Brevity in your pitch
Most first-time founders make the same rookie mistake when fundraising:
They bury their potential investors in a mountain of details.
It's like that quote: “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” — Mark Twain
These entrepreneurs naively assume that the more information they share, the stronger their case for an investment. But, this usually ends up biting them in the ass.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been guilty of this, too — I’ve bombarded investors with data and information to prove to them that my company was a winner. I needed to convince them that I was right.
It took me a long time to finally learn my lesson, but I eventually came to the realization that founders should operate with the underlying assumption that everyone is lazy.
It’s easy to forget that most investors are bombarded with dozens of emails and pitches every single day. When investors are overloaded with information, they usually decide to skim over the email.
And, when they do this, they’re more likely to miss the details most important to your pitch… and that’s assuming they read your email at all.
When pitching potential investors for the first time, it’s important that you:
Only include the MOST important information
Get to the ask as quickly as possible
Remember: Less is more.
A few other useful tactics for any email pitch:
The email should be 2-5 sentences, 125 words. No more than 200.
Include your pitch deck (A PDF file. not Google Slides, not PowerPoint, not Docsend)
Link to your prototype or even better, a working product. CPG founders should link to their brand deck and visual renderings.
Demonstrate knowledge of the firm and why your company fits its thesis
Make a specific ‘Ask’ (phone call, opportunity to pitch in person, etc.)
Like I said, everyone is lazy. The easier you make it for your potential investor to say “yes”, the more likely they are to do so.