10 Mistakes Startups Make With Pitch Decks

The pitch deck is a concise, visual presentation of your business that can be used to pitch your startup to investors, partners, vendors, or potential customers. However, many startups make common mistakes when creating their pitch decks. A pitch deck should be able to demonstrate the value and market opportunity. But too many companies get caught up in the small details and fail to see the big picture. A good pitch deck should leave an audience with no unanswered questions about what your company does and how they can partner with you. With that in mind, here are ten common mistakes that most startups make with their pitch decks.

1. Pitch Deck is Too Long

The first mistake many startup founders make with their pitch decks is that they go way too long on them. A pitch deck shouldn't be more than one page and should include a few bullets at the top so you can get your key points across quickly. If you have a more extended pitch deck, it's likely because you're trying to include everything about your company in one place rather than in separate pieces that can be included in other documents. Consider breaking it into smaller sections for easier reading and digestibility if this is the case.

2. Headline is not bold or Eyecatching

Another prominent mistake startups make with their pitch decks is using under-sized headlines. A headline needs attention from the first line and keeps readers engaged in what you have to say until the end of your presentation. Headlines also need to be concise so they don't take up more space than they should, which only causes confusion and a lack of clarity among readers. So if you want your pitch deck to sell itself effectively, always make sure there are bold and eye-catching headlines throughout each slide so that people

3. Focusing on Features Instead of Benefits

Focusing on features instead of benefits is a common mistake that startups make with their pitch decks. Many startups focus too much on the features and not enough on the benefits. They'll spend hours coming up with the most remarkable, advanced features they can think of and then try to sell them at the end of the presentation. But if you want your startup's pitch deck to be effective, it needs to focus more on benefits than features. And that's because your customers don't care about your product's characteristics; they care about how it improves their lives.

4. Having No Clear Call to Action

Many startups make this mistake when crafting their pitch decks is not having a clear call to action. This is because many startups don't know exactly what they want to do with their product or service, leading to confusion on how to craft a compelling message. With no clear call to action, a startup's pitch deck can start strong but never follow up with any type of call-to-action (CTA). This means that the investors reading through your deck will likely lose interest and move on to another deck.

5. Including a Slide With Only Text – No Graphics or Icons

It’s a common mistake that startups make with their pitch decks. A slide with only text can be effective, but it's not ideal. Investors are skimmers. They want to be able to read your deck and know what you are saying quickly. Therefore, you need visuals in your pitch deck to break up the text and keep their attention. Visuals can include graphs, charts, photographs, graphs, and icons. Most investors don’t have the time to read entire paragraphs, so they will skim through your deck looking for visuals.

6. Including Unrealistic Growth Forecasts

Investors want to know that you have a clear path to success. They want to see that your business model works and will generate revenue. However, you don’t want to confuse them by including unrealistic growth forecasts in your pitch deck. If you forecast too much growth in the early stages of your business, it will look as if you are just trying to impress your audience with unattainable numbers. Moreover, if you make unrealistic forecasts, you risk setting your company up for failure if you make unrealistic forecasts.

7. Don't Showcase Your Unique Value Proposition

Many startups make the mistake of creating a pitch deck that describes everything their company does without highlighting their unique value proposition. What makes your company special? Why do customers prefer you to competitors? You don’t have a compelling value proposition if you can't answer these questions. What distinguishes you from the competition is your value proposition. Therefore, you must incorporate it into your pitch deck at every opportunity.

8. Disordered Content

Another prominent mistake startups make with pitch decks is not organizing their content. The deck should be managed by category. This means that each section is only one sentence. For example, suppose you're discussing your marketing strategy. You could have a “marketing plan" section. If you talk about your product's features, you could have sub-sections like "user experience." You'll also want to create a section for a summary at the end of your deck so that people can quickly get an overview of what your company does.

9. Don’t Include Enough/Necessary Information

Most startups don't include enough information in their pitch decks. Pitch decks are designed to convince investors and customers of your idea, not just explain it. They leave out important details. If you're pitching a consumer-facing product, don't forget to mention some of its limitations. They don't explain why they're different from everyone else doing this same thing — or better than everyone else! You must show potential investors why your product or service is unique or better than anything else.

10. Lack of Proper Design

The most common mistake made by startups is the lack of proper design. It's not that they're too long or too short. They don't tell you anything new or exciting about your company. The pitch deck should be easy to read, understand and follow. A poorly designed pitch deck can confuse potential investors and cause them to lose interest in your business or startup.