Write Great Investor Messages For Great Investor Pitches
July 27, 2022
Updated 22 May 2026
If you want a strong investor pitch you need a strong set of investor messages. The stronger your message to investors, the more powerful your pitch. See how Benjamin Ball Associates can help you find and perfect your investor messaging.
Meet the Author: Benjamin Ball
Ben is the founder of London-based Benjamin Ball Associates and leads the presentation coaching and pitch deck creation teams. Formerly a corporate financier in the City of London, for 20+ years he’s helped businesses win with better pitches and presentations, particularly investor pitches. He is a regular speaker and a guest lecturer at Columbia Business School and UCL London. Follow Ben on LinkedIn or visit the contact page.
How do you uncover those powerful messages to underpin your investor pitch?
Fortunately, we have a tried and tested process, perfected over the last 15 years, to uncover your investor messages. We use this process with public companies, private companies and fund managers to ‘crack’ the challenge of finding the right set of investor messages. We call this our Investor Messaging Cracker Process. It creates messaging that works.
But how do you know if you need an Investor Messaging Cracker Process?
If you answer NO to any of these 7 questions, then you should strongly consider calling us to organise an Investor Messaging Cracker Process to create a strong investor pitch.
How To Test Your Investor Messages
Let’s explore each of these questions in more detail:
1. Does your investor pitch successfully excite investors?
The best test for your investor pitch is how well it works. If investors are clamouring to invest in your business, then your pitch probably does not need much help.
But if you are struggling to excite investors and you find that prospects are dropping out after the first or second meeting, then you need an Investor Messaging Cracker Process.
2. Is your investor pitch simple and memorable?
Your business may be complicated, but your investor pitch should be simple and memorable. If an investor can still recall your pitch after a week and recite some highlights from it, then you have done a great job.
But if your investor is struggling to distinguish you from the many other pitches they have seen that week, you need help to polish your investor messaging.
3. Have you made it easy for others to talk about you as you want to be talked about?
How will others talk about your business after you pitch to them? Do they talk about you using the words you want them to use? Because when you have powerful investor messaging in place you will find that you can make it easy for others to talk about your investor proposition in the way you want to be talked about.
But, if you find that everyone talks about you differently, you should consider revamping your investor messages.
Why Pick Benjamin Ball Associates for Your Coaching
At Benjamin Ball Associates, we’ve been coaching business people to improve their business communication skills for over 15 years. Our coaching is fast and effective. We work with individuals and with companies, one-to-one and in groups. Call us today to learn more.
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4. Do you have a clear set of investor messages underpinning your investor pitch?
The sign that you have a powerful investor pitch is that your audience can see a simple set of messages running like a red thread throughout your pitch. That means your messages should be clear, memorable and bold. It’s not easy – the advertising industry is built on achieving these objectives – and we borrow some of the magic from advertising and apply it to investor messaging.
That’s one way that that our Investor Messaging Cracker Programme can add so much value to your investor pitch.
5. Do your investors/shareholders talk about you using that same set of messages?
Creating powerful investor messages is an art. You know you’ve got it right when you have something easy to repeat and easy to pass on to other people.
Because if other people are talking about you using the words you want them to use, then you have passed The Takeaway Test. This is one way we measure the success of our investor pitches. How do other people talk about your investor proposition?
6. Is everyone in the team fully aligned on your investor messages?
The reason we call our messaging sessions Cracker Sessions is that clients use them to ‘crack’ messaging problems. What do we mean? One common problem we see is when a management team is not agreed on one set of investor messages.
If you find each member of your management team gives a different story when asked to describe the value of investing in the business, then investors and buyers will naturally become confused. For you to be successful, unity of messaging is as important as clarity of messaging. How united is your management team?
7. Is your investor pitch as good as it could be?
Honestly, could you make your investor pitch better? Could you make improvements so it is easier for you to lead investors to the decision you want them to make? The more you get your investor pitch right, the easier the whole investor pitch process will become. That’s good news because you will spend less time answering basic questions; you will find it easier to persuade others in the investors’ organisations, and you will get fewer get delays in the process.
If you feel you could improve your investor pitch, we’d be delighted to help you.
What was the UK government’s key messaging during the COVID 19 pandemic?
Can you remember?
Most of you probably remember “Stay at home – Protect the NHS – Save lives”. or “Hands – Face- Space.”
Those messages were plastered on the lecterns at the daily press briefings, in TV adverts. We all saw them when health officials or government ministers spoke on the radio. And apparently they worked. About 85% of the UK population kept to the two-metre social distancing rules within a week of the lockdown being announced.
That messaging is working.
Messaging that works
Now step back a moment and look at the government’s messages.
Those of you who have taken part in our executive presentation coaching may recognise some of the techniques theyemployed. (We didn’t come up with the Government’s messaging, but whoever did was using five tips that we recommend to our clients). Good investor messaging uses the same techniques.
How to Develop Powerful Messages for Investors
Boil down your argument to three key messages
Link those messages into an overall narrative e.g. staying at home leads to saving lives
Keep the messages short – each of the three messages has at most three words
Use everyday language, simple verbs, monosyllabic words
Keep repeating the messages until you are sure that they have landed and are being acted on
Your communications aims are probably more modest, but you can still use the same, proven techniques to create, test and land your own messaging that works.
For example: Does your messaging fit the current mood of your target audience? Does it address their concerns? Will it speak to them?
You’ll also need to think again about your proof – that mixture of fact, anecdote and commentary that supports good messaging. Remember, if your messages are without proof, they are just assertions.
When you work with us, we ask you tough questions, such as: Are your statistics up to date, or do they seem to belong to a different time and place, before the pandemic? Are your anecdotes tight, telling and memorable? Is your commentary relevant and differentiating?
A lot of investor messaging fails because it lacks compelling proof.
As a result, when you start to talk to investors or customer, journalists or partners your story unravels. That’s why you should take a fresh look at your proof points and then road-test both the messaging and the proof before you go live again.
We work with our clients – helping them polish their talks, presentations, interviews and investor updates.
Why Choose Us: Transform your pitches and presentations with tailored coaching
We can help you present brilliantly.Thousands of people in the UK, Europe and the Middle East have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too.
“I honestly thought it was the most valuable 3 hours I’ve spent with anyone in a long time.”
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For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice for leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East. We’ll help you improve corporate presentations through presentation coaching, public speaking training and expert advice on pitching to investors. And we stand out because you benefit from our tried and tested PitchPointTM Process to make sure you make fast and lasting improvements.
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Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email info@benjaminball.com to transform your speeches, pitches and presentations.
Frequently Asked Questions: How to Create Powerful Investor Pitch Messaging
How do I know if my investor pitch messaging needs improvement?
You likely need to refine your messaging if potential investors drop out after the first or second meeting, or if your management team gives conflicting stories when describing the business. Furthermore, if prospects struggle to recall your core proposition a week later, your messaging is not landing effectively. A strong investor pitch must immediately excite investors and make your value proposition simple to remember.
What is “The Takeaway Test” in investor presentations?
The Takeaway Test measures how well your audience absorbs and repeats your core narrative. If your investors or shareholders talk about your business using the exact words and phrases you want them to use, your pitch has passed the test. It proves your investor messages are simple, memorable, and highly repeatable.
How can I develop a simple and powerful set of investor messages?
To create highly effective investor messaging, you can borrow proven techniques from successful advertising and public information campaigns. The five essential steps are: Boil down your argument to exactly three key messages. Link your messages into a cohesive, overarching narrative. Keep statements short, ideally limiting each message to just a few words. Use everyday language and simple verbs, stripping away complex corporate jargon. Repeat your key points constantly until you are certain they have been absorbed.
Why is management team alignment critical for a successful investor pitch?
Unity of messaging is just as important as clarity. If different members of your leadership team describe the value of investing in your business differently, potential buyers and investors will quickly become confused. A unified front builds absolute confidence and trust in your organisation.
What role do ‘proof points’ play in an investor presentation?
A lot of investor messaging fails because it lacks compelling proof. Without evidence, your key messages are merely assertions. You must support your narrative with a strong mixture of up-to-date facts, telling anecdotes, and relevant commentary. Road-testing these proof points before delivering your pitch ensures your story will hold up under intense investor scrutiny.
How can professional coaching improve my investor pitch?
Working with specialists—such as through an intensive ‘Investor Messaging Cracker Programme‘—helps businesses uncover and polish their core messages. Expert presentation coaching helps public companies, private enterprises, and fund managers align their teams, remove confusing jargon, and structure a bold, memorable pitch that seamlessly guides investors toward a positive decision.
a remarkable communications coach. His understanding of corporate communications is unmatched. I highly recommend!
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helped me prepare for a key note speech. This helped for that particular speech and for every other since. Highly recommend.
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"Thank you for today's training session. It was truly fantastic. I feel much more confident in my ability to not only write speeches but also present them effectively."
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Even during long Zoom sessions, Paul manages to keep the energy high and the experience enjoyable for everyone involved. His collaborative and engaging approach makes the training not only productive but genuinely enjoyable."
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...excellent in terms of helping develop and sharpen stories and messaging around Businesses and why they are unique.
... a useful sounding board to help management teams and Boards develop clear messages as to why a Business is different and attractive as an investment opportunity. ... highly effective at working with members of management teams on how to communicate and deliver key messages to potential interested parties in different environments.
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We enjoy working with Benjamin Ball Associates to support our clients with coaching. We trust them to take the messages that we develop and assist our clients in communicating powerfully.
BBA has an impressive team of journalists and ex bankers that we work with to prepare our clients for a broad spectrum of communications activities such as media engagement, investor pitch delivery, conference panel speaking and crisis situations.
Their coaching means our clients have been more effective when speaking to the press and to investors. We have no hesitation in recommending them.
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