Marketing Against The Grain: How to Instantly Create On-Brand Product Pitch Decks Using AI Tools

Podcast Information:

• Title: Marketing Against The Grain
• Host/Author: HubSpot Media
• Episode: How to Instantly Create On-Brand Product Pitch Decks Using AI Tools
• Release Date: May 6, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of Marketing Against The Grain, hosted by HubSpot Media, Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan delve into the transformative power of AI tools in crafting compelling, on-brand product pitch decks. Focusing on the capabilities of Genspark and ChatGPT, they explore how marketers can leverage these technologies to streamline the creation of effective pitch presentations.

The Importance of a Great Pitch Deck

Kieran Flanagan opens the discussion by emphasizing the critical role of a compelling story and pitch deck in business growth and career advancement.

Kieran Flanagan [00:32]: "If you're going to grow anything, your business, your career, you got to have a great story, you got to have a great pitch, which means you got to have a great pitch deck."

He highlights the necessity of differentiating oneself with unique and innovative pitch strategies, moving beyond commonly recycled tactics found on platforms like Twitter.

Introducing Genspark: An AI-Powered Slide Tool

Kieran introduces Genspark, an emerging AI tool designed to create slide presentations effortlessly. Genspark integrates various AI models, including Claude, ChatGPT 0345, Google Gemini, and deep SEQ models, to offer comprehensive features such as image generation and voice calling.

Kieran Flanagan [01:21]: "Genspark is trying to build an AI super agent. It uses a lot of your favorite AI models... it can do image generation, it can do some calling."

Despite having tested numerous AI slide applications without satisfactory results, Kieran finds Genspark to be the most promising tool available, capable of generating high-quality slides that closely align with brand guidelines.

Creating a Style Guide with ChatGPT

To ensure the pitch deck reflects HubSpot’s brand identity, Kieran utilizes ChatGPT to develop a comprehensive style guide. This guide encompasses primary and secondary typefaces, color palettes, layout structures, and specific slide types essential for an effective presentation.

Kieran Flanagan [02:02]: "I went over to ChatGPT and I had ChatGPT 4O, the basic model... it came back to me with this awesome pitch deck style guide."

The style guide not only defines aesthetic elements but also provides detailed formats for various slide types, such as agenda slides, problem statements, solution overviews, data visualizations, and summaries. This foundational work ensures that subsequent slides generated by Genspark maintain consistency and professionalism.

Generating the Initial Pitch Deck with Genspark

With the style guide in place, Kieran proceeds to create a pitch deck for HubSpot's Customer Agent product using Genspark. He inputs a basic prompt requesting a six-slide presentation tailored for businesses needing to scale their customer service with AI assistance.

Kieran Flanagan [02:03]: "I'm going to show you how to do it all... Here's a basic prompt... generate a six-slide pitch deck for growing businesses who need an agent to help scale their customer service."

Genspark exceeds expectations by producing an eight-slide deck, incorporating essential elements such as:

1. Title Slide: Clearly states the product and its purpose.
2. Customer Pains and Problems: Identifies key challenges faced by businesses.
3. Product Overview and Benefits: Highlights the features and advantages of Customer Agent.
4. ROI Section: Includes customer testimonials and return on investment data.
5. Call to Action: Encourages actions like requesting a demo or starting a free trial.
6. Export Options: Allows the deck to be downloaded as PDF or PowerPoint.

Kieran remarks on the impressive capability of Genspark to autonomously generate both content and design elements without manual input.

Kieran Flanagan [05:05]: "Genspark not only built the slides, but it went and did all of the research and came up with all of the content for these slides. I did no content for these slides, which is wild, right?"

Reviewing and Editing the Generated Slides

While the initial deck is robust, Kieran identifies minor design inconsistencies, such as text placement issues. Genspark's interface allows for straightforward edits, enabling users to adjust text alignment and element positioning seamlessly.

Kieran Flanagan [08:28]: "It fixed the problem. Still a little of the text is outside this gradient box... but it did pick up and realign the text and realign the icon as I asked it to."

He also discusses the pricing structure of Genspark, noting that while a free version is available for limited use, the paid tier at $20 per month offers extended capabilities suitable for frequent users.

Enhancing the Deck with ChatGPT's Outline

To further refine the pitch deck, Kieran leverages ChatGPT-03 to create a detailed outline, including slide copy and speaker notes. This enhanced outline is then fed into Genspark alongside the previously established style guide, yielding a more polished and comprehensive presentation.

Kieran Flanagan [10:24]: "I had ChatGPT give me the slides, the design elements, the slide copy, even speaker notes... So the prompts, you know, they're less in depth, but we'll get there."

The resulting deck showcases improvements in clarity and content organization, such as a more compelling title slide and interactive elements that demonstrate the product's functionality.

Comparing Different Deck Versions and Results

Kieran presents three versions of the pitch deck:

1. Initial Genspark Output: A solid foundation with minor design flaws.
2. Enhanced with ChatGPT Outline: A more refined deck with better content structure and reduced errors.
3. Prompt-Engineered Version: Created using a prompt based on Google's 60-page guide, resulting in a distinct but effective presentation.

He concludes that the second version, enriched by ChatGPT's detailed outline and the structured style guide, outperforms the others in both aesthetics and functionality.

Kieran Flanagan [15:14]: "The best version was taking a style guide that I created with O3 and ChatGPT, having O3 do a deep research, create an outline, and then using that outline and turning that into a slide presentation with Genspark."

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Kieran wraps up by endorsing Genspark as the premier AI slide tool currently available, surpassing other competitors in functionality and output quality. He emphasizes the importance of providing clear instructions and comprehensive style guides to maximize the effectiveness of AI-generated content.

Kieran Flanagan [15:14]: "If I find one better, or if I find some more hacks with Jin Spark, I'll come back and... I'll be back on a new show."

He encourages listeners to explore Genspark, highlighting its potential to save significant time and enhance the professionalism of pitch decks, making it an invaluable tool for businesses aiming to scale efficiently.

Conclusion

This episode of Marketing Against The Grain offers a deep dive into the practical application of AI tools in marketing, specifically focusing on the creation of on-brand pitch decks. Through detailed demonstrations and candid evaluations, Kieran Flanagan provides listeners with actionable insights and showcases the tangible benefits of integrating AI into their marketing workflows.

Notable Quotes:

• Kieran Flanagan [00:32]: "If you're going to grow anything, your business, your career, you got to have a great story, you got to have a great pitch, which means you got to have a great pitch deck."
• Kieran Flanagan [05:05]: "Genspark not only built the slides, but it went and did all of the research and came up with all of the content for these slides. I did no content for these slides, which is wild, right?"
• Kieran Flanagan [15:14]: "The best version was taking a style guide that I created with O3 and ChatGPT, having O3 do a deep research, create an outline, and then using that outline and turning that into a slide presentation with Genspark."

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the episode's key discussions, providing valuable insights into leveraging AI for effective marketing strategies. Whether you're a marketer, entrepreneur, or business professional, the strategies discussed offer innovative methods to enhance your pitch presentations effortlessly.