How to Send Pitch Deck to Investors [A Practical Guide]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
A few weeks ago, our client Marco asked us a question while we were building his pitch deck:
“What is the right way to actually send this to investors?”
Our Creative Director answered without missing a beat:
“The best way is the one that gets them to open it without hesitation.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on many pitch decks throughout the year. And in the process, we’ve observed one common challenge: most founders spend weeks perfecting their decks but stumble when it comes to sending them to investors.
So, in this blog, we’ll talk about how to send pitch deck to investors in a way that actually gets attention, keeps doors open, and increases your chances of a serious conversation.
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 You Need to Think Before You Send Your Pitch Deck
Sending your pitch deck is not just about clicking attach and send. Investors receive dozens of decks every week, and most go unopened. The way you send it says a lot about you as a founder.
Investors judge more than your idea
They don’t just invest in your slides, they invest in you. If your delivery feels careless—like a massive file that won’t load or a link with locked permissions—it signals you don’t think through details.
Timing shapes outcomes
Send it at the wrong time and your deck sinks without a trace. Late Friday night? Buried by Monday. Right after a warm introduction? Much better. Timing isn’t luck—it’s strategy.
Who you send it to matters
A spray-and-pray approach makes you look desperate. Investors notice when you’ve done your homework and chosen them for a reason. That earns respect before they even open the deck.
Your deck is just the start
The deck is not the whole conversation. It’s the trailer, not the movie. Its purpose is to get an investor interested enough to talk to you, not to answer every possible question.
Before you send, ask yourself:
Is this the right person?
Is this the right time?
Is my format accessible?
Does my deck invite conversation?
If you can’t say yes to all four, you’re not ready to hit send.
How to Send Pitch Deck to Investors
By now, you get that sending your pitch deck is not a mechanical act. It’s a strategic one. The way you send it can either open a door or close it forever. So, let’s go step by step and talk about how to actually send your pitch deck to investors in a way that increases your odds of getting a response.
Step 1: Decide on the format before you send
Your deck can be perfect in content and design, but if the investor struggles to open it, you’ve already lost. Here are the formats that work:
PDF (Preferred): Lightweight, universally accessible, easy to view on any device. Lock it to prevent accidental edits.
Link (Backup): Tools like DocSend or Pitch enable you to share your deck through a secure link. This gives you analytics—like who opened it, when, and for how long. It also lets you update the deck without sending a new file.
Never Send PowerPoint as an Attachment: Unless the investor specifically asks for it, don’t. PowerPoint files are large, they don’t render well on mobile, and they can look broken if fonts don’t load correctly.
Your job is to make the investor’s life easier. If they can open it quickly, you’ve already passed the first test.
Step 2: Personalize your delivery
A generic “Hi, please find attached my deck” email is the fastest way to get ignored. Investors don’t want to feel like they’re one of 200 names on your mailing list.
Here’s what works:
Reference the connection: “I was introduced by [mutual contact].”
State why you chose them: “I noticed your investments in [X] and believe we align with your thesis in [Y].”
Be concise: Investors don’t want to read a novel. A few lines that give context and show respect are enough.
Personalization is not just polite—it’s proof you’ve done your homework.
Step 3: Respect their time
Your email is not the place for a full company biography. Keep your message short. Remember, the deck is the tool that tells your story. Your email just sets up the context.
A simple structure works best:
One line of context (who you are, how you’re connected).
One line on why you’re reaching out.
The deck link or attachment.
A polite closing (thank them, offer to answer questions).
That’s it. Don’t overthink it.
Step 4: Use warm introductions when possible
Cold emailing works, but warm introductions work far better. If someone the investor already trusts vouches for you, your deck moves up in the priority list.
So before you hit send, ask yourself: Who in my network knows this investor? Can I ask for an intro? Even if the connection is light—say, a fellow founder who pitched them once—it’s still stronger than coming in cold.
If you must send cold, then make your outreach sharp and respectful. Cold emails that are short, targeted, and professional do get responses. But a warm intro almost always beats a cold one.
Step 5: Control how much information you send
Here’s where most founders get it wrong. They either send too much or too little.
Too much: 40-slide decks with every financial projection imaginable. Investors don’t have time for that on first contact.
Too little: A vague one-pager that raises more questions than it answers. That’s equally frustrating.
The sweet spot? A crisp 10–15 slide deck that gives investors the essentials: problem, solution, market, traction, team, business model, and funding ask. Enough to spark interest, not enough to overwhelm.
Remember, your goal is to get a meeting. Not to tell your life story.
Step 6: Pay attention to timing
We already touched on this in the “why” section, but let’s get specific.
Best days to send: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Mondays are catch-up days, Fridays are wrap-up days.
Best times to send: Mid-morning (10–11 am) or early afternoon (1–2 pm) in the investor’s timezone. That’s when inboxes are most manageable.
Worst times to send: Late nights, weekends, or right before a major holiday.
Sending your deck at the right time doesn’t guarantee it will be opened—but sending it at the wrong time almost guarantees it won’t.
Step 7: Track engagement if possible
If you’re using a tool like DocSend, you can see who opened your deck, how long they spent on each slide, and whether they forwarded it. This is powerful data.
If you notice an investor spent five minutes on your financial slide, you know what to prepare for when you talk. If they didn’t open it at all, you know not to waste energy chasing.
Tracking is not about being sneaky—it’s about being informed. The more you know about how investors engage with your deck, the smarter your follow-up.
Step 8: Follow up respectfully
Most founders panic when they don’t hear back. They either follow up too aggressively or disappear completely. Neither works.
Here’s a rule of thumb:
First follow-up: 5–7 business days after sending.
Second follow-up: Another week later if no response.
Final follow-up: One last polite check-in. After that, move on.
Keep your follow-ups short and respectful. Something like, “Just checking if you had a chance to review my deck. Happy to provide more details if useful.” Investors appreciate persistence, but they resent spam.
Step 9: Be ready for next steps
The worst thing you can do is send a deck, get interest, and then not be ready for the meeting. If an investor responds, they’ll want to talk fast. You need to have your deeper financials, growth plans, and customer data ready to go.
Think of your deck as the key that opens the door. But once that door is open, you need to walk through it with substance. Investors will test your numbers, poke at your assumptions, and evaluate your team. If you’re not ready, that door closes again.
Step 10: Treat every “no” as a learning opportunity
Not every investor will bite, even if you do everything right. That’s normal. A “no” is not always about you. Sometimes it’s about timing, their current portfolio, or simply their bandwidth.
What matters is how you handle it. If you’re polite and thank them for their time, you leave the door open for future opportunities. Some founders get funding from investors who said no the first time around but circled back later.
Every interaction shapes your reputation. Handle it well, and you’ll earn respect, even without a check.
The Bottom Line
How you send your pitch deck to investors is as important as what’s inside it. The delivery, the timing, the personalization, the format—all of it reflects who you are as a founder. Investors are not just evaluating your slides; they’re evaluating how you operate.
If you respect their time, make their job easier, and approach the process with thoughtfulness, you instantly stand out. And standing out, in a sea of decks, is half the battle.
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.