10 Common Pitch Deck Mistakes [And, their solution!]

Our client Nicki asked us an interesting question while we were building her pitch deck:

“What actually makes investors lose interest in a pitch deck?”

Our Creative Director answered without missing a beat:

“Everything that feels lazy.”

As a presentation design agency, we work on hundreds of pitch decks throughout the year, and in the process, we’ve observed one consistent challenge: most founders unintentionally shoot themselves in the foot with preventable errors.

So, in this blog, we’ll talk about the most common pitch deck mistakes and how to actually fix them so your story lands, not flops.

In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.

Why Pitch Deck Mistakes Are a Bigger Deal Than You Think

Let’s be honest—nobody gets a second shot at a first impression. Especially not in a pitch meeting.

Investors won’t tell you your deck turned them off. They’ll just stop replying. And it’s rarely because your business idea is weak. Most of the time, it’s because your deck raised subtle red flags. Confusing flow. Vague market sizing. Boring slides that feel copy-pasted from a blog. Or worse, inconsistent design that screams “I didn’t care enough to polish this.”

The problem with pitch deck mistakes is that they don’t show up as one big error. They build up, slide after slide, until your story collapses under the weight of poor communication.

We’ve sat through enough decks to know when someone’s shooting themselves in the foot. Not because they lack vision—but because they’re unknowingly presenting it through a cracked lens.

And this matters. Because when you make these mistakes, your deck doesn’t just miss the mark—it quietly convinces your audience that you might not be ready.

Ready for the ten most common mistakes we see, and what to do instead? Let’s get into it.

10 Common Pitch Deck Mistakes [And, their solution!]

1. Starting with the Product, Not the Problem

You love your product. We get it. But when a pitch deck kicks off with “Here’s what we built,” it almost always backfires.

Why? Because investors aren’t here to admire your code or your shiny feature list. They’re here to understand why the world needs what you’ve built.

Solution: Lead with the problem. Describe it in plain language. Make it real. Use data or a relatable scenario to show why it matters. If you make investors feel the urgency, you’ve got their attention. Only then, bring in your product as the answer.

2. Forgetting the Narrative

Your pitch deck isn’t just a bunch of slides. It’s a story. Yet many decks read like disconnected bullet points slapped together during a caffeine rush. No pacing, no logic, just content overload.

Solution: Think like a storyteller. What’s your arc? Introduce the world, the problem, your solution, and how it all plays out. Make sure every slide connects to the next. Investors should feel like they’re being guided—not lost in a slide swamp.

3. Throwing In Jargon to Sound Smart

“Proprietary machine learning algorithms enabling hyper-localized synergies across verticals.”We’ve seen lines like this. They don’t impress. They alienate.

Jargon is often used as a crutch when the real thinking hasn’t been distilled. If you can't explain what you do in a way a smart 12-year-old can understand, you’re not pitch-ready.

Solution: Use clear, precise language. Your job is to make investors feel smart, not confused. Save the technical breakdowns for follow-up discussions. In the deck, clarity wins.

4. Overloading the Slides with Text

If your slides look like blog posts, something’s off. Your deck isn’t a reading test. It’s a visual support tool for your narrative.

When every slide is stuffed with 200 words, charts, quotes, and footnotes, it shows a lack of prioritization. Worse, it distracts from your core message.

Solution: One idea per slide. Use strong headlines, concise body text, and meaningful visuals. Think of each slide like a billboard—not a textbook.

5. Weak or Generic Market Sizing

“$500B total addressable market.”We’ve seen this claim in too many decks. And every time, it makes investors roll their eyes.

Why? Because broad, generic TAM numbers mean nothing without context. Are you targeting all of it? What slice can you realistically serve? Are you pulling these numbers from credible sources?

Solution: Break down TAM, SAM, and SOM. Be specific. Reference real research. And more importantly, explain how you plan to reach your segment. Precision here builds credibility fast.

6. Skipping the Business Model Slide

Some founders treat revenue like an afterthought. As if investors will just “get it.” Spoiler: they won’t. And if your monetization strategy feels like a black box, you’ll lose them.

Solution: Be upfront. How do you make money? Who’s paying, and how often? What are your unit economics? This slide doesn’t have to be packed with spreadsheets—but it should show you’ve thought about how this business actually works.

7. Design That Feels Like a School Project

If your pitch deck looks like it was made in a rush on Google Slides the night before, it won’t matter how brilliant your idea is. Unpolished design signals unprofessionalism. And in the high-stakes world of fundraising, perception matters.

Solution: Invest in good design. And no, that doesn’t mean just using a template. It means aligning your visual language with your brand, using hierarchy to guide attention, and ensuring consistency across slides. Clean, intentional design builds trust. Sloppy design raises doubts.

8. Missing the Competition Slide or Making It a Joke

You’d be surprised how many decks claim “no direct competition.” That’s never true. Every problem has existing solutions, even if they’re clunky or outdated. Ignoring competition makes it look like you haven’t done your homework.

On the flip side, some founders include a weak “X vs Y” chart that magically positions them as superior on all fronts. Again, not helpful.

Solution: Be honest. Acknowledge who’s out there. Focus on your differentiation. What do you do better, faster, or cheaper? Show that you understand the landscape and have a strategy to stand out in it.

9. Cluttered Financials That Don’t Tell a Story

Financial slides often go two ways: either they’re overly simplistic, or they’re so dense they need a CPA to decode them. Neither builds confidence.

Solution: Your financial slide should show three things: that you understand your numbers, that your growth assumptions are reasonable, and that you’re thinking long term. Use clear visuals. Stick to key figures. And be ready to explain your logic when asked.

10. Ending Without a Strong Ask or Vision

Some decks just fizzle out. No energy. No clarity on the ask. No compelling vision of what success looks like. That’s a wasted opportunity.

You’ve walked them through your story, earned their attention—and then left them wondering, “So what now?”

Solution: End with purpose. Clearly state your fundraising ask: how much, for what, and what it unlocks. Pair it with a strong closing slide that paints the big picture—your vision for the future. Leave them excited, not unsure.

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Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?

If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.

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