Some presenters play video during their pitches to investors. If you have created a video for your product, you probably put a lot of thought and maybe money into it; as a result, you’re probably pretty proud of it. You may also feel like using a video will take some of the pressure off you in the pitch because the video gets the point across really well (you think).
You should, however, avoid using video during the pitch unless you absolutely have a very good reason for it.
Putting a video in your pitch can be really risky. Murphy’s Law states that your video will self-destruct as soon as you hit the Play button in the vicinity of an investor, crash your hard drive, instantly result in a bad hair day, or otherwise undermine your efforts. Even when the video plays correctly, it can ruin the mood.
Here are two particularly problematic issues related to integrating videos into your pitch:
Audio level: The audio on the video must be the same loudness as your voice and appropriate to the venue. Whereas you can control the loudness of you own voice in the moment — modulating your voice in a small room or using a microphone in a large room — getting the sound level right in the video is quite a bit more challenging.
You’ve got to make sure that the audio is mixed properly when going through the speakers. Too loud or too soft, and you run the risk of upsetting the flow of your talk. If you have a mixing board in the auditorium and someone skilled to run it, you may be able to overcome the hurdle.
If, on the other hand, your plan is to hold your microphone up to your computer’s speakers so that everyone in the audience can hear — don’t do it!
Timing: If you’re going to include a video, you need to segue into and out of it seamlessly, without any delays or awkward pauses. If you have more than a few seconds of time between your discussion and the start of the video’s audio, you run the risk of losing the attention of your audience.
If you choose to play a video in your pitch, be sure to set it up ahead of time. Check the sound and projector color quality. Practice how you will introduce your video and how you will end it.