Pitch Deck Guide › Cover Slide
Cover Slide
Learn how to build a winning title / cover slide for your pitch deck with this step-by-step guide.
Pitch Deck Slide Explanation
What’s the purpose of a title slide?
First impressions stick, and pitch decks are no exception to this. The title slide is one of the most important slides because people are quick to judge and perceive something/someone in a certain way. The first impression that your title slide makes will color how your audience judges the rest of your pitch.
The fact that people are more likely to remember things they see first is a well-known cognitive bias, referred to as serial-position effect. The serial-position effect describes a person’s tendency to remember the first and last items in a series the best, whereas the midway items are remembered the poorest.
Your title slide should capture the attention of your audience. It will set the tone for the rest of the pitch deck. The ideal title slide should include company name, logo, and a catchy tagline. The entire pitch deck should match your company branding, with a professional and consistent overall theme.
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Instructions
How to create a title slide for your pitch deck
Follow along with this brief guide for what you should include in your pitch deck’s cover slide:
1. Content of the title slide
- Your company logo or name
- Company slogan, motto or tagline
- A title for the presentation (i.e. “Investor Deck”)
- A high-quality product mockup or relevant photo
2. Questions the title slide should address
- What is the name of the company?
- What is the purpose of the presentation?
- Does the slide allude to what the startup does?
- Is the design eye-catching / make you want to learn more
3. Common cover slide blunders
- Including too much text or too many elements
- A vague / confusing slogan or tagline
- Generic or irrelevant imagery (ie. stock photos)
- Dull or boring slide design
4. Design tips for titleslides
- Cover slides should generally have less than 10 – 15 words
- Choose clear, readable fonts and colors
- Capture your audience’s attention with high-quality photos and relevant imagery
Inspiration from the experts
Example pitch deck cover slides for Airbnb, Snapchat & more
The best title slides are captivating yet simple: usually a combination of the company logo and some eye-cathching imagery. As a principle, cover slides should have very little text (less than 10 words is the sweet spot).
Most title slides from leading startups are fairly minimalist: below are some examples of winning cover slides from pitch decks for household names like Airbnb, Uber, and Sequoia Capital:
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