentioned below.

7 EASY tips that ALWAYS make your PPT presentation attractive (even for beginners)

More Helpful Resources –

• Should You Add Table of Contents in your Presentation?
• How to Give a Presentation When You Are Not Prepared?
• A Quick Guide to Using Animations and Transitions in PowerPoint

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35 Best Pitch Decks From Real-Life Startups [With Templates]

Written by: Orana Velarde

Many companies in existence—even big-name startups—once had to create a pitch deck at the beginning of their journey. Thanks to the internet, we can access and study all those successful pitch decks for a healthy dose of inspiration.

Some of these investor pitch deck examples have become quite famous, like the Airbnb pitch deck from when the company was still called AirBed&Breakfast.

In this article, we’ve put together the 35 best pitch decks to learn from. We've also recreated some of those pitch decks into templates to help you attract investors and support for your own company.

If you're ready to create your own pitch deck, use our presentation software to put together a professional investor presentation in minutes.

Here's a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit pitch deck templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View 23 more templates below:

What Makes a Good Pitch Deck?

Before we launch into 35 of the best pitch decks of all time, let’s talk about what makes a good pitch deck . What’s going to grab investor attention and help propel your business toward the same success that companies like Airbnb, WeWork, Uber and Facebook have all seen?

Let’s dig into a few of the major components to keep in mind when designing a pitch deck.

• Use the right slides. There are 10 key slides every pitch deck should have, including an introduction, problem/solution, business model , statistics, etc. Flesh out a proper pitch deck outline before you get started pulling necessary information.
• Tell a story. One of the best ways to capture your audience is through a compelling story. Make sure you’re really selling your business idea by elaborating on why people are going to want or need it.
• Be passionate about your idea . No one wants to listen to someone half-heartedly pitch a business idea. You need to believe in it and make your audience believe in it, too.
• Proofread and practice. Nothing is going to make you seem less professional than typos and a million “ums” during your speech. Review your slides and rehearse them to make sure you’re ready to present.
• Pay attention to design . Old, boring, bulleted PowerPoints won’t get you anywhere anymore. With access to beautiful and simple templates and tools (*ahem* Visme *ahem*) it’s never been easier to create beautiful and creative pitch decks.

For even more tips on your pitch deck design, watch this video:

If you need help creating attention-grabbing pitch decks, you can use the versions recreated in Visme as a starting point. Better yet, allow Visme's AI presentation maker to do the heavy lifting for you—it handles everything from design to content, speeding up your pitch deck design process.

With just a text prompt, this advanced tool helps you generate pitch deck presentations complete with images, icons, illustrations, text, and everything else—in just seconds.

For example, you can draw inspiration from any of these pitch deck examples and instruct the AI presentation maker to generate a similar pitch deck design tailored to your business and topic of choice. Isn't that amazing?

Click on a Pitch Deck to Jump Ahead

• Dropbox Pitch Deck
• Tinder Pitch Deck
• Airbnb Pitch Deck
• WeWork Pitch Deck
• Uber Pitch Deck
• BuzzFeed Pitch Deck
• Launchrock Pitch Deck
• Foursquare Pitch Deck
• Intercom Pitch Deck
• Mattermark Pitch Deck
• TouristEye Pitch Deck
• Buffer Pitch Deck
• Ooomf (Crew) Pitch Deck
• Moz Pitch Deck
• Biogrify Pitch Deck
• Front Pitch Deck
• Piccsy Pitch Deck
• LinkedIn Pitch Deck
• Fyre Festival Pitch Deck
• Manpacks Pitch Deck
• Coinbase Pitch Deck
• Snapchat Pitch Deck
• YouTube Pitch Deck
• Facebook Pitch Deck
• Crunchbase Pitch Deck
• Contently Pitch Deck
• Wise (TransferWise) Pitch Deck
• Bliss Pitch Deck
• Castle Pitch Deck
• Shift Pitch Deck
• Cubeit Pitch Deck
• Revolut Pitch Deck
• Alto Pitch Deck
• Wayfair Pitch Deck
• Walmart - Flipkart Pitch Deck

1. Dropbox Pitch Deck

Dropbox is one of the pioneers of cloud storage as we know it today, and their pitch deck from 2007 was all about revolutionizing the way people stored and shared important data.

The company has raised around $1.7 billion in funding and is backed by popular investors like JP Morgan and Sequoia Capital.

Original pitch deck:

What makes Dropbox's pitch deck stand out among others is how it addresses the “why” behind the entire idea of cloud storage.

As you go through the slides, you’ll notice how each section focuses on how Dropbox’s solution will benefit users and the society as a whole by changing the way people work with files.

This slide deck inspiration also dives into the details of why investing in the company is a good idea at that particular time, making a strong case for securing the funding they need.

Key Takeaway: Draw a comparison with your competitors to show how your product is better. Focus on the features, but then follow up with benefits to explain why those features are worth investing in.

It's also a good idea to explain why the timing is ideal for launching your product or company. Dropbox does this well by highlighting trends that are relevant to their target audience, such as the increased use of digital devices and more distributed/remote teams.

Here's an investor pitch deck template that comes built-in with a comparison table , data widgets, charts and a benefits slide. Customize it to create a value-focused pitch deck like Dropbox.

Recreated in Visme:

Create your own Pitch Deck with this easy-to-edit template! Edit and Download

2. Tinder Pitch Deck

Previously known as Matchbox, Tinder is one of the most popular dating apps in the world.

While Tinder's pitch deck below is not officially connected to any funding round, the app managed to raise over $50 million in just three rounds.

So, what is it about this that makes it such a great pitch deck inspiration?

First, they do an excellent job of communicating the problem with a short (but relatable) story. Then, instead of talking about the solution, they show it within their app.

The next few slides dive deeper into the app’s functionality — how it works and what value it provides. By using step-by-step screenshots, they let their app do the talking.

Finally, the pitch deck summarizes additional features being developed and the revenue opportunity, or how they plan to make money, in two short slides.

Key Takeaway: Using storytelling to explain a problem can make it relatable and easier to understand. A good pitch deck puts investors in the customers’ shoes, which naturally makes them more intrigued to learn about the solution.

Another lesson to be learned here is to use your product’s functionality to explain the solution. Tinder does a great job of showing instead of telling with step-by-step screenshots of how users will navigate through the app to fulfill their needs.

Customize this business pitch deck template below designed especially for apps and SaaS businesses, and apply your own storytelling principles:

3. Airbnb Pitch Deck

Some of the best investor decks present information in a quickly-digestible, easily-understandable way. This is where an early pitch deck by Airbnb shines.

Airbnb’s pitch deck is commonly cited as one of the best, and has helped raise over $112 million .

Each slide is relatively basic, presenting the information quickly and efficiently. They also avoid the pitfalls of sticking simply to text, adding images and charts throughout that illustrate their points in a similar manner.

Key Takeaway: You don’t want to bore your audience, but you also want them to know exactly what your product or service is trying to do. Airbnb's modern pitch deck design exemplifies simplicity at its finest.

Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by Airbnb to get you started.

The Visme editor comes equipped with several AI features, like the AI Presentation Maker , which helps you craft a fully designed pitch deck from start to finish, including content and visual graphics. Additionally, the AI Writer can help you refine content in several ways, like summarizing longer text or refreshing older content.

Use the prompt window to explain what you need and watch the tool unleash its magic.

4. WeWork Pitch Deck

In the WeWork Pitch Deck Series D , they show projected growth in big numbers. They used the power of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to really bring the message home to investors.

By providing big-name services to their members through an affiliate scheme, they were able to add the logos of all these companies in their company deck and show who they were already working with.

Not only did they get tons of funding with this pitch deck, they're now one of the biggest coworking space providers in the world. They knew the potential of WeWork and were definitely not afraid to show it.

Key Takeaway: If you know your idea has the potential to be huge, show it. WeWork knew they had a sound business plan that was bound to grow with the right amount of support. They didn’t take any shortcuts and used visual charts to show huge projections and big plans.

Here’s a business pitch template inspired by WeWork to get you started.

5. Uber Pitch Deck

When Uber first started out, it was called UberCab.

The idea behind the business seemed like something right out of a fairy tale; cabs that would pick you up in minutes, which you didn’t have to call or stand on the curb for.

Even though their initial ideas did not exactly represent how Uber is today, their original pitch deck is a great example of believing in a product.

This professional pitch deck goes into detail about how UberCab could ultimately change the way taxis work, forever.

The actual slides from this business deck rely heavily on bullet points to get the message across, but they hit home because they are simple and short-winded. The bullet points are more like matter-of-fact statements instead of long explanations.

You can tell that the founders knew they had a great idea and all they needed was the investors to see it the way they did. They had no charts because they were still a small enterprise and had no growth to show.

They were relying on a simple fact: their idea was a game changer.

Key Takeaway:  Even if all you have is a great idea, strongly believing in that idea can help you get the funding you need to turn it into a reality. Forget fancy charts and long explanations — the best pitch deck designs keep it simple and get to the point quickly.

Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by Uber to get you started.

6. BuzzFeed Pitch Deck

When BuzzFeed was small, with only five people in a tiny office in Chinatown, they knew they had to stand out from the crowd to get ahead. So, instead of just being one amongst the pack, they created their own pack.

They visualized this idea perfectly on slide 18 of their pitch deck. BuzzFeed pitched the idea of advertisement as content instead of having content and advertisement as two different entities, which was the norm.

Their idea to use content generated by users, computer algorithms and advertisers is what made them different from other journalistic websites. They pitched their platform to investors so they could include their advertisement as content.

In the pitch deck, BuzzFeed’s founders showed exactly how their idea worked and how it would look online. They also visualized exactly how the “advertisement as content” idea would benefit them, including screenshots of the actual website.

In their second-last slide, they prompt “How big can this get?”, and they were not shy to show just how their take on viral media could take off.

Key Takeaway: If you're in the SaaS business, visualize your idea using actual screenshots of your product. Showing can be much more effective than simply telling, as it helps investors gain a deeper understanding of your idea.

Here’s a product pitch deck template inspired by BuzzFeed to get you started.

7. Launchrock Pitch Deck

The usual presentation has a light background and dark-colored content, but the pitch deck for Launchrock went in the opposite direction.

The slides have a black background, while the content is made of white text and red and blue gradient buttons. This visual quality is perfectly reminiscent of the Launchrock brand.

The Launchrock brand is simple, bold and to the point, and so is their pitch deck. The information on each slide is minimal, but precise. The data flows from one slide to the next in a simple storytelling format .

To top it off, they use social proof and a sense of community to get the message across.

Key Takeaway:  Don't be afraid to experiment when it comes to pitch deck design . Just make sure the colors and fonts you choose are aligned with your brand and don't compromise on the readability of your presentation slides.

Another lesson to be learned is that you don't always need to use text to explain your idea. The flowchart on slide 11 has no text, but it fully visualizes the idea behind their product.

Here’s a professional pitch deck template inspired by Launchrock to get you started.

8. Foursquare Pitch Deck

Foursquare was huge a while ago, but with so many location-based apps now it’s easy to wonder if it still exists. Yes, Foursquare still exists and it’s so much more than it used to be at the beginning.

Back in the young days of Foursquare , it was just two guys with an idea and this pitch deck.

This pitch deck has long sections of text, which isn’t usually considered a good idea. But on these slides with long bullet points, there are also mobile device mockups with real screenshots of the app doing its thing.

This somehow makes it work, along with the fact that the text is inspiring, innovative and perfectly organized.

The screenshots visualize every single functionality, yet keep things real. There are no excessive growth charts or high pitched dream ideas.

Foursquare has done a great job of growing into a huge enterprise and it all began in the era of this pitch deck.

Key Takeaway:  Instead of just focusing on one type of user, show how your idea, company or product will benefit all the stakeholders involved. A large part of this pitch deck’s success is that it shows how the Foursquare app benefits both companies and users.

Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by Foursquare to get you started.

9. Intercom Pitch Deck

The Intercom logo has seen a lot of revamping since its first pitch deck, but it has always been full of personality.

The slides in Intercom's pitch presentation example stick to a simple outline accompanied by the hand-drawn font of their logo on the headings and bullets.

Not only does this keep the pitch deck cover page on brand, it also adds a good dose of personality to all the slides. It shows investors that the Intercom company is simple, but not unpolished. Adding the font shows off the fun, human side of the brand.

Along with a light blue gradient background, the overall feel of this pitch deck is calm and reassuring. To hit the nail on the head, they used a simple font for the text, adding only some bold styling to reinforce the message.

The headings are positioned just right so if you skim through the slides, you can read them easily and grasp the big idea.

Key Takeaway: The design of your pitch decks is more important than you'd think. Make sure your slides are easy to read and skim through, the colors don't clash, and the fonts are legible, even if they're fun or handwritten-style.

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Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by Intercom to get you started.

10. Mattermark Pitch Deck

The main idea behind Mattermark was to solve an actual problem.

They created a “Google for businesses;” a data-driven search engine that helps SaaS businesses stay informed about other companies, which leads to better business decisions and improved market research.

The idea was a big one and they needed to show a lot of details in the pitch deck. Bordering on “too much information,” the Mattermark pitch deck uses multi-colored charts to compare important data.

To present the problem they aimed to solve, they relied on a flowing arrow diagram to visualize the outcome. As the slides progress, information is added on to create a comprehensive message.

They bring it home towards the end by showing how Mattermark can do it all faster and better. The charts are inspiring and resemble hockey sticks; the ultimate success chart example.

Key Takeaway:  If you have a lot of data to present, make it interesting by using different types of graphs . If you're presenting a solution to a problem, you can visualize that too with the help of arrows.

Here’s a good pitch deck template inspired by Mattermark to get you started.

11. TouristEye Pitch Deck

Before TouristEye was acquired by Lonely Planet, it was one of the first mobile apps directed at travelers. With the strong premise of “Travel Guides Suck,” they used this pitch deck to share the hype of TouristEye.

In this pitch deck, screenshots and travel-themed photography visualize a new, more personalized way of traveling where users could create their itineraries on the TouristEye app.

It’s not surprising that Lonely Planet ended up acquiring TouristEye; it was a huge competition for them.

Even if the hype behind TouristEye was that travel guides sucked, Lonely Planet saw the potential and had to have it for their platform.

Key Takeaway:  The best pitch decks explain the big idea up front, even if it sounds a little harsh. If you have data to back your big idea up, especially related to conversions and growth, that's even better. Notice how TouristEye does it on slide 19 by highlighting that intent equals conversions.

Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by TouristEye to get you started.

12. Buffer Pitch Deck

Buffer’s pitch deck is a great example of transparency and believing in your product.

The company is one of the first to release their pitch deck publicly, not only helping others with their decks, but illustrating goodwill.

Key Takeaway: Transparency is something that both customers and investors appreciate. It reinforces your honesty and trustworthiness, and helps them better understand how your product works. Even better, it displays complete confidence in your product or service.

Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by Buffer to get you started.

13. Ooomf (Crew) Pitch Deck

A common (and expected) thing you see in most pitch decks is how much growth a company has seen so far with their product.

What’s less commonly seen are the people who’ve already taken an interest in your work. This is unsurprising, as many pitch decks are created for projects still looking for funding.

However, for those lucky enough to already have some investors, this is a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of.

One great example of this is Crew.

Their pitch deck is incredibly sparse, using only the bare-minimum text and pictures. They also list other companies that have invested in theirs on slide 29, along with the amount they’ve already earned.

If you don’t have any interested parties yet, no problem; simply add quotes from satisfied customers or workers.

This deck does that, as well, with Milan C., a worker at Crew, claiming on their last slide, “Crew changed the way I work and with that how I live.”

Key Takeaway:  If you already have a few investors, companies or individuals supporting your product, don't be afraid to highlight them in your pitch deck.

Growth is not the only thing potential investors are intrigued by — proving that your product has earned respect from other groups is often enough to make people believe it's worth investing in.

Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by Crew to get you started.

14. Moz Pitch Deck

Moz's pitch deck features an adorable mascot that appears on all of their slides, and colorful blocks and charts that illustrate their points.

Their later slides are filled with fun images, such as cartoon character Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes) rampaging through a city.

The pitch deck never sacrifices the facts for fun either. They continue to describe their goals and statistics throughout, showing how useful they could be for investors and the business world in general.

SEOmoz has a rather appealing tagline: “How a tiny Mom & Son consultancy became a leader in SEO Software, and our roadmap to being Seattle’s next $1 billion company.”

The tagline opens with the promise of an appealing story (their journey to the big time), and ends with an ambitious goal, piquing curiosity and convincing potential investors to follow along.

Key Takeaway: It’s no secret that describing statistics and information can be, well, boring. Many potential investors have already heard such things countless times, even through the course of the day. So, how do you make yours stand out?

Simple: do something different and entertaining, while still offering the information you need to get your point across. SEOmoz does this admirably in their pitch deck.

Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by SEOmoz to get you started.

When creating a pitch deck with Visme, you have access to practical business features that help you create pitch decks more productively. Dynamic fields , for example, enable you to design one pitch deck template and input custom fields that can be easily adjusted with a few clicks. You can use this feature to tailor your message according to your audience.

15. Biogrify Pitch Deck

Not everyone’s an artist, but you don't need to be one to create a great pitch deck.

Sometimes just looking at design ideas and learning the in’s-and-out’s of your product can be enough.

Biogrify's deck is a great example of this, as it’s filled with images and screenshots, most of which aren’t drawings.

Their deck looks a little different than the slide deck examples above due to the focus on creativity.

Notice how they’ve used photos with speech bubbles to explain their message and several shots of their product in action to advertise.

The charts on slide 7 are of special note, as they are organized to not clutter the page and still maximize the amount of images that can fit.

Key Takeaway: Use creativity, but not just for thef sake of it. In Biogrify's pitch deck, each image helps support their words, making the overall experience appealing and interesting, rather than either frustrating or confusing. Better yet, the message is reinforced through the use of visual presentation aids .

Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by Biogrify to get you started.

16. Front Pitch Deck

Front's pitch deck offers a great example of using an attractive color scheme to your advantage.

They’ve primarily used white, blue, and pink to fill the slides.

For example, slide 9 has a white background and pink header, with a line graph that uses blue and pink to represent the specific values mentioned.

Front establishes some of this color scheme early on, with the title page in deep blue with white font. Colorful confetti shapes litter the background, hinting at the “fun” feel the pink would later give.

Key Takeaway: Using a specific color scheme can work wonders for your pitch deck. The colors, spread across the slides, can help unify a presentation and make it pop. Moreover, using specific colors that represent your company will help the pitch deck be more recognizable.

Be careful when choosing colors for your pitch deck. Different colors can evoke different feelings. You can find out more about color psychology and color schemes in our comprehensive guide.

Here’s a startup pitch template inspired by Front to get you started.

17. Piccsy Pitch Deck

Piccsy's deck gives a bit more literal example of smooth transitions. The photo site has an online infographic format , rather than the traditional slide deck format.

Each individual slide flows smoothly into one another as you scroll down the page, with similar themes (like the circles to hold information and the color scheme) tying the work together.

This pitch deck also takes an innovative approach by providing information at the end to encourage contact, making it one of the best investor pitch decks.

Key Takeaway:  Stand out to potential investors by turning your pitch deck into an interactive experience . Piccsy does this well by creating an infographic-style website, complete with their branding and even contact information at the end to encourage action.

Think of ways to pitch your startup to investors other than going with a traditional presentation deck — videos, interactive web pages and online presentations are a few great alternatives.

Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by Piccsy to get you started.

When you’re at the point of adding visuals, you can generate unique images, illustrations and graphics using the AI Image Generator . Likewise, if you have chosen stock or legacy images that need a little editing, take advantage of the AI Edit Tools to upscale, unblur and remove unwanted objects or entire backgrounds.

18. LinkedIn Pitch Deck

The way you design your pitch deck depends on several things, like your target market and the people you hope will invest in your product.

LinkedIn's Series B pitch deck is specifically aimed towards more serious, business-minded individuals, considering that is the intended audience to use the product.

Their pitch deck is filled with straightforward facts and data that logically define the site’s worth, rather than more artistic and stylized elements.

LinkedIn even goes a step further and shows the relations between the current most-used mediums for certain services and their older counterparts (e.g. using a bank in the past versus using PayPal in the present).

This allows them to prove their point—that the internet has become the most-used base for services previously offered offline—and show their particular niche, again endearing themselves to their audience.

Key Takeaway: Tailor your pitch deck content to your target audience. If your product or service is aimed at the younger generation, you’ll probably want to have more references to pop culture and familiar terms in your deck. If you’re pitching to a more mathematically-inclined group, your deck should be more organized and filled with data.

Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by LinkedIn to get you started.

19. Fyre Festival Pitch Deck

You might have already seen the Fyre Festival documentary on Netflix.

If you haven’t, you should consider doing so, especially from a marketing point of view.

Fyre Festival was the single most disastrous business event in the past years. But it also managed to round up millions of dollars from investors as it grew, all thanks to the social media hype and this over the top pitch deck .

Savvy business owners with impeccable BS filters didn’t fall for the bright and shiny influencers being paraded on this pitch deck. But tons of other investors did, mostly due to the FOMO factor the slides presented.

FOMO stands for “Fear of Missing Out,” and that is how Billy McFarland managed to get millions of dollars to fund a badly organized idea.

Key Takeaway: This is the kind of pitch deck that will go down in history as the epitome of blinding investors with celebrities and expert social media schemes. The Fyre Festival pitch deck is not the best pitch deck, but it is a great example of how information can be manipulated.

Here’s a pitch deck template inspired by Fyre Festival to get you started.

20. Manpacks Pitch Deck

Manpacks was a subscription service that sold men’s underwear, socks, toiletries and other products. The service was discontinued in 2018, but was an absolute hit when it first launched in 2010.

Manpacks' pitch deck managed to raise $500,000 in funding over one round.

For starters, their business model was unique and solved an actual need — regularly shipping basic essentials to men who dislike shopping or are just lazy.

But what really got to investors was the fact that Manpacks knew who they were. Their brand voice was reflected in every slide of their pitch deck.

Better yet, they knew who their target audience was, which is also why the service had as many as 10,000 subscribers at one point.

Key Takeaway: Understanding who you are as a brand and being able to express that clearly is just as important as knowing your product — and the best pitch decks are designed with that in mind.

Manpacks’ pitch deck is short, but it does the job by communicating the problem, solution, value proposition and incentive for investors all in a fun tone that’s aligned with their brand voice .

If you're looking to create a light-hearted but on-brand pitch deck similar to Manpacks', here's a fun, colorful and illustrative pitch deck template you can use for your own startup.

21. Coinbase Pitch Deck

Coinbase is a cryptocurrency platform that lets people buy, sell and store digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

To date, the company has raised nearly $550 million in funding over 14 rounds.

What’s interesting is they still managed to raise a good amount even back in 2012 when only a handful of people knew about cryptocurrency.

Coinbase's pitch deck above is a great example of how the company generated interest in the concept of digital currency by presenting data-driven arguments.

Instead of talking about their own growth, they start by focusing on the growth of Bitcoin, and why it’s worth investing in a service made specifically for that digital currency.

Key Takeaway: Using data to support your claims can help you build trust and credibility in the eyes of potential investors. The best pitch decks make this data easier to understand by visualizing it into charts and graphs, just like Coinbase did.

Let’s also take a moment to appreciate how Coinbase used ratios and the example of iTunes to successfully capture the essence of its product in four words.

Use the pitch deck template below inspired by Coinbase to put focus on your solution.

22. Snapchat Pitch Deck

Back in 2011, Snapchat came up with the unique idea of sharing photos and videos that disappear after a short time.

Their pitch deck below from 2014 is not exactly an investor pitch deck — Snapchat designed this presentation to introduce businesses to their product and its marketing value, and to convince them to sign up for a business account.

The presentation above carries immense value if you’re looking for a sales pitch deck example that’s minimalistic and effective.

The slides are clean and full of images, which makes it easier for businesses to quickly look through and get the point.

We especially love the “What Do I Snap?” and “Get the Word Out” slides, which show businesses how they can use the app for marketing purposes with the help of visual examples.

Key Takeaway: Stuffing text into your slides is not always the answer. Using images can be much more effective at familiarizing people with your product’s features and functionality.

Also, think about whether your audience would find more value in real examples or fictional ones. Snapchat uses actual examples from existing brands using the platform to show businesses how others like them are taking advantage of new marketing opportunities.

Here's a pitch deck template inspired by Snapchat that you can use to showcase your product visually.

23. YouTube Pitch Deck

With over 2 billion users , YouTube is the largest video sharing platform in the world.

The company has raised around $83.5 million in funding in just two rounds. This professional pitch deck below is from their first funding round in 2005, when they pitched to Sequoia Capital. At the time, the platform had less than 10,000 users.

YouTube’s investor presentation is a solid example of what a traditional pitch deck outline looks like. Keep in mind that the pitch deck is quite old, which is probably why it lacks good design and visuals.

Even so, it covers key details by highlighting the problem, presenting the exact solution, listing the competition, and outlining the sales and distribution plan.

Key Takeaway: If your product is unique and better than the competition, it will sell itself. In the case of pitch decks, great products are likely to attract investors even if you don’t focus too much on the design.

Also, even if you’re keeping it basic, make sure you incorporate all the important details like what you plan to achieve and how you plan to get there.

Use the pitch deck template below inspired by YouTube to highlight your key strengths and what makes you better than your competitors.

As you work on your pitch deck in Visme, you have the opportunity to work collaboratively and brainstorm using the online whiteboard . Additionally, you can also use the workflow feature to work on projects together. Assign specific slides to particular team members and leave each other comments and feedback to finish the pitch deck together.

24. Facebook Pitch Deck

We all know about Facebook — our beloved social media platform that helps us stay connected with our friends, family, colleagues, pets and the world in general.

Till now, Facebook has secured over $2.3 billion in funding, and this pitch deck from 2004 played a key role in helping Mark Zuckerberg build the largest social network in the world.

Initially, Facebook was created for the students, alumni, faculty and staff at Harvard University. Later, it expanded to include other schools and universities, but it wasn’t long until it transcended academic institutions and took over the world.

Because Facebook wasn’t really making any money at the time, it relied on social proof as well as usage and engagement statistics to sell its idea — and it worked!

Key Takeaway: As a startup, you don’t always need to have financial information to back up your idea. If you don’t currently have any revenue data to show, you can still make a strong case with usage, engagement and audience metrics that show potential for growth.

Also, adding social proof can go a long way in building trust and credibility in front of investors. This works especially well if those customer reviews and testimonials talk about your potential for going big.

Visualize usage and engagement statistics using the Facebook-inspired pitch deck template below.

25. Crunchbase Pitch Deck

Crunchbase is one the best platforms for researching innovative startups and companies. The website lists important information like funding data, mergers and acquisitions, leadership positions and more.

Their pitch deck below was part of their Series C funding round, and helped secure around $30 million . All in all, there’s a lot to learn from this good pitch deck example coming from a company focused on investment.

As you can see, starting with a story helped investors see the opportunity for Crunchbase’s solution and understand the challenges people face while searching for reliable information about companies. So, when Crunchbase presented the solution, the investors were ready for it.

Another interesting thing to note is Crunchbase’s use of visual analogies to highlight the gravity of the problem and the size of the potential opportunity.

Key Takeaway: Set the stage with a story rather than trying to impress investors with big numbers on traffic and usage data. This will grab their attention and help them understand the purpose of your product.

Also, using images and graphics as visual metaphors can help you drive the point home more effectively than with plain text.

Start your own presentation with a story using Crunchbase's recreated startup pitch deck template below.

26. Contently Pitch Deck

Contently is a popular content marketing platform that helps businesses with content strategy and connects them with a global talent network of writers, designers, filmmakers and more.

With the pitch deck below, Contently was able to secure $9 million in funding back in 2014.

The design of this pitch deck example is clean and bold. We especially like the big fonts, which get the message across clearly.

The highlight of Contently’s pitch deck is probably the way they present the problem (and where they fit in.) They set the stage by talking about the huge market size, and then throw in a stat to highlight the problem within that market.

Another good thing about this pitch deck is the use of social proof to build trust with potential investors. They do this with a powerful quote from Forbes in support of their platform.

Key Takeaway: The design of your pitch deck matters a lot more than you’d think. Using large and bold fonts that’s aligned with your brand identity can a) help you highlight key points, and b) make you look confident.

Grab attention using this pitch deck template inspired by Contently.

27. Wise (TransferWise) Pitch Deck

Formerly known as TransferWise, this London-based money transfer service gained popularity primarily because of its innovative pricing model that charges users a minimal fee for transfers while showing them what they have to pay upfront.

Since its inception in 2011, the company has raised around $1.3 billion in funding over 13 rounds. The pitch deck below is from 2012, and it helped Wise raise $1.3 million in funding.

TransferWise’s deck is simple and straightforward, which is also its best quality. Instead of beating around the bush or trying to be too creative, they get straight to the point. This shows they clearly know what they’re doing.

There’s also a good balance of text and visuals in this pitch deck — you never feel overwhelmed with too much information. They’ve also laid out their short-term and long-term priorities, which shows they have a good roadmap for the next year and a half.

Key Takeaway: Let your product and value proposition guide the design of your pitch deck. If you’re solving a solid problem that doesn’t require too many words to explain, don’t use too many words — use numbers instead.

In TransferWise’s case, their USP was (and still is) the low cost of money transfers, and they wasted no time in making that clear.

Explain your product and pricing using this Wise-inspired pitch deck template:

28. Bliss Pitch Deck

Bliss.ai launched in 2015 as a code review management platform that helped engineering teams analyze code quality.

The company shut down after only a couple of years, but managed to raise around $750,000 in funding when it started with the help of the pitch deck below.

Bliss’s pitch deck has a clean and professional design, which is in line with their business idea and brand voice. The deck is pretty decent and covers all key points.

We love the fact that they establish what they do up front — this is important if you’re presenting a technical idea. The team slide is also very well done as it includes both the founders and the investors.

Bliss has also done a good job with using social proof, such as testimonials and logos, to increase their credibility.

Key Takeaway: If your company or product is more on the technical side, it’s a good idea to explain what it is and how it works before anything else. Talking about traction and clients won’t do you much good if your investors are still trying to figure out what you do.

Briefly explain the purpose of your SaaS company with this Bliss-inspired pitch deck template.

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When your pitch deck presentation is ready, you can share it as a live Flipbook document, an interactive PDF or a printable document. Once sent to your prospects, you can track performance like opens, views, and demographics through the analytics dashboard .

29. Castle Pitch Deck

Castle was a property management platform founded in 2014. The company closed its operations four years later, but their pitch deck below helped raise over $270,000 in funding in its early days.

The great thing about this pitch deck is that you can see the team’s personality show through. The headers are non-traditional and sum up key ideas. The design is clean and bold. Also, they’ve used icons and illustrations to highlight key points, which is a nice touch.

Castle’s pitch deck also does an excellent job at presenting the value proposition up front. We also like the “And we have some great ways to grow” slide, which shows that they’ve put a considerable amount of thought into making it big.

Key Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to show some personality in your pitch deck template . If you’re friendly and approachable, incorporate design elements that exude the same feelings in your presentation slides.

Also, if you have ideas that are not yet concrete, it might not be a bad idea to share them anyway. It shows investors that you’ve at least made the effort to think about your business.

Show your personality and share ideas with this pitch deck template inspired by Castle:

30. Shift Pitch Deck

Shift’s journey started in 2013 as an automotive marketplace. One of their major selling points was convenience — car sellers could get a price estimate and inspection for their car, while car buyers could get the car delivered to them for a test drive.

The Series A pitch deck below helped the company raise around $24 million . Let’s see what we can learn from this investor presentation.

Click here to view Shift's pitch deck.

Shift’s pitch deck has a clean, minimalistic design with plenty of visuals. Along with images, and screenshots of their website and app, they also generously use icons to highlight key points.

We also like how they visualize the process of how their service works, and also answer the who, why and how behind their business idea.

One of the best things about this pitch deck is they also mention their own challenges, which is not something a lot of startups have the guts to do. This shows that the Shift team is realistic — they know it’s not going to be all sunshine and rainbows but they’re ready for the ride.

Key Takeaway: It’s okay to acknowledge the challenges you’re potentially going to face down the road, as long as you have a plan to tackle these challenges, or even just the will to come up with a plan. It shows investors that you’re realistic, grounded and that you have a sense of responsibility.

Be honest about your humble beginnings and tell your startup's success story in an engaging way with this Shift-inspired pitch deck template.

31. Cubeit Pitch Deck

Cubeit was founded in 2012 as a collaborative OS — a place to share, save and organize content from different apps. The pitch deck below helped the startup raise $3 million in funding.

Click here to view Cubeit's pitch deck.

Right off the bat, we can tell that Cubeit’s pitch deck is more on the technical side. However, it still makes good use of visualizations and even includes a video demo.

They start strong, and have also included a customer profile in one of their slides, which shows they’ve done their research and that they know who their product is for.

Key Takeaway: If you’re in the SaaS business, adding a video demo of your product to your pitch deck is a great idea. It helps investors understand how your product works much better than with static screenshots. To make your video more effective, consider adding a voiceover and even text and animations.

Use the pitch deck template below inspired by Cubeit to highlight key technical points about your product.

32. Revolut Pitch Deck

Revolut launched as a digital banking service in 2015. The company offered peer-to-peer payments, currency exchange and pre-paid debit card services.

To date, they’ve raised around $1.7 billion in funding over 14 rounds — which is a huge amount. The pitch deck below is a good example of a fintech startup presentation.

This pitch deck uses a lot of screenshots, and they’re displayed nicely on phone screens, which helps add some perspective. They’ve also included example use cases, comparisons with their competition and information on how they will use the funds.

Key Takeaway: When using visuals for your pitch deck, go beyond images and screenshots. Think about creative ways to showcase your screenshots, such as with the help of phone mockups.

Showcase your app or software using this Revolut-inspired pitch deck template:

33. Alto Pitch Deck

Alto (previously ScriptDash) came to the scene in 2015 with the innovative idea of a digital pharmacy. Their services included coordinating with doctors and delivering prescriptions to patients on a recurring or on-demand basis.

The pitch deck below was used by the company to raise funds during their seed round.

Alto’s pitch deck is refreshingly short and sweet. The slides come with nice, descriptive headers (with most of them being questions) and the presentation aptly explains the big idea, how the product works and why the timing is just right.

They’ve also done a fair bit of homework on potential scalability, which can be seen in their cost of acquisition and expansion slides.

Key Takeaway: Sometimes, keeping it short and concise can be the best thing you can do for your investor presentation. The goal of a pitch deck is not to secure funding, it’s to make it to the next meeting. Even if your slides are short, they should be intriguing and full of value, so much so that they make investors want to know more.

Present your solution and keep it short and sweet with this pitch deck template inspired by Alto:

34. Wayfair Pitch Deck

Wayfair is a popular American e-commerce company offering millions of home and furniture products from thousands of global suppliers.

Their pitch deck from 2015 offers a great example of what an established company that wants to grow bigger should have in their presentation slides.

Wayfair’s investor presentation is comprehensive, data-driven and aligned with their brand’s visual style. The slides focus on the brand’s uniqueness and what makes it so special.

They make a clear point about how they understand their customers’ shopping behavior and tailor their website experience to their needs, unlike search-based stores like Amazon.

They also make full use of their impressive numbers and statistics to put together a compelling offer for investors.

Key Takeaway: If you have data, flaunt it. Established brands have the powerful advantage of using their current success to back their expansion plans. Also, if you’ve already seen some success, you need to show that you earned it in your pitch deck not just with data, but also with good branding, marketing and design skills.

Show off your idea using this Wayfair-inspired pitch deck template:

35. Walmart - Flipkart Pitch Deck

Flipkart is one of the largest e-commerce companies in India, second only to Amazon. In 2018, Walmart acquired more than 70% of Flipkart’s shares in a $16 billion deal with the help of the pitch deck below.

The presentation above focuses less on Walmart and more on how both companies can create value together, which is the selling point of the deal.

The slides dive deep into the Indian e-commerce market and the opportunities it offers, and then go on to talk about how Walmart’s strategy is a good fit for Flipkart.

Key Takeaway: When you talk about creating value, consider every single stakeholder you can create value for, instead of just focusing on the end customer. Talk about the value you can create for the community in general, the shareholders, the associates and even other businesses.

Explain how your business will benefit the stakeholders and add value using the pitch deck template below inspired by Walmart and Flipkart.

Bonus: Startup Pitch Deck Presentation Theme

Looking for more than a simple slide template? We've got the ultimate pitch deck theme to help you pull together all of the perfect slides.

It all starts with a story. Our pitch deck theme centers around 12 different startup archetypes or founder stories that can help you pull the best introduction slides and put together the best story that really sells your pitch.

Check out the introduction category of this theme's slides to read all about the different archetypes and pinpoint how you should angle your pitch deck's intro and overall brand story.

This theme offers over 60 different slide options for your startup to choose from when building the best pitch deck. Try out the investor pitch deck theme for your next pitch deck.

Pitch Deck FAQ

Q1. what is in a pitch deck.

A pitch deck is a brief presentation that provides an overview of your company, business plan and vision.

It typically includes critical information such as your business concept, the problem your company solves, your target market, competitive advantages, team members, and financial projections.

The best startup pitch decks are not only engaging but share compelling stories about the business venture that pique investors' interest in your business.

Q2. What Is the Purpose of a Pitch Deck?

The primary purpose of a pitch deck is to capture the interest of potential investors or clients by presenting a business idea in a compelling and persuasive manner. It serves as a tool to facilitate discussion and encourage further engagement. A winning pitch deck should clearly convey your business's value proposition and illustrate why it's worth investing in.

Q3. What Are the Types of Pitch Decks?

There are several types of pitch decks, each serving a unique purpose and audience. Here are four notable types:

• Startup Pitch Deck: This type of pitch deck showcases your startup's vision, mission, and potential to investors and partners.
• Investor Pitch Deck : This deck focuses on the investment opportunity, detailing the financial potential and how the funds will be used.
• Elevator Pitch Deck: A brief pitch highlighting the most compelling points of a business or idea, designed to catch interest quickly.
• Sales Pitch Deck: Used for presenting a product or service to potential clients or customers, emphasizing benefits and competitive advantages.

Q4. What Are the Key Elements of a Pitch Deck?

The structure of a pitch deck can vary, but some essential slides include:

• Problem: Clearly define the problem you're solving.
• Solution: Explain how your product or service addresses the problem.
• Market: Describe your target audience and the size of the market opportunity.
• Team: Introduce the key people behind your business and highlight their expertise.
• Traction: Share any early successes or milestones you've achieved.
• Financials: Provide a brief overview of your revenue model and financial projections.

Q5. How Long Is a Pitch Deck?

The ideal length of a pitch deck is 10 to 20 slides. Investors and clients appreciate brevity and clarity.

However, striking the right balance is key to delivering a good pitch. So you need to keep it concise while including all necessary information. Writing a pitch deck that's too long can lose your audience's attention, while one that's too short may omit essential information about your business.

Get Started With Your Own Pitch Deck

If you want to create an amazing pitch deck that highlights your business idea and appeals to the right investors, Visme's pitch deck templates can help you get started on the right foot.

Our investor pitch deck templates are designed by professionals and contain realistic information to help guide your own pitch deck content creation process.

You can download your finished pitch deck in various formats, like PPTX, PDF and even HTML5. You can also share your presentation online via a link or embed it within your website.

Remember; the key is to stay true to your message, stay true to your brand, be honest and show results. Here's another great resource to help you learn how to create a pitch deck for your startup.

Did you find these pitch deck examples helpful? Which one is your favorite? We’d love to know what you think! Let us know your comments and feedback below.

Create beautiful pitch decks in minutes with Visme.

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About the Author

Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com

Christine vs. Work: How to Make a Presentation Deck That Doesn’t Stink

by Christine Liu

When you land your first job, you’re eventually going to be asked to give a slide deck presentation — whether it’s to propose a new idea, summarize your accomplishments, or report out metrics on a project. But how do you deliver a slideshow that really blows people away? If you’re not a graphic designer or a superstar at presentation software (you know, Powerpoint and the like), what’s the best way to approach building a deck? And how do you succeed at putting on a good show?

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APPROACHABLE DESIGN

How to create slide decks that don't put people to sleep

Great slide deck presentations are just great stories. Learn how to avoid over-designing your deck and stuffing it with useless information.

By Nate Kadlac

Slide deck presentations are broken.

I once sat through a presentation by a CEO who had prepared two 50+ page slide decks for an important all-hands meeting.

Just the act of building two decks ensured the message would be messy. And using 50+ pages to tell a company story left everyone in the room exhausted (and confused).

Why are building slide decks so tricky? Most people think each slide needs to describe every thought in their head, even if they know better. And I bet you have read all of the articles about preparing slide decks and know this. Yet, you’re still wondering how to communicate the inspiring quote, the graph with all of this detailed data, and the story of how big your company will be if you just owned 1% of the trillion-dollar TAM.

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be this way. You can build beautiful, simple, and effective slide decks that will engage your audience and help you make your point.

And in this article, I will show you how to avoid retrofitting your content into giant presentation templates like this. (This gives me nightmares)

First, avoid opening up your slide deck app

If building a slide deck was the length of a 10k race, opening up the slide deck software would put you at the 8k mark without all of the preparation. You just skipped all of the most important work, which all happens outside of Powerpoint. (I use Figma!)

It can feel compelling to open up Powerpoint, Google Slides, Keynote, or any other fun piece of software. (I lied, Powerpoint is not fun.) But this forces you to think about the design of your slides and everything else that doesn't matter at this point.

So here's what to do first: Open up your favorite writing app and start thinking about the story you want to tell, not how your slides should look. (We'll get to that in a moment.)

Now, we'll look at ways to think about building your slide decks.

Seven tips for structuring your content for an effective slide deck presentation

Even if you're running a company and your employees are being paid to listen to your presentation, they won't. It's you against the audience, and they don't owe you anything.

Now that many presentations are given virtually, it's more important than ever to make sure every slide needs to be there. It's too easy for someone to shut their camera off and tune out.

Tip #1: Build your slide deck like a book

For a moment, think about holding a book in your hands. Just holding it in your hands, it reveals several characteristics that tell us a bit about it.

The cover creates intrigue and hints at the story before opening it.

The size of the book tells us how much time it might take us to read it.

The inner flap humanizes it by telling us about the author and showing a portrait of them

The table of contents gives us an idea of the themes discussed in the book, or the adventure it's about to take us on.

Each chapter is a milestone, asking us to pause before we continue on

Each chapter has subheaders breaking up the ideas and stories within the book.

The back of the book gives us a summary of the content and more info about who worked on it, and testimonials of the content inside.

Books are great examples of setting expectations before we even flip to the first page. Our presentations—no matter how big or small—should help our audience similarly.

We want people to know where they are, and how much time they have left. These unanswered thoughts are running through the minds of your audience, and creating a basic structure like this puts them at ease.

Your slide deck presentation should include:

Cover slide with a clear title (or hook!) of the story

Table of contents

Chapter pages highlighting where you are in the deck

Slides with a single takeaway (and supporting evidence)

An end slide with how to contact you and follow-up

Tip #2: Every presentation deck should tell a story

Most people immediately start putting too much information into slides. It's easy to make the mistake that your slide decks need a lot of information.

Instead, the story arc of a slide deck presentation should mimic a movie. You'll have a beginning, middle, and end. Each deck should communicate one large idea, and within that, you're sharing supporting ideas, each on its own slide.

How you organize your slides is up to you to create the narrative you want. If you're designing startup pitch deck templates for your business, your story will take up a large percentage of the presentation.

“Storytelling is an art combined with science. The artistic part is to understand that a story’s goal is to persuade an investor who most likely starts with the fear of losing their money, and to transition that through your story to a fear of missing out.”— Keith Teare, Accelerated Digital Ventures’ US Managing Partner

Even when trying to persuade investors, if you present a deck with too much information, it will complicate the overall story you're telling.

As Keith lays out for executing a great pitch deck to investors, the key is to answer the following questions:

What is your end game?

Why is it worth the effort?

How will you make it happen?

Tip #3: Present one takeaway per slide

It's better to have five slides, each with one main point, versus one slide with five points. One way to focus on this strategy is to title the slide with the ultimate takeaway.

This helps the overall flow of your slide deck and enables you to think only about what the audience needs to hear.

A trick is to view the slide deck presentation in outline view and read through the titles. It should have an overall flow that your audience can understand, as well as be incredibly informative.

If there's one piece of text your audience will read, it's going to be the title. Make sure it summarizes the insight.

Tip #4: Communicate your ideas using the Pyramid Principle

Your audience is busy. If you're presenting to the C-suite, you might not get through all your slides. The Pyramid Principle was created by Barbara Minto at McKinsey as a method for logically structuring your arguments.

Start with the answer first

Group and summarize your supporting arguments

Order your supporting ideas in a logical way

Starting with the answer first and then sharing your supporting ideas seems counterintuitive for many people. But it skips the preamble and delivers the message clearly while giving you time to explore the supporting ideas if there's time.

Tip #5: Avoid too many bullets (stick with 2-3 per slide)

Forgetting what to say is a common fear of giving a presentation. One bad presentation will leave you stuffing your slides with every thought you have, to avoid forgetting everything.

This is how slides with too many bullets create a false sense of safety.

When you're presenting every single thought you have, the audience has to choose one. Should they listen to you or read the words on your slide? When you're reading aloud, it will create a conflict between your voice and their internal dialogue.

This division makes for a poorly formatted presentation, making the audience choose one or the other.

Tip #6: Aim for 10 slides or less 

We should all have reasonable goals when creating a slide deck. Giving ourselves a goal to have less than 10 slides might feel impossible, but most slide deck templates tempt you to create more than necessary. 

10 slides is a good number to aim for because it forces us to focus on the most important takeaways. Remember, our slide deck creation does not need every thought we have, so start by creating your deck template with just 10 headlines or less, and see if you can still communicate what you need. 

Most of the time we spend on our presentation template is due to the number of slides we have. Also, the more slides, the longer it takes to deliver. 

Having just 10 slides means we can usually keep the presentation under 20 minutes. 

Tip #7: End with a free call-to-action reward

Aside from the main theme you want to articulate in your presentation, what action do you want them to take?

One of the biggest missed opportunities is to leave the audience without something to do at the end. Maybe it's a URL to fill out a form, or simply a way to contact you. Whatever you do, make sure you use this as the reward for listening to you speak

While asking for their information is the default use case, you can take this further and create something for your audience. If you're giving a talk about being more productive in the workplace, create a list of free ideas for them to do just that, and give them a way to download it after the presentation.

Showing up for your audience shows that you care, and it's a way to connect with those afterward.

How to design your presentation slide deck without relying on free templates

I once redesigned a website for a client, and they had never thought about creating one from scratch before. "I just thought you picked a template and filled it in."

This is what most people do with their own slide decks, which leads to an inconsistent experience and stuffing their slide decks with too much info.

My general advice is not to rely on free slide deck templates. Most are over designed, gaudy, and dated. You're also overthinking the layout , and how to retrofit your content into the templates.

This is difficult, and a waste of time.

Instead, start with one idea per slide, then we'll make simple, timeless design decisions to prevent you from redesigning your templates from scratch in the future.

Creating a simple presentation deck template using 2-3 colors, 1-2 fonts, and a basic content structure is all you need to design a slide deck that stands out.

Don't over-design your slide deck presentation

It doesn't matter what kind of slide deck presentation you're giving, you don't need to over-design your slides. This applies to all types of deck formats. A pitch deck template, a strategy deck, an informational deck... these all should be using timeless design principles.

Stick to the basics. Where do you start?

Start with a blank template

While this might seem like I’m adding more work, in the end, this reduces the amount of design decisions most slide deck apps force on you. 

Add your titles to each slide

In most apps like Powerpoint or Keynote, you can change the view to “Outline” which will let you see the title of the slide. This is another way to avoid thinking about design for as long as possible, and start putting your content into the slides. 

Even if your presentation doesn’t look great yet, don’t worry! We’ll get there, and we won’t even worry about gradients, drop shadows, video, text effects or animations to build a good looking slide deck. 

Colors: Use three colors + light and dark versions for the body text

Three colors are all you need when designing a presentation deck. If you have a brand deck, please use those colors and don't deviate from them. Building reputable brands means using the same consistent choices over and over.

Applying brand decisions should be boring.

Here's the simple formula:

One primary color (pick this first)

One neutral color (pick this second)

One accent color (pick this third)

Optional: A custom black for text and a custom white for reversed white text

I always use this combination of

Primary color

Your primary color is your main brand color. You can use this for your dark backgrounds or any other primary instances. 

This will be the color you use in 80% of cases. When in doubt, use this color for your design decisions. 

I usually bookend my slide decks with this color, using it for the cover slide and end slide. I might also use it for the Table of Contents, and then use a lighter background for the interior pages, just like a book. 

This adds a bit of personality and the sterile look and feel most slide decks have. 

Neutral color

Neutral colors are great for lowering the amount of contrast in a slide. I like to use my neutral color instead of a pure white background, which often gives the presentation a sophisticated feel.

Feel free to experiment, but neutral colors are almost white. In the example above, I'm using the hex value #F9F5F3.

Accent color

An accent color is useful when you need to call out or highlight an important word or section. If you're trying to highlight one of the most important takeaways, try using this as the slide’s background.

The purpose is not to overuse this color, but to use it strategically when necessary.

Avoid using true black and white for body text

Most templates will use pure black and white for body text. But these colors are high-contrast, and demand unnecessary attention. Pure black and white don't exist in the world because of the way light reflects off surfaces. Even shadows aren’t pure black because they absorb the color of the surface. (Unless maybe you're in a pitch-black float tank?)

Instead of just going with the defaults, I’ll pull in the ends of each just slightly, so to soften the intensity overall.

Imagine a spectrum of white and black on opposite ends. I choose colors that sit at around 95% of each end. It's hard to notice without comparing them, but that's the point. It creates a more soothing experience, even if no one can tell you're not using pure black and white.

Fonts: Choose a maximum of one or two fonts

First, if your company or brand already uses specific fonts, use those and forget this section! Consistency matters, and you'll only make it more difficult when everyone is choosing a font that matches their attitude that particular day.

You only need one typeface, as long as it has multiple weights. A typeface with multiple weights means it has bold, regular, semi-bold, black , and so on. Those give you a much more flexible family to work with than typefaces with just one.

If you need to use two fonts, you'll want to pick fonts with contrast. This creates visual intrigue, and it’s easy to accomplish using a serif or sans-serif combination. Like, Helvetica and Georgia. 

Avoid picking two fonts that look too similar, like Helvetica and Arial. These two in particular look similar, but they’re slightly different. This makes the overall design look confusing or off .

Use images that have a clear meaning

If you're in a pinch for a photo, try to resist the temptation to find a generic or cheesy stock photo. They make your slide deck look unprofessional and dated. It's better to use no photo than one that adds skepticism to your presentation deck.

If you do use images, make sure they support your story. They should also touch the edges of your slide deck, without any white padding. This will help give your slide deck a more polished feel and help the placed images avoid looking like clip art. 

Illustrations can be useful

I won’t lie and say illustrations can’t be powerful and creative. I’ve used them in my decks. But they aren’t necessary to communicate a good story. The problem with stock illustrations is that they usually look off-brand, or confuse the message more than anything. I try to avoid them at all costs unless you have the budget to hire an illustrator to build them specific to your business. ‍

Charts and graphs

Charts or graphs can be extremely useful to tailor a story with data. Most of the time you’ll end up using screenshots or displaying other existing work, but if possible, try to create these yourself using your brand colors and aesthetic. 

I use Figma to create all of my charts, but there are plenty of great creative tools like Canva, Keynote, and Figma. (If you want to learn more about using Figma, you can learn more here .)

Use simple grid layouts in your slide deck

Laying out content can always cause a bit of a struggle. It’s best to keep things simple for your content. 

Use a simple grid structure

Imagine your slide deck divided between 1-4 equally spaced columns. This gives you a basic grid when planning how to lay out content in your slide deck. 

Don't add a logo or copyright information on every page

Many slide deck templates will have a spot for brand logos, page numbers, and other elements to make your slide deck feel more professional.

If you need to add copyrights, page numbers, or disclaimers, reserve that for a printed copy of the slide deck. Or go ahead and make a duplicate deck for sharing purposes, because that won't help you during a live presentation, and gives the audience more to look at during your presentation.

Presentation takeaways

During that long presentation with two prepared slide decks and over 100+ slides, we all left that conference room confused and unsure of what we should do next.

So in your next slide deck presentation, remember to do these things:

Start by writing a list of insights to talk about, in a story format. (These will be your slide deck titles)

Add any supporting details under each point.

Use the Pyramid Principle to make better arguments

Aim for 10 slides of less, and one insight per slide

Add your cover slide and a closing slide with a CTA

Open your slide deck software and pick 1-2 fonts (Don’t use a deck template)

Choose 3 colors (Primary, neutral, and accent)

Layout your slides using 1-4 columns

Use accent or primary colors for your most important slides

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How to do a Pitch Deck Presentation (plus free templates!)

If you are in any kind of business or enterprise, you’re probably looking for every chance to make your company grow. Sadly, such opportunities don’t usually just fall from the sky. You need to convince your potential investors, clients, or partners to get the resources you need. And how do you convince them? With a Pitch Deck Presentation .

Here you can find a step by step guide on what your Pitch Deck should include. But since it is not always easy to do everything from scratch, here you can also find amazing templates, completely free. Their amazing visuals and diagrams will assure that you don’t only get your point across, but that you also stay on the mind of your audience after the presentation has already ended.

What is a Pitch Deck Presentation?

To get the funding you need for your company, you should look for investors. Now, there are thousands and thousands of businesses looking for wealthy investors. The way to stand out among all those other competitors is making them aware of your business potential. And how do you do this? Through a Pitch Deck.

A Pitch Deck is a brief presentation that you give to potential investors to convince them to bet their money in your company. It can be used face-to-face, or online. You can make a Pitch Deck presentation for a customer, or a client, or even a partner. The objective is to showcase your business plan, your product, and your over-all growth projections. In other words, you have to sell to your audience not only what your product is, but also what it could be .

You should plan carefully your Pitch Deck presentation. For a truly great presentation you’ll need a good understanding of both your own business and your potential investors. Consider the things that could be interesting for them. Maybe it is something that shows your business’ stability. Maybe it is the business model you’re going to implement. Or the expected ROI. But also consider the things about your company that are astounding and that differentiate it from the competition.

What to include in a Pitch Deck Presentation

There is some debate on how long a Pitch Deck presentation should be. Some say 10 slides should be more than enough to give a brief look over your business. Some say it should be 12. Others say 20 slides should be the absolute limit. So, which one is it?

One thing is for certain, it should not feel long. After all, you can have 40 slides and go through them faster than a 7-slide presentation filled with text. But, most likely, if anyone sees a 40-slide presentation their reaction will be of complete dread.  Boring your public even before you start is the worst idea, so try to keep it short and sweet as much as possible.

I suggest a 12-sections for an ideal Pitch Deck. This will allow you to give a complete overview of your business without being overwhelming. Ideally, each of these sections should have each one slide. However, this is not a rule written in stone. Maybe it is worth to expand a little more on a specific topic. The golden rule is to keep one idea per slide , even if that means making more slides. This way it will clearer for your audience, and it will be easier to keep their attention right where you want it.

On the opposite side, you don’t need to make a slide for every single one of these sections. Maybe some of these won’t apply to your business. Consider these sections more as a guideline of what you can use to show your company’s potential. Take, for example, the famous early Facebook Pitch Deck .

Early Facebook Pitch Deck from Ilya Friedman, CFA

As you can see, this Pitch Deck has no “Problem” or “Solution” sections. This is because Facebook wasn’t tackling any existing problems, but creating a new necessity. Focusing on a non-existing problem would have been useless to justify its importance. Instead, what they do is focus on what it does have: market validation. They expend several slides going through media data that shows how incredibly popular they are and their users’ demographics.

1- Introduction

Your introduction should be able to catch your audience’s attention from the get-go. Look at the Facebook Pitch Deck. Their introduction is just a quote. But it is a quote that presents them as a revolutionary idea that is changing the way people interact. This is what you should look for an introduction. A short way to present your business in a forward way, while also leaving your public wanting more. Storytelling can be a great tool for this.

Not every Pitch Deck includes a Team slide, but it can be extremely useful. Presenting the people making the decisions and showcasing their previous achievements can make investors more at ease. If you have members in your team that add a plus on how execution will be managed in your business, it can certainly be a good idea to dedicate a slide to it. Of course, it is up to you to decide if it’s useful or not. You can even change where exactly the slide should go, depending on which topic you feel it connects better.

This is a vital slide in (almost) any Pitch Deck Presentation. As Forbes mentions, it is more likely for an investor to bet on you if he can relate to the problem you are putting on the table. Or, in any case, if you can explain it well enough so he can understand its importance. The more inescapable a problem is, the more likely a solution for it will have a big demand.

4- Solution

This slide needs to be as concise and clear as possible. It should answer directly to the problem. Try to avoid offering different solutions. Even if you have a multi-faceted project, simplifying the solution you’re offering will make you look more focused and more trustworthy. Afterward, in the product description or the business model, you can elaborate on what else makes your product or services so special, but here, try to keep it as straightforward as possible.

There is also the possibility to join the problem and the solution in just one slide. You can see that in some of the templates below. This can be useful to show the direct relationship between the two of them. You can always do that, just remember that the priority is to be as clear as possible.

5- Product/Service

Here you can show your product in action. Show how it implements your solution and its effectiveness. The Facebook Pitch Deck is a great example of that. Even if there is no solution in this presentation, it makes an awesome job of portraying its product uniqueness. From its users’ profile to the networking value it offers, it gives the public a short but complete overview of what the product is about.

6- Traction and Market

This slide should also be straight to the point and data-based. There is nothing speaks better of growth and traction than a data-based graph. Slides such as this one are great to show everything you need with very few words. This is the moment to show your business is already successful, and that, with enough resources, it can become even bigger.

You should have done a good in-depth research on your target market before your Pitch Deck presentation.  Your market can determine your potential exit with investors. The market’s size, its willingness to expend their money can be a key factor when deciding where to invest. Showing statistics and customer feedback can be very useful to show how successful your product already is. Just check out the Facebook Pitch Deck. Many of its slides are focused on showing their popularity and reach. This is, after all, what attracts investors.

7- Business Model

This slide is not a requirement, but if done well, it can be a huge plus in your presentation. Show your audience how you are planning to make money. Proving that you have a concrete idea of how your whole business will operate will give you a great image in front of investors and clients. For this, slides with graphs such as funnels can be a great option to display how you plan your business to work.

8- Financial Forecasting

This section is where you show your projections to where you see your business going in the future. For example, you can present the expected growth in 3 or 5 years. Sometimes this section can be directly related to the investment section and how would you invest the money to make your company grow.  As always, this depends on your own presentation and the order you want to give it. Just remember that having a realistic, transparent approach to what to expect in the future can really make a difference for your audience.

9- Competition

Even if your idea is great, it is highly unlikely that you are the very first person who came up with something like that. In most cases, you’ll have to deal with some competitors offering similar products or services to the same target market. It is important that you have a deep understanding of your business and its differential value. Only then you can really show investors what makes your business unique and why they should be on you instead of any of the others. Yo need to know where you are standing on compared to your competitors and diagrams are a great way to showcase that. SWOT analyses are also a great way to convey both yours and your competition’s strengths and weaknesses.

10- Desired Investment

Even if everything else is great, your Pitch Deck won’t be really successful until you actually get the fundraising you need. And to get it, you have to eventually ask for it. Presenting a plan of what you expect to do with it and how it will be used to grow the business will show your audience how grounded the management is.

11- Closure/Contact

Finally, you should invest some time in making a good closure for your presentation. In Facebook’s Pitch Deck, is another great quote, that makes the presentation end at a high note. You should certainly aim for that. But even if it’s not possible, you should at least have a slide dedicated to contact information. After hearing your presentation, your audience should be completely clear on how to invest and what would be the next steps. At the bare minimum, they should know how to contact you again. After all, the whole purpose of the Pitch Deck is to build relationships with potential investors.

The 4 Best Pitch Deck Templates Online

Here you can download for free some of our best Pitch Deck Templates. Some are long, up to 24 slides. Others are sample slides that you can add in even if you are already halfway through your presentation. As always, all of these are easy to edit, so you can pick which fits better with what you’re trying to convey.  These templates will give you that little extra that will take your presentation to the next step.

If you need any help editing these templates, you can always check our Ultimate PowerPoint Template Guide .

Start-up Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template

As its title says, this template is ideal for start-ups. You will find anything you’ll ever need for your Pitch presentation in this 19-slide pack. It has slides for showcasing your product, from the ideation process, to the prototype, all the way to the finance planning stages. This template has all kinds of diagrams that will help you make a consistent case to get your investors’ attention. It starts with an overview slide that will allow your audience to know exactly where they are standing on each part of the presentation. Or, you can also use the overview slide as a closing summary. As always, your imagination is the limit of what you can do with these templates.

This pack includes Venn diagrams to show innovation and start-up ecosystems, maps in case you’re aiming for a worldwide plan, pyramid visuals, and much more. It also includes a target audience slide that you can use to showcase your market analysis and several charts.

You can also find this template’s version for Google Slides here.

Copywriter Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template

This template is ideal for those looking to get their services as a copywriter in the spotlight. It will help you showcase your strengths and abilities as a professional, while also exposing the different types of services you offer. While this is a pack focused on copywriting it can also be edited and used for any kind of service you offer. Slides for topics such as your portfolio and your working process will be useful even if copywriting isn’t exactly what you do.

For those that do copywrite, the slide of the content writing cycle is amazing. It will allow you to show your audience in a really thorough way what is exactly what you do and how you do it. This will help your potential clients to understand your work better. But it is also a great way to showcase where you think your value is and what differentiates you from other professionals.

This template also includes slides ideal to show the Competition section of your Pitch Deck presentation. It has charts and graphs to showcase the differences between you and others. It also helps you connect pricing to the value of the services you offer.

For this one there is also a Google Slides version you can download here.

Playful Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template

This 10 slide Pitch Deck template will give you the tools to make a straight-to-the-point presentation, but without losing your playful side. It has great tools that will make you able to show every part of your business and get your point across. This presentation template is data-based, so you’ll find graphs and diagrams that could be useful to convince potential investors.

This slide, for example, is great for showing your business growth. Investors are more likely to bet on a business with good and stable growth. This slide could help you not only show off your financial milestones, but also your growth expectations and financial forecasting.

The playful visuals of this pack will certainly stay in your audience’s minds for a while. Take this puzzle slide, for example. It is great to connect the problems you have identified with the solution your business brings forward. It will make a memorable way to represent your solution and make sure it stands out from others.

We also have a Google Slides Template for this design.

Ultimate Product Hunt Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template

This megapack of 24 slides has a little bit of everything. Circle graphs? You got it. Process diagram? You got it. Bar graphs? That too. You can pick from the amazing assortment of types of slides on this pack, and use those that will showcase your business better. With this template, it is up to you to show the best and to cause a great impression on your audience.

With slides such as this, you will be able to convey what you think will give a better idea of what your business really is about. For example, this great SWOT analysis template. By showing you know you are aware of both your strengths and weaknesses, you’ll show potential investors or clients that aware of your surroundings and your own shortcomings.

This Pitch Deck pack comes with over a dozen slides of different graphs, diagrams, and visual aids. It has maps if you want to show your worldwide reach, it has different types of pyramid graphs, process diagrams, and more. It really has everything you could need for an outstanding Pitch Deck presentation.

Independent slides

These templates, while they are not enough on their own to make a complete presentation, they can be a great complement for others. All of these bring different things to the table you can take advantage of and make a better-rounded Pitch Deck.

Pitch Deck Presentation Templates

This template pack has 3 incredible slides that would fit perfectly into any Pitch Deck. First, its vision and mission slide will allow you to give your audience a more in-depth look at what your business is really about. It also has a great geometrical process diagram. And finally, it has a roadmap slide, that will allow you to showcase the steps to be taken to achieve a specific goal. All these slides have beautiful bright colors that will assure that your audience’s attention remains exactly where you want it: In your presentation.

Investor Relations Presentation Template

Even if this pack is not directly a Pitch Deck template, its slides can be extremely useful as part of one. Its slides are great to convey what kind of investment would you be interested in, and what they would get from the partnership. It has an Investing Strategy Slide that is useful for the “Desired Investment” section of your Pitch Deck. If your audiences are aware of what their resources could be used for and the impact they could have, they will be more likely to consider making an investment.

This template also includes a Company Strategy slide, which is great to show the overall workings inside your enterprise. This template is great for showing your business model and introducing your audience to your goals and objectives.

Pitch Deck 3

This is another 3-slide pack with great visual aids that would fit amazingly into any Pitch Deck. It has an introduction slide that could be used to present your company or your product. But it also has a really eye-catching business model slide. This one is a vital part of your Pitch Deck since it will allow your audience to understand how your business works and make them feel more confident in investing. It also includes a Problem-Solution slide. This will allow you to present the relationship between the two points, rather than presenting each by their own side.

Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template

Here you can find some more amazing independent slides, ready to be used in a Pitch Deck. You can use the Start-up Project Timeline to show the steps required to complete a specific task or goal. The introduction slide is great to give a general overview of your business or your product. It includes several icons, so you can showcase different aspects of your company. Finally, this template pack also has a Market Slide. A slide like this one is vital in any Pitch Deck, since being able to prove your knowledge of your market is a big step for being trusted by investors.

Creative Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template

Finally, you can use this creative Pitch Deck Slides pack to complement any presentation you want, whether it’s one of the above or one completely of your own. It has a market segmentation slide, great to introduce your segment to your traction/market section. There are many different aspects that can be part of your differential value. One thing that can distinguish yourself from other competitors can be the way you present yourself to your potential customers. That is why a slide for your Marketing Strategy can be so important.

Making Your Own Pitch Deck

So, which one should you use? Sadly, there is no easy answer to this question. How long your presentation should be, and what slides you should use for your Pitch Deck depends entirely on you. It depends on what you believe are your strengths, what do you think your differential value is, and so on. It depends on what numbers you have that could be eye-catching for potential investors.

Good thing is, there is no wrong answer either. Think carefully about what you want your audience to get out of it, and what specific information will convey this idea the best. Do you think one of the best things your business has is its stability? Then showing a graph of steady growth might be a good idea. Or maybe the best aspect is that there is a huge market to tap on. Then making an extra effort in the market slide is a must. Really, really knowing your business is the only way to make a truly great Pitch Deck presentation.

And, as always, remember that the slides are just a tool. There is a limit on how much a good presentation design can do when the speaker is not at their best. The delivery is a vital part of every presentation, and even more in this kind of presentations. A Pitch Deck should be highly persuasive. Whether it is to an investor, a client, or a partner, the challenge is to convince them of the potential of your business. To make them see not only what the company is but what it can become (with their help). This is why the speaker should be someone who believes in the product and is passionate about it.

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Presentation Deck Meaning: What is a PPT deck?

The easiest way to understand the presentation deck meaning is that it is a set of slides put together in the form of a presentation, usually for business purposes but also often used in other areas like academic environments or public speaking events. The term “deck” derives from the old analog technology by which a physical set of semitransparent slides (the deck) was placed inside a projector that shone light throw them. That is the root of the slide deck meaning.

These old projectors were later replaced by presentation software and digital projectors, but the term stuck. Microsoft PowerPoint has been one of the most widely known presentation deck tools since its release in 1987. Since then, a deck presentation has almost been a synonym for a PowerPoint deck.

A PPT deck quickly became the industry standard to present information due to Microsoft’s mainstream commercial success in the following decades. Apple products were still considered to target a niche in the market then, and their slide deck software, Keynote, would never harness the massive popularity of PowerPoint decks.

A Power Point deck is one of the most effective ways to navigate different topics, from all-hands meetings to investor presentations. The human brain struggles to remember a lengthy or complicated topic when you are presenting. In equal measure, your audience needs smaller bites of information they can process more easily and effectively.

A slide deck is also one of the most popular ways to introduce a business in a fundraising process in what’s commonly known as a pitch deck, or investor deck. These 15-20 slide decks help tell the story of startups and small businesses, what their value proposition is, and what their companies expect to achieve by raising money.

You can check out our pitch deck templates gallery here.

Regardless of the topic for which it is used, a deck presentation should follow storytelling best practices:

• It should tell a story in a way that makes it easy for the audience to understand and follow
• A good presentation deck typically builds momentum toward the last third of the slides, usually called the climax of your presentation
• Slides on your deck should not tell everything you wish to communicate. The focus should always be on you and the valuable information outside the presentation you possess
• The best decks are the ones that help guide the speaker but don’t get in the way of their message. One could argue that the slides are mainly for the sake of the presenter
• When it comes to slide deck presentations, less is definitely more. The more visual and concise the slides are, the better

Hopefully, this short guide will help you understand the deck presentation meaning and will work as a starting point to build your next presentation.

Upgrade your presentation with expertly designed slides. Our consulting and design services offer visually stunning and functional solutions that can take your deck to the next level.

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10 Corporate Deck Examples & Templates (That Stand Out)

Get tips for creating an impressive corporate pitch deck, see high-performing corporate slide deck examples, and grab a battle-tested corporate deck template.

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Short answer

What does a corporate deck include.

A typical corporate deck includes the following elements:

• Introduction (UVP + hook)
• Problem (your market segment has)
• Solution (you have that no one can copy)
• Market size and opportunity
• Business and revenue model
• Traction and validation
• Marketing/growth strategy
• Team (authority & experience)
• Investment and use of funds

Without an outstanding deck, you won't get funded.

The highly competitive business landscape makes it challenging to impress investors with your pitch. Countless hours spent crafting the perfect pitch may not be enough.

If you don't have a well-crafted corporate deck, you risk losing investors and missing out on the funding your business needs to succeed.

Read on to learn the key components of a winning corporate deck and get insights from templated corporate deck examples that have successfully secured funding for other companies. Let’s go!

What is a corporate deck?

A corporate deck, or corporate pitch deck, is a presentation designed to convey the essential aspects of a business to potential investors, partners, or stakeholders. A corporate deck includes slides that outline the company's business model, products or services, target market, competition, team, financials, and growth strategy.

Corporate pitch deck vs. startup pitch deck

The difference between a corporate deck and a startup deck is subtle. While a corporate deck is pitched to corporate incubators or departments for projects under the corporate umbrella, a startup pitch deck is pitched to investors as an independent business with the promise of a successful exit.

What is the goal of a corporate deck?

The goal of a corporate deck is to secure their investment, partnership, or stakeholder buy-in. To achieve this objective, corporate pitch decks should be heavily focused on showing the impact of the product, service or initiative on market-share, growth, and revenue.

If you're looking for other types of business presentations, check out our dedicated guides:

• Make a Sales Pitch Deck That Turns ‘Maybe’ to ‘Yes!’
• Create a Sales One-Pager (Examples, Writing Tips, Templates)
• Make a Winning Business Proposal Presentation in 12 Steps
• How to Create a Marketing Deck (Strategy, Tips & Templates)

Why most corporate decks fail (and how to avoid it)

The hard truth is that 99% of corporate decks fail to impress investors. That's a staggering statistic, but it's not surprising given the common pitfalls that many companies fall into when creating their presentations.

Here are the reasons why corporate decks fail and how to avoid these mistakes:

1. They use static slides that kill engagement

Static slides are engagement killers - there’s no option to visualize your data, include an actionable CTA, or deliver a pleasant reader experience on a mobile device.

Reengage your audience by incorporating interactive elements into your deck. Things such as videos, animations, clickable charts, or interactive ROI calculators.

Interactive content allows investors to explore the data on their own at their preferred pace. And when you allow investors to interact with your presentation, you’re increasing the chances of them reading it in full by 41% .

2. They offer facts rather than tell a story

Corporate slide decks that rely too heavily on listing out facts and figures are dry and tiring.

Instead of spouting facts, structure your deck around a compelling narrative that captures investors' attention and makes them care about your mission and vision.

If you’re not sure how to get started, here’s a video on how to improve storytelling in a pitch deck:

3. They are generic and fail to personalize

Investors are swamped with corporate decks on a daily basis, and they can smell generic from a mile away.

If you truly want to stand out from the crowd, you need to do your research ahead of time to understand the specific needs of your target audience.

By understanding what matters most to them, you can create a presentation that speaks directly to their concerns and demonstrates how your company can deliver value. Personalization gets 68% more people to read your deck in full .

4. They fail to use behavior data to continually optimize

Make sure you’re making data-driven decks instead of flying blind. If you’re sending out PDFs or PowerPoints that collect zero data about how readers engage with your deck there’s no way you’ll ever achieve a top performing deck.

The good news is that Storydoc decks collect insight on how your audience interacts with your deck, down to the slide and even button level. Where they skip, where they linger and when they share it with other decision-makers. Imagine what you could do with this info!

Corporate deck examples that stand out

A beautiful corporate presentation deck is a basic requirement - it’s not gonna make you stand out.

To create a deck that drives real results you’ll wanna take a close look at our list of the top corporate deck examples.

These corporate deck samples were all created using Storydoc and have been optimized for high engagement.

And the best part? All the examples are templated, which means you can use any of them to create your best-performing corporate deck in minutes!

Jump ahead to each example:

Startup pitch deck

What makes this deck great:

• The cover slide video enhances interaction, increasing engagement by up to 32% . This boosts the chances of potential investors reading the deck in its entirety and taking the desired action at the end.
• The roadmap slide offers a clear and concise presentation of your start-up’s journey. Meanwhile, various data visualization elements are perfect for demonstrating financial projections, proving that your business is making progress.
• The calendar integration on the final slide simplifies the process for investors to schedule the next meeting immediately after going through your corporate deck.

Light mode invest pitch deck

• The minimalist design makes your deck easy to follow even for those unfamiliar with the industry.
• With image and video placeholders , showcasing your solution and how it solves problems is effortless, without relying on complicated terminology.
• The interactive slides showcase the team behind your solution, illustrating their capability to steer it towards success.

Light mode product pitch deck

• The powerful personalization features enable you to produce an infinite number of versions of your deck in just a few clicks, resulting in 68% more people reading it entirely .
• The AI assistant lets you create relevant visuals or copy for the corporate pitch deck in just a few clicks.
• The intuitive editor automatically extracts the essential visuals of your company, ensuring that your deck maintains its brand consistency.

Investor pitch deck

• The fresh, contemporary design is sure to capture the attention of potential investors, particularly in trend-led industries.
• The perfect balance of text-based slides and engaging visuals enables you to present your key metrics while providing necessary context.
• The scroll-based interactive design facilitates explaining your solution to potential investors and guides them through a compelling narrative.

Pitch deck essentials

• The compact design makes it easy to communicate essential information in fewer slides, saving the investors' time.
• Various interactive slides provide potential investors with all the critical insights at first glance. By clicking through tabs, they can discover more about your solution, enhancing their engagement.
• The smart CTAs allow you to incorporate a live chat widget or calendar, smoothly directing potential investors to the next step.

Product pitch deck

• The combination of visual slides is ideal for presenting the product's primary features and use cases without overloading investors with walls of text.
• Videos that can be embedded and played directly from the deck allow you to include case studies from past customers to legitimize your product.
• An easy, intuitive editor ensures complete control over your presentation. If you release a new product version or make a typo in the specs, you can quickly make the necessary tweaks at any time, even after sending your deck.
• Powerful interactive design that doesn't detract from the main message. By using our running numbers slides and data visualization elements, you can present key metrics or financial projections to potential investors in an eye-catching, easy-to-understand format.
• Several data visualization elements that can be customized to your specific use case. You can also add real-time variables to your charts.
• The dynamic content allows your audience to interact with the deck. For example, you can embed an interactive ROI calculator that they can fill out to determine if they're getting their money's worth.

General invest pitch deck

• The versatile components make it suitable for pre-seed, seed, or series A funding. It includes all the necessary corporate deck elements that you can use to create a master deck.
• The ability to add customizable fields that can be filled in within seconds, making it possible to personalize your corporate deck at scale.
• The intuitive, user-friendly editor ensures that anything you add automatically adjusts to the overall deck layout. This means you don't have to worry about breaking the design.

Creative pitch deck

• The attention-grabbing design , featuring vibrant colors and animated elements, can convert casual scrollers into engaged readers.
• The fully interactive layout of this corporate deck increases interaction and extends the average reading time.
• The combination of visual and data visualization slides enables you to showcase snippets of your portfolio while emphasizing the most crucial metrics.

Bonus: successful corporate deck example by a Storydoc client

Finally, we left the best for last - a real-life corporate deck example created for one of our clients operating in the medical cannabis industry. It has been designed according to the best practices for creating a powerful corporate deck and delivered outstanding results.

• The running numbers slides enable readers to quickly and easily access the most critical metrics.
• The roadmap slide provides a clear and concise visualization of the company's current growth and significant milestones.
• The narrator slide simplifies complex financial metrics by directing the reader's attention to the exact numbers they should be focusing on at any given time.

How to create a corporate deck that stands out?

Putting together a corporate deck that leaves an impression and gets buy-in takes a lot of time and effort (and know-how) to get right.

But the truth is this task does not have to be so daunting. You can dramatically cut down the time and effort involved by leveraging corporate deck templates .

We have some tried and tested corporate pitch deck templates for you that are optimized for engagement and designed for making a lasting impression.

Make your best deck ever.

How to measure the effectiveness of a corporate deck.

To create a highly performing deck in the top 1%, it’s critical to measure performance, identify problems, and fix them.

Key corporate deck performance metrics to measure and optimize:

• Open rate: Measure the percentage of investors who open your corporate deck to understand how effective your deck is at generating initial interest.
• Reading time: Measure the total amount of time viewers spend reading your deck to gauge their level of interest.
• Engagement: Track how long viewers stay on each slide, how often they interact with the deck, or where they drop off to determine which parts of your corporate deck are most captivating and identify areas for improvement.
• CTA conversion rate: Measure the percentage of investors who take the desired action, such as scheduling a meeting, after viewing your corporate deck.

Here's a short video explaining how to get started with our analytics panel:

What is the best tool for making a corporate deck?

The best tool for making a corporate deck is intuitive, has lots of ready-made templates, and provides an outcome that stands out.

There are 2 types of tools on the market, legacy tools and next-generation tools, but only the next-gen tools will help you stand out.

Legacy tools like PowerPoint and Google Slides, Canva, and Visme will make same-old decks. But our own next-gen corporate deck creator makes interactive content experiences that make an impression.

Grab a template and see for yourself -

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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10 tips to create a stellar, engaging presentation deck

Presentations and public speaking are not everybody’s cup of tea. But, an engaging deck can help ensure your presentation goes smoothly. It not only helps attract and keep the viewers’ attention, but can also aid you in better getting your message across. While a poorly designed and executed presentation can distract, a stellar presentation deck will help you achieve your goals. Read on for 10 tips to ensure your presentations are visually pleasing and engaging:

1. First and foremost, focus on the content

As important as it is to have a visually dynamic presentation deck, the key component to your presentation is interesting and engaging content that is relevant to your audience. Create an outline for your presentation and ensure the points you make are interesting, concise and key to the topic at hand.

2. Develop a look for the presentation and continue that look throughout the deck

Having visual consistency helps to unify the slides and keep the reader focused on the content and not distracted by a lack of visual harmony. Use the same colors and typography throughout to give a visual flow.

3. Select fonts and colors that will be easy to read and won’t be a distraction

It is imperative that the presentation deck is designed to read well and serve as a background to the content. If it is a corporate piece, make sure you follow brand guidelines for fonts and colors to connect with your company’s branding. If it is a standalone presentation, select fonts that are clean and simple, and consider an accent font to add personality. Also remember to use colors that are pleasing to the eye. The information on the slides is key and shouldn’t be overwhelmed by garish colors and illegible fonts. Also make sure the fonts are at a size that is easy to read from a distance.

4. Don’t overwhelm the slides with too much text

A presentation deck is meant to be a guide for the speaker, not a script to follow verbatim. The audience will be listening to what you say– forcing them to try to listen and read at the same time makes it harder for them to comprehend your message. Keep it simple; highlight the main points you are covering on each slide, and then speak to the slide in more detail. You can use the slide notes area to write comments for yourself to cover, but don’t give it all away on the slide. If you’re presenting complex information, you can always create a secondary document that carries the content and give that as a handout after the presentation.

5. Consider your topic transitions

Often a presentation will be broken down into numerous sub-topics. In order to help your audience digest the information more effectively, visual breaks in your presentation are a necessity. If you have a presentation where content is presented on a predominantly white slide, use a title slide of a different color or with a full image background to help the viewer pause and understand that you are moving into another topic.

6. Use high quality graphics and photography

Your audience will judge your presentation based on the visuals you choose. Inserting low quality clip art into your presentation is distracting and looks unprofessional. There are many stock photography sites available that give access to beautiful, high-quality photography and illustrations. Utilize these sites to select photos and graphics that fit in with the deck’s overall visual theme. This will create consistency in your slides and help viewers relate to the presentation topic.

7. Use clean and easy-to-understand charts and graphs for data

Charts and graphs are meant to make data easier to understand. Choose clean fonts and bold colors that match the rest of your deck (but also create contrast) to make the data easier to digest.

8. Avoid using too many special effects and animations

PowerPoint offers many types of animations that are meant to add “pizazz” to your deck – however, when overused, these animations end up being a distraction. When making the choice to incorporate one of these effects, ask yourself, “is this adding to my presentation or distracting from it?” You want the audience to listen to your presentation and reflect on the content, not be thrown off by the way the headline or image zooms in.

9. Limit the number of slides you use

Using too many slides and flipping through them too quickly can be overwhelming to the audience. Having the ideal number of slides and speed requires a good marriage between the content per slide and how that content is presented. Each slide should carry one to two talking points where the presenter can stop on the slide and elaborate on those points for the audience. Presenting one slide per minute is a good rule of thumb.

10. Practice, practice, practice

A visually stunning deck is a great way to hold your audience’s attention, however it won’t do much good if the person giving the presentation is unprepared. A successful presentation requires a combination of displaying the content effectively and presenting the content in an engaging way. Practice your presentation to ensure the timing is right and all the necessary points are covered – this will allow you to see where there are gaps in the visuals and establish a confident tone that will hold the audience’s interest.

Whether you love or hate public speaking, use these tips in your next presentation to retain attention and better emphasize your message. And, if you’re not sure where to start, The Agency at Sikich can help with the visuals and messaging to create an effective, engaging presentation deck.

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This publication contains general information only and Sikich is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or any other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should you use it as a basis for any decision, action or omission that may affect you or your business. Before making any decision, taking any action or omitting an action that may affect you or your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. In addition, this publication may contain certain content generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) language model. You acknowledge that Sikich shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by you or any person who relies on this publication.

About the Author

Daria Corbett

Daria is a senior art director with The Agency at Sikich. Her passion for design spreads across all platforms. From branding to digital, she approaches every project with the same level of enthusiasm and creativity. When not designing, she finds inspiration in road trip adventures and exploring nature’s beauty.

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22 Tips: Designing an Effective Slide Deck Presentation

Every once in awhile an opportunity arises for freelancers to present their work or expertise to peers and prospective clients. Agreeing to take part is at best a fantastic chance to network, a way to exchange ideas and insights or to pick up contacts that will give you work. At worst, it is a terrifying and overwhelming commitment.

Designing a slide deck is one of the first steps to prepare for a presentation and will help guide the organization of your talk. Engaging slides will not only help you better communicate your ideas to your audience, it will demonstrate your professionalism, and knowing you've got a good deck will reinforce your confidence as you get up to speak.

Guide to Making Great Presentations (Free eBook Download)

Also, be sure to grab our free eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It will help you master the presentation process, from: initial idea, through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.

Now let's get into these killer slide deck presentation design tips.

Setting up Your Slide Deck

1. Software : If you're unsure how to begin building your slides, Keynote (part of the iWork bundle) is widely considered the favorite presentation software of designers who are also seasoned presenters.  PowerPoint and plain old PDFs will also do the trick.

Learn how to start using PowerPoint in this tutorial:  

While software should be established upfront, it is arguably a secondary concern. The qualities that will make or break your presentation are the content and the design. Spend most of your time creating and displaying your content.

2. File format : Ask whoever is organizing your event how you should deliver your presentation.

• Will there be a computer and a projector for you to use?
• What file types are accepted?
• How big is the presentation room? This will give you an idea how large to set your text, though generally, bigger is always better.

A PDF is usually a safe bet and serves as a reliable backup to whatever format you go with. If you are running the slides yourself, go over the keyboard shortcuts and make sure you can navigate your way around the software so that your presentation will run uninterrupted.

3. Size : Generally, a 1024x768 size at 72 dpi is yet another safe bet. Most projectors do not have a resolution higher than this (those that do tend to be pricier). Images smaller than the projector's output will enlarge fuzzy and pixelated, so plan for the best case scenario, or highest size possible, keeping in mind that the larger the presentation size the larger (and heavier) your file size. The 1024x768 resolution strikes a good balance between displaying nicely and running smoothly.

4. Transitions : Go easy on the transitional animations. Simple and subtle transitions do the trick of getting from one slide to the next without distracting from your important content. Transitions on their own are not all that important to a slide deck, but implemented carefully, they can add that final, professional touch.

5. Templates : A presentation template design needs to be truly worth using. They can be poorly designed, commonly used (others will have the same deck as you), or are not versatile enough to create an interesting presentation. It is better to make your own unique template with a simple background or texture and consistent use of fonts. 

Ideally, the design will speak to your subject matter. If you're not experienced at designing your own slides though, here are some professional PowerPoint templates for inspiration or purchase.

6. Give yourself credit : Make sure your name and a way to contact you are clearly labeled within your deck, typically on the first or last slides, or both.

Preparing Your Content

7. Placement : Unless you are confident that your presentation will take place in a venue with stadium seating, be sure to place text and important information at the top of the slide. This way those in the back can still get the gist of your talk without trying to dodge the heads and hairdos of tall people standing in front of them.

8. Leave room for additional insights : Do not plan to reiterate what is already apparent on the slide. Words and images should be a trigger for what you are going to say, reinforcing your speech, not making your speech redundant.

9. One idea per slide : Text and visuals on the same slide should speak to the same idea. What you are saying while that slide is on display should also support that idea, even if you plan to go further into depth. 

Better yet, choose the deepest idea – the most detailed or the most complex – to display on your slide so that people will listen as you build up your narrative, helping them make sense of what they are seeing. This reinforces understanding. If you need or want to talk about a new idea, create another slide. If the idea is not worthy of a new slide then perhaps you could reconsider whether it is necessary to include it.

10. Avoid bullet points : When you are able, trade the list format for a more interesting photograph or illustration that demonstrates the same idea. If you cannot avoid them completely, limit yourself to three short bullets, which will be easier to digest than five or ten long ones.

11. Bigger is better : Use large text and large images. The larger the better because they will be easier for those in the back to see. This should go without saying, but too many presentations have images with photographs too small to see from a distance. Consider swapping small images with a strong headline or a larger illustration.

12. One image per slide : Just as there should be one idea per slide, there should also only be one image per slide. This keeps the message straightforward and focused, and it ensures you will take the advice above and use extra-large images.

13. Vary your visuals : Your deck shouldn't have 100% of one type of graphic. Ideally it will mix photographs, illustrations, and text to sustain your audience's interest. The same format over and over again is boring, which is another reason not to use a standard template.

14. Creative Commons : Images with Creative Commons licenses are uploaded for free use in things like presentations, but be sure you provide proper image credit. Some licenses allow manipulation of an image, others do not. Nearly all require attribution, so be sure to provide credits when you insert the image into your slide show. Find the images you need by searching via CreativeCommons.org .

15. Display less than 15 words per slide, preferably less than 10 : The faster someone can read what's on your slide, the quicker they will return to your face and concentrate on what you are saying. However uncomfortable this idea may make you, it is this engagement that you need in order to captivate your audience and deliver an effective presentation.

These statistics give you an idea of how fast your audience will be able to absorb your content (as well as how fast you will be able to share it). The average person:

• speaks about 150 words per minute;
• reads about 250 to 300 words per minute;
• writes about 20 words per minute while copying.

Remember, you want your audience to be paying attention to you while they are looking at the slides. Note: Your audience will read faster than you can speak. The duration of a slide should last no longer than a couple of minutes, which is no hard and fast rule, but the idea is that you should feel confident you are not boring your audience. It only takes a split second to lose someone's interest and can take quite a few more to regain it.

16. Ensure colors are high-contrast : Most projectors do not display perfectly accurate color. Also, the rooms that you present in are rarely pitch black, even when the lights are out and curtains are drawn. This unfortunate truism means there will be less contrast onscreen, and even though they look slick, darker colors (like red on black) become difficult to read. Instead use light-colored text on a dark background or vice versa.

17. Use legible type with a good weight : Just as you should opt for colors with high contrast, you also want people to be able to read your slides from a distance. Avoid thin and ultra-thin typefaces which have a tendency to disappear into their backgrounds. Also avoid difficult-to-read display fonts, unless of course the effect is intentional.

Delivering Your Presentation

18. Walk through your slides ahead of time : Attempt a dry-run of your presentation with your slides at least twice. This will help you figure out which slides might be irrelevant, whether the ordering is appropriate, as well as how to transition from one idea to the next. 

The more familiar you are with your slides and the narrative you intend to spin around them, the smoother your presentation will go. Check out the excellent tips in Learning to Love (or Survive) Speaking Events .

19. Write a script : If you are worried about losing your place while you are speaking, write a script to sit alongside your slides that will jog your memory (simply two or three bullet points per slide). You can always keep this list next to you and refer to it while you present.

20. Surprise your audience and yourself : Don't include anything in your slide deck that bores you, or it will surely bore your audience as well. Among the ways to keep your slides interesting:

• Be funny. Tell a joke or show a comical illustration.
• Talk about why you're passionate.
• Tell a personal story.

Your slides should reinforce these ideas. Try to imagine the possibilities with your deck. Look at other decks for inspiration. Be sure to attempt a creative approach toward your subject-matter, even if it means taking a risk. Doing so will make your presentation more memorable.

Once your presentation is over and done with (whew), try not to fully relax until you've followed through completely.

21. Share your slides : Host your slides in a public forum for people to see and download, which will allow you to continue reaping the benefits of your presentation well after the event is over. You've invested time and effort into designing an awesome deck, so this is the least you can do for yourself.

Slideshare is one appropriate network with a huge user platform of 45 million people. The free account provides an easy embed code, as well as viewing and download stats for your files (the pay-for account provides additional user analytics). 

Double check that your slides have uploaded properly, then make it widely known on your other networks (Twitter, Linked In, Facebook) that you have made these slides publicly available. 

If people like your deck they'll be more inclined to download your SlideShare , give their own presentations, and spread your message, and after all there is no better networking mechanism than one that does the work for you. Learn how to use SlideShare in this tutorial: 

22. Saying thanks : Others have generously expended time and energy to ensure you have a place to share your work and ideas. Gratefulness is an excellent networking technique (and generally a great life skill) that improves your community. Be sure to:

• Engage in dialogue with new contacts who reach out to you.
• Thank others who presented with you. Offer them feedback on their presentations and add them to your networks.
• Thank the organizers who invited you to present. With any luck, they'll invite you back in the future.

Do you have any additional tips for designing a great slide deck? We'd love to hear your ideas.

Extra Presentation Resources

If you're new to business presentations , we'd recommend a number of introductory tutorials to get you up to speed with the basics:

• Presentation Fundamentals Tutorial Series  - This 16 part learning guide will help you get started with making busines presentations.
• How to Make Great PowerPoint Presentations  - This tutorial is a quick start to working with PowerPoint.
• Ultimate Guide to Microsoft PowerPoint Templates - This guide provides a number of curated articles showcasing the best PowerPoint PPT templates, arranged by style, popularity, and quality.

Learn All About Making Great Presentations (Free eBook)

Download  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations  eBook now for FREE with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. Get your ideas formed into a powerful presentation that will move your audience!

Discover Additional Presentation Options 

Explore our all inclusive offer on Envato Elements. Sign up for Envato Elements and you get access to thousands of graphics and templates (with unlimited use), from creative website themes, professional video files, to the  best presentation templates , and more—all for  one low price .

Browse through more trending PowerPoint templates or pitch deck PPT designs here on Envato Tuts+.  

Editorial Note: A few times a month we revisit some of our reader’s favorite posts. This article was first published March 3rd, 2011, yet is just as relevant and full of useful information today. 

Photo credit:  Some rights reserved  by  Gettyicons.com .