How to Make a Speculative Presentation [Useful Guide]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Apr 12, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 20
Our client Jeff asked us an interesting question while we were putting together a speculative presentation for a fintech firm he was eyeing. He said,
“How do I pitch something when they haven’t even asked for it?”
Our Creative Director answered,
“You speak to their problems like you’ve already solved them.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on many speculative presentations throughout the year, and in the process we’ve observed one common challenge: people either go too generic or too self-focused — and neither opens the door.
So, in this blog, we’ll talk about how to make a speculative presentation that feels timely, relevant, and impossible to ignore.
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.
What Is a Speculative Presentation?
A speculative presentation is a proactive pitch you create without being asked, built around what you believe your audience might need, even if they haven’t said it out loud. It’s not about selling what you do. It’s about showing what they could have.
Think of it as a strategic guess backed by empathy, research, and relevance. You're essentially saying, “We think this is where you're headed, and here's how we can help you get there.”
It’s not a sales deck, and it’s definitely not a cold intro. It’s a working proof of concept shaped around the unspoken goals, challenges, or blind spots of the people you want to work with.
Let's consider an example,
Let’s say you're a presentation design agency (like us), and you admire how a healthcare startup is growing rapidly but still using internal slide decks that look like they were made in 2009.
You research their product, tone of voice, and audience, and then build a polished 10-slide deck reimagining how they could pitch their Series B. You send it over with a note: “We thought this is how your story could look with the right narrative and design. Hope it inspires.”
That’s a speculative presentation: no pitch, no ask, just pure value dropped at the right time.
How to Make a Speculative Presentation
Let’s get one thing out of the way: a speculative presentation is not about being clever. It’s about being right. Right about what they’re dealing with. Right about what’s not working. And right about what might work better.
When you’re working without a brief, you have to make two things very clear:
You understand them.
You can help them.
That’s it. But getting there takes some precision. So let’s walk through how we actually make speculative presentations that land meetings and open conversations — the kind people don’t just glance at, but forward to someone else with: “Take a look at this.”
Step 1: Pick the right moment (and company)
First, don’t send speculative work to just anyone. This isn’t cold outreach territory. Speculative presentations are best aimed at companies or people you already admire, understand, or want to build a relationship with.
Look for signals like:
They’ve just raised funding
They’re expanding to new markets
They’re hiring for a role that overlaps with your expertise
Their current materials feel outdated or inconsistent
They’ve made a big announcement (new product, acquisition, rebrand)
The moment matters. Relevance is what turns a speculative pitch into something that feels tailor-made, not random.
Step 2: Do the homework no one asked for
You’re not making a brochure. You’re showing them you get it.
So before you touch slides, do the kind of research that even their own people might not be doing:
Read between the lines in their blog posts and press releases
Study how their competitors are positioning themselves
Reverse-engineer their customer pain points from reviews or support forums
Dig into their design language, tone, and messaging consistency
Understand the business model, not just the product
This isn’t busywork. This is how you find the gap between what they’re saying and what they should be saying.
Example: We once created a speculative deck for an AI startup. Their product was solid, but their messaging was buried in jargon. We noticed every testimonial on their site talked about time saved, not accuracy — which they kept harping on. So we rebuilt their pitch around what people actually valued.
That’s what good research gets you: insight they haven’t acted on yet.
Step 3: Frame the problem better than they do
Here’s where most speculative decks fall flat. People jump straight into “Here’s what we can do for you.”
Don’t do that.
Start with their problem. But frame it in a way that makes them go, “Yes, that’s exactly it. How did we not see that?”
This means writing a narrative that:
Clearly names the tension or missed opportunity
Uses examples, numbers, or comparisons they care about
Feels fresh, but still familiar
You’re not lecturing them. You’re giving language to what they’re already feeling.
Step 4: Keep the solution visual, not preachy
Nobody wants a speculative presentation filled with “Here’s what we do” slides. That’s just self-promotion in disguise.
Instead, you show what could be different. Depending on what your business does, this might look like:
Before/after slide redesigns
Rewritten messaging for a landing page or product pitch
Visual flow of how a customer could experience their product
A few key slides reimagined with stronger hierarchy and story
A new way to frame their value proposition in just one sentence
Think of it as borrowing their voice and sharpening it. If your speculative presentation feels like it came from their own team, you’re doing it right.
Don’t overload it. 8 to 12 slides is enough. Make every slide earn its place.
Step 5: Write like a human, not a brochure
Tone matters. If your slides sound like they were written by ChatGPT or corporate jargon copy-pasta, you’ve lost them.
Write like a real person who actually cares. Be clear. Be sharp. Be brief.
Instead of:
“Our solutions are designed to optimize operational workflows and enhance digital transformation outcomes.”
Say:
“We make your team faster by fixing what slows them down.”
This is not the time to impress with big words. It’s the time to connect.
Step 6: Leave room for imagination
Don’t try to solve everything. You’re not applying for a job. You’re starting a conversation.
Good speculative presentations spark thought. They leave the reader thinking, “If they did this unprompted, imagine what they could do with our input.”
So keep a little mystery. Offer a clear starting point, then suggest where it could go — if they’re interested.
Even a final slide with:
“We’re happy to tailor this if it resonates. Just let us know where you’d like to take it.”
...is enough. It invites, rather than pushes.
Step 7: Don’t design like you’re trying too hard
Polish matters. If the design looks amateur, it doesn’t matter how brilliant your insight is — people will assume your thinking is amateur too.
But you also don’t want to over-design. The goal is alignment, not aesthetic overdose. Your design should reflect their world — not yours.
That means:
Using colors and fonts similar to their brand
Keeping layouts clean, clear, and purposeful
Avoiding animations or gimmicks
Letting the content do the heavy lifting
If you’re a designer, don’t flex. Be strategic. If you’re not a designer, keep it simple and readable.
Step 8: Send it with context, not a cold note
Finally, don’t just drop a PDF into someone’s inbox and hope for the best.
Your message should frame the deck clearly:
Why you made it
What you noticed
What you’re offering (even if it’s just perspective)
That there’s no expectation — just value
For example:
“Hi [Name], we’ve been following your recent work around [XYZ] and thought there might be an opportunity to bring a sharper story to the way it’s shared. So we put together a quick speculative deck to show you what we mean. Hope it’s useful — and happy to chat if it sparks ideas.”
That’s it. No hard sell. Just context, relevance, and a clear point of view.
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.
How To Get Started?
If you want to hire us for your presentation design project, the process is extremely easy.
Just click on the "Start a Project" button on our website, calculate the price, make payment, and we'll take it from there.