Winning Formulas: Obeying To The 10/20/30 Rule In Investor Pitching Presentations

Presentations can be daunting to put together. I know what you are thinking, you've got a pile of information which all seems quite relevant which you need to simmer down into bite-size pieces to attract potential investors, right?

Well, fear not, there are many different strategies that you can use to make sure your presentation is not dull but rather engaging and timely so investors can go away with a clear understanding of the overall objective and message of the presentation.

Introducing to you the 10/20/30 Rule. A successful venture capitalist, Guy Kawasaki, came up with the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint. The suggested rule offers an excellent structure for presentations aiming to keep your audience's attention span from straying and is designed to keep your presentation compact, digestible and understandable.

Image Source: 180 Degrees Consulting

The structure of the rule means your presentation should consist of no more than ten slides, shouldn't last longer than twenty minutes, and should contain a font size no smaller than thirty points.

The great thing about the rule is that it is relevant to any business or type of presentation, be it an investor pitch or employee training, making it applicable and resourceful to all.

It's quite easy to overfill the presentation with facts and text, which is why using visual data representation is a great way to present your findings. Keeping your presentation full of impressive visuals can help keep your potential investors engaged.

The first part of the rule is to use a maximum of 10 slides per presentation. Make use of pre-made slides that have the structure already laid out to adhere to.

The example below is based on a business presentation aimed at potential investors; however, the rule applies to all industries by customising the slides to meet your needs better.

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1. Problem - in the first slide, identify the area of concern you will focus on in your presentation. The amount you’re seeking to raise should be discussed either during this slide or in your overview statement.

   
   

Focus on covering the following points:

• What’s the problem you’re solving?
• Explain the issue in detail, and why is it important to act now
• Why has no one solved it before?

2. Solution - once you have identified your problem, the key to any good presentation is to offer a solution to the problem. Ensure to speak facts and data. Explain why you’re the person/company to offer the solution, and how is your approach different from the others who’ve tried.

   
   

3. Business model - now take a look at the business as a whole and how will you implement the solution considering the business strategy. Investors are primarily interested in making a profit (for some, it’s the one and only goal), hence, consider focusing on explaining how you’re going to return on their investments.

   
   

4. Technology - discuss any new or existing software/hardware you will use to reach your goal. If you're a SaaS startup seeking a seed round, use this slide to show mockups of your technology/software.

   
   

5. Marketing and Sales - if the presentation is based on a product launch, for example, discuss how you will be getting the product to your audience. Reflect on the marketing budget and strategies you’re planning on implementing to drive traffic and awareness to the business (e.g. Paid Ads, SEO, Influencer Marketing, Content Marketing, etc).

   
   

6. Competition - outline what you're up against, who are your competitors? Explain how your model is different and how exactly are you going to beat the competition.

   
   

7. Team - delegating tasks amongst a team gives everyone clear roles and collectively will help reach the end goal. Discuss the size of the team required, positions and hiring strategies.

   
   

8. Projections and Milestones - setting small goals to eventually lead up to the bigger target is a good way of approaching and managing the solution. Explain how you’re going to reach these steps.

   
   

9. Status and Timeline - timeline and forecast when tasks should be completed so that everyone is clear of the time frame to get the job done.

   
   

10. Summary - talk about all the points you have discussed and what the next steps are to get the process started.

    
    

The second part of the rule is to stick to a 20-minute-long presentation. Keeping presentations short not only helps keeps your audience engaged but also gives you more time at the end to answer questions or address any concerns your audience may have. With investor pitches, it’s definitely a good strategy to leave some time to respond to questions.

Running over time could potentially be dangerous, leading to an uninformed disengaged audience.

The last part of the rule for a winning presentation is to keep the font size at 30 or relatively close to it. It may seem like 30 points is big, but in retrospect, using smaller fonts can make your presentation harder to see - not something you’d want to happen during your pitch.

The use of smaller text can make the slide look text-heavy. The method of using a more prominent and clear font shows your knowledge and assurance in the information you are sharing. Most times, presenters squeeze information onto a single slide because they are not fully familiar with the topic.

As you are the one who has to present, do the talking and persuade the investors to give you money, you have to know your stuff by heart, ensuring a flawless experience.