15 practical tips on pitching

Here are what I learned from other 14 pitches in a pitching workshop by Mike Bradshaw — head coach of Startup Sauna.

SHOULDN’T DO:

1. Start with a punchline, Not “Hi, I am Tho from …” -> everyone has the name, why others have to care.
2. Don’t start with a question “Do you know ….? -> weak start because “I don’t know, so I don’t care”.
3. Don’t say a long number (twenty August two thousand seventeen) -> take time for an audience to process. Instead say “2 months ago”.
4. Don’t say “always”.
5. Don’t show demo in pitch because they haven’t interested in it.

SHOULD DO:

1. Use strong words “we’re; we do” than “we believe; we promise”.
2. Stop saying anything after say “Thank you”.
3. Use business words (user acquisition cost,…)
4. Speak name slowly, recommend repeat 3 times in the pitch.
5. Pick 1 name, either company name or product name.
6. If you pitch about hardware, always show it, even a 3D model -> people want to see how big it is.
7. Say numbers to get people interested.
8. Use simple language that a 12-year-old can understand.
9. Give people scale of the problem.
10. Pick bold, ambitious target.