Why Your Pitch Deck Is not Working (And How to Fix It with Storytelling)?

Want to raise capital fast? Make your pitch a story.

Most founders fill their pitch decks with facts, numbers, and features. But investors don’t fund data—they fund stories. After hearing over 1,500 startup pitches, one thing is clear: only 5% are told like a story. Nearly all of those raise money.

That’s not a coincidence. Stories help investors understand your business, remember your message, and feel emotionally invested. A well-told story builds momentum and makes your “ask” feel natural.

In this post, you’ll learn two simple tests to find out if your pitch has a real story—and how to fix it if it doesn’t. These insights can help you turn a forgettable pitch into one that closes funding rounds.

And if you want to speed things up, Evalyze.ai can help. Our AI-powered tool analyzes your pitch deck and helps you shape it into a clear, powerful story that connects with investors.

🔑 Key Takeaways

The Power of Storytelling in Fundraising

Why Stories Outperform Data Dumps

Understanding investor psychology helps you craft a pitch that speaks to emotions first—because most investment decisions start with belief, not just data.

Stories work because they make people feel something. When you tell a story, the brain releases chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin—these create focus, trust, and emotional connection. That’s exactly what you want from an investor.

Now, compare that to a typical pitch deck packed with stats and bullet points. It’s hard to follow, easy to forget and doesn’t move anyone.

Investors may look at numbers, but they invest in people and emotions. They want to believe in your mission, your product, and your vision. And belief starts with a story.

This is why people remember The Lord of the Rings, Steve Jobs’ keynote speeches, or the origin story of Airbnb. They follow a clear path, create tension, and end with something meaningful. Your pitch needs to do the same.

Why Most Pitch Decks Fall Flat

The “List of Facts” Problem

Most pitch decks fail because they’re just a list of facts. Slide after slide shares data, features, or market size—but there’s no real connection between them.

You can shuffle the slides in many of these decks, and it wouldn’t make a difference. That’s a clear sign there’s no story. Without structure, there’s no buildup, no tension, and no reason to care about what’s next.

This overloads the brain. When everything feels equally important, nothing stands out. Investors lose interest because they don’t know what to focus on or why it matters. A pitch should guide them, not confuse them.

Read 5 Reasons Why Startups Fail at Fundraising and learn how to fix them before your next investor meeting.

Test #1 — The Rearrangement Test

Can You Shuffle Your Slides Without Losing Meaning?

Here’s a simple test: try rearranging the slides in your pitch deck. Does it still make sense?

If yes, that’s a problem.

Great stories don’t work out of order. Imagine The Lord of the Rings starting with the ring being destroyed—there’s no buildup, no tension, no journey. Your pitch should be the same. Each slide should lead to the next, building momentum toward your final ask.

If your deck works in any order, it means the slides aren’t connected. There’s no clear path. And without a path, investors won’t follow.

Does your pitch pass the rearrangement test?
☐ Every slide leads naturally to the next
☐ The order matters
☐ Rearranging the slides breaks the flow

If you can’t check all three, your pitch isn’t telling a story yet.

Test #2 — The Causation Test

Are Your Slides Driven by 'So', 'But', or Just 'And'?

Most pitch decks link slides with “and.” You built a product and have a team and there’s a big market. That’s just a list. Lists don’t tell a story.

Here’s a quick way to check if your deck tells a story:

1. Write one sentence that sums up each slide.

2. Combine those sentences into a single run-on sentence.

3. Pay attention to the words that connect them.

If you’re mostly using “and,” your pitch lacks flow. A real story uses words like “so,” “but,” “because,” and “therefore.” These create movement. One idea leads to the next. One slide causes the next.

If there’s no cause-and-effect, there’s no story—just information. And information alone won’t get you funded.

How to Fix It — Build a Narrative Arc

Create Momentum with Friction and Causation

To turn your pitch into a story, you need to create flow. Use simple words that show cause, conflict, or progress:

So. But. Yet. Because. Therefore.

These words force your slides to connect. One idea leads to the next. They create tension and resolution—what every good story needs.

Here’s how to fix your pitch:

Before (just facts):

• We found a market gap

• We built a product

• We launched it

• We got users

• We’re raising money

After (with story flow):

• We found a market gap because existing tools didn’t solve the real problem

• So we built a product focused on that specific need

• But launching wasn’t easy—we hit challenges early

• Yet users responded well and started spreading the word

• Therefore, we’re raising money to scale what’s working

Use these connectors to rewrite your slides. If each one leads naturally to the next, you’re on the right track.

What an Investor-Ready Story Looks Like

A strong pitch deck follows a clear story arc. Each part builds on the last and leads investors toward one thing: saying yes.

Here’s the structure:

1. The world before your product — Show what the market or user experience looked like before.

2. The problem — Highlight the pain point clearly.

3. The solution — Show how your product solves the problem.

4. Proof and traction — Back it up with real results or user growth.

5. The future vision — Explain why this is the right time and why you’re the right team.

6. The ask — Tell investors what you need and how it will drive growth.

This flow creates momentum. You start with something relatable, build tension, solve the problem, prove it works, then show where it's going. By the time you ask for funding, the investor should already be on board.

Make Your Pitch Deck Irresistible

If your pitch doesn’t tell a story, investors won’t care—no matter how good your product is.

🧪Use the Rearrangement Test: if you can shuffle your slides and the meaning doesn’t change, you don’t have a story.

🧪Use the Causation Test: if your slides are connected by “and” instead of “so,” “but,” or “therefore,” you’re just listing facts.

Fixing this starts with structure. Stories are powerful because they create emotion, build momentum, and make people remember. That’s what gets investors to say yes.

Use AI to test your deck for narrative flow, friction, and clarity—so you can confidently pitch your vision.

Evalyze.ai helps you turn your deck into a clear, compelling story that gets funded.