Before you launch yourself into creating a fundraising pitch, take a step back and bear in mind these handy hints:
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Have your investors at heart
The investors on Seedrs are very diverse – from everyday investors to Venture Capitalists, so consider who it is that you specifically want to be an investor in your business and try and tailor your campaign to them. Break down complex concepts so that they’re more digestible. If you speak to your audience and not just at them, they’re more likely to respond.
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Tell a good story
People are more engaged and are more likely to remember your pitch if you tell a good story. All the following elements and more build up your company’s story:
- Why did you start your business?
- What’s your background?
- Who are the people that make up your team?
- What difficulties have you faced along the way?
- What positive feedback have you had from customers?
Use vivid language to build up the excitement – remember, you’re passionate about your idea and business. So, tell everyone exactly why they should be just as passionate as you. If you believe you’re the one to make this idea the next big thing then the language you use really needs to reflect that.
This doesn’t mean that you should ignore statistics – when investing in a business it’s crucial that people understand the numbers behind your company so that they know what they’re getting into. And although effective storytelling might hook investors to keep reading your pitch in the beginning, if the numbers don’t add up, investors will still walk the other way. It’s very important to blend the two elements!
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Understand your key investable points
Your campaign will have one or two really key selling points and include great metrics. Including those points in key positions within the campaign is important.
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Your pitch should complement your video, not copy it
The video should be designed to build excitement, the campaign itself should provide the concrete metrics. Grab the investor’s heart with the video and their head with the content of the pitch.
A couple of time-saving tips
To ensure you get your pitch up and running as quickly as possible, here are a couple of tips:
- Gather evidence as you go – Make sure that everything you say is fair, clear and not misleading. Your campaign is a financial promotion that we’re required, as a regulated firm, to approve. Keep all your facts and evidence to hand as you’re planning your campaign to make the process as smooth and speedy as possible.
- Watch grammar and spelling – If your campaign page is riddled with spelling mistakes investors might be put off as you won’t appear focussed on your business. Take care with all aspects of your company’s comms – down to the full stops.
We hope that you find these quick tips on creating a pitch useful and that if you decide to run a campaign, it’s a success.
