Part 6: Common mistake: descriptive vs. action titles

In our previous posts, we shared a list of common mistakes we found across >150 pitch decks we reviewed in the last 12 months. Let’s start digging into some of these mistakes, starting with using “descriptive instead of action titles.”

Descriptive titles are titles like “competition,” “market size,” or “traction.” Many decks we reviewed used descriptive titles like this. The problem? They don’t tell the reader anything about your business. Action titles, on the other hand, are something like “Significant traction in the past 24 months with double-digit revenue growth rates year-over-year.”

Why are action titles helpful? They allow the reader in your deck to read just the titles of your slides and understand everything they need about your business to decide whether they want to invest 5-15 minutes to review your deck in detail. Remember, investors will only spend 2-3 minutes when they first review your deck. That’s all you get to leave an impression.

Action titles are also best practice in management consulting and investment banking. Don’t forget that many VCs started their careers in MC or IB, so if you use action titles, you’ll essentially start using their language, which will make it more likely that they like you.

Descriptive titles aren’t useless, though. I recommend using them as title tags for navigational purposes on the lower left or right of the slide, essentially next to the footnotes, your logo, and the slide number. They can help your reader get a sense of where in your deck and story they are.

Talk soon,

Rafael

PS: How do we help you? My team and I build pitch decks, review existing decks, and offer pitch simulations. Get in touch if you or someone you know may be interested.

PPS: This mini course is based on our popular “Fundraising & Pitch Deck” newsletter.