# Pitch Deck Writing > A pitch deck is a slide-based artifact that compresses a fundraising, sales, or partnership case into a tight narrative arc — usually 10 to 14 slides — designed to be skimmed in minutes and remembered Parent: [Writing and Documentation](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/writing-and-documentation/) · 14 facets · 60 facts · page: https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/ ## Overview - A pitch deck is a slide-based artifact that compresses a fundraising, sales, or partnership case into a tight narrative arc - usually 10 to 14 slides - designed to be skimmed in minutes and remembered in seconds. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#overview) ## 1. The 10/20/30 rule (Kawasaki) - Guy Kawasaki's rule for investor/pitch contexts: — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#1-the-102030-rule-kawasaki) - 10 slides - the human mind cannot absorb more than ten concepts in a single sitting in a pitch context — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#1-the-102030-rule-kawasaki) - 20 minutes - even if you have a full hour, present in 20 minutes; leave the rest for discussion — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#1-the-102030-rule-kawasaki) - 30-point minimum font - if you cannot fit your message in 30pt type, you have too many words — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#1-the-102030-rule-kawasaki) ## 2. The canonical Sequoia / Reid Hoffman structure - 10–12 slides in this order: — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Title / Company purpose - one-line description — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Problem - the customer pain, with evidence — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Solution - your product as the answer — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Why now - timing argument; why this couldn't have been built 5 years ago — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Market size - TAM/SAM/SOM, bottom-up preferred — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Competition - who else is in the space, how you differ — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Product - screenshots, demo, key features — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Business model - how you make money — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Team - why this team can win — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Traction - what you've already proven — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Financials - current state and projections — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Ask - how much you're raising, what you'll do with it — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) - Slide 4 ("Why now") is the slide most founders skip and the slide most VCs care about. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure) ## 3. The narrative arc — problem → solution → traction → team → ask - Strip away the template specifics and every effective pitch deck follows five beats: — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask) - Problem - establish the pain. The reader nods. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask) - Solution - show your answer. The reader believes the answer is plausible. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask) - Traction - prove it's working. The reader believes the answer is real. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask) - Team - prove you can execute. The reader believes you specifically can win. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask) - Ask - close. The reader knows what you want and what they get. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask) ## 4. The appendix convention - Strong decks have an appendix - 5 to 20 extra slides beyond the main 10–12 - NOT shown in the live pitch but sent with the deck. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#4-the-appendix-convention) ## 5. The "no cliffhanger" rule - Pitch decks are NOT mystery novels. Slide 1 should already answer "what does this company do" at headline level. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#5-the-no-cliffhanger-rule) ## 6. "What I most want you to remember" — the closer - End the deck with one slide that names the single thing you want the audience to walk away remembering. Not a recap - one sentence, one number, one image. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#6-what-i-most-want-you-to-remember-the-closer) ## 7. The slide-title-as-thesis rule - Every slide has a title. The title is a thesis, not a category. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#7-the-slide-title-as-thesis-rule) - Category title (weak): "Market Size" — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#7-the-slide-title-as-thesis-rule) - Thesis title (strong): "$47B TAM growing 22% annually; we serve the underserved bottom 60%" — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#7-the-slide-title-as-thesis-rule) ## Anti-Patterns - The mystery opening - first 3 slides don't say what the company does. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns) - Wall-of-text slides - paragraphs of body copy presented live. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns) - No "why now" - deck skips the timing argument. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns) - No traction (when you have some) - burying real data deep. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns) - Generic team slide - "20+ years experience" instead of specific credentials. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns) - Competition denial - "we have no competitors." — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns) - TAM inflation - "$2T global market" with no bottom-up math. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns) - No ask - the deck ends with vague "let's talk." — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns) - Cliffhanger close - last slide is "Thank you" or "Questions?" — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns) ## References - Guy Kawasaki, "The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint" — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#references) - Sequoia Capital, "Writing a Business Plan" — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#references) - Y Combinator, "How to build your seed round pitch deck" — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#references) - Reid Hoffman / Greylock partners - LinkedIn Series B deck annotated by Hoffman — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#references) ## Where this helps - Preparing a seed or Series A fundraising deck where a VC will skim it in under four minutes before deciding whether to take a meeting. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - Structuring a sales or partnership pitch that needs to compress a complex offering into a narrative a busy executive can follow without a live walkthrough. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - Diagnosing why a deck that "reads well" internally keeps failing to get second meetings — usually a missing "why now" slide or buried traction data. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - Rewriting a rambling internal deck into something an investor can forward to a partner without a live narrator in the room. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* ## How to apply this - Draft the five-beat narrative arc (problem → solution → traction → team → ask) in one paragraph before touching slide software, then expand each beat into one slide. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - Write every slide title as a thesis sentence carrying the slide's actual finding, not a category label, so a reader skimming only titles still gets the argument. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - Route supporting detail — extra market data, technical architecture, financial model backup — into a 5-to-20-slide appendix instead of cramming it into the live deck. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - Close on a single sentence, number, or image naming the one thing you want remembered, and make sure slide 1 already states what the company does so there's no mystery opening to undercut it. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* ## Common mistakes - Opening with three slides that never say what the company does, forcing the reader to guess instead of engage. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - Inflating TAM with a top-down "$2T global market" figure instead of bottom-up math the investor can sanity-check. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - Writing a generic team slide ("20+ years experience") instead of naming the specific credentials that make this team likely to win this market. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - Ending on "Thank you" or "Questions?" instead of a clear ask — how much you're raising and what it funds. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* ## Limitations - The 10/20/30 rule and the Sequoia structure are conventions calibrated to investor pitch contexts; a sales or partnership deck may need a different slide order even though the same narrative-arc beats still apply. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - A deck that nails the story but skips the "why now" slide will still stall with VCs, since timing is the argument investors weight most heavily and founders skip most often. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - The appendix convention assumes the deck will be read asynchronously as well as presented live; a deck built only for a live walkthrough with no appendix loses the forward-without-me use case. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* - The 30-point minimum font is a proxy for message density, not a hard design rule — it constrains word count per slide more than it prescribes actual typography. — [source](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/pitch-deck-writing/) *(AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.)* ## Context files - [Pitch Deck Writing](https://llms-explorer.com/downloads/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing.md)