Prompt to Pitch: Building a Deck with Copilot and Gemini

You can build a clear, on-brand pitch deck in under an hour using Microsoft Copilot in PowerPoint and Google’s Gemini in Slides.

This guide shows you how to go from a one-line brief to a presentable deck, how to keep control of content and style, and where the tools save real time. If you prefer expert help, you can always explore pitch deck consulting, but the steps below will get you from prompt to pitch on your own.

What you’ll learn

• A fast, repeatable workflow: brief → outline → slides → speaker notes → polish
• Where Copilot is strongest, where Gemini is strongest, and how to combine them
• Prompt templates that produce usable slides instead of generic output
• Simple checks for brand, accessibility, and privacy

The quick view: Copilot vs Gemini

Use this table to pick a starting point and decide whether to stay in one tool or mix both.

Task	Best starting tool	Why it helps
Turn a file (Word/PDF) into a first deck	PowerPoint with Copilot	Copilot can draft slides, topics, and speaker notes from your files and templates.
Draft slides from a plain prompt	Both	Copilot: “Create a presentation about…”. Gemini: “Generate new slides about…”.
Auto-add speaker notes	PowerPoint with Copilot	Built-in prompt to add notes to all slides.
Create custom images inside slides	Slides with Gemini	“Help me visualise” generates images you can insert.
Keep decks on-brand	PowerPoint with Copilot	Copilot can respect brand templates and masters.
Async sharing and collaboration	Slides with Gemini	Real-time editing and simple sharing are strong defaults.

Step 1 — Start with a sharp brief

Write one sentence that names the audience, the decision you want, and the proof you have.
Example: “Convince seed investors that our AI fraud model cuts chargebacks 38% using three live pilots.”

Keep a short facts list under it: target, problem, solution, evidence, ask, next step. You’ll feed this into Copilot or Gemini as your seed prompt.

For slide clarity basics—font size, line length, and hierarchy—refer to The Dos and Don’ts of Creating a Slideshow.

Step 2 — Create the first draft with Copilot (PowerPoint)

Copilot can turn a prompt or a source file into a structured deck. Here’s a reliable flow:

1. Open PowerPoint → Copilot → Create presentation.
   Paste your one-sentence brief and your facts list.
2. Attach source files for grounding.
   Use the paper-clip in the Copilot pane to add up to five files (Word, PDF, TXT, Excel preview, etc.). This improves slide accuracy and topic selection.
3. Pick or enforce a brand template.
   Choose “Change design” and select your company template or a clean default. Copilot can align to a master that defines fonts, colors, spacing, and layouts.
4. Generate topics → Generate slides.
   Copilot proposes topics from your prompt; refine with the pencil icon, then create the slide draft.
5. Add speaker notes in one prompt.
   Use “Add speaker notes to all slides” to create presentable notes fast; edit them for tone and accuracy.
6. Import a Word outline if needed.
   You can also go classic: New Slide → Slides from Outline to bring a structured Word doc straight into slides.

What you should see: A complete draft with a sensible agenda, 8–12 slides, and notes you can rehearse from. Copilot’s value at this stage is speed and structure; you still own the facts and the voice. Microsoft’s guidance confirms Copilot can transform documents into decks with speaker notes or start from scratch.

Step 3 — Expand visuals or extra slides with Gemini (Slides)

If the deck needs custom visuals or a few extra slides for a different audience, move to Google Slides:

1. Open Slides → Gemini.
   Use “Generate new slides” for a mini-section tailored to a stakeholder (for example, “For CFOs: unit economics and payback”).
2. Create images inline.
   Use “Help me visualise” (Gemini image generation) to illustrate complex steps, risk flows, or system diagrams without leaving Slides.
3. Summarise long sections.
   Ask Gemini to “Summarise this deck to five bullets per section” if you need a shorter, executive version.
4. Collaborate live.
   Share the file and collect edits in real time. Gemini can reference Drive files while drafting slides and text.

Tip: Keep one “master” deck and spin off a short “exec” or “sales” version for each audience. Slides makes this clone-and-trim flow fast, and Google’s product page leans into co-editing and easy sharing for team pitches.

Step 4 — Prompt templates that work

Use these prompts verbatim, then edit the output for accuracy. Replace items in [brackets].

For Copilot (PowerPoint):

• “Create a 10-slide investor deck for [Company], audience [seed investors], decision [commit to first meeting]. Use data from the attached [pilot summary.pdf] and emphasise [38% chargeback reduction]. Include a title, problem, insight, solution, evidence, traction, business model, roadmap, team, and ask. Keep body text under 25 words per slide.”
• “Rewrite the speaker notes to read aloud in 30–45 seconds per slide. Keep verbs active and include one call-to-action at the end.”

For Gemini (Slides):

• “Generate 3 slides that explain our fraud detection workflow for a non-technical buyer. Use short sentences, a simple step diagram, and a one-line takeaway per slide.”
• “Create an image that shows a high-level data flow: checkout → risk engine → approval/deny → post-transaction review. Use a clean, minimal style.”

Step 5 — Make it readable and decision-ready

AI will give you a decent first draft. The winning deck comes from what you cut and how you stage your evidence.

Cut clutter

• One idea per slide.
• 6–10 lines max, large text, strong contrast.
• Use images to explain sequences and interactions. Google’s learning center explicitly recommends images for complex processes, which aligns with research on multimedia learning.

Use a plain story spine

• Title: promise in one line
• Problem: what hurts, for whom
• Insight: what others miss
• Solution: what you built, how it works
• Proof: pilots, customers, data
• Model/Plan: how you make money or deliver value
• Roadmap: what’s next, with dates
• Ask: the decision you want today

Fix data slides

• Replace screenshots with native charts.
• Label axes and units.
• Convert raw numbers into action statements: “Chargebacks down 38% in 90 days across 3 pilots.”

Step 6 — Keep it on-brand

Consistency signals care. Copilot can help you stay on brand if you feed it a solid master.

• Use a brand master (colors, fonts, layout). Microsoft has guidance on creating templates that Copilot respects, which prevents odd styles.
• Lock logo placement and footer.
• Limit layout choices to a few that read well on screens and projectors.
• Keep chart styles uniform: same palette, same grid rules, same number format.

Step 7 — Add speaker notes you can actually present

Speaker notes turn slides into a script you can rehearse.

• In PowerPoint, use Copilot’s notes command, then rewrite for pace and voice.
• Keep each note to ~80–120 words so you can speak it in under a minute.
• End with a question or call-to-action on decision slides.

If you present from Google Slides, rehearse with the notes pane and presenter view.

Step 8 — Images the smart way (Gemini)

Custom images clarify structure and flow:

• Replace clip-art with Gemini-generated system or process visuals.
• Ask for a minimal style so visuals don’t fight with text.
• Generate several options and keep the one that reads at a glance. Google documents how to create images directly in Slides via Gemini.

Step 9 — Privacy and accuracy checks

AI assistants can reference your files. Treat that as helpful, but verify every claim.

• Scope sources. In Copilot, choose exactly which files to include when drafting the deck so the assistant grounds itself on approved material.
• Check the claims. Confirm that stats and quotes map to a known source in your Drive or SharePoint before you present.
• Strip sensitive fields. Remove customer names and IDs from screenshots; show ranges or anonymised data where possible.
• Review sharing settings. For Slides, confirm link access and edit rights before you send a deck. Google’s product page highlights sharing and version control as a core strength.

Step 10 — Turn slides into video (optional)

If you must share updates async, a quick video helps.

• Google Vids lets you import Slides so each slide becomes a scene; speaker notes become your script. Handy for weekly investor or customer updates.

Example: From one-line brief to 10 slides

Brief: “Secure approval for a pilot of our AI chargeback filter with two mid-market merchants; show 38% reduction in three pilots and a 60-day payback.”

Working outline Copilot should produce after refinement:

1. Title and promise
2. Merchant pain and cost
3. Why common rules fail
4. Our approach (data + model)
5. Pilot design
6. Results: chargebacks, false positives, ops time
7. Integration and support
8. Pricing and expected payback
9. Risk and controls
10. Ask: pilot scope, timeline, owners

Ask Copilot to add speaker notes, then cut lines for clarity. Use Gemini to generate a simple system diagram for slide 4 and an onboarding flow for slide 7.

Common pitfalls and quick fixes

• Too many slides: Cap at 12 for first meetings; move extras to an appendix you can jump to if asked.
• Wall of text: Use 12–18 words per bullet; keep bullets aligned; increase line height.
• Unread data: Max two highlights per chart; label directly; avoid legends where you can.
• Messy file names: Use “YYYY-MM-DD Team Deck v1.0” and increment.
• Inconsistent voice: Read the deck out loud; remove jargon that you wouldn’t say in a meeting.

A combined tool recipe for busy teams

1. Draft the main deck with Copilot using your Word/PDF brief and brand template.
2. Generate short audience-specific sections and custom images in Slides with Gemini.
3. Merge the best of both into one final deck, keep the master in your main system, and share a read-only link for review.

Appendix — Prompt variations you can copy

Investor deck (seed)
“Create a 12-slide investor deck for [Company]. Audience [seed investors]. Decision [agree to first meeting]. Emphasise [38% chargeback reduction, 60-day payback]. Sections: title, problem, insight, solution, evidence, traction, market, business model, GTM, roadmap, team, ask. Keep body text under 25 words per slide. Produce speaker notes for a 30–45 second read per slide.”

Sales deck (buyer discovery)
“Create 8 slides for a first sales call with [mid-market ecommerce head of payments]. Goal [discover pain and secure pilot]. Include: context, pain signals, short demo storyboard, pilot plan, expected results, ROI, timeline, next steps. Add a one-sentence takeaway on each slide.”

Product update (quarterly)
“Create 10 slides for a quarterly product update. Audience [customers + partners]. Include: shipped features, adoption metrics, performance wins, reliability, roadmap next 90 days, top requests and where they stand, support highlights, community, upcoming events, call-to-action. Keep all bullets under 15 words.”

Security briefing (exec)
“Create 8 slides for a board-level security briefing. Goal [approve budget for fraud model expansion]. Cover: threat summary, exposure, incidents, model impact, risk controls, compliance, budget ask, implementation plan. Keep charts simple and label units.”

Internal workshop (enablement)
“Create 6 slides to train sales engineers on our risk model. Include: what problem it solves, how it works, demo steps, integration checklist, FAQs, and a cheat sheet. Generate a simple diagram that shows the data flow.”

FAQs

Do I need a special plan?
Copilot features in PowerPoint and Gemini features in Slides require eligible subscriptions. Some items are still rolling out. Check current availability for your account.

Can Copilot build from a template and my files?
Yes. You can point Copilot at a brand template and attach documents to draft a branded deck with notes.

Can Gemini pull from Drive?
Yes. Gemini in Slides can reference Drive files when generating content or slides.

Key takeaways

• Start with a one-line brief and a short facts list. Strong inputs drive better AI output.
• Copilot is ideal for a first pass from files and for speaker notes. It respects templates and speeds structure.
• Gemini is ideal for quick visuals and small, audience-specific sections. It keeps collaboration simple and generates images inside Slides.
• Cut aggressively and stage your proof. The best decks are short, readable, and decision-oriented.
• Lock brand, check access, and verify every claim. Good process beats clever effects.