Summary
On average, businesses spend between $2,000 – $4,000 for a starter investor pitch deck or sales presentation. Complex pitch decks with 50+ slides can be higher. Elements that impact the cost include:
- Strategy: Business planning, brand strategy, storyboards, legal, financial, and industry expertise
- Content: Sales copy, content research and development
- Design: Visual brand, template setup, and data visualization
Wondering How Much a Pitch Deck Will Cost You?
You are not alone. Pitch Deck use is on the rise. More businesses and startups choose the short and flexible Pitch Deck format instead of the extended business or project plan.
Presentation slides are easier to repurpose for other applications like sales presentations, business proposals, and other internal and external presentations. That's why many businesses spend a lot of time and effort creating their Master Pitch Deck. Once they have a Master Pitch Deck, they can export slide variations to fit different audiences, industries, and use cases.
How to Create a Pitch Deck Cost Estimate
While Pitch Deck slides are easier to navigate and repurpose, they require more strategic storytelling, content selection, and slick design. So, they need various skill sets, including business strategy, content development, and design, typically offered at different price points.
Plus, Pitch Decks are sales-oriented presentations. Selling is complex, especially when presenting to a new audience.
That's why some business consulting firms, startup incubators, and accelerators can charge thousands of dollars for Pitch Deck consulting fees. Some might even ask for equity in your company in exchange for mentorship and coaching fees. In contrast, you can hire overseas designers that charge by the slide.
The price difference will depend on what part of the process they are helping with and their industry reputation and expertise. So, before you ask for a price quote, get clear on what part of the process you can do yourself and what part needs additional support.
Pitch Deck Strategy Price Quote
Like a business or project plan, your Pitch Deck strategy must address your market analysis, solutions, and implementation strategy.
Your presentation slides must answer all the questions and objections your audiences can have before they even ask.
That's where many get stuck. Because when you are presenting your pitch deck story, you are addressing three types of audiences, not one.
- Investor Communication: People or businesses who can provide you with funding, loans, or grants.
- Market Communication: People who will buy or promote your solutions, including clients, customers, affiliates, sponsors, vendors, and suppliers.
- Internal Communication: Your partners and teams who can help you bring your business vision into reality.
Many new businesses get stuck in the investor conversation. But the reality is that investors will only be interested in your solutions if they know you are filling a market need and have a team to help you bring your solution to market.
Check the list below. Determine which slides you can fill yourself and which ones require more feedback and support.
Purpose
- Cover: Add a cover section that conveys the purpose and value of your solutions.
- Executive Summary: Include an executive summary if you plan to address repeat or advanced audiences.
Problem / Opportunity
Use 1 – 3 slides to explain the following:
- Problem Story: Explain what problem is your product or service solving in the marketplace. Or what opportunity are you presenting to your audience? Help your audience assess if talking to you is worth their time and money.
- Why Now: Explain why the market needs your solutions now. Is there an urgent need or market shift that can impact their results?
- Target Market: Explain who specifically can benefit from your solutions.
Solution
Use 1 – 3 slides to explain the following:
- General Solution: What is your proposed solution? What are the features and benefits of your solution, and how do they address the problem? Can you explain your solutions visually in a diagram or infographic?
- Benefits: Explain your products or services and highlight the top benefits to the end user using images, mockups, or infographics
- Secret Sauce: Reveal any unique, proprietary, exclusive, or patented technology, partnerships, or processes that prevent others from copying you (if applicable)
Business OR Revenue Model
Demonstrate that your ideas and solutions are feasible and viable.
- Investor Conversation: Create a chart, table, or infographic to explain how your business will make money. Add details on market size if relevant.
- Market Communication: Tell your audience how they can do business with you. How much do you charge, and what do they get in return?
Traction
Share any progress, numbers, or results to show you can do the job and that this service, product, project, or business has potential.
Competitive Analysis / Advantage
- Explain how your solutions are different or better than others on the market.
- How do you plan to stay competitive?
- OR How can your customers stay competitive by using your solutions?
Strategy
Explain your strategy. Does this idea, solution, project or business you just described make sense?
Strategy slides can vary depending on audience and context. Common strategies include:
- Product Development Strategy
- Go-To-Market Strategy
- Implementation Strategy
- Distribution Strategy
- Marketing Strategy
- Growth Strategy
- Market Development Strategy
- Market Penetration Strategy
- Diversification Strategy
- Merger and Acquisition Strategy
- Exit Strategy
- Other…
Teams / Support
Explain your support system and people who can help you do the job.
Goals and/or Financial Projections
Before you ask people to join you on your project or business journey, you need to let them know where you are going.
- Share your goals, vision, mission or road map
- Share any financial projections your or your clients can expect
Call to Action
What do you want your audience to do next?
Use of Funds
If you are seeking funding or financing, explain how you plan to use the funds.
Strategy Fees
- Expect to pay $100 – $250+/hour for branding, sales, and marketing consulting services.
- Expect to pay $200 – $500+/hour for legal and financial consulting services.
Pitch Deck Messaging Price Quote
Once your business strategy is in place, you can start working on your messaging.
Messaging in a Pitch Deck is usually:
- Concise: Use short statements that are easy to understand
- Strategic: Focus on the value to the audience and what's in it for them
- Compelling: Share meaningful information designed to drive action
Your Pitch Deck needs to flow like a continuous story starting with an engaging problem story and how you plan to solve it.
High-level messaging can include any of the following:
- Unique Value Proposition / Unique Selling Proposition Statements
- Problem / Opportunity Narrative
- Services, Product & Solution Explanation
- Business Model Explanation
- Mission Statement
- Vision Statement
- Core Values
- Business Philosophy
- About Us Section
- Team biographies
- Use industry language and terminology and stories that resonate with your audience.
Copywriting Fees
Expect to pay between $50 – $150+ an hour for professional brand messaging, content research, and development services.
Pitch Deck Design Price Quote
Design is the part that most people notice first. Yet many people leave design till the end, thinking they must work on their strategy and messaging first.
Try to involve your designer early on. Many items, like your business model, products, and services, are easier to understand when you present them visually. While your copywriter might need help to come up with short and catchy descriptions, a simple infographic or diagram might tell a better and faster story.
Junior designers usually charge less but expect you to provide them with the brand style guide, creative direction, and final messaging.
Creative directors usually work on messaging and design simultaneously, eliminating the need for a copywriter.
Design Fees
- Expect to pay between $40 – $75+ / hour for a presentation designer.
- Expect to pay between $75 – $150+ / hour for a creative director to help you with brand messaging, template setup, and style guides.
How Much Should You Spend on Your Pitch Deck?
How much you spend on your Pitch Deck depends on the type of help you need. Make a list of what you can do yourself and hire experts to do the rest.
Here's how we can help:
- Strategy: We can help you enhance your Pitch Deck storyboard, customize it to fit different audiences, and pinpoint gaps that need further attention.
- Content: We can help you create, enhance, and update your Pitch Deck content to help your target audience understand what's in it for them and why they need to act now.
- Design: We can help you create flexible and editable presentation templates and slide designs that fit your visual brand using a file format that you and your team can edit.