Anecdotes are a powerful inclusion to your pitch. An anecdote is a story that adds personalisation and connects your pitch to reality. The perfect anecdote adds interest and engagement to your pitch without coming across as bragging.
Any anecdote however must be a good fit and contribute to the overall narrative of your pitch. An out of place or fake anecdote risks derailing your pitch and losing the interest of your audience.
Any anecdote you do include is likely to fit within one of these 5 types.
The Founders Journey
Commonly used at the start of your pitch, is a founders journey anecdote about the journey undertaken by the founder from being a regular person encountering a problem, to committing themselves to solve or overcoming the problem.
The Users Tale
The user’s tale tells the story of the problem and your startup’s solution from the point of view of the end-user. The user’s tale anecdote should be personable, visceral and create a connection to be the most effective.
This type of anecdote is particularly useful when your product or service creates social good as well as profit.
The Opportunity
This type of anecdote is all about the opportunity your startup is growing into. They speak about the journey of the industry where it has come from, where it is now and why now is the right time for your startup.
The Deep Dive
The deep dive is all about getting into the detail about the tech. Depending on the audience and your startup will determine if this type of anecdote is appropriate. An audience with a technical or engineering background may get substantial benefits out of a deep dive. Equally, a startup with a highly technical unique value proposition may benefit from a deep dive.
The Product Demo
Product demos make it real. Providing your audience with a first-hand experience of your product will help with creating connection and bringing it to life. Further, it changes your pitch from just words, charts and pictures to something tangible and real.
They say a picture says a thousand words. Well, a well-done anecdote says even more. Including a well compiled and relevant anecdote in your pitch will increase your chances of connecting with your audience, creating interest in your startup and establishing key relationships.