A Pitch Deck Helps You Make a Clear Ask with the Right Story
A pitch deck is a short, focused presentation used to share your idea, business plan, or project roadmap in a clear and compelling way. It’s typically used when you need someone’s approval or support, whether that’s an investor, a potential client, or a leadership team.
Most pitch decks are used for fundraising, new business proposals, or internal buy-in. The goal is to communicate the most important parts of your story and ask for something specific and actionable. You’re not trying to explain every detail, you’re helping someone understand why your idea matters and what they can do next.
A good pitch deck doesn’t outline every detail of your strategy. You should treat it as a conversation starter that helps someone quickly understand what you’re doing and why it’s worth their time.
Why Pitch Decks Matter
Pitch decks help you simplify complex ideas. This is essential when your audience is short on time or attention.
Whether you’re talking to investors, clients, or internal teams, your deck is designed to help them understand the core of your message in the shortest time possible.
Pitch decks are relevant across all channels you may deal with. Investors need to know if your idea has real potential, clients want to know if you understand their challenges, executives need a reason to prioritize what you’re proposing. A well-structured deck gives them those answers fast and helps you move from idea to action.
If your overall pitch takes too long to explain or feels unclear even to yourself, a pitch deck helps you prioritize. The discipline of building a deck forces you to focus on the higher points that matter most.
What Goes in a Pitch Deck
There’s no universal formula, but most strong pitch decks follow the same structure:
Start with the problem. Explain what’s broken, missing, or not working in the world you want to improve.
Then, describe your solution and why it works. Make it clear who benefits from it and what makes your approach unique.
Once the foundation is there, talk about what you’ve done so far. This might include user growth, sales, significant partnerships, or any momentum you’ve built. If your pitch is in the early stages, talk about the research, prototype, or traction you’re working toward.
Each section should fit on its own slide. If you’re adding more than one idea per slide, there’s a good chance you’re trying to do too much at once.
Finally, close with a clear ask. This could be funding, final approval, a pilot program, or any other support you need for the pitch. Be specific, your final ask should be as clear as your idea.
What Should Every Pitch Deck Include?
At a minimum, your deck should answer six key questions:
- What’s the problem?
- What’s your solution?
- Who is it for?
- Why is it different?
- How is it working today, or how will it work later on?
- What are you asking for?
The exact phrasing of these isn’t vital, what matters is that your answers are clear, honest, and easy to understand. The best pitch decks build trust because they don’t try to sell everything or propose big ideas full of hot air. Your pitch deck should help the audience understand just enough to want a longer conversation.
How Long Should a Pitch Deck Actually Be?
Ten to fifteen slides is a safe range for a good pitch deck. This ensures your pitch is long enough to cover the basics, but short enough to avoid overwhelm or confusion.
Each slide should cover one core idea. Keep your points focused, if you need to include extra material you can add an appendix or backup slides for final Q&A. But the main deck should be easy to present in about ten minutes.
If you’re struggling to stay within that limit, adding slides should not be the answer. You should instead focus on adjusting the slides you have. When you’re passionate about an idea it’s hard to cut things, but the more clearly you understand your overall pitch, the fewer slides you’ll need to tell it.
What Makes a Pitch Deck Feel Clear, Not Cluttered?
Restraint is the hero of clarity. Don’t try to cram too much into a single slide or decorate it with visuals that distract from the main message.
Each slide should have a clear point. One proposed point, and one key takeaway. Keep text brief and only use visuals when they support the explanation.
If your deck feels busy or hard to follow, step back and ask: what am I trying to say here? Once you pinpoint this, cut anything that does not add to it.
A well-designed pitch deck is one with a simple layout, a clear structure, and easy-to-follow pacing.
How Do You Tailor a Pitch Deck for Executives vs. Creatives?
Tailoring your deck is about knowing what your audience cares about.
Executives are usually focused on results: show them the problem, the opportunity, and the measurable outcomes. They’ll want to know how your solution connects to business goals, ROI, and timelines.
Creative leaders or marketing teams might care more about story, audience insight, and differentiation. In these conversations, how you present your ideas can be just as important as the ideas themselves.
You don’t need separate decks for every audience. You need one strong base deck and the ability to shift your emphasis depending on who is in the room.
What Tools Should You Use to Build a Pitch Deck?
The best tools are those that help you explain your point without distraction. It doesn’t make sense to find the best possible tool, only to get stuck by the interface and lose your vision along the way.
Google Slides and PowerPoint are the most flexible and widely used platforms for presenting pitch decks. They work well for live presentations and sharing links, and they’re easy to update or collaborate on.
Platforms like Canva, Pitch, and Beautiful.ai are great if you need more visual control without but don’t have design resources. They offer helpful templates and are good for teams who want that extra polish without building from scratch.
Figma works well for design-oriented teams who want maximum creative control and already use it in their tech stack.
Really research each tool and choose what will help you get to your vision most efficiently. A simple, clear deck that inspires conversation will do more for you than any flashy animation or polished graphics.
Need Help Building a Good Pitch Deck?
FMK Agency helps teams build the best possible pitch deck to present their vision clearly and confidently. Whether you need help choosing the most important elements of your idea to pitch, or want that extra polish from a dedicated design team, we make sure your ideas are heard.
Let’s make your vision a reality.