Most business owners know that power of the pitch. Although, understanding your business, brand, and the problem your business fixes, is important, it is not the biggest indicator of a successful pitch. A successful pitch needs a proper DELIVERY. Knowing your facts, figures, and business plan does not mean anything without a cohesive way to demonstrate it to potential investors. When it comes to crowdfunding, you are pitching to the audience virtually on the Kid Everest platform, this is called your story. Telling a well crafted story can help your campaign go from sidelines to superstar.

There are 3 main ways to upgrade your pitch through storytelling:

1. The set-up
2. The struggle
3. The solution

These 3 ingredients mean everything when it comes to delivering your pitch in person or virtually on your Kid Everest campaign. Delivering your story effectively is key to making the essential connections between your business and investors.

1. First, is the SET-UP. This is where you begin your story with the basics. Try starting off with a question that sparks the curiosity of the potential investors. Remember, you are trying to engage with your audience, so try using the word “you” in the questions. This will make an instant connection with the investors and make your pitch more relatable. Introduce a scene and characters (customers) that your business works with. You want your investors to relive the situation, so make everything as memorable as possible using your 5 senses to describe it.
2. Next, comes the STRUGGLE. Talk about the problem that your target audience encounters. Make your business idea more desirable by positioning the problem as something everyone has experienced or can relate to. Continue to use the word, “you” in your description of the problem. This will make the investors really understand how common this problem is and how they themselves have been effected by the problem your business addresses. You really want to spend the majority of your time with the struggle to demonstrate just how devastating or hindering the problem is. Take your time and discuss all of the terrible aspects or consequences of your problem. Using statistics in this section is key as well. Try and touch upon feelings as well as you can. Gaining that emotional attachment to you to a great way to gain investors. If your solution is going to save time and/or money talk about how much time or money people spend on this problem each year. These statistics will help you show the range of the problem and will ultimately help you demonstrate how vital your solution is.
3. Last, but most importantly, is the SOLUTION. This is your chance to wow the investors. Since you just finished building up the suspense in your struggle, it’s time to reveal your miraculous discovery or invention that solves it all. Cue the fireworks, TA-DAs, etc to surprise the investors with your genius idea. Explain how your concept solves the problem in a new and inventive way. Go into detail with why your solution is the best and how it solves the problem in relation to the statistics you talked about earlier. How much better can you make someone else’s life? Be humble and show the investors that the main goal of your product or business is to help others solve their problems. When pitching to investors in person, be animated and use hand gestures to show the vast degree of helpfulness your product or solution is. Using hand gestures or mannerisms can help visually display your pitch, but it will also help keep you loose and calm while pitching.

Remember, pitch delivery goes hand and hand with knowledge of your product. You need to know your facts, figures and specifics with your business. So practice both to be on top of your game. Good luck!