10 Ways to Improve Your Pitch Deck

Start Sharing Your Story Today

Author

AJ Louis
May 30, 2024

WELCOME
It Starts Now!

If you're reading this, it's because you have a world-changing business idea and want to secure THE BAG. Given the intense competition, it's crucial to understand your audience and what attracts them. Whether you need investors, clients, or customers, the way you present your solution is important.

Initially, your idea is simply a mix of research, conversations, and innovative thoughts. You may not have a product or business yet, but you do have a story to tell. Authoring a pitch deck gives you the opportunity to organize your thoughts about your business concept. In doing so, you can you use your story to network your way into the promised land of booked, busy, and bountiful. Let’s cook!

Table of Contents

DID YOU KNOW?
97% of Novels Are Not Completed

According to a 2002 survey by the Jenkins Group, 81% of Americans thought they had an idea for a book. This means that around 233 million Americans aspired to write a book that year. However, only 15% actually began writing, 6% reached the midpoint, 3% completed a first draft, and just .06% achieved publication.

There haven't been any recent surveys on this subject. However, the growth of digital media creation and sharing suggests that Americans are sharing their stories more often and with greater ease. Ebooks and audiobooks have become more common than purchasing physical media.

A prevalent quote, not backed by any recent research I've found, asserts that 97% of writers who start writing their story fail to finish. It's astonishing how readily many writers accept this statistic without referencing credible sources. If this were accurate, it would imply that only 3% of the global population creates completed story-based content. Imagine if we could equip just an additional 1% of the population with the resources to complete their stories.

Take The Survey Below so we can get an actual credible stat!

Who Wants to Write a Story?

This survey will be to truly see how many people actually truly feel they have a story to share.

cua8f9ctqst.typeform.com/to/Z0fSFSNb

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STORYTELLING
10 Ways to Improve Your Pitch Deck

  1. Keep it Simple

    Keep your language simple stupid. Don’t try to impress your audience with fancy wording, make it an easy read.

  2. Cater Your Pitch to Your Audience

    Of course you have to appeal to investors, but investors are still people capable of empathy. Zero in on your customer, and show you understand what they are going through. Every pitch competition will have a different crowd, be sure who to know who you are pitching to.

  3. Apply Story Structure

    Use a plotting tool such as Dan Harmon’s Story Circle to map out your story. This newsletter is designed using Kishotenketsu. These plotting tools help you write a balanced piece. We will be getting more familiar with this subject matter as time goes on.

  4. Have a Clearly Defined User

    Make sure your solution has a specific user in mind because the way you design your app is completely dependent upon they way they would want to interact with it. Showing a user focus is a good sign that you are a focused founder.

  5. Less Words, More Graphics

    General rule for presentations is to show more graphics than words, and to reserve the words for presenter notes. Treat each slide like a scene in a movie, checking to see if each slide transitions to the next smoothly to formulate a story.

  6. Understand the Psychology of Buying Signals

    People buy emotionally, and activating positive and nostalgic feelings is a great way to get someone to buy what you are selling.

  7. Perform Your Pitch

    To stand out, study how to use gestures while speaking to be more compelling. Consider when to inflect your voice, and when to slow down to emphasize a point.

  8. Make Sure the Math is Mathin’

    Don’t just throw numbers around when it comes to your business. Make sure you research the market you are playing in well, and be intentional about the math you are doing to build your revenue models.

  9. Design With Focus

    Keep your focus on solving one issue for your user. You can add other features later. Consider the most important actions you want your customer/client/user to take with your service or good.

  10. Stronger Call to Action

    Show them an offer they cannot refuse. Beta access, free newsletter…I mean possibly a free Pitch Deck Story Beat Sheet for subscribing?

You know what? That’s sounds like a good idea. As a thank you for reading thus far, I have a Pitch Deck Story Beat Sheet Notion Template for you.

Click to get Pitch Deck Story Beats Notion Template

NEXT STEPS
Bring it to Life

A pitch deck is a crucial tool that helps in visualizing your story and business. Its development is a continuous process, requiring modifications based on your audience. The subsequent step is to construct the business that aligns with your vision. You should initiate this process with the following organizations:

  1. Apple Developer Academy

    Join the exclusive Apple Developer Academy in Detroit, the only one in the United States. This program teaches coding, design, and project management to bring your ideas to life. As a bonus, you'll receive a free MacBook and iPhone just for attending—a fantastic starter kit for any aspiring founder. And get this, I hear they pay you to attend. Click here to apply.

  2. Black Tech Saturdays

    Network with creative and inspirational individuals. Share your story and explore your path. Present your stories and pitch decks here for feedback. Click here for a free ticket to the next event.

  3. ProsperUS

    After fully developing your idea, come here to formalize your business. Create your business plan, receive mentorship, and incorporate your business. Ask for Marvin and mention that AJ sent you! Click here to apply.

  4. Operations School

    Once you've established your business, engage with Rachael Allen to learn how to automate operations and boost sales. Take control of your business, don't let it control you. Click here to apply.

OUTRO
My First Pitch

As promised, I'm reporting live from the set, taking risks as I do so. Throughout my business endeavors, I've noticed a recurring theme: helping people feel valued by doing what they love. This is why I'm so passionate about storytelling. It's a method for individuals to convey their worth in a comprehensible way. My lifelong dreams are to become a comic book author, screenplay writer, and narrative designer for games. For the past decade, I've been striving to harmonize these creative writing ambitions with my technology career.

Writing is critical to every career path and is often the genesis of creative ideas. Simple notes on napkins have transformed into real business deals. With this in mind, I have developed freeWriter, a gamified AI writing guide for you. It aims to help you overcome writer's block and generate the story that the world needs to hear from you.

I finally decided to apply to Techstars Tulsa and Detroit with freeWriter(c). This well-researched, simply designed tool aims to help you write and brainstorm freely. Currently, freeWriter is just a design and I'm uncertain about my acceptance. Regardless, this step was about putting myself out there. Whether or not I'm accepted, the feedback will be invaluable for freeWriter's development. As soon as I hear back from Techstars, I'll share their feedback with you. Thank you for reading. I've kept it short so you can get back to the BAG. Talk to you next week!

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