Whether you’re a sales rep or a business owner looking for new customers, presentation design is an absolute must. The same goes for anyone looking to retain current clients. The way you organize and convey information could be the difference between whether clients — new or existing — use your services or head to a competitor. But how do you create the best presentations possible, engaging your target audience from the onset?
For starters, enmeshing effective design and copywriting creates successful presentations engineered to grab interest. Well-researched and compelling information can also ensure you have a thought-provoking presentation to share. But what if you’re unsure about how to do all this?
This is where a professional design agency comes into play. They’ll assist you with creating a presentation that not only engages but delivers long-lasting results from audience members.
But first, you need to understand the elements of presentation design, and how they can make your next project sing.
Understanding Presentation Design
Before you give a presentation, you need to consider how your presentation comes across visually. Is it captivating? How does it connect to your audience? You’ll need to consider fonts, color schemes, and how design elements work in tandem in your presentation.
Your goal is to find the sweet spot between various design elements, creating something that grabs everyone’s interest and keeps them actively involved — asking questions, taking notes, and looking for more.
You want audience members to listen attentively, participate, and feel entertained, when possible. Additionally, you want people to learn something valuable from your presentation, and creative, credible information is the best way of doing so. When you take the time to craft something powerful with custom presentation design services, you can achieve all this and more.
How Can Your Presentation Benefit Others?
PowerPoint presentation design services understand that you need to focus on how your product or service benefits others. Additionally, a professional copywriter knows how to use artfully crafted words to convey a powerful message or pertinent information.
Let’s say your presentation covers a new product you’re rolling out or a particular service your business offers. Instead of focusing heavily on the product’s mechanics, address how it helps the buyer. Compelling copy can work to convey this message.
Remember that you don’t have unlimited time to express these benefits to your audience, so use succinct words that cut to the chase. Ask yourself what you want your audience to feel and what action you want them to take, and look for copywriting that works to express this in your presentation.
Presentation design services also use the power of copy to include powerful takeaways. They do so without turning your presentation into a stuffy lecture. These key pieces of information should be something that audience members recall even after they leave your meeting.
Remember That Presentations are Pitches
No matter what, each presentation is, in short, a pitch. Whether you’re selling a new product or a concept, the goal is to showcase this information logically. And the best way to do that is with excellent copywriting.
You want your audience to access evidence to support your pitch, along with plenty of examples to support said evidence. If a client already supports or endorses your idea, you should include these testimonials to help sell your idea further.
If someone else at your company is doing the presentation, ensure they understand what they’re pitching, exactly — is it an idea, a product, a tool, or something else? Whatever the case, be sure they present it appropriately, focusing on one thing at a time. When too many ideas are introduced simultaneously, you might find that your audience is confused and uninterested.
Use Copy for Cliffhangers
We’ve all binged a show on Netflix, only to be left with a Season One cliffhanger that keeps us champing at the bit, eager for the return of Season Two. The same holds true for copywriting services that work to create cliffhangers for your presentation.
For example, when there’s a cliffhanger, we feel this sense of urgency to take action. We need more!
Consider when you see enticing headlines in your daily news feed.
They’re a type of cliffhanger — an external one, to be exact — because they grab the reader’s attention and demand they click on the article. If readers click on an article to find subpar writing, however, it turns them off. This is why you need dynamite copy in your presentation, and a professional copywriter can help.
Use language that generates curiosity. Keep your audience on their toes and wanting more. Pique their interest. You can even make bold assertions, grabbing their attention as they wait to learn how you’ll carry your plan out to fruition.
Other types of cliffhangers work to infuse humor, entertaining your audience so they connect to you and your presentation, and crave more of it.
Mental Imagery
One of the best ways to interact with your audience is through the use of mental imagery. You want your audience members to remember your presentation with effective design and copywriting. But you don’t have to solely use words for this — you can also use images. The more pictures and videos you share, the more people will remember.
As your presenter speaks, be sure they showcase images that connect to their topic. Just remember to use authentic images and not something that comes across as spammy or disingenuous. This means that stock photos might not be your best bet.
You don’t have to race to book a photoshoot with a professional photographer — just look for trustworthy images that demonstrate your presentation through design and writing.
Understand Your Audience
You can have the best presentation out there, but if you don’t know who your audience is, then it might not be very compelling. As such, ask yourself who your audience is, where they’re coming from, and what they need to learn.
This means that a template-type presentation isn’t going to fit the bill.
When you create standard, formulaic presentations, you’re not taking into consideration your audience’s needs and feelings about a specific topic. The result is a boring lecture that speaks at them and not to them.
You need to understand your audience, their expectations, and their thoughts. From here, you’ll use copy and design to create an engaging presentation that keeps everyone eager to learn more.
Focus on Narrative Arcs
This is all part of writing effective copy for your presentation. When using professional design services, the goal is to create engaging information that’s structured effectively. In short, you want to tell a story, flowing seamlessly from one topic to the next. As you continue your presentation, there should be visible momentum, creating narrative arcs.
The length of your presentation determines how long it will take for these arcs to come into focus, but it varies from a single presentation to weeks or months, especially if you’re teaching a seminar.
When structuring your presentation, ensure you’re focusing on the story you wish to tell your audience and determine what the most natural order is to relay this information in your presentation. This means that each slide needs a clear segue into the next, building on each other.
Slides should have a level of cohesion, moving audience members forward in your story. If you find that your presentation has an outlier story that doesn’t fit in with the rest of your narrative arc (but is still an important part of your presentation), use effective copy to relay this message and to explain why it’s important and why you’re sharing it.
Call to Action
Once you’ve presented all your information, be sure to let your audience know what next steps to take. This is all part of writing effective copy. Just be sure to watch your time and, if necessary, remove a few minutes of fluff or filler to make room for this part of your presentation.
Essentially, your audience needs a clear, concise call to action. And if you’re unsure of what to say, a professional agency design firm can help guide you.
You can go about it multiple ways, either bluntly, clearly stating what you want them to do, or subtly. Just be sure to let your audience know how they can connect with you after your meeting.
This might be joining an email list or subscribing to a newsletter. Whatever you choose, be sure to have a clear call to action, similar to something you’d include in an effective website design.
Need Help With Your Presentation? We’ve Got You Covered
When creating your presentation, design and copywriting are two key elements that a professional design agency can help you with. Your presentation’s overall design works to keep your audience visually — and mentally — stimulated, while effective copywriting helps to keep them engaged and wanting more.
From powerful storylines to a strong call to action, you need a presentation that grabs your audience from the onset and keeps them on their toes.
Let’s B Media can help. Our creative services know no bounds, and we offer everything from expertly crafted graphic design to compelling copywriting. Contact us today to connect with a member of our seasoned team.