Ten Things To Include In Every Pitch Deck
We see a lot of pitch decks here at SponsorPitch and while every one looks a little different (as they should), there are definitely some common staples that are almost always included in the thousands of decks that we've looked at.
Here's a quick rundown of the content you need to include to give your prospect a proper initial understanding of the opportunity at hand. While having these items may not necessarily close the deal, not having them could kill it or at least put you at a significant disadvantage with sponsors that see lots of new sponsorship opportunities every day.
1. General Overview - This is your intro to the sponsorship opportunity and should be used to grab the attention of a sponsor and show what's unique about the opportunity before diving into details.
2. Demographics and Reach - It's not enough to show how many people will view or attend your event anymore. Dig deeper by showing the reach of your social channels, the demographics and the psychographics of your audience. Advances in technology make it easier than ever to show which sponsors and categories your audience has the most affinity for.
3. Past and Current Sponsors - Especially with cold prospects, past and current sponsors serve to independently validate the opportunity in a way you simply cannot do as a salesperson. Additionally, this slide is sometimes used to highlight any category restrictions.
4. Sponsorship Assets & Opportunities - Whether you include pricing or not, almost all pitch decks give sample assets and opportunities that are available to sponsors. The most common ways to display assets are as part of a defined package or a la carte format.
5. Video - We all know video is more dynamic than text so why save the sizzle reel when you can embed it directly into your presentation? Short videos are increasingly used to express the opportunity in a way that words cannot.
6. Growth Trends - This is your opportunity to show that a sponsor is getting in on the upswing. Whether your metric is attendance, media, followers or anything else, year-over-year trends can be a powerful way to show the momentum of a sponsorship opportunity.
7. Testimonials - See past and current sponsors x10. A sponsor that is willing to put their name on the line for your opportunity can provide valuable social proof that validates your opportunity with a cold prospect.
8. Case Studies - No brainer. If you've got them and can use them. Be sure to include quantitative metrics such as incremental sales, trials, leads and cost per engagement to create compelling sponsor case studies.
9. Deadlines - Be transparent about deadlines, particularly as they may relate to key deliverables. Not only will this ensure your potential sponsor's expectations are aligned with what is possible, but it may have the unintended affect of getting to an answer quicker.
10. Contact Info - Don't ask. We've seen it before. You may think that because you're emailing a deck, a sponsor will have your contact info. The reality is that your deck will probably get passed around the office or to an agency who may ultimately be responsible for getting back in touch. Don't let something so simple be the deal killer.
Now that you've reviewed some must-haves for your pitch deck, check out the 5 questions every sponsorship proposal should answer!
