Our Blog

December 02, 2014 By Hendrik-Jan Francke

6 Slideshare tips for better slide decks

Getting more eyeballs on your content is about production and about sharing it in the right places.

SlideShare is one of the most popular content-sharing communities for professionals. With more than 60 million unique visitors each month provides content marketers with a new platform with the opportunity to share content to reach an even wider audience.

But not all slide decks are created equal. Here are 6 tips on creating a better, more shareable, SlideShare presentation.

  • Let me make it clear that this is not how to give a presentation, only how to create a Slideshare presentation.

1Include links

Take advantage of Slideshare by including links throughout your presentation. Use the site as your personal marketing outlet. If people like what they see they will click and generate possible business opportunities for you.

Link to:

  • Your email
  • Websites
  • PDF downloads
  • sources (give credit where credit is due!)

2Use buttons

You want users to click, but in most cases they don’t know where to click! Create buttons to encourage users to click on the links in your presentation. Users need to know what is clickable, make it obvious!

Buttons make users perform an action. You want to use these in your presentation because they stand out amongst the rest of the text to draw attention to the action. They’re visible and emphasize that you want your readers to click.

Buttons can be used for social sharing within your presentation to increase traffic to your Slideshare.

  • Clicktotweet is a great site for sharing
    • Share specific statistics and quotes from your presentation
  • Here’s an idea! Use the Twitter bird icon as a button so users can click on it and directly tweet the information

4Images

Images and logos are tricky. What looks good in your Powerpoint or Keynote slide deck won’t necessarily look the same in Slideshare. Use high quality images and logos to ensure users can see it clearly.

While images are important, they often need an explanation. A slide with only a picture may not be sufficient to explain your point. Be sure to accompany all images with text, don’t assume readers are thinking the same as you.

4Avoid the right hand corner

Slideshare has embedded a “share” button to the top right hand corner of the presentation screen. This means that any text or images located in the top right hand corner won’t be seen. Avoid putting text and images in that corner so readers can see all the important information on your slide.

5Call to action slide

Perhaps the most important part of creating a Slideshare presentation is including a call-to-action slide. You don’t want users to read your presentation then quickly close it and move on to the next. Have readers do something once they’re finished reading.

  • Contact information
  • Sign up for emails/newsletters
  • Download PDF’s
  • Make sure to include links

6 Test and retest

I can’t say this enough, test, test, test. You may have your presentation in what you think is its final stages then you upload to Slideshare and boom! everything’s distorted. Trust me, I learned the hard way! Upload a test presentation once you have your initial design and text finished.

  • Testing allows you to see what needs to be larger or smaller and if your images are clear and large enough.
  • Check your the visibility of the design layout and colors

Learn from my own experience

I’ve come across all of these details myself while creating my own Slideshare presentation. These tips can help you generate leads with your presentation. Now, go create your own. Keep in mind these key takeaways:

  • Design with Slideshare in mind
  • Keep it simple
  • Upload as PDF for best quality

Be a Bright Marketer

Improve your website & online marketing strategy with resources, tips, and insights delivered to your inbox 1-2 times per week.

Subscribe to the Bright Orange Thread Content Library today for instant access to these resources!