Tips On Choosing Photos For Your Pitch Deck
Choosing pictures for your pitch deck can be challenging. Many entrepreneurs struggle with this part. After all, photos aren’t what you do; they’re just eye candy to help you tell the story of your startup.
But let’s face it: Stories are better told with images than through raw numbers and cold facts—at least that’s how your audience perceives your presentation.
Photo use in a pitch deck can be tricky for startups, so not surprisingly, many entrepreneurs shy away from using photos. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Much like in choosing photos for a brochure, picking photos for a pitch deck is all about understanding what you want to say with those pictures and how best to do it. Here are some tips to help.
1. Target The Audience And Make Sure Your Presentation ‘Speaks’ To Them.
You want your pictures in your pitch deck examples to be relevant and meaningful for your target audience, so make sure you’re not using photos that are either too generic or irrelevant for your pitch deck (e.g., a picture of a beach when selling an e-commerce company).
2. Keep It Clean When Choosing Photos To Use In Your Pitch Deck.
When you are looking for photos, ask yourself these questions: Is the photo relevant to my story? Is it professional in nature so that people can take me seriously? What’s in the background of the picture? If there are trash bins, construction equipment, or anything that doesn’t pertain to your story, then it won’t help you.
3. Consider The Angle Of The Photos When Picking Them.
When you’re choosing pictures, think about what message is being sent by each photo and what is in the background so they are not distracting. You don’t want any colorful posters in the background of your photo if you’re talking about a white paper.
4. Is The Picture High Quality And Uncluttered?
You want to choose photos that are high quality and compelling, but not distracting. Make sure there is nothing in the background that will take away from your presentation: no logos on clothing or people captured mid-conversation.
5. Give A Sense Of Your Startup’s Culture With Pictures.
Photos are a great way to instill a sense of your company’s personality and spirit in your pitch deck template, so make sure you choose photos that show what it’s like working there—such as people having fun together after-hours or enjoying each other’s company at a launch party.
6. Use images only when needed and not as the main focus of your pitch.
Photos can be a powerful way to convey a message or tell a story, but don’t overdo it—use them only where they really do add something to the presentation. Don’t just throw in images for decoration. That would distract from the story you’re telling. Your goal is to have your audience understand what you do and why it matters to them, so think carefully about where photos really help tell that story.
7. Think Of A Picture As A Word In Speechwriting.
If a picture’s worth a thousand words, then try to limit each photo to one or two words. For example, don’t use a photo of the tree through the window if all you want to say is “we are an established company”.
8. People Want To See Themselves In Your Pitch Deck.
If possible, find pictures that mirror the audience’s ethnicity and gender, but avoid anything that might make them uncomfortable.
For example, if you’re pitching to a room full of women and there’s a picture of a man overhead, get rid of it.
9. Don’t Use The Same Photo Twice In Your Pitch Deck—Or More Than Three Times.
It can get confusing when you present different information about the same photo, so make sure each image is unique. Similarly, if you use the same image more than three times, it will look repetitive and detract from the information you’re trying to convey.
10. Save Images That Are Large Enough For Your Pitch Deck.
Most photos that are clicked on smartphones are small, so save images that are at least 300 pixels wide by 400 pixels high. Also make sure you have a saved version bigger than the size of your pitch deck, if possible.
11. Include Images That Reflect What You Want To Accomplish.
For example, for a software company pitch deck design, use photos of people using their product or happy customers using the service—and avoid generic scenes for those specific types of pictures.
If you need a pitch deck maker with many customization options, check out Venngage.
12. Take Photos Yourself Of What You Want To Show Off.
If you have specific shots in mind, use your smartphone or digital camera so they’ll come out crisp and meet your specifications. If possible, get permission before photographing people—and never shoot without asking first. People are often wary of being photographed without their knowledge, so explain what you want to do and why.
To Conclude
Choosing photos for your sample pitch deck is an important step in the process of creating a great presentation. Picking the right photo can help you convey what exactly it is that you are trying to say, but picking the wrong one can set your entire presentation up for failure. With these helpful tips, you’ll know how best to choose one yourself!
- 1. Target The Audience And Make Sure Your Presentation Speaks To Them.
- 2. Keep It Clean When Choosing Photos To Use In Your Pitch Deck.
- 3. Consider The Angle Of The Photos When Picking Them.
- 4. Is The Picture High Quality And Uncluttered?
- 5. Give A Sense Of Your Startups Culture With Pictures.
- 6. Use images only when needed and not as the main focus of your pitch.
- 7. Think Of A Picture As A Word In Speechwriting.
- 8. People Want To See Themselves In Your Pitch Deck.
- 9. Dont Use The Same Photo Twice In Your Pitch Deck—Or More Than Three Times.
- 10. Save Images That Are Large Enough For Your Pitch Deck.
- 11. Include Images That Reflect What You Want To Accomplish.
- 12. Take Photos Yourself Of What You Want To Show Off.
