

Ask HN: Is using humor in your pitch deck a good idea? - hymanroth
http://lmframework.com/beyond.htm

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chime
I saw the whole presentation. I have absolutely no idea what lmframework is or
does. All I see are words and no actual information:
<http://lmframework.com/page.php?id=lmf>

Sure, humor could help with pitching an idea or hurt it if used unwisely. But
lack of information about what you specifically do will certainly hurt a lot
more. In the slide 50/52 you say you've built the part that monetizes the rest
of the (Internet-iPhone) gap but then the slideshow ends abruptly without any
explanation. Sounds extremely fishy to me.

~~~
lpgauth
I agree, I have no clue what this is about. Also, checked the website which
didn't clarify anything.

~~~
hymanroth
That's useful feedback, thanks

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jolie
I think there's a hierarchy in pitch priorities:

1\. Clarity.

2\. Brevity.

3\. Uniqueness of product.

4\. Uniqueness of pitch.

...and so on. If you can make your pitch more unique with humor in a way that
doesn't cross any boundaries of taste (and if what you intend to be funny is
ACTUALLY funny), then go for it!

For example, I saw a pitch to a room of startups, VC, and press that involved
singing, dancing, weird accents, and a ukelele. I loved it and remembered the
company's name, the product, the founder, the works. Because of that pitch
(and their general attitude toward the tech ecosystem), that company's getting
a video interview and a shot at a guest post on RWW.com.

~~~
minalecs
I think in this case some might find your humor offensive "commie b*stard", or
an overweight man in a ill fitting costume. The list jolie provides is
correct. To me it looks like you searched reddit, more than doing a proper
analysis of your startup. Also as others have pointed out you have no insight
to even what your product is or how it works. Talk is cheap.

~~~
hymanroth
Yes, some might find it offensive.

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coffeemug
I'd say in a pitch, unless you're _really_ good (judging from your question
you're not quite there yet, and few people ever are) situational humor is OK,
while all other humor should probably be cut completely. If something funny
happens during the pitch, it's ok to joke about it. Planned humor usually
doesn't go over well.

We had a phrase or two in our pitch (not the slides, but verbal communication)
that were a bit humorous, and it happened to work really well. But it's very
easy to overdo it, and ultimately, it's unlikely to make much difference.

~~~
hymanroth
Thank you

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robfitz
Humor helps if you're already doing well, and hurts otherwise.

~~~
ashishbharthi
Absolutely, if I will wear turtle neck and blue jeans to office everyday,
people will laugh at me. But Steave Jobs can do that even when he is giving
keynote in front of thousands of people. The difference is success.

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jdietrich
It is a good idea - if you're actually funny.

I don't know what your product is. I've scoured your website and I still don't
know what your product is. No sale.

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skennedy
Did you catch the superbowl commercials last night?

Done well, humor can be a key component of a marketing strategy.

~~~
thejake
And poorly done humor is just uncomfortable. If first impressions are of any
value, you better be sure your material is top notch.

~~~
hymanroth
Very diplomatically put..

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dustingetz
i don't get it

(read the whole deck, clicked around, watched 30sec of a video)

