Live Pitching

In this article...

Pitching a deal in person enables investors to better evaluate an entrepreneur.

Equity Crowdfunding has opened new doors for startups and small businesses seeking to raise capital directly from the public. MediaShares can help your company successfully pitch to potential investors in this competitive arena. This article explores the essential elements of a successful public pitch for an equity crowdfunding investment offering, highlighting how the venue and the audience can influence both the style of the pitch and its ultimate outcome.

Key Elements of a Successful MediaShares Equity Crowdfunding Pitch

A compelling pitch is a blend of substance and style, designed to convince a diverse audience of the value and potential of your business. Here’s what makes a pitch successful:

  • Clarity and Conciseness: Investors should be able to understand your business model, market opportunity, and value proposition quickly and clearly. Complex jargon should be avoided; simplicity and directness are preferable.
  • Passion and Persuasiveness: Your enthusiasm for your venture should be evident, as passion is contagious. However, it needs to be balanced with professional persuasiveness—highlighting empirical data and solid projections to back up your claims.
  • Strong Visuals: MediaShares can provide visual aids such as slides, videos, or prototypes to make your pitch more engaging and memorable. Visuals help clarify complex points and demonstrate your product or service effectively.
  • A Compelling Story: Narratives are powerful. Frame your business journey as a story, with challenges, triumphs, and a vision for the future. This not only makes the pitch more engaging but also helps investors connect emotionally with your venture.
  • A Clear Call-to-Action: Be clear about what you are asking from your audience. Specify the amount of funding you are seeking and what the funds will be used for. Also, explain how investors can participate in the offering. Show a link to your landing page where they can invest.

Influence of Venue and Audience

The context in which a pitch is delivered—particularly the venue and the audience—can significantly affect its format and success. MediaShares helps companies understand these elements and can help tailor the pitch to fit the setting and audience expectations.

Type of Venue

  • Online Platforms: Virtual pitches have become commonplace, especially post-pandemic. These require clear audio/visuals and a focus on engaging an audience that might be prone to distractions.
  • Industry Conferences: These settings might provide a more knowledgeable audience but also one with higher expectations and less patience for over-simplified explanations.
  • Community Halls or Local Gatherings: Here, the audience might be less specialized but more interested in the personal journey and community impact.
  • Investment Luncheons or Dinners: Very often it can be arranged for entrepreneurs to pitch their offerings directly to investors in these events. It is known as “pay to pitch” and they can be successful or not based on many factors, with the most important being “Does the audience contain many investors?”

Understanding the Audience

  • Demographics: Tailor your language, examples, and emphasis depending on the age, professional background, and interests of your audience.
  • Expertise Level: The technical level of your pitch should match the audience’s expertise. For instance, a pitch at a tech startup conference can include more industry jargon than one at a local community center.
  • Investment Experience: The depth of financial details and investment terms you delve into should align with the audience’s investment savvy. Don’t be too technical, but show how investors can make money with your opportunity.

Tips for Adapting the Pitch

  • Preparation: MediaShares helps companies research the audience and venue ahead of time. It’s important to understand the common interests of the audience and potential concerns they might have about your sector or model.
  • Flexibility: Be ready to pivot your approach during the pitch based on the audience’s reactions. Interactive elements, like Q&A sessions, can help gauge and adapt to audience engagement and understanding in real-time.
  • Follow-Up Strategy: MediaShares will help you have a clear plan for following up after the pitch. Be sure and collect contact details and send out additional information, investment instructions, or a thank-you note to attendees.

Example of a MediaShares Public Pitch

ITBiometrics Finalist Winning Pitch – Wolves Summit

Conclusion

The ability to effectively pitch an equity crowdfunding offering in public is crucial for capital raising success and MediaShares can help. By understanding the critical elements of a pitch and adapting to the specific circumstances of the venue and audience, entrepreneurs can greatly enhance their chances of not just capturing attention, but also closing investments. Each pitch is an opportunity to tell a story, not just about a business, but about a potential future—and the right pitch can make that future a reality for a company seeking equity crowdfunding investments.

For more information, contact us.