5 Steps to Create a Video Pitch for Investors in Minutes

Video pitches are one of the best ways out there to get your ideas in front of an investor. However, they’re also one of the most stressful. They require confidence and no small amount of planning to succeed. Otherwise, you risk a lackluster presentation that should put your ideal investor off from your product.

That’s why today we’re going to take a look at the steps to create a successful video pitch so you can stop stressing and focus on landing that investment.‍‍

‍1. Start With the Right Equipment  

Before you even begin writing your first video pitch, you have to consider your equipment.
Because let’s be honest, no investor is going to take a grainy webcam from 2013 and a crackly microphone seriously. These are professionals we’re talking about. If they see you’re not investing in your own presentation, what are they going to think about your startup?
That’s why a quality camera and microphone are essential to recording your video pitch. An entry-level DSLR and USB microphone can go a long way. 

2. Know Your Investor

When you pitch to investors, you have to understand who they are.
There are two primary types of investors: 

• Angel Investor - Angel investors are independent, wealthy individuals leveraging their own net worth to make an investment. They typically prefer to invest during the initial or pre-seed funding round for a company that’s looking to raise first-time capital.
  
  Pitching to these investors means showing them the direct path to seeing a return based on future possibilities. Show them your potential.
  
  
• Venture Capitalist - These are institutional investors that operate as part of a partnership. They prefer series A+ funding rounds but are big investors looking for big returns with investments surpassing $1,000,000. ‍

Look to pitch to VCs after the seed round. Prove that you’ve established yourself and you’re ready to scale your business further - you just need their investment.  Regardless of the investor you pitch to, do your research. Find where their interests lie, and who they’ve invested in in the past and why. Arm yourself with this knowledge, and tailor your pitch to that information. 

3. Write a Strong Opener 

A key part of making any video pitch is grabbing your audience’s attention, especially when presenting a business idea. You need your audience to be excited and engaged with what you have to say. So, always start with a strong opener. Take the most compelling point of your pitch, and lay it down right at the beginning.
You don’t have to elaborate on this opener, and can always explain the statement further later in the interview. Doing that will keep your audience hooked and waiting for the payoff. However, this approach means the payoff should be good.
When you write a pitch for investors, try designing your opener to appeal to how and what they can expect in return - not how great the idea is. 

4. Be Ready to Answer the Big Questions  

Assume your investor knows nothing about the project - even if they’re known to do their research. So, when designing your pitch, think back to your high school days, and answer the 5 Ws.
For pitching videos to investors, these Ws are: 

• Who are you? 
• What are you raising funding for? 
• Where is the funding going? 
• When can the investor expect returns? 
• Why should they care? 

Stick to these questions, and answer them with supporting information. For everything in between, put yourself in the investor’s shoes, and think about what more they would like to know. 

5. Keep it Short and Stick to the Script

Time is money. No one lives by this saying more than a serious investor. An investor only spends an average of 2 and a half minutes on an investment deck. That means there’s no time for meandering. Shoot straight and get to the point.
So, never design a pitch to last for more than 5 minutes. If they’re not hooked or at least interested in that first half, your chance of succeeding is going to drop dramatically. 

To this end, don’t wing the pitch. Script it out before you record and utilize tools like the Teleprompter app to make it land. Having a script that you control in front of you while you record will help you focus on appearing professional and confident on cameras rather than scrambling for the right words. 

Conclusion

So, before you make your next video pitch for investors, keep these tips in mind. Gather the right equipment. Research your investor. Craft a strong hook. Answer the big questions. And most of all - get straight to the point.

For help landing your next investment pitch, use Teleprompter to appear confident and knowledgeable in front of the investors. 

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