How to Make a Target Market Slide [Design & Content]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- May 12
- 10 min read
Updated: 7 minutes ago
Our client, Ermin, asked us an interesting question while we were working on his investor presentation:
"Do I really need a target market slide? I mean, won’t the product speak for itself?"
Our Creative Director answered him with brutal clarity:
"If you don’t show who it’s for, no one will know it’s for them."
We work on many presentations throughout the year and have observed one thing commonly: people love to obsess over their product, their traction, their financials... but skip the one slide that tells us who all of that is actually for.
So, in this blog, we’ll address the often-overlooked target market slide. And how to design and narrate it like you actually care about the people you're selling to.
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 Usually Goes Wrong with a Target Audience Slide
Most target market slides are lazy. One line, something like “Millennials” or “SMBs,” and done.
No context, no insight, just a label. That’s not enough.
A good target audience slide should make it clear who you’re solving for and why it matters. When it's vague, it tells us you haven't done the work.
And if you’re not clear on who this is for, the rest of the pitch doesn’t hold up because people aren’t just buying the product, they’re buying the problem it solves for someone real.
Another common issue? Assuming it’s obvious.
It’s not. If your audience has to guess who the solution is meant for, you’ve already lost their attention.
How to Design and Narrate a Great Target Market Slide [a.k.a Target Customer Slide]
1. Start With Specifics, Not Labels
One of the biggest mistakes people make is oversimplifying their target audience to a few buzzwords: “Young Professionals,” “Small Business Owners,” or “Tech Enthusiasts.” While these are useful at times, they often miss the mark. These labels can apply to almost anyone and fail to help your audience understand who exactly you’re speaking to.
The better approach? Get specific. Identify a persona that embodies the key traits of your ideal customer. Ask yourself:
What keeps them up at night?
What goals are they working toward?
What problems are they facing that your product can solve?
Take, for instance, an app designed for small business owners who need help managing their cash flow. Instead of labeling them as “Small Business Owners,” frame it as: “Sarah, a 38-year-old owner of a growing bakery, needs an easier way to forecast her monthly cash flow and manage expenses.”
Not only does this make it easier to understand who the product is for, but it also humanizes the audience, creating an emotional connection. It’s much more compelling to think of Sarah than just “small business owners.”
2. Use Data to Back Up Your Claims
A great target market slide doesn’t just throw out a persona or label without context. It brings data to the table. Because let’s face it, the more precise you are about your target market, the more confident your investors or clients will be in your understanding of the market. Data shows you’ve done the research, and you’re not guessing.
This is where you add a layer of credibility. Don’t just say, “Our target market is tech-savvy millennials,” show us why this group is your target. What data points tell us this group needs what you’re offering? Do your homework and bring some solid stats to back up your claims.
For example:
“In 2024, 75% of small business owners in the U.S. reported struggling with cash flow management (source: Small Business Trends).”
“Tech-savvy millennials are the most likely demographic to adopt digital financial tools, with 60% of them already using budgeting apps regularly (source: Statista).”
This shows you’ve validated your target market with research. It gives them a reason to believe your idea has legs because it’s grounded in real-world numbers.
3. Focus on the Problem, Not the Product
This is where most people get it wrong: their target audience slide ends up being more about the product than the audience itself. We see this with statements like, “Our app helps small business owners grow their online presence.” That’s great, but what’s missing is the why—why do they need that app? What’s the underlying problem?
The best target market slides focus entirely on the problem the audience faces, because when you highlight that pain point, the audience is immediately drawn to how your solution fits. By positioning the problem as the hero of the slide, you show you understand your audience’s struggles and pain points.
For example, instead of saying, “Our app helps small business owners grow their online presence,” you could say:
“Small business owners are overwhelmed by social media algorithms and lack the time to create engaging posts. This means they miss out on customers who could drive growth.”
This brings your audience's frustrations to the forefront and shows that you’ve dug deep into their world. You’re not just selling a product; you’re offering a solution to their most pressing issue.
4. Highlight Demographic, Behavioral, and Psychographic Factors
A well-rounded target market slide does more than show just a basic demographic breakdown.
Sure, it’s useful to know that your audience is 25-40, but it’s far more impactful when you include behavioral and psychographic details as well.
Demographics: Age, gender, location, income level, job title.
Behavior: How do they spend their time? What challenges do they face in their daily life? How do they make decisions?
Psychographics: What are their core values? What motivates them? What do they care about deeply?
This deeper layer of insight provides a fuller picture. Let’s say you’re marketing an eco-friendly home cleaning product. Your target market isn’t just “environmentally conscious individuals”, it’s those who:
Are 30-45, often working parents balancing busy careers with family life.
Shop for products that align with their values of sustainability.
Care deeply about reducing their carbon footprint, even if it costs a little more.
This gives your audience something more to relate to. It’s not just an app or a product; it’s a tool that fits into their lifestyle and values.
5. Show the Emotional Connection
People buy emotionally and justify logically. When you craft your target audience slide, you need to show why your audience is emotionally invested in solving this problem.
Let’s go back to the small business owner persona. Instead of just saying they need help with cash flow, you could talk about how, for Sarah, a poor financial forecast means sleepless nights, stress over payroll, and the constant fear of not making it. Those emotional stakes matter because they humanize the data and give real weight to the problem. When your audience feels the emotional intensity of the struggle, they connect more deeply with your solution.
Think about your target market's frustrations, hopes, and dreams. What do they want on a deeper level, and how can your solution make their lives better—not just easier, but more meaningful?
6. Narrative Over Bullet Points
When most people create a target market slide, they rely heavily on bullet points. You know the type:
Age: 25-40
Location: Urban
Income: $40k+
Tech-savvy
This type of breakdown is okay for showing raw stats, but it doesn’t help connect with your audience emotionally. That’s where storytelling comes in. Try narrating the audience’s journey instead of listing stats. Paint a picture of who they are, what they struggle with, and how your solution fits into their world. You can use a brief narrative or a quick scenario to make them real to the audience.
For instance: “Sarah’s bakery is thriving, but she’s spending more time managing invoices than baking. She needs a cash flow tool that allows her to focus on what she does best—creating delicious pastries while feeling confident about her finances.”
This isn’t a bullet point; it’s a story. And stories are what people remember.
7. Use Visuals to Reinforce the Narrative
The visual elements on your target market slide are just as important as the words. Use relevant images or icons to create context and emphasize your points. The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, so a well-chosen visual can reinforce your message in seconds.
For example, instead of simply showing a list of traits on the slide, you could add a photo of a person who represents your target market. You could show a millennial working from a coffee shop, a small business owner managing her team, or a parent juggling work and home life. These visuals add a human touch, making the target market more relatable.
You don’t need to go overboard with fancy graphics, but choosing the right image can make a world of difference in how your audience engages with the content.
Defining The Customers You Are Not Targeting is Just as Powerful.
A common red flag for investors is a founder who claims, "Our market is everyone." In reality, a product for "everyone" is usually a product for no one.
An Anti-Persona creates strategic boundaries. It tells your audience that you have the discipline to say "no" to revenue that doesn't fit your business model. This creates confidence that your marketing budget won't be wasted chasing leads that will eventually churn, complain about pricing, or demand features that clutter your roadmap.
Example: Imagine you are selling an enterprise-grade cybersecurity platform.
Target Persona: The CTO of a Fortune 500 company who values compliance and support above all else.
Anti-Persona: The "Bargain Hunter" or "DIY Startup Founder" who prioritizes low cost and speed over security.
By explicitly stating, "We are not built for the bargain hunter," you sharpen your value proposition for the premium buyer who actually matters. It signals to the reader that you are playing a sniper game, not a shotgun game.
5 Design Layouts to Try for Your Target Market Slide
Don't settle for a bulleted list. Here are five distinct ways to visualize your pitch deck's data that communicate different messages depending on your pitch's goal.
1. The "RPG Character Sheet"
Best for: Highly specific personas (B2C).
The Layout: Imagine a video game character profile or a LinkedIn header. Place a high-quality photo of your persona on the left. On the right, use progress bars or icons to display their attributes (e.g., "Tech Savviness: 8/10", "Price Sensitivity: Low").
Why it works: It gamifies the information, making it instantly scannable and fun to read while keeping the data structured.
2. The "Quote Hero"
Best for: Creating an emotional hook.
The Layout: Use a full-bleed, high-resolution background image of your customer in their natural environment (e.g., a chaotic office or a peaceful home). Overlay a dark gradient and place a single, powerful quote from a customer interview in massive typography in the center. Keep demographics small in the corner.
Why it works: It forces the audience to "hear" the customer's voice before they analyze the data. It screams authenticity.
3. The "Day-in-the-Life" Timeline
Best for: Showing when the problem occurs.
The Layout: Draw a horizontal line across the slide representing a 24-hour day. Place icons along the line to mark specific friction points. (e.g., 8:00 AM: Manual Data Entry ➔ 2:00 PM: System Crash ➔ 6:00 PM: Staying late to fix errors).
Why it works: It moves beyond who they are and shows where your product fits into their daily workflow.
4. The "User vs. Buyer" Split Screen
Best for: B2B SaaS products.
The Layout: Divide the slide in half vertically.
Left Side (The User): Use a photo of a junior employee. List their pain points: "Wasting time," "Frustrated UI."
Right Side (The Buyer): Use a photo of an executive. List their pain points: "Low ROI," "Compliance risk." Why it works: It visually demonstrates that you understand the complex buying dynamics of large companies.
5. The "Spectrum Sliders"
Best for: Nuanced audiences that don't fit a simple label.
The Layout: List 3-4 behavioral traits with a horizontal line (slider) for each. Place a dot to show where your audience falls.
Example: Cost-Conscious <--------●--> Value-Driven
Example: Early Adopter <----●------> Laggard
Why it works: It avoids stereotyping. It shows investors that you understand the subtle psychology of your market, not just their age and gender.
How to Present the Target Customer Slide Live: The "Head Nod" Test
Designing the slide is only half the battle; the other half is delivery. When you click to this slide during a live pitch, your goal isn't to inform—it’s to trigger recognition. We call this the "Head Nod" Test.
If you describe your target market and the investors or prospects in the room start nodding, you’ve won. That nod means, “I know exactly who you are talking about, and I know they have this problem.”
Here is how to achieve that during your presentation:
1. Don't Read the Bullets
Your slide might list age, income, and geography, but do not read them out loud. The audience can read faster than you can speak. Instead, tell the story of the struggle.
Bad Delivery: "Our target is males, 25-40, who like golf."
Good Delivery: "We focus on the weekend golfer who spends $500 on new drivers but still can't fix his slice. He’s frustrated because..."
2. Use a Real Anecdote
Reference a real conversation you had during your research. Say something like:
"I was talking to a potential user named Mike last week. He told me that he spends three hours every Sunday just organizing his receipts. That is exactly who we built this for." This proves you are on the ground talking to humans, not just looking at spreadsheets.
3. Invite the Audience In
If appropriate, ask a rhetorical question to bridge the gap between your slide and the room: "I’m sure you’ve all dealt with a contractor who didn't show up on time, right? That is our customer." This turns a static profile into a shared experience.
Final Tip: Spend less time on who they are (demographics) and more time on how they feel (psychographics). Emotion captures attention; demographics just justify it.
Q: "I have three different types of customers. Should I put them all on one slide?"
A: Generally, no. In a short pitch deck, clarity is king. If you try to squeeze three different personas onto one slide, you dilute your message and confuse the investor.
The Fix: Focus on your "Beachhead Market", the single segment that is most desperate for your solution right now and easiest for you to acquire. This shows focus. You can list secondary markets on a "Future Roadmap" slide or keep detailed profiles of them in your Appendix for the Q&A session.
Rule of Thumb: Design for the customer who pays the bills today, not the one you might get in five years.
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