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How do you learn about a specific topic? I am the type of person that reads everything I can get into ty my hands, especially when I am very interested in something. Just recently, I was wondering if there are any good books about how to give a great pitch or create a stunning pitch deck.
And let me tell you one thing: there are many many many books about how you give a pitch or about how you can create a pitch deck. Since I am highly interested in the topic of pitching, I took the time to read them all.
But I don't want to keep the things I read as a secret. I will give you my personal TOP 10 of Pitch Deck Books. I also added books from different areas. The reason why is, if you want to build a stunning pitch presentation, you have to think about communication- and selling skills, the words you use and how you are gesturing, and, most of all, your audience.
Pitch decks finally do three things: they get people to understand, they get people to care, and they get people to take actions.
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1. The Art of Startup Fundraising
by Alejandro Cremares
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"The Art of Startup Fundraising" is written by an experienced Entrepreneur, who has raised millions of dollars himself. The book takes a fresh look at every step of raising money for your startup. Cremades gives easy-to-follow explanations and shows his personal experiences with all the problems that can come up during the process. It is a good start for everything who thinks about raising money for his venture (for anyone who wants an in-depth analysis of every part of the fundraising process, we recommend Venture Deals by Brad Feld).
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What you will learn by reading this book
- How to raise capital for your venture
- How to set yourself up for success
- How to craft your pitch
- Which sources for capital exist
- How does the VC game work
- How does an investment round work
- How to decide on an investor and negotiate a deal
- How to evaluate your startup
- How to see red flags and bypass them
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2. slide:ology
by Nancy Duarte
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Presentations are not only a part of fundraising efforts but also a part of everyone's job these days. Chances are very high that even you have had to deliver an important presentation in the past. In Slide:ology, one of the most famous experts in the field of presentation design, shares her thoughts on how to express ideas visually. The book goes very much into detail and is like the 101 class of "How to make a good presentation?".
What you will learn by reading this book
- How do design the perfect slide
- How to prepare & practice a great pitch
- How to change from text first to graphic first
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3. How to build a winning pitch deck (Free Ebook)
by BaseTemplates
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A lot of people email us asking what makes a great pitch deck. Instead of answering each email, we decided to write a free guide for all of our users. It will walk you through the basics of creating a pitch deck, introducing the concept of a pitch deck, its advantages and uses, as well as providing advice and support on planning, design, pitching, and choosing investors. Your brilliant idea is just a pitch deck away from becoming a successful startup. Let's make it happen!
What you will learn by reading this book
- What a pitch deck is
- The difference between a pitch deck reading and presentation version
- How to design your pitch deck slides
- How to use powerful storytelling to create a unique pitch deck
- How to practice your pitch
- How to deliver your pitch deck
- How to attract investors
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4. Get Backed
by Evan Baehr & Evan Loomis
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Get backed is for sure one of the best books for those who seek funding. It covers every detail of the process from the idea, the design of your pitch deck till the way of attracting investors. The best part about the book are the many real-world examples that really help to get a new view on you on presentation. One of the many great ideas in the book is that investors need founders - that is why the power dynamics are never weighted to their advantage.
What you will learn by reading this book
- What a pitch deck is
- Which elements should be in a deck
- How to craft and design a story for your pitch deck
- How to exercise pitching
- How do other pitch decks look
- How to get funding
- How to build your social network
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5. Pitch Anything
by Oren Klaff
In "Pitch Anything," Oren Klaff gives an insight into his method of winning every deal. For Klaff, a pitch is not like doing maths. It is mainly about deciding which parts of information you should use for negotiations.
He explains every part of his method with the aid of real-life examples, which makes it easy for the reader to understand the concept. This book is for everybody who likes an innovative approach towards winning any deal. 100% worth reading!
What you will learn by reading this book
- How information is perceived in a pitch
- What the crocodile brain and the neocortex is
- How to gain local start power and use frame control
- How to avoid common traps while pitching
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6. To Sell is Human
by Daniel H. Pink
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In his book, Pink illustrates that everyone works in sales these days. And that is why it is only logical that he thinks that selling and moving others is the essential skill of our time. Throughout the book, he tells a lot of real-life stories that help you understand the mechanisms of why some sales pitches work, and some do not. One idea that I think is helpful for every founder is that you should try to bring your audience into your pitch. If you get the investor on board early in your pitch, everything will be more like a mutual collaboration.
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What you will learn by reading this book
- Why everyone works in sales!
- Why pitching is more about serving than taking
- How to sell
- How to prepare yourself to sell
- How the best salesmen and saleswomen work
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7. The Art of the Pitch
by Peter Coughter
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The Art of the pitch is a book that is inspired by the advertising industry and its famous pitches for glorious budgets. Coughter and other best pitchers of the industry tell their stories of the perfect- or even not so perfect pitch. Any person who regularly gives pitches or presentations can learn a lot from these tales and thought-provoking ideas.
What you will learn by reading this book
- Why everything you do is a presentation
- How to connect with your audience
- Why authenticity and emotions are the main factors for your success
- Why it is always good idea to rehearse
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8. Secrets of Sand Hill Road
by Scott Kupor
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With his book "Secrets of Sand Hill Road" Scoot Kupor, who is a managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz, is giving a great inside into the world of venture capital. At the beginning of the book, he explains why venture capital exists and how venture capitalists decide to invest their money. After that, he goes deeper into all the protagonists of the venture capital game and how a venture capital fund is structured. The second part of the book gives a lot of great tips about startup fundraising, including what matters in a pitch and how you get the VC money. Furthermore, he provides an in-depth analysis of a real term sheet of an investor and a startup, before he finally looks into the day to day relationship between investor and startup.
What you will learn by reading this book
- Why does VC money exist
- How are VC's structured
- How to pitch a VC and get their money
- How does a term sheet work and what is important
- How to decide between 2 deals
- How to work together with your investor on a daily basis
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9. Presentation:Zen
by Garr Reynolds
Presentation: Zen is one of the most famous books on presentation design and delivery. Everything Reynolds illustrates is highly influenced by Japanese- and zen culture. Similar to Slide:ology, the book takes a more technical tutorial-like approach to presentation design. The many real-life examples for the pitch deck and presentation design are very helpful.
What you will learn by reading this book
- Why technology is not always helpful in terms of presentations.
- Why it is better to plan your presentation analog
- How to craft a story
- Why design is the start and not the end
- Which principles and techniques are the main ones in presentation design
- How to get your audience engaged.
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10. Made to Stick
by Chip Heath
Why do some ideas survive, and some don't? - That's an important question for every founder selling his idea. "Made to stick" advises on what separates information that sticks and information that doesn't. It is no surprise that the answer lies in the way information is presented. All of the examples the book gives help its reader understand the concepts behind information delivery and how to create winning pitch decks.
What you will learn by reading this book
- What makes ideas stick
- Why an idea should be simple
- Why you need a surprise moment in your pitch
- Why your ideas should be concrete
- Why your pitch deck should contain a story
