Pitching to VC funders has grown to become a recognizable sport in our cultural zeitgeist. It's an event that is publicly consumed through podcasts, Shark Tank, and many a YouTube video. Any investor pitch has the potential to be one click, tap, or swipe away. And with that instant access, it's easy to fall into the mindset of "I need a deck that looks like that Company's.", "I want my voice to sound like that Founder.” or "I need a story that's as convincing as that one." And once you’ve binge watched pitch presentations it’s tempting to Google "pitch deck template" to find sample slides, a script of talking points, and the rest of the ingredients needed to take the cookie cutter approach to your next round of funding. This is the easy way out. It’s a lackluster approach. And likely it will not lead to the results (dollars) that you are aiming for.
If you did a quick Google search for "pitch deck template", found this blog post, and clicked the link to read chances are you are looking for a way to stand out from the crowd. You’re in luck because I absolutely do not want you to blend in.
What if you approached your next pitch presentation with your mission, vision, values and personal narrative aligned?
What if you worried less about the visual aesthetics of your slide deck and focused more on a way to share your business (past, present, and future) with your audience?
What if you focused on your own brilliance (and the stories that showcase it) to build deeper connections and make lasting impressions with your audience?
As I emphasized in this blog post about perfecting your pitch in your Seed Round, having the financial projections, the customer data, and concrete assumptions about your market fit are vital for getting investors on board. However, if you want them to stay fully engaged while you are pitching and leave the presentation with a vivid snapshot of you and your business, focus on what story you are telling and how you are telling it.
View your investor pitch through the lens of the 5 Key Elements of Personal Narrative. These elements are at the center of the storytelling work we do here at Tell Me A Story and they translate across the many communication channels that go along with being an entrepreneur. Of all the mediums to convey a story, the investor pitch is one in most need of a shift away from “do it like this” presentations and a movement toward authentic storytelling at its core.
This isn't about telling a story that you think the investors want to hear. It's not about delivering a narrative in a by-the-book MadLibs style. It's about using your strengths as a public speaker, using the life experiences that have brought you to this very moment of business growth, and trusting that the audience will jump on board with everything that you have to offer.
Here's a look at the 5 Key Elements of Personal Narrative and how they work within the parameters (not a template!) of an investor pitch.
Your Core Story
Whether you begin your pitch with a story or use a narrative framework to support the entire presentation, think of your story’s ending as that pitch meeting. How did you get to where you are now? Instead of telling your whole life story, find a scene that illuminates the bigger journey. For example, I had a lightbulb moment about my business while telling a story onstage at a Victoria's Secret sales conference. Zooming in on this particular moment (and sharing it with a beginning, middle, and end) paints a bigger picture of where I was coming from and where I was headed.
Also, consider your Core Story as a way to answer the question "How did you get your superpowers?" What sets you apart from other Founders and Co-Founders? What sets you apart from your competitors? What are the strengths and unique talents that have guided you on your path of entrepreneurship?
Ownership
The team running your accelerator program, your mastermind group, and your friends and family members all have a story that they are telling about you and your business. And chances are those stories are not the ones that best support you in the present moment. It's easy to default to the story that someone is telling on our behalf because it's safe, or it's a watered-down explanation of something much more complicated and meaningful.
Take the reigns of your story.
Tell your story from your perspective. Make sure to include all of the details that will bring your journey to life. Take ownership of missteps, mistakes, and obstacles that have come your way.
Additionally, make sure that your slides (no matter how beautiful or word dense they may be) do not tell a different story. Instead, think of the visuals as a supporting character in your story. Your voice and words should lead the pitch. Captivate your audience with the narrative and avoid directing their attention to flashy charts and resume bullet points that detract from your live pitch.
Beyond the Blazer
What story (or stories) from your life showcase who you are beyond your role as the founder of your company? Looking back on everything — and taking the time to connect the dots — what non-career life experiences have shaped the vision that you have for your business?
I have a vivid memory of an assembly in elementary school where all of the after-school music teachers were essentially pitching their services to us and leaving us with a memorable experience that we could share with our parents (who were the investors in our private music lesson journey). There was a young, energetic voice teacher who gave us a presentation (it felt more like a conversation) about counting the number of breaths that she used whilst singing an aria. In her talk, she shared who she was, taught us the concept of breathing in singing, and then had us count the number of breaths that she took during the course of the song. I ran home that afternoon and shared that experience with my parents, and announced that I wanted to be a singer from that day forward. I started studying with that teacher, grew my voice and my desire to sing professionally, and went on to study vocal performance in college. Now I use the human voice in a different way, working with clients and in my own storytelling, but the format and approach to how I work with people 1-on-1 come from my experience in private music lessons.
In a pitch of my own, finding a story or two about my experience in private music lessons will help my audience of prospective coaching clients understand my teaching style and my approach to working on voice and story.
On a side note: A memorable pitch can be interactive! The fact that I remember my voice teacher's pitch from 27 years ago shows the power of pitching in a unique and authentic way that includes the audience in on the fun.
Reciprocity
Instead of thinking of your audience as the gatekeepers to your business's future and your livelihood, think of them as collaborators. Sharing a story is an exchange between the storyteller and the audience. You are inviting your audience to listen to a story that has a purpose. The more specific you can get with your story and your reason for telling it, the less you will worry about the outcomes of sharing it. Focus on delivering the story to a deeply engaged set of listeners. Don't worry about how the story is going to be received and whether or not it has won you the investment you are looking for. If you take this approach and frame your pitch presentation as an invitation to continue the conversation, your pitch will stick with the person(s) on the receiving end, plus they will feel included in the experience.
Scars Over Wounds
You don't need to share every last pitfall, heartbreak, and failure of your life as an entrepreneur. You will certainly have life experiences that aren't ready to be shared in story form. And that's okay. Focus on the stories that will serve you in the present moment. When you're on to your next investor round (or on to your next business) some of those wound stories will have scarred over.
Back in October 2018, United by Blue founder Brian Linton gave a Creative Mornings talk on the theme of Honesty. During the Q+A it came up that in the early days of his business, he had to sleep in his office in order to keep his business afloat and make payroll. And it wasn't until his company had scaled and was more financially stable did he share publicly that this was one of the ways he was able to keep his business going in the early days.
It’s okay to keep your Brian Linton-esque stories in your back pocket until you’re ready to share.
Bonus Tips for Going Beyond a Pitch Deck Template
Pitch in your natural speaking voice and communication style. Do not memorize a script. Do not use words that you wouldn't otherwise use in a one-to-one conversation. It's okay to look to examples of pitches that worked well and that resonate with you, but don't emulate them. It's won't serve you or your business to do so.
If you are nervous, or if you make a mistake while presenting, share what’s happening with your audience. Last year at the Philly Startup Leaders Demo Day one Founder got really nervous during the question and answer portion of her pitch. As the tension and nerves grew, she shared how she was feeling out loud and the entire room was there to support her.
If you include a slide in your deck about your team, shake up their intros. Instead of listing their credentials and sharing the logo of their alma mater, share something about them as a person. What interests do they have that connect to the work that they do? What problem does your product or service solve for them?
We're all human and the more you can make your investor pitch a human experience, the more investors (aka humans) will stick with you.
One Last Bit About Ownership
This applies whether you are pitching to investors, team members, clients, prospective clients, or peers: The more you take ownership of your stories, and work on how you share them with other people, the more you will come into that full/true version of yourself — no matter what room you're in.
Ownership is about how you show up for yourself before you show up for others. It's not about being extroverted or introverted. It's an internal understanding of who you are and what you stand for and a high stakes need to communicate that with other people in an outward facing way.
Looking for more blog posts on pitching? Check out: