How to Make an Esports Pitch Deck [Win Sponsors & Seal Deals]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Mar 23
- 8 min read
Updated: Apr 16
Our client, Sam, asked us a question while we were working on their esports pitch deck:
"How do we make sponsors take us seriously from the first slide?"
Our Creative Director answered without hesitation:
"You don’t just pitch a team; you pitch a business opportunity."
As a presentation design agency, we work on many esports pitch decks throughout the year, and we’ve observed a common challenge—most teams and organizations focus too much on hype and not enough on business viability. They load their decks with flashy visuals, but when it comes to answering the crucial investor question: "Why should we fund you?" the response is often weak.
So, in this blog, we’ll cover what makes a winning esports pitch deck presentation, the slides that matter most, and how to structure your narrative to secure funding, sponsorships, or partnerships.
What Makes a Winning Esports Pitch Deck Presentation?
A winning esports pitch deck does one thing exceptionally well, it makes a clear and compelling business case for why sponsors, investors, or partners should put their money into your team, tournament, or platform. It’s not just about showing off gameplay highlights; it’s about proving why your esports brand is a smart investment.
From our experience designing esports pitch decks, here’s what separates the winners from the forgettable ones:
A Strong Hook in the First 30 Seconds
If your opening slide doesn’t immediately communicate who you are, what you do, and why it matters, you’ve already lost half the room. Esports is competitive—not just in the game, but in the business of securing deals. Your pitch needs to grab attention instantly.
A Business-First Approach
Sponsors aren’t funding you because they like your team; they’re funding you because they see a return on investment. Your deck should focus on audience demographics, brand exposure, and monetization opportunities.
Data Over Hype
Passion is great, but numbers seal deals. Viewership stats, engagement rates, sponsorship success stories, and projected revenue growth should be front and center. If your data is weak, your pitch is weak.
A Clear Monetization Model
Investors don’t just want to know your vision; they want to see how you’ll make money. Show revenue streams—whether through sponsorships, merchandise, media rights, or tournament earnings—and back them up with realistic projections.
A Professional, Cohesive Design
Esports is a visually-driven industry. A sloppy or generic slide deck signals a lack of professionalism, which can hurt your credibility. Every slide should reinforce your brand identity while maintaining a clean, structured layout that makes your message clear.
The Essential Slides for an Esports Pitch Deck
An esports pitch deck isn’t just a collection of slides: it’s a structured business case designed to convince sponsors and investors to take action. Every slide needs to serve a purpose, leading the audience toward one conclusion: investing in your team, tournament, or platform is a smart decision.
Here’s the structure that works:
Title Slide – First Impressions Matter
The opening slide should instantly communicate your brand identity. Include your logo, tagline, and a powerful one-liner that sums up your value. This is your first chance to grab attention, so make it count.
The Problem – Why Esports Needs You
Every great pitch starts by identifying a gap in the market. Are brands struggling to reach Gen Z? Is there a lack of structured competitive opportunities in a certain region? Define the problem you’re solving in clear, simple terms.
Your Solution – What You’re Offering
This is where you introduce your esports team, tournament, or platform. Keep it sharp—don’t just explain what you do, explain why it matters. What sets you apart from every other team or event out there?
Market Opportunity – Why Now?
Sponsors and investors need to see the big picture. Show market growth, audience engagement trends, and why esports is an opportunity they can’t afford to ignore. Use real data to prove your point.
Your Audience – The Real Asset
In esports, your audience is your most valuable asset. Provide data on viewership, demographics, social media engagement, and any other metrics that show your reach. The more specific, the better.
Revenue Model – How You Make Money
Without a clear monetization strategy, your pitch falls flat. Break down your revenue streams—sponsorships, media rights, merchandise, ticket sales, in-game activations—and back them up with numbers.
Sponsorship Benefits – What’s in It for Them?
Sponsors don’t just want exposure; they want meaningful engagement. Show them exactly what they’ll get—brand placements, audience activations, exclusive content partnerships. Be as tangible as possible.
Traction & Success Stories – Proof That It Works
If you’ve already secured sponsorships, grown a strong fanbase, or hosted successful events, this is the place to showcase that. Hard evidence builds credibility.
Your Team – Why You Can Deliver
Esports organizations often underestimate the power of a strong team slide. Highlight key leadership members and their experience. Investors and sponsors want to know they’re betting on the right people.
Call to Action – What’s Next?
End with a direct ask. Are you looking for funding? Sponsorship? Partnerships? Be clear about what you need and what the next step is. The best pitch decks don’t just inform; they guide the audience toward a decision.
How to Craft an Esports Pitch Deck for Maximum Impact
The Visual Identity – Make It Professional, Not Gimmicky
Esports is a highly visual industry, but that doesn’t mean your deck should look like a gaming montage. Many teams make the mistake of overloading their slides with chaotic backgrounds, neon colors, and overly stylized fonts that make reading difficult. A professional esports pitch deck should feel premium and polished, not like an ad for a gaming tournament. Use a consistent color scheme that aligns with your brand, but keep backgrounds clean and text readable. Stick to two or three core colors and avoid unnecessary gradients or effects that make the deck look cluttered. Fonts should be modern and easy to read—avoid overly stylized gaming fonts that look great in a logo but fail in a business setting.
Images and visuals should be high quality and purposeful. If you’re showcasing players, team branding, or event footage, make sure the images are professional and reinforce your credibility. Avoid low-resolution screenshots or social media grabs that reduce the deck’s overall polish. Every visual element should enhance clarity, not create distractions.
The First Slide – Hook Them Immediately
Your title slide is your first chance to make an impression. This is not the place for a generic esports logo and date. Instead, use this slide to make an immediate impact with a sharp, compelling statement about your brand. A strong title slide includes your logo, a tagline that sums up your value, and a visually clean but bold design. For example, instead of just writing “Team X Pitch Deck,” a better approach would be “Team X: Redefining Competitive Esports Engagement” or “Esports Meets Business – The Next Big Opportunity”. This signals that your pitch is not just about gaming but about a real investment opportunity.
The Problem Slide – Make It About the Industry, Not Just You
Many teams approach this slide the wrong way by making it entirely about their own challenges. Sponsors and investors don’t care about your struggles; they care about market gaps and how you plan to fill them. Instead of saying, “We need funding to expand our team,” frame it as a market-wide issue that your organization is uniquely positioned to solve. For example:
Wrong approach:
Our team lacks resources to compete at a higher level.
We struggle with brand exposure and sponsorship opportunities.
Right approach:
Brands are struggling to reach the Gen Z audience, and traditional marketing methods are failing in esports.
The esports industry is growing exponentially, but structured investment opportunities remain underdeveloped.
This shifts the focus from your problem to a larger business opportunity, making it easier for investors to see the potential value.
The Solution Slide – Position Yourself as the Answer
Once the problem is clear, the next slide must position your organization as the best solution. The key here is to keep it simple and impactful. Avoid long-winded explanations about how your team started or the history of your tournament. Instead, get straight to the point with a clear value proposition.
For example:
Weak solution statement:
“We are an esports team competing in multiple tournaments with a strong social media presence and dedicated fans.”
Strong solution statement:
“We provide brands with direct access to an engaged Gen Z audience through high-impact esports partnerships, content integrations, and live event activations.”
The difference is subtle but powerful. The first statement is focused on what you do, while the second is focused on why it matters to a sponsor or investor.
The Market Opportunity Slide – Use Data, Not Assumptions
Too many esports pitch decks rely on vague statements like “Esports is the fastest-growing industry” without backing it up with solid data. Sponsors and investors expect hard facts, not general trends. Use industry reports, research data, and real numbers to make your case. Instead of saying “Esports is popular,” show statistics on viewership growth, sponsorship revenue, or audience engagement trends.
For example, a strong market slide might include:
Total global esports revenue growth projections.
Demographic breakdowns of esports audiences (age, interests, spending habits).
The increase in non-endemic brands investing in esports sponsorships.
This slide should make one thing clear—investing in esports is a financially smart decision, not just an exciting one.
The Audience Slide – Show Sponsors Who They’re Reaching
Sponsors don’t care about your team as much as they care about your audience. This is one of the most critical slides in your deck. Break down your fanbase with clear, data-driven insights that show sponsors exactly who they will be reaching by partnering with you.
Key elements to include:
Total audience size across platforms (Twitch, YouTube, social media, live events).
Engagement metrics—viewership hours, average watch time, interaction rates.
Demographic insights—age, location, income level, interests.
Instead of saying “We have a large audience,” say “We reach 500,000 engaged esports fans, 75% of whom are in the 18-34 age range, with an average watch time of 32 minutes per stream.” This gives sponsors clear value instead of vague claims.
The Revenue Model Slide – Prove You’re a Business, Not a Hobby
If there’s one slide that can make or break your pitch, it’s this one. Investors want to know how you make money and, more importantly, how they will make money by working with you. Outline all your revenue streams clearly.
Examples of revenue streams:
Sponsorships and brand partnerships.
Media rights and streaming deals.
Merchandise and fan subscriptions.
Tournament hosting and ticket sales.
Show real numbers if you have them. If you’re pre-revenue, include realistic projections backed by data. Avoid exaggerated claims, as investors will see through them. A strong revenue slide makes your esports organization look like a serious business venture, not just a passion project.
The Sponsorship Benefits Slide – Sell the Value, Not Just the Brand Placement
This is where many teams fall short. Listing sponsor logos and saying “Join our list of partners” is not enough. You need to sell the benefits. Instead of just saying a sponsor’s logo will appear on jerseys and streams, explain what that exposure means in terms of audience engagement and brand visibility.
Example:
Standard Approach: “Logo placement on jerseys, streams, and social media.”
Better Approach: “Your brand will be integrated into our live streams, engaging 200,000+ viewers per event, with in-stream shoutouts, exclusive content partnerships, and co-branded activations that drive measurable audience interaction.”
The second approach is more tangible, showing sponsors exactly how they will benefit beyond just brand placement.
The Call to Action Slide – Make It Clear and Direct
Your final slide should leave no room for confusion. If your ask is vague, investors and sponsors will hesitate. Be direct and specific about what you need and what the next steps are.
Examples of weak vs. strong calls to action:
Weak: “We’d love to discuss potential sponsorships.”
Strong: “We are looking for strategic brand partners to invest in our next tournament, with sponsorship packages starting at $50,000. Let’s set up a call to explore the best fit.”
This ensures that decision-makers know exactly what action to take after seeing your pitch.
Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.