Your time to capture attention and convey the value of your company’s offering to potential customers is limited. In fact, the human brain processes visual or interactive content 60,000 times faster than text.
Investors who invest money in startups tend to be highly intuitive and trusting. A short, professionally made video can do the trick to help you stand out from the crowd.
The most effective videos combine live action to show off your character and charm with motion graphics or other forms of animation to better describe your work. Alternatively, you could conduct a live introduction of the staff and then transition into a more conventional explainer video.
Emailing a deck to investors leaves room for miscommunication. Many investors may only skim your pitch deck, missing out on the most important information. There is less chance for misinterpretation or miscommunication with a video since it gets right to the point.
To begin, let’s define a pitch video.
Perhaps you’re confused about what a “pitch video” actually is. A pitch video is, in a nutshell, a short promotional video that explains what your company does. It’s a technique to identify people who could be interested in investing in your startup.
A pitch deck is the standard format for presenting a business proposal. Moreover, while this is still widely used in the modern business world, the advent of digital technology has made it feasible to give whole presentations and pitches in the form of high-quality videos that genuinely reflect your story and mission as a brand.
Using a video pitch can be really beneficial for attracting investors and differentiating yourself from the competition. Investors in new businesses often seek a personal connection with a company’s founders and potential customers, and pitch videos can help you establish that connection.
Consider these three arguments in favor of using a video pitch when raising capital for your startup:
- With a video pitch, you can stand apart from the competition.
- A video pitch lets you show off your story and passion.
- Due to the increased market demand, video pitches are becoming more and more popular.
An advantage of using a video to promote your startup is the freedom to be creative in crafting your pitch while still providing all the necessary information about your startup.
What are the advantages of using pitch videos?
They get your attention
Investors are busy people, and even with the standard cold pitch deck, you only have a short time to capture their attention.
They are useful for generating additional capital for your company
A pitch video can help explain your company’s vision and mission to potential investors. In addition, it can give an inside and detailed look at how your startup operates for your audience.
They’re customizable to your needs
Producing your own pitch video has many advantages, not the least of which is that you can customize it to appeal to the particular investor target market. For example, if you’re trying to attract investors for your startup, using a video pitch allows you more room to express your unique vision and mission.
They add a human element to your company
Sometimes, especially if the presentations are lengthy, this can come off as tedious to potential investors. This is where presentation videos can be useful.
You can make a more personal connection with a potential investor by including a video in your presentation. They inject life and excitement into your pitch while going straight to the point.
In addition to being an efficient marketing tool, pitch videos can help your startup stand out from the crowd and attract valuable investors without breaking the bank.
Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to hire professionals or devote the time necessary to produce a high-quality pitch video on their own.
Ideal pitch decks combine art, science, and storytelling.
Pitch videos entice investors to find out more
Finding potential investors, let alone those remotely interested in funding your startup, may be daunting.
Fortunately, there are various methods for attracting the attention of these investors. For example, why not use pitch videos if you want to get people interested in your startup and into a call to learn more.
If you’re wondering where to find these possible investors who want to view your teaser pitch video, go no further. There are thousands of investors worldwide who may be interested in your startup, and they may be lurking on social media channels you already use.
For example, your next investor could be lurking on LinkedIn or Twitter, where most professionals congregate. You might attract their attention if you can share and reshare your pitch video.
What is it that consistently captures the interest of investors?
To ensure that your startup’s pitch videos are as successful as possible, follow these criteria. By analyzing the most successful business pitch videos over the years, I found a few easy standards to follow to stand out. As a result, the greatest company pitch videos can be made with the help of these guidelines.
1. Use narrative to clarify difficult issues
The most effective startup pitch videos use narrative to simplify complicated issues for potential investors and humanize them so that any investor can understand them, regardless of their sector or specialty. In addition, investors will be more interested in the startup’s product or service and the problem it solves if the pitch video puts them in the customers’ shoes.
If you’re trying to wow investors with your presentation but not employing stories, you’re missing out on a great deal of potential rapport. Good startup pitch videos often have compelling narratives because it’s a lighthearted approach to making a serious case for financial backing. Ensure that the most crucial information about your firm is communicated to investors. Stories have the power to leave a lasting impression on listeners by appealing to their emotions.
Telling a story in your investment pitch is a great way to engage your audience and impress potential backers. When presenting a startup, keep in mind that investors will have very specific questions regarding your startup, such as “why should they invest?” and “how will it make them money?”
2. Take pride in what you’re worth, and don’t be afraid to flaunt it
The most effective startup pitch videos don’t hold back from highlighting their strengths. Feel free to flaunt your financial estimates and business plan if you are confident in your fantastic concept and its viability. Many successful startup pitches focus squarely on attracting investors who can help the company expand.
Investors, as you can see, care only about the bottom line. The potential for a financial return is important to them. If they can appreciate your value and your projections and values seem reasonable, they will feel compelled to join your team and participate in your startup before they miss out on potential profits.
Don’t make the mistake of making inflated claims about the future. Offering an unjustified valuation or projection is the worst possible pitch.
3. Keep it Simple and to the Point
The most effective startup pitch videos are typically quite straightforward. Quite simply, they are brief. They don’t have a ton of images. So instead, employ a simplistic brand design and concentrate solely on selling investors on their income model.
Over an elaborately themed pitch with long explanations and hard-to-read charts or data, a 3-minute video concentrating on highly stable data, specific facts and numbers, and continuous growth will almost always win over investor backing. Of course, access to pertinent information is essential; nevertheless, clarity of presentation should not be compromised for the sake of length.
4. Confidence is key, so show it off
Confidence is the one element that sets apart the top startup pitch videos from the others. The confidence you exude in your video will rub off on the viewers, and if they like what they see, they’ll be more likely to invest in your startup.
You should demonstrate your competence in your field without appearing arrogant. For example, your video should show your competence. Still, follow-up discussions with potential backers should be equally confident and articulate.
5. Showing proof of concept is encouraged
The finest startup pitch videos will often feature specific examples to convince investors that they aren’t taking a risk. Do not be shy about mentioning the backing of investors in your pitch. It’s okay to flaunt your popularity if you’ve built a sizable following. While you shouldn’t be cocky/arrogant, you have every right to disclose information about the respect or support your startup idea has previously gotten; this may be the deciding factor in convincing investors to back you.
A Storytelling Framework Can Help You Get Started With Your Presentation
Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio argues in his book “Descartes’ Error: Reason, Emotion, and the Human Brain” that anecdotes have a more profound impact on listeners than cold hard statistics. But this idea doesn’t need us to get a Ph.D. It is common knowledge that leaders who are the most intellectual, powerful, and inspiring use stories to convey their ideas to their followers. However, one of our biggest challenges is developing a narrative structure for our corporate presentations.
So, then, what should we do? Recall the last time you got together. Was it just a laundry list of boring, factual bullet points? Have you been buried by mounds of information? Is it a monotone monologue that the speaker keeps going on and on about? Most of us, even very intelligent and gifted individuals, come across this way.
The question is, how can we put an end to these boring presentations? Just organize your information into a plot using the same traditional structure as in great literature, film, and theater. Using a story structure to pitch your idea or startup may take your audience on an emotional trip and make your ideas more memorable.
The Framework
Having a plan to guide you as you compile your ideas, facts, and data into a coherent presentation is a huge time-saver when creating a story-driven presentation. You need a framework to help you with three things: who you’re writing for, how the tale will progress, and what the overall point will be. These three drills are done in preparation for making your first slide. By investing some effort up front, you may spend more of your time focusing on the visuals.
How does your story-focused presentation relate to blockbuster movies like “Star Wars,” “Fast & Furious,” or “Iron Man?” All of them have the 5 hallmarks of traditional narrative structure:
- Setting
- Character (Your Why)
- Conflict
- The Big Idea (Your What)
- The Resolution (Your How)
Setting: Your setting is a moment, place, or situation you describe. It shows right away what your message is about.
Characters: Your characters are your customers, employees, or team. They are affected by what is going on. Characters help people feel like they know the people in your story.
Conflict: Now that we know where the story takes place and who the characters are, we can talk about the conflict. Conflict creates the tension that makes people care about your story.
The Big Idea: Your story’s structure should help you identify its core message. This centerpiece idea serves as the purpose and guide for all of your other ideas. If your facts or data don’t connect to your big picture, don’t include them.
Resolution: When you set up the setting, the characters, and the conflict, your audience will start to feel things. They should be ready to accept your solution, which could be your suggestion, product, or solution.
If you’ve given your audience a clear setting, characters, and conflict, they’ll care how your story ends. As your story progresses, you can add supporting facts and data. A business story must be both emotional and logical.
Visualize Your Story
Your story should be constructed much like a home. You have rooms, walls, and supporting beams. The use of images provides an opportunity to implement aesthetically pleasing touches. Colors, flooring, and fixtures are all up to you. In addition, you may increase the emotional impact of your story by using well-executed visual elements like images, infographics, charts, text, and video.
We all tell stories daily, but it’s time to bring stories inside the office to become better and more strategic presenters. The goal is to utilize a framework to help you analyze your audience, develop a major concept, and design a story structure. With this road map, anyone can create a narrative that begins with a story rather than endless facts and statistics.
As skilled presenters know, storytelling is more than just putting on a show for the audience. It is an approach that will greatly boost your influence with the executives, clients, and partners you interact with daily.
Everyday Business Storytelling: Create, Simplify, and Adapt A Visual Narrative for Any Audience
“Everyday Business Storytelling: Create, Simplify, and Adapt A Visual Narrative for Any Audience” is an awesome book. I recommend that you buy this book. It is a fantastic resource for better corporate communication. The teaching is simple and easy to comprehend, with case studies and detailed examples of great (and ineffective!) presentations. Excellent examples of boosting your presentation’s visual impact and conveying the “main idea” to the audience. The chapters on efficient email communication tactics and how to construct virtual presentations are clear and succinct. A must-have book for every business and a fantastic resource for student presentations.
Bring your work to life with video from Tella
Tella is software that allows users to create, edit, customize, and share videos for presentations, and tutorials. Tella has both a free and a paid version. Tella combines the efficiency of video messaging with powerful editing and design tools. Create stunning presentations, demos, tutorials, and more in the time it takes to record. Use Tella for video prospecting or create stunning intros, pitches, and demos that help your leads convert.
Conclusion
Launching and funding a business is hard. To grow your company, you must put in a lot of hours, money, and energy. However, you may attract startup investors with a personable, well-produced pitch video. Once you know their interests and convince them to relate to your ambitions, they are more inclined to invest in your startup.
Unfortunately, not many entrepreneurs can make a pitch video; hopefully, this article will put you in the right direction.
