What to Include in a Pitch Deck [Answered in Detail]

Our client Simon asked us a question while we were making his pitch deck. He said,

“What exactly should I put in here so it works?”

Our Creative Director replied,

“Only what gets you funded.”

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 people try to say everything, which makes investors hear nothing.

So in this blog we’ll talk about what to include in a pitch deck so you tell the right story, in the right order, with the right impact.

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 Be Ruthless About What Goes In Your Pitch Deck

A pitch deck is not your autobiography. It is not the entire history of your company, and it is definitely not a place to dump every idea you’ve ever had. Think of it like speed dating for your business. You get a few minutes to make someone want to hear more, not the whole night to explain your life story.

When we create pitch decks for clients, we see the same trap over and over. Founders think that adding more slides and more data will make their pitch stronger. In reality, it dilutes the message. Investors are busy people. They’ve seen hundreds of decks, and their attention span is short because they are constantly scanning for the few opportunities that stand out.

Your job is not to convince them of every tiny detail today. Your job is to make them curious enough to want a second meeting. That means your pitch deck should be laser-focused on what matters most — the things that make an investor lean in, not check their phone.

This is where being ruthless helps. If a slide doesn’t directly support your story, it doesn’t go in. If a number doesn’t back up your core argument, it gets cut. If a beautiful graphic has no clear point, it’s decoration, not communication. And decoration doesn’t close deals.

What to Include in a Pitch Deck

We’ve built pitch decks for startups, scale-ups, and even Fortune 500 teams pitching internally for project approval. The truth is, no matter the scale or industry, the core ingredients are shockingly consistent. Why? Because investors, partners, or decision-makers are always looking for the same thing: a solid story that makes sense, feels credible, and shows you can deliver.

Let’s break down what to include in a pitch deck, slide by slide, in the order that actually works in the real world.

1. The Opening Hook

Your first slide is the moment of truth. Most founders waste it by putting just their company logo on a blank background. That’s fine for a TED Talk, but not for a pitch. The first slide should instantly set the context and intrigue.

We like to open with a one-liner that tells investors exactly what you do and why it matters. This isn’t marketing fluff. This is clarity. If you’re a fintech startup solving payment delays for freelancers, your one-liner might be: “Instant payments for the world’s 1.5 billion freelancers.”

It’s short, it’s specific, and it makes the problem obvious. The opening slide should make an investor think, “Okay, I get it. Tell me more.”

Pro tip: If you can back this with a striking visual or a headline number related to the problem, even better.

2. The Problem

If you don’t make your audience feel the problem, they won’t care about your solution. Too many decks skip straight to showing off the product without first setting up why it’s needed.

The problem slide should describe a real pain point in a way that your audience can instantly relate to. Show data that proves this problem is widespread and costly. If possible, use a quick anecdote or customer quote that humanizes it. Numbers make it credible, stories make it memorable.

What to avoid: laundry lists of problems. Pick one or two core pain points and hammer them home.

3. The Solution

Now you present your big idea. The solution slide is where your product or service takes center stage. Show how it directly addresses the problem you just set up.

The best solution slides use before-and-after framing: here’s the messy, painful status quo, and here’s the clean, efficient future with your product in it. If your product is visual, screenshots or mock-ups work wonders.

If you have early results or prototypes, this is the time to show them. Investors are more impressed by something tangible than by just descriptions.

4. The Market Opportunity

You might have a great product, but if the market is too small, no serious investor will bite. This slide should show them there’s enough room to grow and make money.

Go beyond stating the “TAM, SAM, SOM” numbers that everyone copies from a Google search. Make it clear how you arrived at those numbers, why they’re credible, and how your product fits in. The key is to balance optimism with realism.

Example: Don’t just say “Our target market is worth $50B.” Investors will immediately think, “Yes, but how much of that can you realistically get?” Show a specific segment and your path to capturing it.

5. Your Product in Action

This is different from the “Solution” slide. Here, you dive deeper into how your product actually works. Think of it as a mini-demo within the deck.

A short, clean product walkthrough or a couple of high-quality visuals can work wonders. The point is to move beyond theory and show that the solution is real, usable, and well thought out.

If you’re still pre-launch, use prototypes and explain the roadmap to a finished version. Just don’t get lost in technical details — your audience doesn’t need an engineering manual, they need proof you can deliver.

6. Your Business Model

A great idea is useless without a clear way to make money. Your business model slide should explain exactly how revenue will come in and why it’s sustainable.

Avoid vague phrases like “We will monetize through subscriptions.” Be specific: “We charge $29/month per user, with an expected customer lifetime value of $350.”

If your model is unconventional, explain why it works in your market. This is also where you can address scalability. Investors want to know that as you grow, your margins improve, not get worse.

7. Traction and Proof

If you have customers, show them. If you have revenue, show it. If you have partnerships, list them. Traction is one of the strongest predictors of investor interest, because it shows your idea is already working in the real world.

Highlight key metrics like growth rate, user engagement, or retention. Keep it simple and visual — charts over paragraphs.

Even if you’re early-stage, there’s still proof you can show. This might be successful pilot tests, waitlist numbers, or industry endorsements. The point is to prove that people beyond your own team believe in what you’re building.

8. Your Go-to-Market Strategy

Many founders underplay this, thinking the product will “sell itself.” It won’t. This slide should explain how you plan to acquire customers, what channels you’ll use, and what budget or resources you’ll need.

Be specific. “We’ll use digital marketing” is meaningless. “We’ll acquire early adopters through targeted LinkedIn ads, partnerships with freelancer platforms, and influencer outreach in the design community” is actionable.

Show you’ve thought through the first steps. Investors know strategies evolve, but they want to see that you have a plan.

9. The Competitive Landscape

Every investor knows you have competitors, even if you say you don’t. This slide is your chance to show you understand the market and know how to win in it.

We like to use a simple competitor matrix showing where you stand on key features or benefits. Avoid overloading this with 20 competitors. Pick the most relevant ones and make the difference clear.

If you’re entering a crowded market, explain your wedge — the specific reason customers will choose you over the existing options.

10. Your Team

Investors back people before they back ideas. The team slide should highlight why your founding team is capable of executing this vision.

Focus on relevant experience. If your CTO built a similar product before, mention it. If your CMO scaled another startup’s user base to millions, highlight it. This is not the place for generic bios — every detail should strengthen your credibility.

If you have advisors or board members with impressive track records, list them here as well.

11. The Ask

Finally, be clear about what you want. Too many decks trail off without a direct ask, leaving investors guessing.

State the amount you’re raising, how you’ll use it, and what it will achieve. “We’re raising $1.5M to expand our sales team, complete our mobile app, and reach 50K paying users in the next 12 months” is concrete and measurable.

When you’re specific, you make it easier for an investor to say yes — or at least to start the right conversation.

Final note: Every pitch deck tells a story. These slides are your chapters. The order, the visuals, and the words all work together to move your audience from curiosity to conviction. And while you should adapt the details to your business, the principles behind what to include in a pitch deck are consistent — keep it focused, credible, and impossible to ignore.

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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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