You’re on the right path. As a founder with a fundraising pitch coming up, you have avoided the temptation of jumping straight into your pitch deck and are instead creating the narrative first.
As you stare at the blank page you begin to realise, however, that this may be harder than you thought. I have been here before myself and here are the things I have found that not only help me to create a good narrative but a great one.
Firstly, if you are still staring at that blank page, STOP. Writing something is better than writing nothing so Just Begin. Getting some ideas written down and out of your head should get the ball rolling and well on the way.
If this approach isn’t working for you then you can try starting at the end. Endings are easier to write than beginnings and once you have them done you know where you want your pitch to end up.
Another suggestion is to find another narrative that you like and take the structure of it for yourself. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, clone what works.
It is unlikely that your first thoughts are the best ones you will have. To achieve a great narrative you need to iterate, iterate and iterate.
Polish your narrative through multiple iterations but when it is done, stop, and avoid perfection. As you iterate if you find something that doesn’t fit move it to your appendix and keep going. You can always add it back in if you need to.
Further, your narrative needs to include strong turning points in the beginning and at the end like a call to adventure and a call to action.
Finally, always focus on what you think the audience wants to hear and not what you want to tell them. Soundbites are a great way to achieve this as they are easy to remember and convey complex ideas, simply.
The difference between a good pitch narrative and a great pitch narrative is in the details. That difference, however, can determine if you secure the funding, you need or not.
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