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How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Step-by-Step)

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Presentation Design
• January 22, 2024

In this beginner’s guide, you will learn step-by-step how to make a PowerPoint presentation from scratch.

While PowerPoint is designed to be intuitive and accessible, it can be overwhelming if you’ve never gotten any training on it before. As you progress through this guide, you’ll will learn how to move from blank slides to PowerPoint slides that look like these.

Table of Contents

Additionally, as you create your presentation, you’ll also learn tricks for working more efficiently in PowerPoint, including how to:

• Change the slide order
• Reset your layout
• Change the slide dimensions
• Use PowerPoint Designer
• Format text
• Format objects
• Play a presentation (slide show)

With this knowledge under your belt, you’ll be ready to start creating PowerPoint presentations. Moreover, you’ll have taken your skills from beginner to proficient in no time at all. I will also include links to more advanced PowerPoint topics.

Ready to start learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation?

Take your PPT skills to the next level

Start with a blank presentation.

Note: Before you open PowerPoint and start creating your presentation, make sure you’ve collected your thoughts. If you’re going to make your slides compelling, you need to spend some time brainstorming.

For help with this, see our article with tips for nailing your business presentation  here .

The first thing you’ll need to do is to open PowerPoint. When you do, you are shown the Start Menu , with the Home tab open.

This is where you can choose either a blank theme (1) or a pre-built theme (2). You can also choose to open an existing presentation (3).

For now, go ahead and click on the  Blank Presentation (1)  thumbnail.

Doing so launches a brand new and blank presentation for you to work with. Before you start adding content to your presentation, let’s first familiarize ourselves with the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint interface

Here is how the program is laid out:

• The Application Header
• The Ribbon (including the Ribbon tabs)
• The Quick Access Toolbar (either above or below the Ribbon)
• The Slides Pane (slide thumbnails)

The Slide Area

The notes pane.

• The Status Bar (including the View Buttons)

Each one of these areas has options for viewing certain parts of the PowerPoint environment and formatting your presentation.

Below are the important things to know about certain elements of the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint Ribbon

The Ribbon is contextual. That means that it will adapt to what you’re doing in the program.

For example, the Font, Paragraph and Drawing options are greyed out until you select something that has text in it, as in the example below (A).

Furthermore, if you start manipulating certain objects, the Ribbon will display additional tabs, as seen above (B), with more commands and features to help you work with those objects. The following objects have their own additional tabs in the Ribbon which are hidden until you select them:

• Online Pictures
• Screenshots
• Screen Recording

The Slides Pane

This is where you can preview and rearrange all the slides in your presentation.

Right-clicking on a slide  in the pane gives you additional options on the slide level that you won’t find on the Ribbon, such as  Duplicate Slide ,  Delete Slide , and  Hide Slide .

In addition, you can add sections to your presentation by  right-clicking anywhere in this Pane  and selecting  Add Section . Sections are extremely helpful in large presentations, as they allow you to organize your slides into chunks that you can then rearrange, print or display differently from other slides.

The Slide Area (A) is where you will build out your slides. Anything within the bounds of this area will be visible when you present or print your presentation.

Anything outside of this area (B) will be hidden from view. This means that you can place things here, such as instructions for each slide, without worrying about them being shown to your audience.

The  Notes Pane  is the space beneath the Slide Area where you can type in the speaker notes for each slide. It’s designed as a fast way to add and edit your slides’ talking points.

To expand your knowledge and learn more about adding, printing, and exporting your PowerPoint speaker notes, read our guide here .

Your speaker notes are visible when you print your slides using the Notes Pages option and when you use the Presenter View . To expand your knowledge and learn the ins and outs of using the Presenter View , read our guide here .

You can resize the  Notes Pane  by clicking on its edge and dragging it up or down (A). You can also minimize or reopen it by clicking on the Notes button in the Status Bar (B).

Note:  Not all text formatting displays in the Notes Pane, even though it will show up when printing your speaker notes. To learn more about printing PowerPoint with notes, read our guide here .

Now that you have a basic grasp of the PowerPoint interface at your disposal, it’s time to make your presentation.

Adding Content to Your PowerPoint Presentation

Notice that in the Slide Area , there are two rectangles with dotted outlines. These are called  Placeholders  and they’re set on the template in the Slide Master View .

To expand your knowledge and learn how to create a PowerPoint template of your own (which is no small task), read our guide here .

As the prompt text suggests, you can click into each placeholder and start typing text. These types of placeholder prompts are customizable too. That means that if you are using a company template, it might say something different, but the functionality is the same.

Note:  For the purposes of this example, I will create a presentation based on the content in the Starbucks 2018 Global Social Impact Report, which is available to the public on their website.

If you type in more text than there is room for, PowerPoint will automatically reduce its font size. You can stop this behavior by clicking on the  Autofit Options  icon to the left of the placeholder and selecting  Stop Fitting Text to this Placeholder .

Next, you can make formatting adjustments to your text by selecting the commands in the Font area and the  Paragraph area  of the  Home  tab of the Ribbon.

The Reset Command:  If you make any changes to your title and decide you want to go back to how it was originally, you can use the Reset button up in the Home tab .

Insert More Slides into Your Presentation

Now that you have your title slide filled in, it’s time to add more slides. To do that, simply go up to the  Home tab  and click on  New Slide . This inserts a new slide in your presentation right after the one you were on.

You can alternatively hit Ctrl+M on your keyboard to insert a new blank slide in PowerPoint. To learn more about this shortcut, see my guide on using Ctrl+M in PowerPoint .

Instead of clicking the New Slide command, you can also open the New Slide dropdown to see all the slide layouts in your PowerPoint template. Depending on who created your template, your layouts in this dropdown can be radically different.

If you insert a layout and later want to change it to a different layout, you can use the Layout dropdown instead of the New Slide dropdown.

After inserting a few different slide layouts, your presentation might look like the following picture. Don’t worry that it looks blank, next we will start adding content to your presentation.

If you want to follow along exactly with me, your five slides should be as follows:

• Title Slide
• Title and Content
• Section Header
• Two Content
• Picture with Caption

Adding Content to Your Slides

Now let’s go into each slide and start adding our content. You’ll notice some new types of placeholders.

On slide 2 we have a  Content Placeholder , which allows you to add any kind of content. That includes:

• A SmartArt graphic,
• A 3D object,
• A picture from the web,
• Or an icon.

To insert text, simply type it in or hit  Ctrl+C to Copy  and Ctrl+V to Paste  from elsewhere. To insert any of the other objects, click on the appropriate icon and follow the steps to insert it.

For my example, I’ll simply type in some text as you can see in the picture below.

Slides 3 and 4 only have text placeholders, so I’ll go ahead and add in my text into each one.

On slide 5 we have a Picture Placeholder . That means that the only elements that can go into it are:

• A picture from the web

To insert a picture into the picture placeholder, simply:

• Click on the  Picture  icon
• Find  a picture on your computer and select it
• Click on  Insert

Alternatively, if you already have a picture open somewhere else, you can select the placeholder and paste in (shortcut: Ctrl+V ) the picture. You can also drag the picture in from a file explorer window.

If you do not like the background of the picture you inserted onto your slide, you can remove the background here in PowerPoint. To see how to do this, read my guide here .

Placeholders aren’t the only way to add content to your slides. At any point, you can use the Insert tab to add elements to your slides.

You can use either the Title Only  or the  Blank  slide layout to create slides for content that’s different. For example, a three-layout content slide, or a single picture divider slide, as shown below.

In the first example above, I’ve inserted 6 text boxes, 3 icons, and 3 circles to create this layout. In the second example, I’ve inserted a full-sized picture and then 2 shapes and 2 text boxes.

The Reset Command:  Because these slides are built with shapes and text boxes (and not placeholders), hitting the  Reset button up in the  Home tab  won’t do anything.

That is a good thing if you don’t want your layouts to adjust. However, it does mean that it falls on you to make sure everything is aligned and positioned correctly.

For more on how to add and manipulate the different objects in PowerPoint, check out our step-by-step articles here:

• Using graphics in PowerPoint
• Inserting icons onto slides
• Adding pictures to your PowerPoint
• How to embed a video in PowerPoint
• How to add music to your presentation

Using Designer to generate more layouts ideas

If you have Office 365, your version of PowerPoint comes with a new feature called Designer (or Design Ideas). This is a feature that generates slide layout ideas for you. The coolest thing about this feature is that it uses the content you already have.

To use Designer , simply navigate to the  Design tab  in your Ribbon, and click on  Design Ideas .

NOTE: If the PowerPoint Designer is not working for you (it is grey out), see my troubleshooting guide for Designer .

Change the Overall Design (optional)

When you make a PowerPoint presentation, you’ll want to think about the overall design. Now that you have some content in your presentation, you can use the Design tab to change the look and feel of your slides.

For additional help thinking through the design of your presentation,  read my guide here .

A. Picking your PowerPoint slide size

If you have PowerPoint 2013 or later, when you create a blank document in PowerPoint, you automatically start with a widescreen layout with a 16:9 ratio. These dimensions are suitable for most presentations as they match the screens of most computers and projectors.

However, you do have the option to change the dimensions.

For example, your presentation might not be presented, but instead converted into a PDF or printed and distributed. In that case, you can easily switch to the standard dimensions with a 4:3 ratio by selecting from the dropdown (A).

You can also choose a custom slide size or change the slide orientation from landscape to portrait in the Custom Slide Size dialog box (B).

To learn all about the different PowerPoint slide sizes, and some of the issues you will face when changing the slide size of a non-blank presentation,  read my guide here .

 B. Selecting a PowerPoint theme

The next thing you can do is change the theme of your presentation to a pre-built one. For a detailed explanation of what a PowerPoint theme is, and how to best use it,  read my article here .

In the beginning of this tutorial, we started with a blank presentation, which uses the default Office theme as you can see in the picture below.

That gives you the most flexibility because it has a blank background and quite simple layouts that work for most presentations. However, it also means that it’s your responsibility to enhance the design.

If you’re comfortable with this, you can stay with the default theme or create your own custom theme ( read my guide here ). But if you would rather not have to think about design, then you can choose a pre-designed theme.

Microsoft provides 46 other pre-built themes, which include slide layouts, color variants and palettes, and fonts. Each one varies quite significantly, so make sure you look through them carefully.

To select a different theme, go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon, and click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Themes section .

For this tutorial, let’s select the  Frame  theme and then choose the third Variant in the theme. Doing so changes the layout, colors, and fonts of your presentation.

Note: The theme dropdown area is also where you can import or save custom themes. To see my favorite places to find professional PowerPoint templates and themes (and recommendations for why I like them), read my guide here .

C. How to change a slide background in PowerPoint

The next thing to decide is how you want your background to look for the entire presentation. In the  Variants area, you can see four background options.

For this example, we want our presentation to have a dark background, so let’s select Style 3. When you do so, you’ll notice that:

• The background color automatically changes across all slides
• The color of the text on most of the slides automatically changes to white so that it’s visible on the dark background
• The colors of the objects on slides #6 and #7 also adjust, in a way we may not want (we’ll likely have to make some manual adjustments to these slides)

Note: If you want to change the slide background for just that one slide, don’t left-click the style. Instead, right-click it and select Apply to Selected Slides .

After you change the background for your entire presentation, you can easily adjust the background for an individual slide.

Inside the Format Background pane, you can see you have the following options:

• Gradient fill
• Picture or texture fill
• Pattern fill
• Hide background

You can explore these options to find the PowerPoint background that best fits your presentation.

D. How to change your color palette in PowerPoint

Another thing you may want to adjust in your presentation, is the color scheme. In the picture below you can see the Theme Colors we are currently using for this presentation.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own color palette. By default, the Office theme includes the Office color palette. This affects the colors you are presented with when you format any element within your presentation (text, shapes, SmartArt, etc.).

The good news is that the colors here are easy to change. To switch color palettes, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab in the Ribbon
• In the Variants area, click on the  dropdown arrow  and select  Colors
• Select  the color palette (or theme colors) you want

You can choose among the pre-built color palettes from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

As you build your presentation, make sure you use the colors from your theme to format objects. That way, changing the color palette adjusts all the colors in your presentation automatically.

E. How to change your fonts in PowerPoint

Just as we changed the color palette, you can do the same for the fonts.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own font combination. By default, the Office theme includes the Office font pairing. This affects the fonts that are automatically assigned to all text in your presentation.

The good news is that the font pairings are easy to change. To switch your Theme Fonts, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Variants  area
• Select  Fonts
• Select  the font pairing you want

You can choose among the pre-built fonts from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

If you are working with PowerPoint presentations on both Mac and PC computers, make sure you choose a safe PowerPoint font. To see a list of the safest PowerPoint fonts, read our guide here .

If you receive a PowerPoint presentation and the wrong fonts were used, you can use the Replace Fonts dialog box to change the fonts across your entire presentation. For details, read our guide here .

Adding Animations & Transitions (optional)

The final step to make a PowerPoint presentation compelling, is to consider using animations and transitions. These are by no means necessary to a good presentation, but they may be helpful in your situation.

A. Adding PowerPoint animations

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust animations engine designed to power your creativity. That being said, it’s also easy to get started with basic animations.

Animations are movements that you can apply to individual objects on your slide.

To add a PowerPoint animation to an element of your slide, simply:

• Select the  element
• Go to the  Animations tab in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  animation  you want

You can add animations to multiple objects at one time by selecting them all first and then applying the animation.

B. How to preview a PowerPoint animation

There are three ways to preview a PowerPoint animation:

• Click on the Preview button in the Animations tab
• Click on the little star  next to the slide
• Play the slide in Slide Show Mode

To learn other ways to run your slide show, see our guide on presenting a PowerPoint slide show with shortcuts .

To adjust the settings of your animations, explore the options in the  Effect Options ,  Advanced Animation  and the  Timing  areas of the  Animation tab .

Note:  To see how to make objects appear and disappear in your slides by clicking a button,  read our guide here .

C. How to manage your animations in PowerPoint

The best way to manage lots of animations on your slide is with the Animation Pane . To open it, simply:

• Navigate to the  Animations tab
• Select the  Animation Pane

Inside the Animation Pane, you’ll see all of the different animations that have been applied to objects on your slide, with their numbers marked as pictured above.

Note: To see examples of PowerPoint animations that can use in PowerPoint, see our list of PowerPoint animation tutorials here .

D. How to add transitions to your PowerPoint presentation

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust transition engine so that you can dictate how your slides change from one to the other. It is also extremely easy to add transitions to your slides.

In PowerPoint, transitions are the movements (or effects) you see as you move between two slides.

To add a transition to a PowerPoint slide, simply:

• Select the  slide
• Go to the  Transitions tab in the Ribbon
• In the Transitions to This Slide area, click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  transition  you want

To adjust the settings of the transition, explore the options in the  Timing  area of the Transitions tab.

You can also add the same transition to multiple slides. To do that, select them in the  Slides Pane  and apply the transition.

E. How to preview a transition in PowerPoint

There are three ways to preview your PowerPoint transitions (just like your animations):

• Click on the Preview  button in the Transitions tab
• Click on the little star  beneath the slide number in the thumbnail view

Note:  In 2016, PowerPoint added a cool new transition, called Morph. It operates a bit differently from other transitions. For a detailed tutorial on how to use the cool Morph transition,  see our step-by-step article here .

Save Your PowerPoint Presentation

After you’ve built your presentation and made all the adjustments to your slides, you’ll want to save your presentation. YOu can do this several different ways.

To save a PowerPoint presentation using your Ribbon, simply:

• Navigate to the  File tab
•  Select  Save As  on the left
• Choose  where you want to save your presentation
• Name  your presentation and/or adjust your file type settings
• Click  Save

You can alternatively use the  Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut to save your presentation. I recommend using this shortcut frequently as you build your presentation to make sure you don’t lose any of your work.

This is the standard way to save a presentation. However, there may be a situation where you want to save your presentation as a different file type.

To learn how to save your presentation as a PDF, see our guide on converting PowerPoint to a PDF .

How to save your PowerPoint presentation as a template

Once you’ve created a presentation that you like, you may want to turn it into a template. The easiest – but not technically correct – way, is to simply create a copy of your current presentation and then change the content.

But be careful! A PowerPoint template is a special type of document and it has its own parameters and behaviors.

If you’re interested in learning about how to create your own PowerPoint template from scratch, see our guide on how to create a PowerPoint template .

Printing Your PowerPoint Presentation

After finishing your PowerPoint presentation, you may want to print it out on paper. Printing your slides is relatively easy.

To open the Print dialog box, you can either:

• Hit Ctrl+P on your keyboard
• Or go to the Ribbon and click on File and then Print

Inside the Print dialog box, you can choose from the various printing settings:

• Printer: Select a printer to use (or print to PDF or OneNote)
• Slides: Choose which slides you want to print
• Layout: Determine how many slides you want per page (this is where you can print the notes, outline, and handouts)
• Collated or uncollated (learn what collated printing means here )
• Color: Choose to print in color, grayscale or black & white

There are many more options for printing your PowerPoint presentations. Here are links to more in-depth articles:

• How to print multiple slides per page
• How to print your speaker notes in PowerPoint
• How to save PowerPoint as a picture presentation

So that’s how to create a PowerPoint presentation if you are brand new to it. We’ve also included a ton of links to helpful resources to boost your PowerPoint skills further.

When you are creating your presentation, it is critical to first focus on the content (what you are trying to say) before getting lost inserting and playing with elements. The clearer you are on what you want to present, the easier it will be to build it out in PowerPoint.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about our PowerPoint training courses and other presentation resources by  visiting us here .

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A step-by-step guide to captivating PowerPoint presentation design

november 20, 2023

by Corporate PowerPoint Girl

Do you often find yourself stuck with a lackluster PowerPoint presentation, desperately seeking ways to make it more engaging and visually appealing? If your boss has ever told you to "please fix" a presentation and you didn't know where to start, you're not alone. In this article, we'll walk you through a straightforward method to transform your PowerPoint slides into a visually captivating masterpiece. 

Let's dive right in! 

Clean up your slides 

The first step in this journey to presentation excellence is all about decluttering your slides and elevating their impact. Say goodbye to those uninspiring bullet points that often dominate presentations. Instead, focus on what truly matters – the key call-out numbers. By increasing the font size of these numbers, you ensure they take center stage, immediately drawing your audience's attention. 

To make those numbers pop, consider breaking the text after the numbers into the next line and adding a touch of color. The contrast created by pairing a dark color with a lighter shade, like dark teal and light teal or burnt orange with peach, can work wonders. This simple adjustment makes your data more engaging , enhancing the overall impact of your presentation. 

Add dimension with boxes 

Now, let's introduce an element of depth and organization to your slides. By adding boxes, you'll create a visually pleasing structure that guides your audience through the content. In the "Insert" menu, select "Table" and opt for a one-by-one table. Change the table color to a light gray shade, elongate it, and position it neatly to the left of your text. 

To improve readability and aesthetics, increase the spacing between text phrases. A small adjustment in the before spacing setting (setting it to 48) significantly enhances the visual appeal of your slides. 

Insert circles 

To further enhance the visual appeal and engagement of your slides, let's introduce circles. In the Insert menu, navigate to Shapes and choose the circle. Adjust the circle's height and width to 1.2, ensuring it complements your content seamlessly. Match the circle's shape fill color with the corresponding text color for a harmonious look. 

Avoid using colored outlines for the circles, as they may distract from the overall aesthetic. This simple addition of circles adds an element of visual interest to your presentation, making it more captivating. 

Choose icons 

Now, it's time for a touch of creativity. Selecting icons to complement your text can elevate the clarity and appeal of your slides. In the "Insert" menu, you can search for relevant keywords to find the perfect icon from PowerPoint's extensive library . 

For instance, if your text discusses investment portfolio yield, search for "growth" and choose an upward arrow growth icon. These icons add an extra layer of visual appeal and clarity to your content, making it more engaging and informative. 

Final touches 

To wrap up the transformation process, we come to the final touches that give your presentation a polished, professional finish. Align your icons with their corresponding circles and change the shape fill color to white. This simple adjustment creates a crisp, cohesive look that ties everything together seamlessly. 

In conclusion, by following these steps, you've embarked on a journey to enhance your PowerPoint presentation . These initial steps are just the beginning of your exploration into the world of design elements and styles that can cater to your specific presentation needs. The key to a stunning PowerPoint presentation lies in the details. By following these steps, you can turn a lackluster set of slides into a visually engaging and dynamic presentation that will captivate your audience. So, the next time your boss says, "Please fix," you'll know exactly where to start. Happy presenting! 

Related topics

PowerPoint 101: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

Are you struggling with PowerPoint? You need a quick design in PowerPoint but don't know where to start? Don't worry, you have nothing to be ashamed of.

In this article, we're going to refresh the most important PowerPoint basics so you can take advantage of this Microsoft software and create high-impact presentations at any time!

Millions of users worldwide use Microsoft 365 services , making PowerPoint the presentation design software with the highest market share. And with good reason! PowerPoint's features stand out for its usability and originality . We can tell you that PowerPoint is pretty intuitive software, and it's a great option to choose when working with presentations on a daily basis. So, are you ready for a quick PowerPoint 101 class?

Let ' s see what you ' re going to learn today with this PowerPoint Guide :

What is PowerPoint?

What are the best uses of powerpoint, powerpoint basics: what are the components of powerpoint workspace, mastering powerpoint: what are the main features of powerpoint, what are powerpoint templates and where to find them, time to practice how to make a presentation in powerpoint.

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation design software that is part of Microsoft 365 . This software allows you to design presentations by combining text, images, graphics, video, and animation on slides in a simple and intuitive way.

Over time, PowerPoint has evolved and improved its accessibility to users. For this reason, it has been adapted to the main operating systems and modalities:

• PowerPoint Online

Additionally, you can use Word and Excel in this online version. That way, you'll be able to make real-time changes in the cloud without fearing losing your files. Sounds great, right?

PowerPoint has a versatile range of uses. Here's a list of the different tasks you can complete with this presentation design software:

• Business presentations or Pitch decks.
• Marketing, Sales and HR plans.
• Project briefs and timelines.
• Inductions to new employees.
• Seminars and educational classes.
• Professional portfolio of photos or designs.
• Presentations of a research summary.
• Presentations for special occasions.

These are just a few examples of the multiple possibilities this Microsoft software offers. Your imagination is the only limit!

Stay tuned as we continue with this PowerPoint 101 Guide...

In order to deeply understand this presentation design software, you need to recognize its main components. Now it's time to learn about the PowerPoint basics!

A quick note before going any further: when opening PowerPoint, some of the commands in the ribbons will look grayish and won't be highlighted when you hover the mouse over them.

This happens since some commands need to be selected in order to function. For example, if you want to change the color of a text, you first need to select it.

That being said, let's start with this Guide for PowerPoint beginners:

PowerPoint Main Window

The first aspect to learn is PowerPoint Main Window. To facilitate the explanation, we've organized its main elements with numbers from 1 to 10:

Based on that, the main components of PowerPoint window are the following:

1. Quick Access Toolbar: allows you to customize commands to have them at hand. You only have to select it and go to "More commands."

2. Title Bar: shows you the name of your file and other "Suggested options" like Slide Master View . These options will vary depending on the use you give to the commands.

3. File Tab: you will see the Home Menu (PowerPoint backstage) by selecting it. There, you can create a new presentation, save it, print it, export it, and many other options.

4. The Ribbon: it's where PowerPoint tabs and tools are. These tools can also be called "commands" or “features.”

5. More Button or Down Arrow: these arrows allow you to view more tools or layout options in PowerPoint.

6. Slides Pane: shows your slides in thumbnail size. By right-clicking, you can access additional options for customizing each slide. Perfect for PowerPoint beginners!

7. Slide: PowerPoint's blank canvas and the frame to be seen when presenting the file.

8. Placeholders: they are dotted boxes that will store your content.

9. Status Bar: allows you to view the slide number, grammatical errors, speaker notes, and the comments on your file.

10. Zoom: allows you to enlarge or minimize your PowerPoint workspace. The range goes from 10 to 400%.

PowerPoint Tabs

The PowerPoint tabs are the control desk of your presentation . Since PowerPoint's features are too many, they're organized in tabs.

You can come and go between tabs as you need. Once you click on a tab, it will open its ribbon, and there, you'll be able to see all the tools related to that particular category.

This PowerPoint tutorial for beginners will give you an overview of all PowerPoint tabs . Pay attention to the following list:

• Transitions Tab
• Animations Tab
• Slide Show Tab
• Recording Tab

1. Home Tab

The Home tab is the most common tab of PowerPoint. This is the tab you'll probably use the most if you're designing a presentation deck from scratch.

It allows you to add new slides and change the text characteristics : font, size, boldness, underlining, alignment, etc. If you've ever used Microsoft Word, these features will be familiar to you.

Also, you will find commands to edit the characteristics of the geometric shapes you insert. This includes: fill color, line color, sharpe effects, among others.

2. Insert Tab

The Insert tab is exactly what its name says it is. In this ribbon, you'll find all the options concerning adding a new element to your PowerPoint presentation .

You can insert a picture, some geometric shapes, icons, WordArt graphics, among others. We can tell you that this tab is really helpful for PowerPoint beginners!

For example, if you have a lot of data in PowerPoint , you could add a chart or diagram to show your information in a more visual way. Also, you can embed videos or music into PowerPoint really easily.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: To be able to write text on your slides, you need a text box. So, if you're designing your presentation from scratch, remember to go first to the Insert tab and add a text box to start writing.

3. Design Tab

If you are one of those people who enjoy choosing the design of a PowerPoint presentation, this tab will be your favorite.

The Design tab offers a wide range of premade designs , allowing you to get more polished slides. Even better, if you explore its ribbon, you can adjust the color palette and change the overall style of your PowerPoint deck.

The PowerPoint interface, as this basic PowerPoint Tutorial, is really intuitive. We believe that you won't have any problem with this tab!

4. Transitions Tab

Using transitions in PowerPoint is a dynamic way to move from one slide to the next during a presentation. This feature is PowerPoint's stamp, so don ' t miss it!

Some PowerPoint transitions are really classic, like wiping the old slide to present the new one. Others are somewhat over the top, like the “Vortex” or the “Airplane” effect.

If you click on each kind of transition, you'll see a preview on how it would look when presenting. Really cool, right?

5. Animations Tab

In case you want to add special effects for certain elements in your slides , the Animations tab in PowerPoint will interest you.

Like the Transitions tab, you will find various animation effects in this ribbon. It's a matter of trying and choosing the best one according to your needs!

6. Slide Show Tab

As its name says, the Slide Show tab is about presenting your slides . We really like that it gives you several options to show up your presentation!

Considering that you're a PowerPoint beginner, you're not likely to use the Slide Show tab very much.

But if you're curious about this command, you must read our article: How to Make a PowerPoint Slideshow that Runs Automatically?

7. Review Tab

The Review tab is not often used by PowerPoint beginners either.

However, if your job is related to writing or if you work at an international company, this tool can be extremely useful!

With this tab, you can check the slide's spelling, translate the text in real-time, and add comments to your slides . This last function can be helpful to give feedback to a colleague.

8. View Tab

This View tab allows you to change the view of your PowerPoint slides and make handouts from them, among other things.

As you can see, the majority of its commands are really specific. So you won't have any issues while designing, test and see!

In this section, our favorite command for PowerPoint beginners is Slide Master . Explore more about this tool in our guide!

9. Recording Tab

In the last versions of this design presentation software, PowerPoint added the Recording tab. As its name says, it allows you to record all your presentation slides .

This ribbon has advanced commands, so the most common action for a PowerPoint beginner is to take a screenshot or record the screen sequentially .

10. Help Tab

Finally, there is the Help tab. If you have any problem or question concerning how to use PowerPoint, you may go here to look for a solution.

In the latest versions, Windows has added a “Show Training” option. You can click this command to practice the PowerPoint basics since it will download training templates.

As a beginner in PowerPoint, you must recognize the objective of each PowerPoint tab to be able to master the software . But, in order to conduct an outstanding presentation deck, you also need to dominate its most important features. Let's see some of them in the next section!

If you feel ready to delve deeper into PowerPoint's tools, this section is for you.

As you may know , 24Slides specializes in creating outstanding presentations for any Design Project . So, we asked one of our experts about her favorite PowerPoint features, and we want to share them all with you!

Carmen Navarrete , Graphic Designer at 24Slides, highlighted the following features that will make your presentations stand out from the crowd:

PowerPoint Feature #1: Crop to Shape

This first PowerPoint feature is simple but effective!

Let's see how to use it:

• First, choose an image you want to cut and insert it into your workspace.
• Once inserted, select it with the mouse.
• Go to the "Picture Format" tab.
• Press the arrow of the "Crop" button (right side of the screen).
• Select "Crop to Shape."
• Choose your favorite shape and customize your PowerPoint presentation!

PowerPoint Feature #2: Merge Shapes

If you don't like any figure enough, you can create one from scratch!

This is possible thanks to the "Merge Shapes" option. Follow these steps to unleash your creativity:

• First choose an image you want to cut.
• Check the list of PowerPoint shapes (Insert tab > Shapes).
• Choose two or three figures you want to merge (they can be the same figure).
• Select the figures you are going to merge (see the image).
• Once selected, go to the "Shape Format" tab.
• Press the "Merge Shapes" option and the type of merge you want (test and choose!).

• A new figure will appear, and you must fill it with the image from the first step.
• Stay on the Shape Format tab and go to "Shape Fill" (button in the middle of the ribbon).
• Select "Picture Fill" and browse for your image.
• Select the image to fill your new figure, and that's it!

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: When your merged figure is ready, paste the image to the background of your slide to achieve a better result. This way, you can use your image as a canvas and see if both elements fit well.

PowerPoint Feature #3: Insert Icons

This PowerPoint feature is quite easy to follow for PowerPoint beginners!

Just follow these steps:

• Go to the Insert tab.
• Select the "Icons" option.
• A Microsoft 365 library will open, where you can search for the required icon.
• Now, you must insert it into your presentation and adapt it to your design.
• If you have an active Microsoft 365 subscription, you'll have access to a larger number of icons in PowerPoint.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: If you want to learn more about icons in PowerPoint, read our article on How to Use Icons to Make Amazing PowerPoint Presentations .

PowerPoint Feature #4: Insert SmartArt

PowerPoint's SmartArt is one of the most popular and accessible tools to dominate while learning about PowerPoint basics.

To use it in your slide deck, you must:

• Select SmartArt.
• See all SmartArt categories and choose your favorite based on your needs.
• Add the text you have prepared and adapt it to your presentation.

We want to give you some ideas to master this SmartArt tool in PowerPoint: you can make timelines , flowcharts , and even a Venn diagram in just a few seconds. Try and see!

PowerPoint Feature #5: Remove Background

If you don't know how to use Photoshop and want to remove the background from an image, in this PowerPoint 101 Guide, we show you how:

• First choose the image you want to remove the background from.
• Insert the image in the PowerPoint workspace.
• Select the image and go to the "Picture Format" tab.
• Select "Remove Background" (first option on the left).
• You can keep and remove parts of the image with the first two tools of the ribbon (see image).
• Keep in mind that all the sections highlighted in purple will be deleted.

• We recommend zooming in to keep or remove parts of the image with more detail.
• Once you're done, press the "Keep Changes" button.
• Finally, adapt the new image to your PowerPoint presentation.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: Choose a high-contrast photo or image for best results. In other words, the outline of the person or object you want to cut out must have clear edges and cannot blend with the image's background color.

PowerPoint Feature #6: Add Speaker Notes

The latest PowerPoint feature is a command you can use to prepare your speech before presenting to an audience.

Learning how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint is simple:

• Select the slide that needs some notes.
• Usually, there is a footer below the slide, but if not, you will have to activate it.
• Go to the View tab and select "Notes."
• The Speaker Notes section will appear, and you can add whatever you want!

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: In case you want to practice your entire presentation and have a lot of notes, go to the View tab and select "Notes Page" (fourth command). You'll be able to see all your Speaker Notes faster!

PowerPoint Feature #7: PowerPoint Translator

If you've ever wondered how to translate your PowerPoint Slides, we'll explain the step by step here:

• Go to the Review tab.
• Select the text you want to translate.
• Press the “Translate” button.
• A panel will open on the right side of the screen.
• Choose the language you need and you'll see the translation in real-time.
• If you press Insert, the text will change to the new translation!

PowerPoint Feature #8: Screen Recording

The process of recording your screen in PowerPoint is straightforward and intuitive. Let's see:

• Go to the “Record” or “Recording” tab.
• Press the "Record Slide Show" button or the “From Beginning” button (depending on your PPT version).
• A new window will open.
• Select the red record button and start recording!
• When you're done, select “Export.”
• By default, the video will be 1080p. If you want to lower the video quality, go to "Customize export."
• Name the video, save it to a folder and that's it!

As you may have noticed, this software has endless PowerPoint design options for beginners. We encourage you to try and test each functionality!

However, we're clear that PowerPoint has different features, so it can be hard to know where to start. That's why understanding PowerPoint basics is crucial if you truly want to master this software!

Our PowerPoint 101 Guide continues; stay tuned to discover more great stuff about this Microsoft software. Keep reading!

A PowerPoint template is a pre-made design that you can use for your own means, and that will save you a lot of time!

Templates in PowerPoint are a great resource for designing since all the structure is already done, and you only have to update the content . We can tell you they're the perfect resource for PowerPoint beginners!

They can be incredibly specific. For example, there are templates for a SWOT analysis or a complete Marketing report. Otherwise, templates can also be very general, with several slides with a similar design.

If you struggle with the artistic part of designing presentations, downloading PowerPoint templates will be a life changer!

How to download PowerPoint templates for free?

If you didn't know, 24Slides has an extensive repository of PowerPoint templates. But how to obtain them? It's really simple:

• First, create an account on our Free Templates Website with the button “Register” (that way, you can download everything without problems!).
• Think about the graphics you need and the ideal structure for your presentation deck (you can also change the color palette later!).
• Download it in PowerPoint format (if you prefer it in Google Slides format, you'll also find this type in our repository).
• Edit and change everything you need for your PowerPoint presentation!

24Slides Designers specialize in business and corporate PowerPoints, but you'll also find other types of templates on our website: Data templates, Timelines, Roadmaps, Matrixes, Diagrams, and more.

Keep in mind that a well-designed PowerPoint deck helps you communicate stronger messages to your audience . Don't waste this opportunity to make your presentation shine!

If you want to learn more about how to master PowerPoint, do not miss the last section. We'll show you some PowerPoint basics from the software itself!

A PowerPoint 101 Guide wouldn't be that useful with no examples. So, if you enjoy the step-by-step guides, this section is for you.

Below, we'll show you how to make a simple PowerPoint presentation. But first, here are some tips to be more efficient in the process:

• Be clear about what type of presentation you're going to create (is it corporate, playful, or more creative?).
• Make a draft with the most important information you need to add and, thus, generate a good structure in your presentation .
• Get inspired by examples on the internet , but adapt them to your needs and audience.
• If you will create a business presentation, keep in mind your brand identity .
• Make sure your PowerPoint works , you may need to update to the latest version or pay for the subscription.

Step 1: Make a draft to structure your presentation

As we said before, writing a draft or script of your content will be vital to start on the right foot as a PowerPoint beginner.

This advice is so important that we choose it as the first step to learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation. Remember: Planning is key!

Regarding the process of planning, we share some good practices:

• If your presentation will be very long , write down all subtitles and content in a Word document. This will help you organize your ideas and give a correct sequence to your narrative. In addition to avoiding redundancies in the message you want to communicate.
• If your presentation will use many visual resources , we recommend choosing high-quality images. This will help you have a starting graphic base. Some good free image repositories are Freepick , Unsplash , and Adobe Stock .
• If your presentation is based on data , have all your results summarized or your most relevant conclusions at hand. The idea of making a PowerPoint presentation is to show your information in the simplest way possible for your audience.

Step 2: Create a new document in PowerPoint

Once you check that all the functions are working fine with the software, please open it and go to the File tab. If you've ever used Word or Excel, you'll probably find this Home Menu familiar.

In short, this is the main page of PowerPoint, where you can create a new presentation or open an older one. Let's see:

In order to follow this part of our PowerPoint Tutorial correctly, take into consideration the following points:

• On the lower side of the screen, you'll find your recently opened PowerPoint files. This option is great for saving some time.
• If you don't find the presentation you're looking for, click on the “Open” option at the left bar and find older files.
• Don't forget to save your presentation with a relatable name so you won't lose sight of it!

Step 3: Choose the perfect design for your presentation

With your information ready in a draft, it's time to choose the design of your PowerPoint slide deck. You must imagine that the available design options are endless!

For practical reasons, you have three options regarding the design:

• Start a design from scratch (very difficult for a PowerPoint beginner).
• Choose an established PowerPoint design or layout.
• Download a PowerPoint template and modify some details.

Don't worry if you don't know how to continue! In this PowerPoint 101 class, we're going to explain step by step the second option:

How do you set a default design in PowerPoint?

• First, go to the Design tab.
• Open the list of options by clicking on the third arrow.
• Choose the design you like the most for your PowerPoint presentation.

If you want to explore more PowerPoint designs, there is a way to research online. For that, you only need to:

• Go to the File tab (first tab, next to the Home tab).
• Select "More themes" (see image).

• Use the search engine and write the keyword you want (it can be related to your business or it can be a color).
• Check the list of PowerPoint themes and choose your favorite.
• Wait a few minutes while it loads and keep designing in PowerPoint!

How do you change the layout of one slide in PowerPoint?

In this PowerPoint 101 Guide, you will also learn how to configure the layout of each slide.

Keep in mind that to have a high-impact presentation, you must adapt your slides' design to the type of content you'll add. And using layouts is perfect for this purpose.

To change the layout type in PowerPoint, follow these steps:

• Right-click on the slide you want to change.
• Select the "Layout" option.
• You will find more than ten layout models.
• Choose the one that best suits your content.
• Repeat these steps for each slide (if you wish or require).

How do you customize your slides in PowerPoint?

The design process in this PowerPoint 101 Guide doesn't stop there.

You also can customize your presentation's color palette , font style, background format , and graphics effects .

Just go to:

• Design tab > Variants.
• Select Colors, Fonts, Effects or Background Styles (as you need).
• If you're inspired and want to create your own background in PowerPoint, select Background Styles > Format Background.
• Finally, custom your slides as you want!

Step 4: Add all your information to your presentation

Now, it's time to add all your information to your slides. If your script is long, take your time to copy each part of it.

In this PowerPoint Tutorial, we're going to show how our design is going so far. We design at your side!

Step 5: Add transitions or animations to your presentation

The stamp of PowerPoint is its transitions and animations! Naturally, our PowerPoint 101 has considered these essential commands.

If you want to add them to your presentation and make your speech more fluid, follow these steps:

• Go to the tabs section of PowerPoint.
• Select "Transitions" or "Animations" and try your favorite effects.
• Remember that if you select Transitions, these will modify the entire slide, while Animations can be added to each element individually.

When choosing one Animation, you can eliminate it if you aren't 100% convinced. You only need to:

• Select the Animation number that appears on the corner.
• Press the "Delete" or "Backspace" button on your keyboard.
• Choose another Animation in PowerPoint if you want!

This “PowerPoint for dummies” is full of tips and tricks! So here is one more: Don't overuse transitions or animations in PowerPoint ; they can make your presentation slower and unprofessional . Use this tool in a subtle way!

Step 6: Refine the final details

As always, every final product must be reviewed. Especially if you're learning the PowerPoint fundamentals with us.

We recommend reviewing each slide of your PowerPoint presentation one final time. In this process, you will be able to:

• Add icons if your presentation requires it.
• Change any image or illustration if they don't convince you.
• Change transitions or animations.
• Customize your presentation's color palette .
• Proofread your slides' text or add more information.
• Add speaker notes to your presentation.

Step 7: Slideshow your presentation

When your presentation is finished, it's essential to know how to make a PowerPoint slideshow. This way, you can see your slides from the exact same perspective your audience will see them.

To slideshow your presentation in PowerPoint, follow these simple steps for PowerPoint beginners:

• Position yourself on your first slide.
• Go to the bottom right of the software.
• Select the "Slide Show" button (see image).
• Have a look of your presentation by clicking on each slide or pressing the right arrow on your keyboard.
• To go out from the Slide Show mode, you have to press the ESC key.

Now you can present your slides like an expert!

When you master this presentation design software, you'll be able to create amazing things in PowerPoint : infographics, diagrams, charts, pitch decks, business cards, calendars, you name it!

This was our PowerPoint Guide for beginners. We hope that our compilation today will be useful for conducting more professional presentations in the future and, why not, achieve all your goals!

Don't forget to share this PowerPoint 101 Guide with your co-workers or whoever you want!

Want to boost your beginner PowerPoint skills? Check out this content:

• How to Work with Multiple Images in PowerPoint
• How to Add a Timer to Your Powerpoint Presentations
• PowerPoint Charts, Graphs, & Tables Made Easy | Tips & Tricks
• How To Use PowerPoint Design Ideas - All Questions Answered!
• 36 Fun Icebreakers for Your Next Presentation
• The Cost of PowerPoint Presentations: Discover the hidden expenses you might overlook!

Create professional presentations online

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7 Steps to Create a Presentation in PowerPoint (+ Templates)

Learn essential steps and tips to move beyond data slides. Discover why PowerPoint falls flat and unveil next-gen tools for impactful presentations.

Hadar Peretz

6 minute read

Short answer

7 steps to create a presentation in PowerPoint

Begin with a surprise or bold statement.

Provide necessary background information.

Frame your presentation as a story.

Keep the text concise and meaningful.

Use visuals to complement the text.

Incorporate interactive design.

Conclude with actionable insights.

Effective data and visual presentation requires specific knowledge

Displaying complex data and project visuals via multimedia elements demands substantial knowledge.

It's not merely about presenting data but doing so in a manner that's intuitive and engaging for the audience.

Utilizing graphs, charts, videos, and interactive animations effectively necessitates a good grasp of design principles, storytelling, and data visualization.

Moreover, familiarity with the technology and platforms for creating and sharing these multimedia presentations is crucial.

This blend of design acumen, technological expertise, and succinct communication is key to ensuring the data and project visuals are comprehended well by the audience.

5 benefits of mastering PowerPoint presentations

PowerPoint presentations come with a variety of benefits that make them a popular choice for both professional and educational settings. Here are some of the advantages:

Visual Engagement: Utilize visuals to keep audiences engaged and convey ideas effectively.

Organization: Structured slides ensure a clear, linear flow of content.

Customization: Modify designs to suit different topics or branding needs.

Compatibility and Reusability: Easily share across platforms, and update or reuse presentations.

Supports Multimedia: PowerPoint supports the integration of videos, hyperlinks, and other multimedia elements.

How to make a presentation in PowerPoint? (7 steps)

Creating a compelling presentation in PowerPoint is a blend of artistry and storytelling, combined with a clear understanding of the material at hand.

Let’s break down this process into seven detailed steps to craft a presentation that not only captivates your audience but leaves a lasting impact.

1. Start with a surprising statement, a bold promise, or a mystery

Kicking off with something unexpected grabs your audience's attention right from the outset.

It might be a shocking fact related to your topic, a bold promise of what they'll learn, or a mystery that piques their curiosity.

For instance, if your presentation is about time management , you might start with a surprising statistic about the average amount of time people waste on trivial tasks.

learn how to avoid these presentation starters : overloading facts, over-explaining initially, generic content, relying solely on PowerPoint norms, revealing key benefits early, and focusing on self over audience engagement.

Aim for curiosity-sparking, audience-tailored narratives.

2. Provide context with a bit of background information

Before diving deep, give your audience a clear understanding of the topic at hand. Offer a brief background to set the stage.

Going with the time management example, you could provide some insights into how modern distractions have made managing time more challenging.

3. Structure your presentation within a story framework

Stories are a powerful medium to convey messages. Structuring your presentation as a story keeps your audience engaged.

Introduce a protagonist, which could be an individual, a group, or even your audience, facing a problem that your presentation will help solve.

For instance, narrate a day in the life of a person struggling to manage time and how the techniques you’re about to share turn things around.

4 steps to structuring your presentation within a story framework:

Introduce Setting and Characters: Kickstart by presenting the backdrop and the entities involved, making them relevant to your audience.

Highlight a Conflict or Challenge: Unveil a significant problem or hurdle that the audience can relate to, setting the stage for your solutions.

Propose the Resolution: Unfold your solutions to the earlier stated problem, walking your audience through each resolving step.

Recap and Look Ahead: Conclude by recapping the narrative and offering actionable steps or insights for the audience to ponder upon or implement.

4. Make every word count, and use as few as possible

Conciseness is key. Make sure each word on your slide adds value to your presentation. This approach keeps your slides uncluttered and easy to follow.

For instance, instead of writing a long sentence about the importance of prioritizing tasks, use a brief statement like “Prioritize to Monetize.”

5. Use visuals only to support your presentation text

Utilizing visuals judiciously within your presentation is crucial. Visuals should complement your narrative, not overshadow it.

Explore the steps to make a presentation creative , apply these methods, and see your skills enhance, leading to captivating presentations.

The essence is to employ images, graphs, and charts to enhance understanding or convey a message more efficiently.

For instance, a simple pie chart can swiftly illustrate how much time is saved by effective prioritization.

By adhering to this guideline, you ensure that your audience remains focused on the key messages being delivered, with visuals serving as a supportive tool rather than a distraction.

6. Use interactive design to make your audience active participants

Engage your audience with interactive elements. Incorporating clickable links, embedded videos, or live polls can make your presentation more interactive and engaging.

For instance, a live poll could be used to understand the audience’s prior knowledge about time management.

7. End by telling your audience what they can do with what they’ve learned

Your conclusion should empower your audience to apply the learnings in their lives. Recap the key points and provide actionable steps they can take post-presentation.

For instance, share a list of time-management tools or a 30-day challenge to improve productivity.

By following these seven steps, you’re on the path to mastering the art of creating impactful PowerPoint presentations.

Each step is geared towards making your content more engaging, understandable, and memorable, ensuring that your message not only resonates with your audience but prompts action long after your presentation concludes.

Browse basic examples about how to end a presentation and discover what should be on the last slide of the presentation.

8 pro tips for crafting effective PowerPoint presentations

Crafting an effective PowerPoint presentation demands a blend of clear objectives, engaging narrative, visual creativity, and audience-centric communication.

Here are key tips to guide you in this endeavor:

Know Your Audience: Tailor your message to match audience expectations.

Clear Objective: Define the primary goal of your presentation.

Engaging Storyline: Employ a compelling narrative to convey your message.

Simplicity is Key: Keep content concise and language simple.

Visual Aids: Use visuals like images and charts to support text.

Practice and Prepare: Familiarize yourself with your content and anticipate questions.

Interactive Elements: Incorporate polls or Q&A to engage the audience.

C all to Action: End with a clear call to action guiding the audience on the next steps.

Why it's time to move to the next-gen presentation tools

Making a memorable presentation requires more than just PowerPoint slides. In fact, making a PowerPoint presentation interesting is impossible .

In today's digital era, engaging your audience demands innovative tools and a narrative approach.

Let’s explore a game-changing tool for impactful presentations.

Embrace interactivity

Interactive presentations foster real-time engagement, turning monologues into dialogues.

Tools like Storydoc offer a fresh, engaging approach to sharing your message.

With the right tools, creating lasting impressions is a breeze. It’s time to change the narrative and make your presentations both informative and inspiring.

Here’s our CEO, Itai Amoza, discussing the key elements that make a presentation engaging:

Best tool for making an effective presentation

Traditionally, PowerPoint or Google Slides were the go-to platforms for crafting presentations, offering simplicity.

However, to truly engage modern audiences, stepping up your game is essential. This is where next-gen AI-driven tools like Storydoc come into play.

Unlike static slides, Storydoc enables the creation of interactive, immersive content experiences. It’s not merely about showcasing data, but weaving a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience.

Creative presentation templates

Ever faced the daunting blank slide with a blinking cursor urging creativity? It's like having a stage awaiting your script.

Overcoming this initial challenge can be hefty, but there's a savior - creative presentation templates.

These templates act like a structured canvas, guiding your narrative while leaving room for your unique flair.

Grab a template and witness the simplicity it brings to narrating your distinct tale.

I am a Marketing Specialist at Storydoc, I research, analyze and write on our core topics of business presentations, sales, and fundraising. I love talking to clients about their successes and failures so I can get a rounded understanding of their world.

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Simple Steps to Make a PowerPoint Presentation

Last Updated: April 28, 2024 Fact Checked

Creating a New PowerPoint

Creating the title slide, adding a new slide, adding content to slides, adding transitions, testing and saving your presentation.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 4,331,315 times. Learn more...

Do you want to have your data in a slide show? If you have Microsoft 365, you can use PowerPoint! PowerPoint is a program that's part of the Microsoft Office suite (which you have to pay for) and is available for both Windows and Mac computers. This wikiHow teaches you how to create your own Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on a computer.

How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation

• Open the PowerPoint app, select a template and theme, then like “Create.”
• Click the text box to add your title and subtitle to create your title slide.
• Click the “Insert” tab, then “New Slide” to add another slide.
• Choose the type of slide you want to add, then add text and pictures.
• Rearrange slides by dragging them up or down in the preview box.

Things You Should Know

• Templates make it easy to create vibrant presentations no matter your skill level.
• When adding photos, you can adjust their sizes by clicking and dragging in or out from their corners.
• You can add animated transitions between slides or to individual elements like bullet points and blocks of text.

• If you don't have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription, you can use the website instead of the desktop app. Go to https://powerpoint.office.com/ to use the website version.
• You can also use the mobile app to make presentations, though it's easier to do this on a computer, which has a larger screen, a mouse, and a keyboard.

• If you don't want to use a template, just click the Blank option in the upper-left side of the page and skip to the next part.

• Skip this step if your selected template has no themes available.

• If you're creating a PowerPoint presentation for which an elaborate title slide has been requested, ignore this step.

• You can change the font and size of text used from the Home tab that's in the orange ribbon at the top of the window.

• You can also just leave this box blank if you like.

• You can also click and drag in or out one of a text box's corners to shrink or enlarge the text box.

• On a Mac, you'll click the Home tab instead. [1] X Research source

• Clicking the white slide-shaped box above this option will result in a new text slide being inserted.

• Title Slide
• Title and Content
• Section Header
• Two Content
• Content with Caption
• Picture with Caption

• Naturally, the title slide should be the first slide in your presentation, meaning that it should be the top slide in the left-hand column.

• Skip this step and the next two steps if your selected slide uses a template that doesn't have text boxes in it.

• Text boxes in PowerPoint will automatically format the bulk of your text for you (e.g., adding bullet points) based on the context of the content itself.
• You can add notes that the Presentation will not include (but you'll still be able to see them on your screen) by clicking Notes at the bottom of the slide.

• You can change the font of the selected text by clicking the current font's name and then clicking your preferred font.
• If you want to change the size of the text, click the numbered drop-down box and then click a larger or smaller number based on whether you want to enlarge or shrink the text.
• You can also change the color, bolding, italicization, underlining, and so on from here.

• Photos in particular can be enlarged or shrunk by clicking and dragging out or in one of their corners.

• Remember to keep slides uncluttered and relatively free of distractions. It's best to keep the amount of text per slide to around 33 words or less. [2] X Research source

• Slide content will animate in the order in which you assign transitions. For example, if you animate a photo on the slide and then animate the title, the photo will appear before the title.
• Make your slideshow progress automatically by setting the speed of every transition to align with your speech as well as setting each slide to Advance . [3] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

• If you need to exit the presentation, press Esc .

• Windows - Click File , click Save , double-click This PC , select a save location, enter a name for your presentation, and click Save .
• Mac - Click File , click Save As... , enter the presentation's name in the "Save As" field, select a save location by clicking the "Where" box and clicking a folder, and click Save .

Community Q&A

• If you save your PowerPoint presentation in .pps format instead of the default .ppt format, double-clicking your PowerPoint presentation file will prompt the presentation to open directly into the slideshow view. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
• If you don't have Microsoft Office, you can still use Apple's Keynote program or Google Slides to create a PowerPoint presentation. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Your PowerPoint presentation (or some features in it) may not open in significantly older versions of PowerPoint. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 2
• Great PowerPoint presentations avoid placing too much text on one slide. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=DBDCE00C929AA5D8!252&ithint=file%2cpptx&app=PowerPoint&authkey=!AH4O9NxcbehqzIg
• ↑ https://www.virtualsalt.com/powerpoint.htm
• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/set-the-timing-and-speed-of-a-transition-c3c3c66f-4cca-4821-b8b9-7de0f3f6ead1#:~:text=To%20make%20the%20slide%20advance,effect%20on%20the%20slide%20finishes .

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Blog Beginner Guides How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

Written by: Krystle Wong Jul 20, 2023

A top-notch presentation possesses the power to drive action. From winning stakeholders over and conveying a powerful message to securing funding — your secret weapon lies within the realm of creating an effective presentation .  

Being an excellent presenter isn’t confined to the boardroom. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, pursuing an academic career, involved in a non-profit organization or even a student, nailing the presentation game is a game-changer.

In this article, I’ll cover the top qualities of compelling presentations and walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to give a good presentation. Here’s a little tip to kick things off: for a headstart, check out Venngage’s collection of free presentation templates . They are fully customizable, and the best part is you don’t need professional design skills to make them shine!

These valuable presentation tips cater to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, encompassing business professionals, sales and marketing teams, educators, trainers, students, researchers, non-profit organizations, public speakers and presenters. 

No matter your field or role, these tips for presenting will equip you with the skills to deliver effective presentations that leave a lasting impression on any audience.

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

Step-by-step guide on how to prepare an effective presentation, 9 effective techniques to deliver a memorable presentation, faqs on making a good presentation, how to create a presentation with venngage in 5 steps.

When it comes to giving an engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression, it’s not just about the content — it’s also about how you deliver it. Wondering what makes a good presentation? Well, the best presentations I’ve seen consistently exhibit these 10 qualities:

1. Clear structure

No one likes to get lost in a maze of information. Organize your thoughts into a logical flow, complete with an introduction, main points and a solid conclusion. A structured presentation helps your audience follow along effortlessly, leaving them with a sense of satisfaction at the end.

Regardless of your presentation style , a quality presentation starts with a clear roadmap. Browse through Venngage’s template library and select a presentation template that aligns with your content and presentation goals. Here’s a good presentation example template with a logical layout that includes sections for the introduction, main points, supporting information and a conclusion: 

2. Engaging opening

Hook your audience right from the start with an attention-grabbing statement, a fascinating question or maybe even a captivating anecdote. Set the stage for a killer presentation!

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

3. Relevant content

Make sure your content aligns with their interests and needs. Your audience is there for a reason, and that’s to get valuable insights. Avoid fluff and get straight to the point, your audience will be genuinely excited.

4. Effective visual aids

Picture this: a slide with walls of text and tiny charts, yawn! Visual aids should be just that—aiding your presentation. Opt for clear and visually appealing slides, engaging images and informative charts that add value and help reinforce your message.

With Venngage, visualizing data takes no effort at all. You can import data from CSV or Google Sheets seamlessly and create stunning charts, graphs and icon stories effortlessly to showcase your data in a captivating and impactful way.

5. Clear and concise communication

Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon or complicated terms. Communicate your ideas clearly, so your audience can easily grasp and retain the information being conveyed. This can prevent confusion and enhance the overall effectiveness of the message. 

6. Engaging delivery

Spice up your presentation with a sprinkle of enthusiasm! Maintain eye contact, use expressive gestures and vary your tone of voice to keep your audience glued to the edge of their seats. A touch of charisma goes a long way!

7. Interaction and audience engagement

Turn your presentation into an interactive experience — encourage questions, foster discussions and maybe even throw in a fun activity. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember and embrace your message.

Transform your slides into an interactive presentation with Venngage’s dynamic features like pop-ups, clickable icons and animated elements. Engage your audience with interactive content that lets them explore and interact with your presentation for a truly immersive experience.

8. Effective storytelling

Who doesn’t love a good story? Weaving relevant anecdotes, case studies or even a personal story into your presentation can captivate your audience and create a lasting impact. Stories build connections and make your message memorable.

A great presentation background is also essential as it sets the tone, creates visual interest and reinforces your message. Enhance the overall aesthetics of your presentation with these 15 presentation background examples and captivate your audience’s attention.

9. Well-timed pacing

Pace your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides, neither rushing through nor dragging it out. Respect your audience’s time and ensure you cover all the essential points without losing their interest.

10. Strong conclusion

Last impressions linger! Summarize your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway. End your presentation with a bang , a call to action or an inspiring thought that resonates long after the conclusion.

In-person presentations aside, acing a virtual presentation is of paramount importance in today’s digital world. Check out this guide to learn how you can adapt your in-person presentations into virtual presentations . 

Preparing an effective presentation starts with laying a strong foundation that goes beyond just creating slides and notes. One of the quickest and best ways to make a presentation would be with the help of a good presentation software . 

Otherwise, let me walk you to how to prepare for a presentation step by step and unlock the secrets of crafting a professional presentation that sets you apart.

1. Understand the audience and their needs

Before you dive into preparing your masterpiece, take a moment to get to know your target audience. Tailor your presentation to meet their needs and expectations , and you’ll have them hooked from the start!

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

Time to hit the books (or the internet)! Don’t skimp on the research with your presentation materials — dive deep into the subject matter and gather valuable insights . The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in delivering your presentation.

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

No one wants to stumble through a chaotic mess of information. Outline your presentation with a clear and logical flow. Start with a captivating introduction, follow up with main points that build on each other and wrap it up with a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Delivering an effective business presentation hinges on captivating your audience, and Venngage’s professionally designed business presentation templates are tailor-made for this purpose. With thoughtfully structured layouts, these templates enhance your message’s clarity and coherence, ensuring a memorable and engaging experience for your audience members.

Don’t want to build your presentation layout from scratch? pick from these 5 foolproof presentation layout ideas that won’t go wrong. 

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

Spice up your presentation with eye-catching visuals! Create slides that complement your message, not overshadow it. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload your slides with text.

Well-chosen designs create a cohesive and professional look, capturing your audience’s attention and enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message. Here’s a list of carefully curated PowerPoint presentation templates and great background graphics that will significantly influence the visual appeal and engagement of your presentation.

5. Practice, practice and practice

Practice makes perfect — rehearse your presentation and arrive early to your presentation to help overcome stage fright. Familiarity with your material will boost your presentation skills and help you handle curveballs with ease.

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek feedback from friends and colleagues. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and fine-tune your presentation to perfection.

With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature , receiving feedback and editing your presentation is a seamless process. Group members can access and work on the presentation simultaneously and edit content side by side in real-time. Changes will be reflected immediately to the entire team, promoting seamless teamwork.

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

Prepare for the unexpected by checking your equipment, internet connection and any other potential hiccups. If you’re worried that you’ll miss out on any important points, you could always have note cards prepared. Remember to remain focused and rehearse potential answers to anticipated questions.

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

As the big day approaches, give your presentation one last shine. Review your talking points, practice how to present a presentation and make any final tweaks. Deep breaths — you’re on the brink of delivering a successful presentation!

In competitive environments, persuasive presentations set individuals and organizations apart. To brush up on your presentation skills, read these guides on how to make a persuasive presentation and tips to presenting effectively . 

Whether you’re an experienced presenter or a novice, the right techniques will let your presentation skills soar to new heights!

From public speaking hacks to interactive elements and storytelling prowess, these 9 effective presentation techniques will empower you to leave a lasting impression on your audience and make your presentations unforgettable.

1. Confidence and positive body language

Positive body language instantly captivates your audience, making them believe in your message as much as you do. Strengthen your stage presence and own that stage like it’s your second home! Stand tall, shoulders back and exude confidence. 

2. Eye contact with the audience

Break down that invisible barrier and connect with your audience through their eyes. Maintaining eye contact when giving a presentation builds trust and shows that you’re present and engaged with them.

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

A little movement goes a long way! Emphasize key points with purposeful gestures and don’t be afraid to walk around the stage. Your energy will be contagious!

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

Weave the magic of storytelling into your presentation. Share relatable anecdotes, inspiring success stories or even personal experiences that tug at the heartstrings of your audience. Adjust your pitch, pace and volume to match the emotions and intensity of the story. Varying your speaking voice adds depth and enhances your stage presence.

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

Spice up your presentation with a dash of visual pizzazz! Use slides, images and video clips to add depth and clarity to your message. Just remember, less is more—don’t overwhelm them with information overload. 

Turn your presentations into an interactive party! Involve your audience with questions, polls or group activities. When they actively participate, they become invested in your presentation’s success. Bring your design to life with animated elements. Venngage allows you to apply animations to icons, images and text to create dynamic and engaging visual content.

6. Utilize humor strategically

Laughter is the best medicine—and a fantastic presentation enhancer! A well-placed joke or lighthearted moment can break the ice and create a warm atmosphere , making your audience more receptive to your message.

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

Be attentive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. If they have questions or concerns, address them with genuine interest and respect. Your responsiveness builds rapport and shows that you genuinely care about their experience.

8. Apply the 10-20-30 rule

Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it!

9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule

Simplicity is key. Limit each slide to five bullet points, with only five words per bullet point and allow each slide to remain visible for about five seconds. This rule keeps your presentation concise and prevents information overload.

Simple presentations are more engaging because they are easier to follow. Summarize your presentations and keep them simple with Venngage’s gallery of simple presentation templates and ensure that your message is delivered effectively across your audience.

1. How to start a presentation?

To kick off your presentation effectively, begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a powerful quote. Introduce yourself, establish credibility and clearly state the purpose and relevance of your presentation.

2. How to end a presentation?

For a strong conclusion, summarize your talking points and key takeaways. End with a compelling call to action or a thought-provoking question and remember to thank your audience and invite any final questions or interactions.

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

To make your presentation interactive, encourage questions and discussion throughout your talk. Utilize multimedia elements like videos or images and consider including polls, quizzes or group activities to actively involve your audience.

In need of inspiration for your next presentation? I’ve got your back! Pick from these 120+ presentation ideas, topics and examples to get started. 

Creating a stunning presentation with Venngage is a breeze with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and professionally designed templates for all your communication needs. 

Here’s how to make a presentation in just 5 simple steps with the help of Venngage:

Step 1: Sign up for Venngage for free using your email, Gmail or Facebook account or simply log in to access your account. 

Step 2: Pick a design from our selection of free presentation templates (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Make the template your own by customizing it to fit your content and branding. With Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily modify text, change colors and adjust the layout to create a unique and eye-catching design.

Step 4: Elevate your presentation by incorporating captivating visuals. You can upload your images or choose from Venngage’s vast library of high-quality photos, icons and illustrations. 

Step 5: Upgrade to a premium or business account to export your presentation in PDF and print it for in-person presentations or share it digitally for free!

By following these five simple steps, you’ll have a professionally designed and visually engaging presentation ready in no time. With Venngage’s user-friendly platform, your presentation is sure to make a lasting impression. So, let your creativity flow and get ready to shine in your next presentation!

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What are the steps to create a PowerPoint presentation?

By: Author Shrot Katewa

Knowing how to create a PowerPoint presentation is without doubt one of the most basic and important skills that businesses today expect their employees to have. We have frequently seen people struggle and literally spend days, even weeks in creating a PowerPoint presentation and they still don’t get it right! This can be a daunting task or a cakewalk depending on who you ask. In case you are one of those people who fear PowerPoint presentations – don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

But first, just in case you are wondering, what is a PowerPoint presentation? A PowerPoint presentation is a tool that allows us to share information about a certain topic in an effective manner. As opposed to other forms of sharing information, PowerPoint presentation allows us to make the information specific to our audience and often present it in an engaging manner. It has a wide range of uses. However, the beauty of PowerPoint is that it is very easy to use for beginners and packs some awesome features even for experts! PowerPoint presentation file can be used as a standalone file or as a reference in the background while delivering your presentation . The term is derived from Microsoft PowerPoint who created the PowerPoint software. While there are other tools that also allow us to create and deliver a presentation, PowerPoint, today, has become synonymous with any form of presentation.

Let’s dive right into the steps for creating a PowerPoint presentation – 

Step 1 – preparing to create your PowerPoint presentation

Preparing for creating your presentation is one of the KEY STEPS that can set your presentation apart. A good PowerPoint presentation is engaging & easy to follow, aesthetically beautiful, has a clear objective, and actionable next steps (wherever possible).

Thus, there are a few things that you should keep in mind even before you begin creating a PowerPoint presentation. You should step back for a moment and ask yourself –

• Who is my target audience? 
• How much time do I have with my target audience? 
• Will I be sharing this deck over email or do I plan to present it in person? 
• What is the audience size who you would be delivering the presentation?

Answers to the above questions can give you direction for a few key things while creating a presentation. For example, if you are planning to present to a large audience, you may want to ensure that you don’t cram too much of the information on the slides as it may be difficult for people to read and it will act as a distraction.

Another example on how the above questions can help would be on the number of slides. If you know that you have about 30 minutes for delivering the presentation, you may want to keep about 10 minutes for answering questions from the audience. Thus, you would only be left with about 15-20 minutes to for the actual presentation. Such an assessment allows you to identify how many slides should you consider for your presentation based on a rough estimate on the amount of time each slide would take.

Step 2 – create your PowerPoint presentation structure

Once you’ve completed step 1, you will now have to start thinking about what is the objective of the PowerPoint presentation that you intend to create. What content would you like to include in order to achieve the objective. Mostly importantly, how you would want to structure the content of your presentation.

The best presentations are those which represent the most complex piece of information in the easiest and the simplest manner possible such that your audience spends the least amount of time understanding it!

-Shrot Katewa

When it comes to structuring your presentation – there is no right or wrong. It’s about what works best for you and what would be the easiest and the most simplest way you can represent the most complex piece of information such that your audience spend the least amount of time understanding it.

Every presentation is different and each presentation follows its own structure. But, what’s really important is the information flow. We recommend our customers to start with a high level view of your presentation objective – an abstract idea or a problem statement. As you proceed in your presentation, substantiate your idea and go deeper explaining more about your objective or the key idea. You can close with specific takeaways or call to actions that you want your audience to focus on. 

Let’s look at an example. Let’s say you were the founder of Uber. Now, if you were creating a PowerPoint pitch deck for Uber, a great place to start the presentation would be with a “Problem” that Uber is trying to solve

Stating the problem upfront gives a sense of the direction in which the rest of the presentation would flow. In the above example, the problem statement indicates that you would be talking about cabs or transportation or topics related to the problem in the rest of your presentation (it would be really odd if otherwise).

In a well structured pitch deck, your next steps will elaborate on the market size – how big a problem it is, solution – how does Uber solve that problem, demo – how does the app work, revenue model – how the company plans to earn money, funding related details – funds to be raised and how it will be utilised.

Step 3 – collating content to create your PowerPoint presentation

This is relatively the easy part of your PowerPoint presentation. Once you have a fair idea about the content structure, it is a lot easier for you to put the content on those slides. Most of us know what our organisation does. However, some of us often struggle with the right type of information for some slide.

One of the tricks that we’ve seen work very well with our customers who are unable to put content on the slide is to look at the topic of the slide and think about what your response would be if a 12 year old child asked you about the topic of your slide! How would you respond? Speak the response out loud. You may also want to record your own response. Then, make a note of the points that you mentioned and include content on those points on the specific slide.

Lastly, make sure to look at what your competitors are talking about. You will surely find a few relevant points for your presentation as well.

Step 4 – designing your PowerPoint presentation

Designing your PowerPoint presentation, in itself, is very difficult to cover in just one post. We will soon be carrying a series on designing your PowerPoint presentation. However, sharing below some of the basic things that all of us should keep in mind –

Choosing the right fonts for your PowerPoint presentation is important. If you are making a professional presentation, avoiding casual fonts is highly recommended. Small decisions like choosing the right fonts can make a big impact to your presentation. There’s a whole science behind how caligraphy impacts individual behaviour. Steve Jobs was one of the pioneers and early adopters of the concept of personalised calligraphy right through his early Macintosh days ( Source )

Small decisions like choosing the right fonts can make a BIG IMPACT to your PowerPoint presentation

You may ask what fonts are right to use for your PowerPoint presentation. San Serif fonts such as Arial or Calibri would both be great fonts to use for your PowerPoint presentation. Some of our other favourites are Montserrat and Helvetica. These work great for most professional presentations.

Another thing to keep in mind would be to use not more than 2 fonts in your presentation. Ensure that there is consistency in the use of fonts. For instance, all your headings should be of the same font family and font size. We recommend avoiding any special effects on the fonts especially for professional PowerPoint presentations, but that’s really a personal choice. Also, do note that the size of the font is not too small as this can make your presentation difficult to read, especially for a larger audience.

Colour scheme

In some cases, the use of your colour pallette may be restricted to the brand guidelines of your organisation. That may actually make it easier for you to choose the colours for your PowerPoint presentation as your choice is restricted. Regardless, a critical point that you may want to keep in mind while designing the slides would be to use contrasting colours for your fonts and the background. That means using colours on the opposite end of the colour wheel. This will ensure good readability of the content. Avoid using flashy colours and more than 4-5 colours throughout the presentation. This maintains consistency of your PowerPoint presentation. If you need to use additional colours, using monochromatic colour scheme would be better than using multiple colours

Images & Graphics

Graphics and images break the monotony of your PowerPoint presentation content. However, using images & graphics is great for your presentation if used appropriately and sparingly. When using images, ensure that it relates to your content. Make sure that you have the legal rights and license for using the images. It is easy to fall in the trap of using copyrighted images from Google. Copyright infringement can damage the reputation of your organisation. We wrote an extensive post on how to avoid using copyrighted images and use images from Google and other sources for free. (Read more about it – https://www.owlscape.in/can-i-use-google-images-for-my-presentation/ ) 

Similarly, use graphics only when needed. A general rule of thumb for using graphics would be when you have bullet point based content on your slides. In such scenarios, graphics will enhance the overall look and feel of your slides.

Number of Slides

Our attention span is very limited. Thus, having too many slides on your presentation is something that should be avoided. There is no fixed rule on how many slides should one have on a presentation although Guy Kawasaki’s “10/20/30 rule” ( source ) may be an exception. However, an easy way to calculate the number of slides that you should have on your presentation is to identify the total amount of time you have for delivering the presentation. Divide that by the approximate time that you may spend on each slide. The resulting number could act as a reference to the number of slides you should be looking at.

We hope that this blog was useful for you and that it helps you to create better presentations in the future. What did you think about it? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Let us know if you have any questions or if you would like to cover some specific topics that will help you upgrade your presentation skills.

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• 7 steps to building a compelling PowerPoint presentation
• Content hub

7 min read — by Amos Wong

How many times have you sat through a PowerPoint presentation that raised more questions than it answered? For instance, just look at the image shown above. Or how often have you seen slides so packed with information that you can’t even read them before the presenter has moved onto the next slide? If you have been in such situations, this blog is for you.

Avoiding these problems isn’t as simple as it seems when you’re creating a presentation from scratch and have a lot of information to present. The trick is to break it down into manageable pieces, starting with the broad overview and then circling in on the details. To help you do it, this article examines a 7-step process for building a compelling PowerPoint presentation, including how to structure it, lay out slides and create charts that support your message.

Learn more about how to build a better slide deck with our free eBook on PowerPoint best practices

1. Determine your presentation type

The first step in building your PowerPoint presentation is determining which type of presentation you’re giving. This helps clarify your overarching goal, while also influencing how you structure your slides.

Presentations typically fall under one or more of the following categories representing a continuum from light to heavy content:

• Key message presentations: This type of presentation is usually lighter in content and tells a persuasive story, such as a TED talk or pitch deck.
• Recurring reports: Recurring reports include more repetitive presentations like monthly reports or slide decks for team meetings. They often include more detail to document results, trends or activities.
• Insights and research outcomes: Presentations such as survey data or market trend reports distill information from large datasets into high-level conclusions.
• Documentation: This type of presentation provides detailed summaries of findings, typically with many charts and limited commentary depending on the audience.

2. Build your story

Your next step is to ask what message or story you want the audience to walk away with. With your top-level message in hand, you can then begin to structure your slide deck around it.

This is the essence of the Pyramid Principle , a strategy for creating effective business communications ubiquitous in the consulting world. With the Pyramid Principle, you lead with your most important idea, followed by supporting ideas and facts. If your conclusion is that Acme Company should enter a new market, say it up front. Then go through each supporting argument in order of relative strength.

An important corollary to the above is the MECE Principle , which stands for mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive.

Compared with presenting a laundry list of ideas, MECE is a way to group them in a way that covers all relevant points without overlap. Using MECE to organize and group your ideas ensures a logically sound argument, while making the information easier for your audience to absorb.

3. Write your action titles

Once you have a defined structure for your PowerPoint presentation, you can get down to creating your slides. One of the most important things to remember as you do this is that each slide should present exactly one idea summarized in a single action title. All information presented on the slide must support the action title, including any charts. It is also important to avoid including any visual or textual elements that may convey or imply a different or conflicting message apart from the one in the action title.

One common strategy is to first write action titles for each slide to ensure they tell a complete story on their own. From there, you can go back to each slide and add details such as bullet points and charts.

4. Use a clean layout and formatting

When creating slides, it is crucial to avoid overcrowding them with excessive information or elements that can create visual confusion. One way to approach this is to visualize your slide as a table, laying out elements in columns and rows. Commonly used slide layouts consist of either two to three or four quadrants, depending on the nature of the content and the desired visual representation. You’ll also want to consider:

• The rule of thirds: Placing elements at one-third or two-thirds from the edge of the slide, and particularly where these gridlines intersect, is a universal rule for building a visually appealing slide.
• White space: Resist the temptation to pack too much into your slides. Leaving sufficient white space is essential for readability and helping the audience take in each slide’s main point.
• Presentation type: Key message presentations will have less content on each slide, compared with documentation presentations that include more detail.
• Fonts: Use the same font color and size for titles and body text throughout your slide deck, ideally in a sans serif font like Arial. Titles should be 20 to 24 point size, with body text 12 to 18 point based on the amount of content on the slides.

5. Organize your bullet points

A long list of bullet points is confusing and hard for audiences to digest. Instead, stick to three or five bullets, with a maximum of seven. Again, avoid packing in too much information, and all text should support the action title.

To improve clarity, write bullet points using parallel structure. In other words, if one bullet is a sentence, all of them should be in sentence form. The same goes for using sentence fragments or individual words. Each bullet should start with the same part of speech (e.g., noun, verb, adjective).

6. Choose the right chart

All chart data should be relevant to the slide’s action title. Say It with charts by Gene Zelazny offers a useful approach to choosing your chart in three steps:

• Identify which aspect of the data your chart will highlight
• Determine what you’re comparing, whether it’s components, change over time or correlation
• Select your chart according to the comparison you’re trying to make

7. Format your chart

Once you create a basic chart, you’ll want to format and annotate it in a way that conveys your message without confusion. This means:

• Including a chart title that summarizes the data and aligns with the slide’s action title
• Labeling both the x-axis and the y-axis with measurement units
• Using color sparingly to highlight the chart’s conclusion, for example using muted tones with one key vertical bar highlighted in a bolder color
• Adding trendlines to charts that can visually indicate patterns or trends in the data, for example, CAGRs
• Displaying legends to help viewers understand the meaning of different colors, symbols, or patterns used in the chart

A PowerPoint add-in like think-cell can help you create better slide decks and charts faster. Dynamic charts, process flows, annotations and text boxes all help organize complex information into visually sophisticated presentations, so you can spend less time struggling with formatting and more time on building a compelling story.

Building a PowerPoint presentation from scratch can seem like a tall order. By breaking it down into manageable steps, however, you can streamline the process while ensuring your audience leaves with a clear understanding of your message.

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.css-1qrtm5m{display:block;margin-bottom:8px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:14px;line-height:1.5714285714285714;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.35px;letter-spacing:-0.35px;font-weight:300;color:#606F7B;}@media (min-width:600px){.css-1qrtm5m{font-size:16px;line-height:1.625;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.5px;letter-spacing:-0.5px;}} Best Practices 5 essential preparation steps for a successful presentation

by Tom Rielly • June 15, 2020

Keeping your presentation visuals minimalistic, simple, and clear is just one important step to remember when designing a hit presentation. Leaving nothing to chance, great presenters prove quite methodical as they prepare. Here’s a checklist for everything you need to keep in mind before your next presentation:

1. Choose the right software for your needs

The easiest way to select the right presentation software for you is to simply find the one that is native to your device. For example, if you have a Mac, use Apple Keynote, if you work on Windows, use PowerPoint. Google Slides is recommended if you’re working with someone, as it makes collaboration very easy. Another software option is Prezi: a specialty tool called Prezi that creates a presentation using motion, zoom, and panning across one giant visual space.

2. Organize your files

As you develop your script and visuals, you will need to start assembling all the assets for your slides. Create a unique folder on your computer to hold these items. Keep the folder organized by media type (presentation drafts, photos, videos, scripts) and back them up frequently to the Cloud or external disk. Label each file with a specific descriptive name, e.g. “Susan Johnson singing magpie 2020”, as opposed to “IMG_4043.jpg”, which can make it confusing to find your assets. The more organized you are up front, the easier preparing for your presentation will be.

3. Prepare your presentation materials

Make sure your presentation materials (script, graphics, actual slides) are saved in at least two safe spots (for example, your computer and an external USB drive) and are backed-up frequently. If you are using an online presentation software, such as Google Slides, be sure to also download a copy of your presentation in case the internet connection is unreliable. Having all the individual assets on hand in addition to your presentation slides can be helpful if you experience tech issues before presenting, or if you need to make any last minute changes. Make sure to label your final presentation with the title and your name so it’s easy to find.

4. Practice, practice, practice!

Remember, practice makes perfect. People often run out of time making their presentations and have no time to practice. Most TED speakers practice at least ten times. Neuroscientist Jill-Bolte Taylor gave one of the most successful Talks in TED history with nearly 27 million views. How did she do it? She practiced her Talk over 40 times! By rehearsing multiple times you will naturally memorize your Talk, which means you won’t need note cards when you give your final presentation.

5. Do a final test run

Before presenting, make sure the equipment you need is working properly. It’s generally good practice to rehearse standing on the exact stage with the exact lighting using the exact computer that you will be using in your final presentation.

Here’s a quick checklist of what to look for when testing your equipment:

• If you're not using your own computer, the one provided might be slower and have trouble playing media. If you have videos or other media, make sure they play correctly
• Test the projector to make sure it’s HD
• Make sure images are clear
• Test the sound of any clips you use, as this is what goes wrong most frequently
• If you’re using a mic, test the volume

Don’t let technical issues or other blunders overshadow your presentation. By following these guidelines, and with a little preparation, you can engineer out the problems BEFORE they happen.

Ready to learn more about how to make your presentation even better? Get TED Masterclass and develop your ideas into TED-style talks

© 2024 TED Conferences, LLC. All rights reserved. Please note that the TED Talks Usage policy does not apply to this content and is not subject to our creative commons license.

How to Start PowerPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Starting PowerPoint is as easy as opening the program and selecting a template or a blank presentation. Once you’ve got the program open, you’ll be greeted with various options to create your perfect presentation, whether it’s for a business meeting, a school project, or just for fun. Just be sure you have PowerPoint installed on your computer or you have access to it online through Microsoft 365.

After you’ve opened PowerPoint and selected your template, you’ll be able to add text, images, videos, and other elements to your slides to make your presentation unique and engaging.

Introduction

PowerPoint is a versatile tool used by millions to create engaging and dynamic presentations. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or someone who just wants to make a fun slideshow for friends and family, knowing how to start PowerPoint is a must-have skill in today’s digital world. This program has been around for decades, evolving with technology to offer a wide range of features that can make any presentation go from bland to brilliant.

But why is it so important to know how to start PowerPoint? Well, think about it. Presentations are a key part of communication in various settings. They can make or break a business pitch, help or hinder a teacher’s lesson, and add a lot of fun to personal projects. PowerPoint is relevant to just about anyone who needs to convey information in a visual and organized way. So let’s dive in and get started on mastering the basics of opening and using PowerPoint.

Step by Step Tutorial: Starting PowerPoint

Before we begin, make sure you have PowerPoint installed on your computer. If you do, fantastic! If not, you can download it from the Microsoft website or access it online through Microsoft 365. Ready? Let’s go!

Step 1: Open PowerPoint

Launch PowerPoint by clicking on the program icon on your computer.

Once you’ve found the PowerPoint icon, either on your desktop, start menu, or taskbar, give it a click, and the program will open. You may see a loading screen briefly before the main window appears.

Step 2: Choose a Template

Select a template or a blank presentation to start creating your slides.

PowerPoint offers a variety of templates to fit every need and occasion. Whether you want something simple and professional or colorful and creative, there’s a template for you. If you prefer to start from scratch, you can choose a blank presentation.

Step 3: Customize Your Slides

Add text, images, videos, and other elements to your slides.

Once you’ve picked your template or opened a blank slide, it’s time to make it your own. You can add title text, bullet points, images, and even videos. PowerPoint has a range of tools for customizing each slide to fit your content perfectly.

Additional Information

When starting PowerPoint, it’s essential to keep your audience in mind. Who will be viewing your presentation? What is the main message you want to convey? Answering these questions can help you choose the right template and design elements. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different fonts, colors, and layouts to find what works best for your content.

Remember, a well-organized and visually appealing presentation can significantly impact your audience’s engagement and retention of information. Also, consider using PowerPoint’s various features like transitions and animations sparingly – while they can add a dynamic touch, overuse can be distracting. And always save your work regularly!

• Open PowerPoint by clicking on the program icon.
• Select a template or a blank presentation.
• Customize your slides by adding text, images, videos, and other elements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do i need a microsoft account to use powerpoint.

Yes, to download and use PowerPoint, you’ll need a Microsoft account.

Can I access PowerPoint online?

Absolutely, PowerPoint is available online through Microsoft 365, which allows you to work on presentations from any browser.

Is PowerPoint free?

PowerPoint is not free, but it is included in the Microsoft Office Suite, which is available for purchase. However, you can use the online version with a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Can I collaborate with others on a PowerPoint presentation?

Yes, PowerPoint supports collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on the same presentation simultaneously.

Can I convert a PowerPoint presentation to a video?

Indeed, PowerPoint has a feature that lets you save your presentation as a video file.

Starting PowerPoint is just the beginning of creating compelling and memorable presentations. Whether you use a template or start from a blank canvas, the key to a great PowerPoint presentation is creativity, clarity, and audience engagement. Remember, practice makes perfect!

So go ahead and play around with all the tools and features PowerPoint offers. The more you use it, the more proficient you’ll become. And if you ever get stuck, there’s a vast community of PowerPoint users and an array of online resources to help you out. Now that you know how to start PowerPoint, where will your presentations take you?

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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Create a presentation in four simple steps in PowerPoint

You can quickly create a simple framework for a professional-looking presentation by applying a theme for a unified look, adding new slides with various slide layouts, and then adding visual interest by applying a slide transition to all slides.

On the Design tab, select the theme you want.

On the Home tab, click New Slide .

To choose a different slide layout, click the arrow next to New Slide and then click the slide layout you want.

On the Transitions tab, click the transition you want.

On the Transitions tab, click Apply To All .

Now you've set up a presentation with a consistent theme and transition style. Next, add more slides, and fill them in with the text and visuals you need for your message.

To choose a different slide layout, click Layout to see a gallery of options, and then select the slide layout you want.

On the Transitions tab, select the transition you want.

On the Transitions tab, in the Timing group, click Apply To All .

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How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation

Introduction: How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation

Step 1: Launch the PowerPoint Program

Step 2: choosing a design.

The next thing you want to do is decide what design you want for the presentation. To do this, go to the 'Design' tab at the top of the page. Scroll through all the options and decide which one looks best for the presentation you want. To get a preview of what the design will look like before applying it to the presentation, hover over the design you want to preview. This design will be automatically continued throughout the rest of your presentation. Once you have more than one slide, you can add a different design for just one slide. To do this, select the slide you want to change the design on by clicking on it. It will pop-up as the big slide in the screen. Then you can right-click the design you want for this slide and select 'Apply to Selected Slide'. It will appear on that slide, but will not change the design of the other slides.

Step 3: Create Title Page

Step 4: add more slides, step 5: add charts, pictures, graphs, etc., step 6: add transitions, step 7: changing the order, step 8: play the presentation, recommendations.

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How Xbox Lost the Console Wars (And What Microsoft Can Do Now)

I made an android auto display for my bike (to keep my phone safe), adding android auto or carplay to your car is easier than you think, quick links, table of contents, start with a goal, less is more, consider your typeface, make bullet points count, limit the use of transitions, skip text where possible, think in color, take a look from the top down, bonus: start with templates.

Slideshows are an intuitive way to share complex ideas with an audience, although they're dull and frustrating when poorly executed. Here are some tips to make your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations sing while avoiding common pitfalls.

It all starts with identifying what we're trying to achieve with the presentation. Is it informative, a showcase of data in an easy-to-understand medium? Or is it more of a pitch, something meant to persuade and convince an audience and lead them to a particular outcome?

It's here where the majority of these presentations go wrong with the inability to identify the talking points that best support our goal. Always start with a goal in mind: to entertain, to inform, or to share data in a way that's easy to understand. Use facts, figures, and images to support your conclusion while keeping structure in mind (Where are we now and where are we going?).

I've found that it's helpful to start with the ending. Once I know how to end a presentation, I know how best to get to that point. I start by identifying the takeaway---that one nugget that I want to implant before thanking everyone for their time---and I work in reverse to figure out how best to get there.

Your mileage, of course, may vary. But it's always going to be a good idea to put in the time in the beginning stages so that you aren't reworking large portions of the presentation later. And that starts with a defined goal.

A slideshow isn't supposed to include everything. It's an introduction to a topic, one that we can elaborate on with speech. Anything unnecessary is a distraction. It makes the presentation less visually appealing and less interesting, and it makes you look bad as a presenter.

This goes for text as well as images. There's nothing worse, in fact, than a series of slides where the presenter just reads them as they appear. Your audience is capable of reading, and chances are they'll be done with the slide, and browsing Reddit, long before you finish. Avoid putting the literal text on the screen, and your audience will thank you.

Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD

Right off the bat, we're just going to come out and say that Papyrus and Comic Sans should be banned from all PowerPoint presentations, permanently. Beyond that, it's worth considering the typeface you're using and what it's saying about you, the presenter, and the presentation itself.

Consider choosing readability over aesthetics, and avoid fancy fonts that could prove to be more of a distraction than anything else. A good presentation needs two fonts: a serif and sans-serif. Use one for the headlines and one for body text, lists, and the like. Keep it simple. Veranda, Helvetica, Arial, and even Times New Roman are safe choices. Stick with the classics and it's hard to botch this one too badly.

There reaches a point where bullet points become less of a visual aid and more of a visual examination.

Bullet points should support the speaker, not overwhelm his audience. The best slides have little or no text at all, in fact. As a presenter, it's our job to talk through complex issues, but that doesn't mean that we need to highlight every talking point.

Instead, think about how you can break up large lists into three or four bullet points. Carefully consider whether you need to use more bullet points, or if you can combine multiple topics into a single point instead. And if you can't, remember that there's no one limiting the number of slides you can have in a presentation. It's always possible to break a list of 12 points down into three pages of four points each.

Animation, when used correctly, is a good idea. It breaks up slow-moving parts of a presentation and adds action to elements that require it. But it should be used judiciously.

Adding a transition that wipes left to right between every slide or that animates each bullet point in a list, for example, starts to grow taxing on those forced to endure the presentation. Viewers get bored quickly, and animations that are meant to highlight specific elements quickly become taxing.

That's not to say that you can't use animations and transitions, just that you need to pick your spots. Aim for no more than a handful of these transitions for each presentation. And use them in spots where they'll add to the demonstration, not detract from it.

Sometimes images tell a better story than text can. And as a presenter, your goal is to describe points in detail without making users do a lot of reading. In these cases, a well-designed visual, like a chart, might better convey the information you're trying to share.

The right image adds visual appeal and serves to break up longer, text-heavy sections of the presentation---but only if you're using the right images. A single high-quality image can make all the difference between a success and a dud when you're driving a specific point home.

When considering text, don't think solely in terms of bullet points and paragraphs. Tables, for example, are often unnecessary. Ask yourself whether you could present the same data in a bar or line chart instead.

Color is interesting. It evokes certain feelings and adds visual appeal to your presentation as a whole. Studies show that color also improves interest, comprehension, and retention. It should be a careful consideration, not an afterthought.

You don't have to be a graphic designer to use color well in a presentation. What I do is look for palettes I like, and then find ways to use them in the presentation. There are a number of tools for this, like Adobe Color , Coolors , and ColorHunt , just to name a few. After finding a palette you enjoy, consider how it works with the presentation you're about to give. Pastels, for example, evoke feelings of freedom and light, so they probably aren't the best choice when you're presenting quarterly earnings that missed the mark.

It's also worth mentioning that you don't need to use every color in the palette. Often, you can get by with just two or three, though you should really think through how they all work together and how readable they'll be when layered. A simple rule of thumb here is that contrast is your friend. Dark colors work well on light backgrounds, and light colors work best on dark backgrounds.

Spend some time in the Slide Sorter before you finish your presentation. By clicking the four squares at the bottom left of the presentation, you can take a look at multiple slides at once and consider how each works together. Alternatively, you can click "View" on the ribbon and select "Slide Sorter."

Are you presenting too much text at once? Move an image in. Could a series of slides benefit from a chart or summary before you move on to another point?

It's here that we have the opportunity to view the presentation from beyond the single-slide viewpoint and think in terms of how each slide fits, or if it fits at all. From this view, you can rearrange slides, add additional ones, or delete them entirely if you find that they don't advance the presentation.

The difference between a good presentation and a bad one is really all about preparation and execution. Those that respect the process and plan carefully---not only the presentation as a whole, but each slide within it---are the ones who will succeed.

This brings me to my last (half) point: When in doubt, just buy a template and use it. You can find these all over the web, though Creative Market and GraphicRiver are probably the two most popular marketplaces for this kind of thing. Not all of us are blessed with the skills needed to design and deliver an effective presentation. And while a pre-made PowerPoint template isn't going to make you a better presenter, it will ease the anxiety of creating a visually appealing slide deck.

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Creating an effective Power Point presentation: 5 steps for clear and functional presentations

When we want to create presentations either to share with colleagues, to send to friends or to help us during a presentation, we often turn to Microsoft Power Point to help us communicate our message clearly. Just as often, however, we sometimes see awkward presentations that do not encourage learning and participation and neither do they hold people’s attention. Usually we strive to decorate and enrich our slides so much that they become overstated: instead, in order to be truly useful, they must be clear and simple. Here are 5 useful practical tips for creating an effective Power Point presentation.

Michela Scocco

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Become a PowerPoint pro: 7 must-know tips and tricks

Microsoft’s PowerPoint is extremely popular in schools, universities, and the corporate world, but it has never been as popular with home users. Not surprising since it’s all about creating presentations, something a private person doesn’t have to do very often.

So, if you suddenly find yourself needing to make a PowerPoint presentation and have no idea how to make it good, rest assured that you aren’t alone and there’s hope for you.

Microsoft Office 365 Home

These days, PowerPoint is more than just a basic slideshow—it can be used to create video presentations with voice-over narration, and it even has an AI-based helper called Designer that gives suggestions on how to make your presentation better.

Here are several smart tips and tricks you can use to improve your PowerPoint presentations and come off as a pro.

1. Customize Quick Access

Have you noticed that PowerPoint—and the other apps in Microsoft 365 for that matter—have a small, narrow toolbar at the very top of the application window? By default, you’ll find shortcut buttons for toggling Auto Save and basic actions like Save, Undo, Repeat, etc.

This nifty toolbar also comes with some app-specific actions that you may or may not use frequently. In PowerPoint, for example, there’s a shortcut to start slideshows from the beginning.

This toolbar is called Quick Access and you can actually customize what actions show up here. You can add frequently used actions while removing the ones you never use.

This can make it easier to find important functions that you would otherwise have to rummage around the ribbon to find.

To customize Quick Ass, select File > Options and then Quick Access Toolbar . The box on the right shows the actions currently on it and their order. The box on the left has all the available actions you can add.

Select an action you want in Quick Access and click on Add . To change the order, highlight the action you want to move and use the the arrow buttons on the right side of the window.

2. Use custom themes and templates

PowerPoint comes with a bunch of ready-made templates for presentations, which have also been themed.

A theme is a collection of settings for typography, colors, and effects that make it easy to maintain a consistent style across presentations. A template is a theme plus ready-made content that makes it easier to make a particular type of presentation again in the future.

For example, a company may have a theme that defines the colors and fonts employees should use in presentations, plus a number of templates for product presentations and quarterly reports.

A template may have a number of ready-made slides with images, charts, and everything else already laid out. When you create a new presentation from a template, you will find these individual page templates in New slide in either Start or Insert .

Creating your own custom theme

New themes can be added at any time as long as you have a presentation open—even if it’s a blank presentation.

Select the Design tab and click on the small down arrow with a dash over it on the right side of the Variants section. This shows the four categories of settings you can designate for a theme.

Select Colors > Customize Colors… and the Create new theme colors dialog box will open. A complete set of theme colors includes two pairs of text and background colors (dark/light, to be used either for dark text on a light background or vice versa), six spot colors used for graphic elements, and two colors for hyperlinks. Enter a name at the bottom and click Save when you are done.

If you also want to change the font, select Fonts > Customize Fonts… and you’ll be able to designate a Heading font and a Body font . I recommend a neutral, easy-to-read font for both.

Under Effects , you can choose the style of effects but there’s no way to customize or create a completely new effect. Under Background Styles , you can select Format Background… to tweak backgrounds.

When you’re done, go to the Themes section of the Design tab and click the down arrow with a line above it, then select Save Current Theme… to save your new theme. Give it a name and save and your new theme will appear among the available themes in the Design tab of all presentations.

Create your own custom templates

To create a new PowerPoint template, you can start from either a blank presentation or an existing template. Don’t add any content of your own yet. Instead, go to the View tab and click on Slide Master .

Start by changing the theme of your new template, under the Themes button. If you created your own theme as described above, it will normally be at the top of the list of available themes.

PowerPoint uses the term layouts for slide templates. Click on the Insert Layout button to create a new slide template.

New layouts are automatically given a header and a footer, but you can remove them if you wish (either by selecting and deleting the elements manually or via checkboxes in the Slide Background tab).

To delete an existing layout, right-click on it in the list and select Delete Layout or select it in the list and press Backspace.

To add new design elements to a layout, click the Insert Placeholder button in the ribbon and select the element type you want. You can then position and resize it, and change the placeholder text for it.

If you want to make per-layout changes, make sure to select that layout in the list before tweaking. For example, you can change a layout’s color theme or switch between the four background formats.

When you’re happy, save the template by selecting File > Save As and changing the format to Powerpoint Template (*.potx) . Templates can be stored either locally on your computer or in OneDrive—and since the theme is included, you can freely share the template with others.

3. Link to Excel data

If you’re making a presentation with figures in tables or charts, you can make your life easier by linking PowerPoint to Excel.

To do this, start by copying a chart in Excel, then switching over to PowerPoint and navigating to the Home tab in the ribbon. Select Paste > Paste Special… , then choose the Paste Link option, select Microsoft Excel Chart Object and finish by clicking OK .

A linked chart, table, or other Excel object can be instantly updated with up-to-date information as the data in the Excel document changes, all without having to copy and paste all over again.

To update the Excel object, right-click on it in PowerPoint and select Update Link . PowerPoint will retrieve the latest data to be reflected in the Excel object. This makes it easy to build a data-heavy report in PowerPoint that can be kept up-to-date with zero hassle.

4. Edit and apply effects to images

Basic slide editing in PowerPoint isn’t difficult, but there are a few tricks you can learn to make your slides both behave the way you want them to and do new things you may not have realized were possible.

For example, did you know that PowerPoint has built-in editing features that can change brightness, contrast, and sharpness of images?

Select an image in a slide and the Picture Format tab will open. Here you’ll find several adjustments you can make:

• Corrections alters brightness, contrast, and sharpness
• Color applies color filters
• Artistic Effects stylizes the image (but apart from the useful Blur effect, most of these feel pretty old-fashioned)
• Transparency makes the image more or less transparent
• Picture Styles can format the image in various ways (e.g., frame, shadow, rounded corners, perspective, etc.)

One thing you’ll notice when you add an image is that PowerPoint automatically generates alternative text—that is, descriptive text that gets read aloud for users with visual impairments. You can set this text to whatever you want, and it’s nice that Microsoft has thought about accessibility in this way.

5. Fill a shape with an image

PowerPoint makes it easy to fill a vector graphic shape with an image instead of just a solid color or gradient.

Create the shape as you want it, then make sure it’s selected before navigating to either the Home or Figure Format tabs in the ribbon. Select Shape Fill > Picture… , then select From a File to pick an image that’s saved on your computer.

If you aren’t satisfied with the positioning of the image in the shape, you can open the Picture Format tab and select Crop > Crop to resize and move the image in relation to the shape, allowing you to center it at a different point and even zoom in or out.

6. Incorporate audio and video

These days, PowerPoint isn’t just for presentations on screen or with a projector—it’s increasingly common to export finished presentations as videos to be sent to recipients, uploaded to the web, embedded in mobile apps, and more.

To make such presentations more vivid and interesting, you can record voice-over audio and/or video from a connected webcam to be placed on top of slides. You can find these features in the Record tab, where PowerPoint has also placed the Export to Video function.

The export function allows you to set the video resolution as well as how long each slide will display in the video.

More on this: How to turn a PowerPoint presentation into a video

7. Get AI help with Designer

Designer is the new name for Design Ideas, a feature that has been around since PowerPoint 2016 and uses machine learning to analyze the content of presentations and suggest improvements.

You can find it as a button in the Home and Design tabs, with Designer itself appearing in a column on the right.

This feature continuously analyzes your presentation and displays a list of suggested changes for the current slide. If you don’t like any of the suggestions, you can click on See More Design Ideas at the bottom and it will generate additional suggestions.

How attractive and useful are the suggestions? Well, it varies. When I tested it myself, they’ve rarely been results that I could use straight away—but the suggestions were helpful in that they gave me several great ideas that I hadn’t thought of myself.

For example, in the image above, you can see a suggestion for a color filter on a photo that looks like it could work really well with bright text and maybe a little blur.

Further reading: PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts worth knowing

This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC för Alla and was translated and localized from Swedish.

Author: Anders Lundberg , Contributor

Anders writes news, reviews and buying guides that touch most categories of consumer tech.

Recent stories by Anders Lundberg:

• How to master Excel: From beginner to pro
• Getting started with Microsoft 365: Everything you need to know
• 8 advanced Microsoft Word tricks you probably missed

Home Blog Design How to Make a Vision Board in PowerPoint: Step-by-Step Guide

How to Make a Vision Board in PowerPoint: Step-by-Step Guide

So much has been written about the Law of Attraction and the power of manifesting your dreams into life. The reality is that applying the Law of Attraction (LoA from now on) works as a motivational factor for goal accomplishment and vision of what you desire to pursue in your future life—whether we talk about short-term or long-term vision. This fits both personal and professional goals.

In this guide, we will learn a valuable tool for manifesting our dreams, a vision board. The steps to define what we aim to pursue, how to time frame it, and how to make a vision board using PowerPoint templates.

Table of Contents

What is a Vision Board?

Benefits of using vision boards, what to include in a vision board, how to find inspiration for a vision board, how to create a vision board for personal goals, how to create a vision board for business goals, final words.

We can define a vision board as a visual tool aimed to clarify, concentrate, and maintain focus on specific goals. The goals can be personal, professional, or a combination. We can make a vision board time-framed (i.e., my vision board for 2024) or atemporal, which means the elements pinned to it are applicable until we achieve or rethink them.

A vision board is made of the following elements:

• Images: A collection of pictures that represent your goals and dreams. They can be photos you took, stock photos, illustrations, screenshots, you name it.
• Words and Affirmations: Quotes, positive words, or affirmations that resonate with your aspirations.
• Canvas: The medium in which you arrange your images and text. It can be a piece of board, a thick paper, or even digital.

Creating a vision board has many benefits, which we shall explain individually. First, vision boards help boost confidence and create a vision of success . Seeing your dreams laid out in front of you every day is a constant reminder that you have something to believe in, something you can achieve, which, in turn, promotes accountability toward your goals.

Regardless of where you find yourself, personally or professionally, vision boards are visual reminders of your goals, helping you find the energy and motivation to work toward them. It is a source of continuous inspiration, even at your lowest moments.

On goal achievement, vision boards are somewhat relatable to roadmaps, as they are a visual guide to your actions and decisions. Vision boards can inspire to develop actionable plans, like a career development plan , an individual development plan , or more future-intended strategies such as a 5-year plan . They encourage you to take small, consistent actions toward those goals, reducing your anxiety about the future.

Finally, vision boards are a great asset to mental health. They help us appreciate what we have, focus on positive outcomes, and raise our awareness about true desires and aspirations. The process of creating a vision board is highly creative, so it acts as a destresser for many people while also encouraging potential new creative goals.

Start by setting your goals. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something as strict as the SMART Goal Framework (although later on, you may apply it to give your goals a time frame); instead, we propose to consider this approach with questions:

• Am I happy right now? Is there something I desire to change instantly?
• What’s my dream job? Am I in the right career path for me?
• What are my major financial goals?
• Do I like the city where I live?
• Do I like my home?
• Do I wish to engage in new hobbies?
• Do I like my personal/professional style? Should I hire a personal stylist?
• Which travel destinations are on my bucket list?
• How can I improve my relationship with my loved ones?

These are general approaches, and we can tailor them depending on whether we desire to aim for a personal vision board or a professional vision board. 

Next, seek photos that can reply to those answers. They can be anything: newspaper clips, social media screenshots, photos, drawings, etc. The images represent what you intend to manifest into your life, and they are not things that magically appear – these are things you will work to see become a part of your life.

Now, it’s time to add words to the mix. Follow the same logic as with the images, or search for online images of quotes. You can even write the words on paper, crop them into smaller pieces, and fit them into your vision board (or scan them if your vision board is digital).

Although YouTube and some bloggers do an excellent job of promoting vision boards, the finest examples can be found on Pinterest, which also serves as a source for finding images, text, and quotes that resonate with your goals.

Search for “vision board ideas” or “vision board examples.” Instantly, you will feel a lot of pressure being lifted from your shoulders regarding the graphic quality of the layout you have to do. You can come across many laid-back approaches to vision boards, suggestions for supplies, blog articles, and more. Additionally, this can help you decide whether you want to create a physical vision board – and which medium to create it – or a digital one and how to display it. It’s best to place the vision board in the area that brings the most joy into your home life or at your home office, where you spend a considerable amount of hours. 

In this example, we will talk about how to make a vision board for personal goals using a demo case. Mary is looking to make major changes in her life. She’s currently working in a large company, putting a lot of hours into commuting, and feels somewhat out of touch with the things she used to enjoy outside work. She’s seeking to answer these questions:

• How do I create a creative career that allows me to work remotely?
• How do I engage in the hobbies I used to love? (baking and photography)
• How can I be more physically active if I work from home?

So, extracting the main keywords from that, we get that the shortlist of concepts to capture in the vision board are:

• Creative career
• Work from home
• Home office
• Remote work
• Work-life balance
• Self-discovery
• Photography

Therefore, we research images, quotes, and words. Mary seeks to generate her vision board in a digital format so that she can access it whenever she wants. To accomplish that, Mary will use a PowerPoint template that allows her to structure her thoughts into written words and a slide with images that she can check to feel realigned with her goals.

Now, let’s go section by section to fill this vision board PowerPoint template.

Mary Reiley-Jones

Somewhat out of shape due to a hectic work schedule. I am planning to lose 20 lbs in 4 months and improve my sleep hygiene.

Demotivated about how much time I lost commuting per week. I feel like I have no time for myself or the things I truly love.

I reconnected with my faith some months ago after a life-changing event.

All major debts paid, including mortgage. Now building a six-month emergency fund.

Stuff I Want

• Connect with my creative side.
• Work from home.
• Start a new food photography course.
• Start a blog.

Things to Try

• Sign up for a cake decor class.
• Remodel my storage room for a new home office.
• Travel while working.
• Become an accomplished food photographer.
• Having 20K visitors/month for my blog in my 2nd year.

Family Life

Spending more time with my husband and my pets is a priority.

For the Home

Since the storage room will become my new office, I must declutter the home.

• Save 6 months of income.
• Make an exit plan from my current job.
• Make a side hustle of my creative career.

All in all, the template filled will look like this.

What’s pending is the visual aspect of the vision board, which Mary arranges using a Sticky Notes PPT template to add the images that resonate with her vision.

A business vision board is somewhat different from a personal vision board as it will focus on a company, a product, or a service to be improved/launched. In general, images are strictly close to the goal in mind or can even be photos from the organization, whereas quotes are left out in preference for powerful words that inspire action.

So, let’s take Jerry’s case. Jerry is a solopreneur who started an online academy using AI to teach students how to improve their soft skills for job interviews, as well as core technical skills required for their dream job. Although the business has been experiencing a growth trend, Jerry is seeking ways to expand his reach and make his dreams a reality. Therefore, Jerry sought the help of a mentor who recommended the vision board exercise to avoid feeling overwhelmed by so many areas to tackle and no clear direction.

As part of the exercise, the mentor presents a Product Vision Board so Jerry can define what’s required to take his company to the next level.

Now, let’s see what Jerry completed for this exercise. 

Become a leading training service for young professionals who want a quick career improvement experience.

Target Group

People in their late 20s to mid-40s seeking career improvement or looking to land their dream job.

Trustworthy mentoring in the areas which are key opportunities for higher seniority levels.

Assessment of where their skills currently lie.

This is an online platform accessible across all devices, with little demand in terms of graphics/visuals, so anyone—regardless of their internet speed—can take part in the mentoring.

Business Goals

Increase the platform users by 40% in one year.

Get 3-4 partnership deals secured with authority education sites.

And this is what Jerry’s Product Vision Board looks like.

Rather than creating a vision board filled with images, the mentor advised Jerry to save an album with images that inspire his vision or comparison graphs to see his traffic numbers during the first months and where he stands now. Since the business vision board was made with PowerPoint, Jerry opted to print the PowerPoint file and frame it for easier access at his office.

As we saw in these two examples, vision boards are motivational tools that can bridge the gap between our current status and our dream vision regarding goals, where we want to be in life, and the areas we feel lacking. There are no rules in terms of visuals, nor do you need to be a graphic designer to create a vision board. Just relax, let your inner thoughts speak on what you truly crave, and put that vision into tools that make your job easier.

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How to Make PPT using ChatGPT in 2024

By Shivam Aggarwal

Marketing, Content & Video editor

Updated on Jun 19, 2024

Introduction

Benefits of using ai for ppt creation, advantages of using chatgpt and fliki ai, why ai is a game-changer for presentations, 1. generate content with chatgpt, 2. copy the generated content, 3. use microsoft word to create slides, 4. export to powerpoint, 5. customize your design, 6. refine your slides, 7. final touches, best practices for using chatgpt to make ppts, effective prompting with chatgpt, what is fliki ai, benefits of using fliki ai presentation maker, step 1: start a new project, step 2: input your topic and preferences, step 3: customize your presentation, step 4: download your presentation, chatgpt (with word online), which tool to choose.

Did you know that over half of businesses use AI to improve and perfect business operations? It highlights the growing reliance on AI tools to enhance efficiency and creativity, and creating stunning PowerPoint presentations is no exception. In this guide, we'll explore how to make a PPT using ChatGPT, a powerful AI chatbot, and introduce Fliki AI, a specialized tool for creating presentations. Whether you're looking to save time or boost the quality of your presentations, these AI solutions can revolutionize how you create and deliver your presentation. Let's dive into the step-by-step processes of using ChatGPT and Fliki AI to craft professional and engaging presentations.

Why Use AI for Creating PPTs?

Creating compelling and professional PowerPoint presentations can be time-consuming and challenging, especially if you lack design experience. AI tools like ChatGPT and Fliki offer innovative solutions to streamline this process. Here's why you should consider using AI for your next presentation:

1. Time-Saving

Efficient Content Generation : AI tools can quickly generate content for your slides, from titles and bullet points to detailed explanations.

Automated Design : AI can suggest design elements and layouts, saving you hours of manual work.

2. Creativity Boost

Idea Generation : AI can provide fresh ideas and perspectives, helping you create more engaging and dynamic presentations.

Customization : Tailor content and design suggestions to suit your specific needs and audience.

3. Error Reduction

Grammar and Spelling : AI tools can help ensure your PPT content is free from grammatical and spelling errors.

Consistency : AI can help keep a consistent tone and style throughout your presentation.

Versatile Content Creation : Generate text for various parts of your presentation, including introductions, summaries, and detailed sections.

Interactive Assistance : Engage with ChatGPT to refine and enhance your content based on your feedback.

Specialized PPT Maker : Specifically designed to create presentations, offering AI media and automated designs tailored to your content.

User-Friendly Interface : Easy to use, even for those without extensive technical or design skills.

Adaptability : AI tools can adapt to different styles and purposes, whether you need a formal business presentation or a creative educational slideshow.

Continuous Improvement : AI continuously learns and improves, offering better suggestions and more accurate content.

Using AI for PPT creation enhances efficiency and elevates the overall quality of your presentations. By leveraging tools like ChatGPT and Fliki AI, you can focus more on delivering your message effectively rather than getting bogged down by design and content creation details. In the following sections, we'll dive deeper into how to use these tools to create stunning presentations effortlessly.

How to Make a PowerPoint Using ChatGPT

Creating a presentation can be time-consuming, but with ChatGPT, you can streamline the process significantly. Follow these steps to create a professional PowerPoint presentation quickly and efficiently using ChatGPT.

To start, you need to generate the content for your presentation. Here's how you can do it:

Prompt : Ask ChatGPT for an outline. For example, "Give me the content for a presentation about the future of artificial intelligence and spread it across five slides."

Content : If you need detailed content, ask ChatGPT to expand on each point from the outline.

Once ChatGPT provides the content:

Select and Copy : Highlight the entire response and press Ctrl + C to copy it.

Now, you need to paste the content into a Word document:

New Document : Open your browser and go to Word Online or use the desktop application.

Paste Content : Paste the copied content into the new document. Ensure the first line is the title of your presentation.

Convert your Word file into a PowerPoint presentation:

Export : Go to File > Export > Export to PowerPoint Presentation.

Choose Template : Select a template from the options provided or click "See more templates" for additional choices.

Export : Click Export and Open Presentation to view it in PowerPoint Online.

To enhance your presentation's look:

Open in PowerPoint : Open the presentation in the desktop version of PowerPoint.

Adjust Fonts : Go to View > Slide Master, then Fonts > Customize Fonts. Choose readable fonts for headings and body text.

Add Images : Insert relevant stock images via Insert > Stock Images to make your slides visually appealing.

Designer Suggestions : Use the Designer tab for layout suggestions that effectively incorporate your images and text.

Enhance readability and design:

Text Formatting : Change all uppercase text to sentence case by selecting the text and adjusting the settings.

Layouts : Use the Designer tab for different layout options, such as a timeline layout for topics like the evolution of AI.

Complete your presentation:

Check Animations : Some suggested layouts include animations. Preview these to ensure they fit your presentation style.

Adjustments : Make final adjustments to text size, boldness, and layout to improve legibility and visual appeal.

💡 Pro Tip : You can use Fliki PPT to video to convert your presentations into video with high-quality voiceovers, enhancing their reach and accessibility for a wider audience.

Tips for Better Presentation

Review and Edit : Always review and edit the generated content to ensure accuracy and relevance.

Combine with Visuals : Pair the text with appropriate images, charts, and graphics to enhance your presentation.

Seek Feedback : Use ChatGPT to generate multiple versions and seek feedback from colleagues or peers to choose the best content.

Design Your Layout : Consider creating your layouts rather than relying solely on predefined options for a unique look.

Content Impact : Remember, the content you add will influence the suggestions from the Designer tab. Choose images and icons that enhance your message.

Tips for Crafting Prompts

Be Specific : Provide clear and specific prompts to get relevant responses.

Example: "Generate a slide explaining the benefits of using AI in education."

Iterate : Refine your prompts based on the responses to get the most accurate and useful content.

Examples of Prompts

Titles and Headings : "Suggest a title for a presentation on renewable energy."

Bullet Points : "List three key points about the impact of social media on marketing."

Detailed Explanations : "Explain the process of photosynthesis in simple terms for a biology presentation."

With ChatGPT and some additional tweaks in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, you can create an impressive presentation quickly and efficiently. This method saves time and ensures you have a solid foundation to build upon for a standout presentation.

Easier way to create PPTs with AI

While creating PPTs with ChatGPT was quite straightforward, there’s an even easier way to create PPTs with the help of Fliki AI presentation maker . It is a specialized tool designed to simplify creating visually appealing presentations. Here's how Fliki AI stands out and how you can use it to create stunning PPTs effortlessly.

Overview : Fliki AI is an advanced presentation maker that leverages AI to generate professional-quality slides based on your input.

Features : Includes customizable layouts, AI-generated media, and intuitive design tools to enhance your presentations.

User-Friendly : Easy-to-use interface, even for those without technical or design skills.

Customization : Offers a good degree of customization to ensure your presentation meets your specific needs.

Efficiency : Significantly reduces the time required to create a polished and engaging presentation.

How to make PPT with AI (Fliki)

Select "Files" from the Top Panel : Navigate to the top panel of Fliki and click on the "Files" option.

Create a New File for Presentation : Click the "New File" button.

Enter File Details : Select 'design,' enter the file name, and select the language. Choose the aspect ratio as landscape (16:9).

Choose Your Design Type : Under the "Start With" section, select "Presentation" and then hit "Submit."

Write the Topic or Title : Input the topic or title of your presentation to help the AI generate relevant content.

Select the Number of Slides : Select the number of slides you want in your presentation by dragging the pages slider.

Select Media Type : Choose stock or AI-generated media for your background.

Submit : Click "Submit" to proceed.

Preview : The AI will generate a presentation based on your input. Review the created presentation.

Add and Edit Layers :

Text Layers : Add more text to your presentation to make it informative and engaging. Customize the font, size, color, and placement to match your brand.

Media Layers : Include additional images or graphics to enhance the visual appeal.

Shapes and Elements : Experiment with shapes and other design layers to make your presentation stand out.

Review : Ensure all elements are aligned and visually appealing.

Download Options : Click the button on the top panel and choose your preferred format (PPTX, PDF, etc.). You can also download individual slides as zipped images in JPG, PNG, or WEBP format.

Choosing Between ChatGPT (with Word Online) and Fliki AI for Your PPT Needs

When it comes to creating presentations, both ChatGPT and Fliki AI offer unique advantages. Here's a comparison to help you decide which tool is best for your needs.

Versatile Content Creation : Generate a wide range of content, from detailed explanations to concise bullet points.

Interactive Assistance : Receive real-time suggestions and refine your content through interactive prompts.

Flexibility : Ideal for users who need to generate text-heavy slides or require detailed content.

Manual Integration : Requires manual transfer of generated content into presentation software.

Limited Design Assistance : Focuses primarily on textual content creation, with less emphasis on visual design.

Specialized Design Tools : Specifically designed for creating presentations, focusing on visual appeal.

Ease of Use : An intuitive interface accessible even to users without design experience.

Comprehensive Customization : Offers extensive customization options to tailor the presentation to your needs.

Chat-based UI : While it is great at creating good presentations, it doesn’t offer a chat-based interface for generating content as ChatGPT.

Use ChatGPT If:

You need extensive content creation , ideal for generating detailed text and structured content.

You prefer interactive feedback : It is beneficial for refining and enhancing your content based on iterative feedback.

Use Fliki AI If:

You prioritize design and layout : Perfect for visually appealing slides with minimal effort.

You want an all-in-one solution : Best for a streamlined tool that efficiently handles content and design.

By understanding the strengths and limitations of both ChatGPT and Fliki AI, you can choose the tool that best fits your presentation needs. In the following sections, we'll offer tips for enhancing your presentations and addressing common challenges you might encounter.

By harnessing the strengths of ChatGPT and Fliki AI, you can streamline your workflow, save valuable time, and deliver presentations that effectively captivate and inform your audience.

As AI evolves, these tools will become more sophisticated, offering even greater possibilities for creativity and productivity in presentation creation. Integrating AI into your presentation can elevate your work whether you're a business professional, educator, or student.

Embrace innovation, enhance your storytelling, and stay ahead in today's competitive landscape with the power of AI-driven presentation tools.

Start creating impactful presentations today with ChatGPT and Fliki AI, and let your ideas shine through with clarity and creativity.

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• How to Remove a Background from a Picture in PowerPoint Easily 2024

PowerPoint remains a cornerstone for creating impactful presentations, and knowing how to remove a background from a picture in PowerPoint can enhance the visual appeal of your slides significantly. This skill is particularly useful in 2024, as it allows presenters to tailor images to fit their presentation’s theme seamlessly. Whether you’re preparing a business presentation or a classroom lecture, removing the background from images can help you emphasize the important elements without distracting your audience.

Can You Make a Picture Transparent in PowerPoint?

Yes, you can make a picture transparent in PowerPoint. This feature is invaluable for enhancing the aesthetics of slides by allowing images to blend with the background or other content. Transparency can be adjusted to different levels, providing flexibility in design and helping to focus attention where it’s most needed. This functionality supports creating more visually engaging and professional-looking presentations, often used in business and educational settings.

How to Remove White Background from Image in PowerPoint

Removing a white background from an image in PowerPoint is a straightforward process thanks to the “Set Transparent Color” tool. This feature is particularly useful when you want to blend an image seamlessly with the rest of your slide’s design. Below, I’ll outline the necessary steps to achieve this using the specified tool, which is ideal for images with a simple, solid white background.

Here are how to remove white background from image in PowerPoint:

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint presentation and go to the slide where you want to add the image. Click on the “Insert” tab at the top of the PowerPoint ribbon, select “Pictures”, and choose the image from your computer to insert.

Step 2: Click on the image to select it, which will activate the “Picture Tools” under the “Format” tab.

Step 3: Under the “Format” tab, locate the “Color” option in the “Adjust” group. Click on “Color” and then select “Set Transparent Color”.

Step 4: Then, simply click on the white background color in your picture that you wish to remove.

How to Make a Picture on PowerPoint Transparent

For images with more complex backgrounds, PowerPoint offers a versatile tool called “Remove Background” that goes beyond the simpler “Set Transparent Color” feature used for solid white backgrounds. This tool is especially useful for images where the background is not uniform or includes multiple colors and shades. Here’s how you can use the how to remove the background of a picture in ppt:

🔘 1: Using Office 365

Office 365 includes a powerful background removal PowerPoint that allows you to isolate the subject of an image by removing its background. This can be particularly useful for creating more professional or visually appealing presentations.

Here’s how to use the background remover in PowerPoint as part of your Office 365 suite:

Step 1: Insert the image from which you want to remove the background by clicking on the “Insert” tab and then selecting “Pictures”. Choose your image file and click “Insert” to add it to the slide.

Step 2: Click on the image to select it. This will activate the “Picture Tools” format tab. Find and click on “Remove Background”, PowerPoint will automatically attempt to determine what part of the picture is the background.

Step 3: If PowerPoint does not perfectly select the background, you can adjust the selection manually. Use the “Mark Areas to Keep” and “Mark Areas to Remove” buttons to refine which parts of the image should remain visible. When you are satisfied with your selection, click “Keep Changes” to apply the changes.

🔘 2: Using Office 2016

Removing the background from images in PowerPoint 2016 can greatly enhance the focus and aesthetic appeal of your slides, particularly when dealing with complex images.

Here’s a straightforward process using the background removal tool in PowerPoint 2016:

Step 1: Insert the images and navigate to “Picture Format” on the top bar. Click on “Remove Background” and PowerPoint will automatically identify the background area.

Step 2: Use “Mark Areas to Keep” to outline any part of the image that was mistakenly marked for removal. If necessary, use “Mark Areas to Remove” to delete any leftover background sections.

Step 3: Once your adjustments are complete, click “Keep Changes” to finalize the background removal.

Instantly Remove Background from Images in Bulk and Use them in PowerPoint

When there is no way to efficiently remove backgrounds from multiple images simultaneously using traditional tools like PowerPoint, KleanOut for Photo emerges as a specialized solution. This AI-powered tool is designed to handle bulk operations, saving significant time and effort for users needing to prepare images for presentations or other projects.

KleanOut for Photo offers advanced features that streamline the process of making images presentation-ready, providing a distinct advantage over PowerPoint’s more manual and time-consuming method.

• Utilizes advanced AI technology to accurately identify and remove complex backgrounds, ensuring high-quality results even with detailed images.
• KleanOut supports importing and exporting images in a variety of formats, offering flexibility for different project needs.
• Users can test KleanOut for Photo with a free trial to experience its capabilities before committing to a subscription.
• Designed with a straightforward interface that makes it accessible for users of all skill levels, ensuring a smooth background removal experience.

To remove background from images instantly with KleanOut for Photo:

Launch KleanOut for Photo on your PC. Select “Remove Background from Image” and click or drag the images from which you want to remove the background.

The background will be automatically removed. You can select the appropriate removal mode (General, Portraits, Products) to refine the images.

Export the images with transparent backgrounds, then insert them into your PowerPoint slides via Insert > Pictures.

KleanOut for Photo is an AI-powered tool that significantly simplifies the task of removing backgrounds from images, especially in bulk. Unlike the manual process in PowerPoint, KleanOut automates background removal with high precision, supports various formats, and handles multiple files simultaneously. For anyone looking to streamline their workflow in PowerPoint, KleanOut for Photo is highly recommended as a superior alternative.

Hey there! I'm Clara Knight, and I'm passionate about using AI to streamline my workflow in the image watermark removal industry. So excited to empower users with clear guides and insights to conquer those pesky watermarks. Let's unleash the power of AI for watermark-free visuals!

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How to Make Pro Marketing Plan PowerPoint PPT Presentations (+Video)

Learn how to create a marketing strategy PowerPoint presentation and create effective slides for your business. You'll also find marketing plan example templates for PowerPoint.

Marketing is something we all know we need to do in our business, but it can take us out of our comfort zone. Marketing plan PowerPoint templates can help.

How do you start marketing, and what should you be doing to get the word out about your business? In this tutorial, you’ll find out.

As freelancers and small business leaders, we all play several roles. You might not think of yourself as a marketer, but it’s a crucial part of what you do to run and grow your business.

A marketing plan PowerPoint presentation can serve as the guiding document that all marketing decisions are tied to. In this tutorial, you’ll learn to build a marketing PowerPoint presentation step by step.

Your Quick Start Guide to Learning PowerPoint (Video)

Are you ready to start making pro-marketing plans with PowerPoint? Watch this quick video to find out what you need to know about marketing plans in PPT:

Want more information on marketing plan PowerPoints? Keep reading for more details.

How to Market on a Budget

In this section, I’m going to walk you through building your own marketing PowerPoint presentation. Whether you’re pitching it to someone else or documenting your plan for yourself, it’s important to develop your own marketing plan for PowerPoint (PPT).

If you’re managing a marketing plan , Envato Elements is the perfect service to help you. With so many creative assets included in one single subscription, it’s hard to match its value.

• Stock photos . For any print or web publication, you’ll occasionally need a stock or filler photo to finish up your website.
• WordPress and web templates . You don’t have to hire a web developer to create a website for your small business. You might be surprised how easy it is to grab a web template from Elements and add your own details.
• Graphics . Whether it’s an icon or graphic you’ll use on social media, a graphic can help round out a design

Envato Elements is an all-you-can-download service that includes all these for a single flat rate.

These items are the type of thing that a marketer would benefit from. Instead of buying these and templates one at a time, Elements can be a budget-friendly unlimited marketing package. Even if you don’t call yourself a marketer, having unlimited access to these files is one of the best ways to market on a shoestring.

Download Our Free PDF eBook on Making Great Presentations

Before you read on, we want to make sure you know about this resource. It’ll help you write, design, and deliver the perfect marketing presentation. Download our Free eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations .

Now, let’s dive into the tutorial.

Essential Elements of Marketing Plans

Successful marketing efforts don’t happen by accident. Instead, they start with a plan about what you want potential customers to know about your business. Then they outline the steps that it’ll take to drive that message.

You build a marketing plan to formalize and capture your plans to reach customers. The very act of going through the process can help you set the plan and put serious thought into your marketing actions.

What does a marketing plan for PowerPoint (PPT) contain? Here’s what you should include when you’re formalizing your PowerPoint presentation marketing strategy:

Essential Parts of PPT Marketing Plans

Every marketing plan for PowerPoint (PPT) will differ. Here are the key parts that it should contain. These might span many sections or pages, but these are the essentials of a well-formed marketing plan for PowerPoint:

• Situation analysis . This is often called a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats). It aims to assess the current situation that exists.
• Set the strategy and goal . What are the guiding principles for what you want to do? What do you want people to know about your business?
• Define the tactics . What specific steps will you take to help you reach your marketing goals?
• Set measurables and timelines . Define the way that you’ll measure your marketing

It can help to build a marketing PowerPoint presentation to capture all these in one place. Thanks to its ease of use and shareability, PowerPoint is an ideal choice to create a central document that’s got your plan.

How to Make a Marketing Plan PowerPoint Presentation

Besides the file types that I mentioned above, Elements includes professional marketing plan PowerPoint (PPT) templates that you can download and use. This tutorial is going to use a template from Envato Elements to build a professional marketing plan for PowerPoint. You’ll see that following a marketing plan PPT example really speeds up your process.

In this tutorial, I’m going to use the aptly named Marketing Plan PPT presentation template . It’s a marketing presentation with the slides that pros know to include. This is tailor-made for building a marketing plan with each of the key slide types that you might need.

When you use templates, you’ve got marketing plan PowerPoint examples. These give you cues when you’re building a marketing plan PowerPoint of your own. Don’t learn how to do a marketing plan presentation PPT from scratch—use these template’s marketing plan slides instead.

1. Establish the Strategy

The business strategy sets the direction for the entire PowerPoint marketing plan. Every company will approach setting this strategy differently, but the important part is that you’ve got one. Marketing presentations should represent the strategy, not stand on their own.

To showcase this in our marketing presentation, I’m going to use slide design six. I preferred this slide design for its simplicity and singular focus. Spelling out the strategy on a simple marketing plan presentation opener is key.

When setting a strategy, it’s almost always best to focus on a singular idea. Don’t dilute the strategy with an overabundance of details. Instead, condense your idea into a single sentence that’ll resonate in a marketing plan presentation.

2. Assess the Situation

The classic way to assess a situation is to use the SWOT approach. This is short for the s trengths, w eaknesses, o pportunities, and t hreats analysis. This approach helps you understand where your business is positioned in the marketplace and what opportunities might be available to you for growth.

Most marketing plan PPTs include a SWOT.

The Marketing Plan PowerPoint presentation has a pre-built SWOT slide that’s perfect for this purpose. Use slide design 11 and update it with your own view of your business. It’s already tailored for a SWOT analysis with the four key placeholders.

Performing the SWOT analysis forces you to think about your business and where it fits into the marketplace. Documenting it in a slide like this will help you refer to it while preparing tactics. The marketing plan PowerPoint captures the action plan in an easy-to-share format.

3. Set Tactics

In even the largest of companies, professionals often forget the difference between a strategy and a tactic. While a marketing strategy is the guiding principles of what you’ll aim for, tactics are the individual efforts you take to put them in place.

For example, running a Facebook ad is a tactic, not a strategy. Building a mailing list or even rolling out the new company website are both tactics that support the marketing strategy. But they aren’t strategies that stand on their own.

Most marketing tactics will force you to consider the channels that you’ll market to. Simply put, a marketing channel is a platform or avenue that you’ll use to get the word out about your product.

At this stage, it’s a great idea to share the tactics that support the PowerPoint presentation marketing strategy. I like to use a single slide to showcase the tactics that are going to support reaching our marketing goal.

In this case, I’m going to use slide design seven, which has several placeholder boxes. I can use each one of those to list a tactic that I’m going to use to push my marketing plan for PowerPoint. Using this approach will document the tactics that I’ll use in my marketing efforts.

4. Set the Targets

How do you know if you’re succeeding with your PowerPoint marketing plan? The answer is that you’ve got to set targets and measure against them.

The old adage that “ you can’t manage what you don’t measure ” is true. That piece of advice means that if you aren’t measuring your success rate, you’ve got no clue whether the tactics that you’re undertaking are working.

Set targets that are tied to metrics that you can measure. Examples of these metrics could include:

• simple financial measures like sales of your product
• visits to the company website
• new subscriptions to the mailing list

In this example slide, I used slide design eight with three placeholders to substitute in my own metrics that I’ll use in my marketing plan PPT. I’ll refer to this in the future to make sure that my marketing plan is hitting the mark.

5. Set the Budget

As you’re executing the PowerPoint marketing plan, it can be tempting to overspend your budget in the name of reaching your goals. That’s why you’ve got to keep budgetary discipline. If you don’t discuss the spend expectations up front, it can be difficult to have budget allocated for your project or track your marketing spend.

Slide design 33 is the perfect way to log the budget in an easy-to-use table format. Use it in your PPT marketing plan. Add the tactics and budget for each month to log what you plan to spend.

6. Target Markets

A key part of any successful marketing presentation is a slide focusing on your targets. This is how to make a marketing plan presentation that shows how your offerings fit the market.

A target market is the fit between your product and your customer. Working in a global landscape nowadays, this is more important than ever.

To succeed, any marketing plan PPT needs to show this fit. It tells your audience who you’re marketing to and the offer that you bring to the table.

Customizing a slide like #16 in the deck is a breeze. It creates a marketing strategy PPT with a targeted focus.

Remember, specifics are key . Slides like this visually convey your value proposition.

7. Outline Growth Steps

Need to know how to make a marketing presentation succeed? A key component is outlining the growth steps found in your marketing plan.

Remember, marketing plan PPT example slides show a journey. This can be past history, future growth, or both.

By outlining growth steps, you can illustrate progress with your marketing plan PPT. These steps can take many forms. For example, they may be certain sales thresholds or the number of conversions made.

Tailor each of these steps to fit your current plan and the objectives of that plan.

A growth slide like this marketing plan example PowerPoint is crucial to include in a deck. It’s a simple, yet visionary way to showcase success. Try to include this in every marketing plan PowerPoint that you build.

No matter the specifics, every marketing plan focuses on growth. Never miss the chance to illustrate this for your audiences.

8. Track Milestones

Milestones and metrics should always appear in your marketing strategy PPT. A marketing plan doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Rather, it represents how you target customers.

To evaluate (and illustrate) the success of these plans, you need to track milestones. These milestones are specific details that measure the efficacy of your marketing strategy.

Slide 12 in the template is a powerful marketing plan example PowerPoint. It’s data-heavy, with sleek modern bar charts. Customize it as you see fit, showing off the metrics that mean the most.

Slides like this are particularly useful if you’re sharing your deck with investors. They help you show off a documented track record of success.

But remember, milestones don’t always have to be in the past. Like the step above, slides like this can feature future projections too.

A marketing plan presentation PPT like this is a stylish, concise way to highlight your plans.

9. Go Mobile

Thinking of how to make a marketing plan presentation suited to today’s landscape? If so, include a mobile focus. Odds are, your marketing plans have a mobile component.

Mobile marketing might involve SMS messaging campaigns, online ads, and more. These techniques are increasingly popular in marketing. That means that you should feature them in your marketing plan PowerPoint slides.

Slide 28 is a versatile option to build a mobile marketing plan presentation PPT. It features a smartphone device mockup. Use the text boxes to outline the mobile elements of your marketing strategies.

The mockup itself can feature screenshots of mobile ads, for example. This is the perfect way to showcase your mobile marketing strategies.

10. Close Strong

No marketing strategy PPT is complete without a strong close. Keep in mind, last impressions count too. You want your audience to leave with a full understanding of your marketing strategy.

Strong closing slides like this should include a few key elements:

• a final statement of your strategy’s purpose
• specific objectives
• measurements of success (how you’ll determine if your plan is working)
• time for questions

In other words, you’re briefly summarizing the content that you’ve already shared. This reiterates your strategy and clears up any confusion in your audience. Time for questions helps fill knowledge and understanding gaps.

By closing strong, you’ll create a marketing plan presentation that impresses any audience.

Make this marketing PowerPoint presentation a living document. Revisit it regularly to ensure that you’re sticking to your PowerPoint presentation marketing strategy or have good reasons to shift from it. It helps to have this central document that you can refer to.

5 Quick Marketing Plan PowerPoint Presentation Tips

I’ll show you marketing plan PPT tips in this section. We’ll use the Marketing Plan 2.0 template to create great marketing plan slides. With the help of this template, you can integrate all these tips into your PPT marketing plan, easily.

1. Use a Timeline Slide

Time and time again, I recommend using timeline slides in marketing plan PPTs. It’s one of my favorite storytelling tools.

Here’s why I love timelines. They connect the past and excite the audience for the future. In this marketing plan PowerPoint presentation template, slide 28 has a stunning Keynote timeline.

Whether you’re linking up historic events or forecasting the future, consider a timeline. In a marketing proposal PPT, it can build excitement.

2. Show the Strategy With Illustrations

Strategy is the central idea that guides all decisions. In a marketing strategy PowerPoint (PPT) presentation, you show the core of what you’re doing and why. Marketing strategy PPT presentations also help you explore how your business is positioned in the market.

One example of a marketing strategy presentation PowerPoint slide is the SWOT analysis you saw above. Another great business analysis is Porter’s Five Forces .

When you focus on strategy, you show the audience that you know what direction to move in. There are challenges and specifics to resolve, but strategy leads the way.

3. Show a Product in Action

Marketing presentations can sometimes be a bit abstract. While you should focus on strategy as the tip above suggests, don’t forget to show real-world examples too. PPT marketing plans are a great opportunity to excite the audience about your product.

Add a device mockup slide like the one you see above. In this marketing plan example for PowerPoint, the laptop could show your app or website, brought to life.

4. Focus on the Team

Show off your team in a marketing presentation. Not only will they appreciate it, but it’ll build credibility with your audience. If you’re learning how to make a marketing plan presentation PPT, it’s easy to forget how important the team is.

Every marketing proposal PPT should feature the team behind the big idea. You could use it to describe each contributor’s role on the project or their past experiences.

5. Continue the Conversation

Too many presenters think that giving a marketing presentation is all you need to do to grow your business. Instead, use a PPT marketing plan to launch a discussion with potential clients and collaborators.

Devote a marketing proposal PPT slide to share your contact details. You never know who might have been inspired by your marketing plan presentation. When you share your contact details, it might spark a new working relationship.

Top Marketing Plan PowerPoint Presentations From Envato Elements

As mentioned earlier, Envato Elements is the best place to find pro marketing plan PowerPoint templates. Look at some of the best marketing plan PPT presentations that are available with your Envato Elements subscription:

1. Marketing Plan PowerPoint Template

This marketing plan PowerPoint template has a clean and modern design that’ll help your information and data stand out. The template features:

• 30 unique slides
• full HD resolution
• master slide layout
• image placeholders for easy edits
• infographic elements and animations

2. Marketing Plan PowerPoint Presentation

If you’re looking for a bold and modern design, the Marketing Plan PowerPoint presentation is a great choice. The template features:

• 36 unique slides
• image placeholders
• colorful, light, and dark versions
• infographic elements, vector icons, and editable shapes

3. Marketing Plan PowerPoint Template

Here’s the perfect choice if you’re looking for a marketing plan PPT template that’s fully customizable. You’ll get:

• widescreen resolution
• 10 different color schemes
• drag-and-drop image placeholders
• charts, graphs, and editable vector shapes

4. Marketing Firm PowerPoint Template

Consider this marketing plan PowerPoint template if you love the flat design style. The template comes with every slide needed to present your marketing plan in great detail. You’ll find:

• vector icons
• subtle animations and transitions

5. Marketing Plan Template for PowerPoint

Try this Marketing Plan Template for PowerPoint if you’re looking for a colorful and bold PPT template. This template was designed in widescreen resolution and comes with:

• 1000 different slides
• 100 different designs
• picture placeholders
• infographic elements
• editable vector shapes

Grab This eBook on Making Great Presentations ( Free Download )

We’ve got the perfect complement to a professional PowerPoint template. It’ll help you learn how to write, design, and deliver great marketing presentations.

Download The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations now for FREE with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. Get your ideas formed into a powerful presentation that’ll move your audience.

Download Your Next Marketing Plan PPT Today!!

Are you working on a marketing presentation ? Save time and create a stunning presentation with a marketing plan presentation template from Envato Elements.

Don’t forget to incorporate what you learned in our tips section, too. Show your strategy, the product in action, and focus on your team for success. Marketing plan presentations need these elements to feel well-rounded.

Related Articles

How to Add Fonts to PowerPoint?

Table of Contents

The font you choose can make a major difference in your PowerPoint presentations. While the default fonts are okay, you might want to add your own for a more specific look. Luckily, adding fonts to PowerPoint is quite easy.  This can improve the appearance of your slides and help you get your message across more clearly.

In this article, we’ll show you the simple steps to add fonts in PowerPoint, letting you personalize your presentations and keep your audience engaged.

Why Adding Fonts Improves the Quality of a PowerPoint Presentation?

Using different fonts can make your PowerPoint presentations even better in a few ways:

• Fonts Can Help Set the Tone: Different fonts have different styles. You can choose a font that feels serious and professional for a business presentation, or a more playful one for a creative project. This helps people listening to your presentation understand the feeling you’re trying to get across.
• Fonts Can Make Things Easier to Read: Some fonts are clearer and easier on the eyes than others. Picking a good font can help people follow along with your presentation without getting tired of looking at the slides.
• Fonts Can Help With Brand Recognition: If you have a business with a specific font, using that font in your presentations can help people remember who you are.

Overall, taking a little extra time to choose the right fonts can make your presentations look better, be easier to understand, and leave a stronger impression on your audience.

7 Steps to Add Fonts to PowerPoint

Here’s a breakdown on how to add new fonts to your PowerPoint presentations:

Step 1. Finding the Perfect Font:

First things first, pick a font that complements the style and theme of your presentation. There are many reputable websites offering free fonts to download. Once you’ve found the ideal font, download it to your computer.

Step 2. Installing the Font (Windows & Mac):

• Windows: Locate the downloaded font file (usually in “Downloads”) and double-click it. You’ll see a preview and an “Install” button. Click “Install” to add it to your system’s font library.
• Mac: Double-click the downloaded font file to open it in Font Book. Click “Install Font” at the bottom of the window.

Step 3. Restarting PowerPoint:

Once the font is installed, close any open PowerPoint presentations and then reopen the program. This ensures PowerPoint recognizes the new font.

Step 4. Applying the Font:

Open your presentation and go to the slide where you want to use the new font. Select the text box or placeholder you want to edit.

Step 5. Choosing Your New Font:

On the “Home” tab in the PowerPoint ribbon, find the “Font” dropdown menu. Click the arrow to see the list of available fonts. Scroll through the list and find the font you just installed. Click on the font name to apply it to your selected text.

Step 6. Formatting Options (Optional):

With the new font applied, you can further customize the text by adjusting its size, color, alignment, and other formatting options found on the “Home” tab.

Step 7. Saving Your Presentation:

Remember to save your presentation after making changes! This ensures the custom font settings are preserved and the font displays correctly when you open the presentation on other devices.

Closing Thoughts

Adding fonts to PowerPoint is an easy way to improve your presentations. Choosing fonts that work well with your message and the people you’re presenting to can make your slides clearer, set the right mood, and even help people remember your brand. With just a few steps and some thought about what fonts to use, you can add a creative touch and make your presentations even better.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn’t my new font showing up in powerpoint.

There are a few things to look at if your recently installed font isn’t showing up. First, check if it installed properly. Try using the font in another program, like Word. If it works there but not in PowerPoint, try restarting the program. Sometimes, a full computer restart might be needed to update the font list. Finally, make sure you’re not using an online version of PowerPoint, as these often don’t work with custom fonts on your device.

How do I uninstall a font if I don’t need it anymore?

Uninstalling fonts is easy, but the steps differ a bit between Windows and Mac.

• On Windows, find the “Fonts” option in the Control Panel. Right-click on the font you want to remove and select “Delete.”
• For Mac users, open the Font Book app. Right-click on the unwanted font and choose “Remove.”

Will embedding fonts make my presentation file size bigger?

Yes, embedding fonts increases the file size of your PowerPoint presentation. This happens because the font data itself gets included in the file.

What are some good fonts to use in PowerPoint presentations?

Choosing the right font for your presentation is important! Here are some popular and recommended options:

• Arial: This is a classic choice, offering a clean and professional look.
• Calibri: A modern and easy-to-read font, ideal for presentations.
• Verdana: This font excels for smaller text sizes, promoting readability.
• Roboto: A versatile and contemporary font that works well in various contexts.
• Open Sans: This friendly and neutral font creates a welcoming atmosphere.

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How to Add Notes in PowerPoint?

Keeping track of everything you want to cover in a presentation can be tough. To avoid cramming too much text onto your slides and to make sure you don’t miss any key points, some presenters use notes or flashcards. Another polished way to present your slides is by using speaker notes in PowerPoint. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to add these notes in PowerPoint. Let’s dive in.

Easy Steps to Add a GIF to PowerPoint

Whether you’re presenting at work, school, or to an audience, animated GIF files are one quick way to add fun, humor, and personality to any PowerPoint presentation. These short animations can break up the monotony of text blocks and make complex ideas easier to understand. This guide will show you where to find the perfect GIF (for free!) and how to add a GIF to PowerPoint.

How to Loop a PowerPoint Presentation?

PowerPoint presentations are a go-to for clear and informative content delivery. But what if you want your presentation to run on repeat, like at a kiosk or digital sign? The good news is, that PowerPoint has a built-in feature to loop your slideshow, ensuring your message stays on display without interruption.

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How to Make Money Selling Ebooks in 2024

Written by: Orana Velarde

Everyone knows that a free ebook is one of the best lead magnet strategies for businesses of any size. But if you’re an author looking to earn some income you can make money from selling ebooks. Writing ebooks for money is also a common form of passive income, preferred by some, especially after the pandemic.

In fact, ebooks are in popular demand, so much so that ebook sales have exploded in the past few years, and the growth is expected to continue to grow at a steady annual rate of 3.92% up to 2028 internationally.

Even though free ebooks offer value to the subscriber exchanging their email for the download, paid-for ebooks must deliver a wealth of valuable information plus actionable advice for the reader.

In this article, we'll help you learn why ebooks are great for earning passive income, and share tips and guidelines for where and how to sell your ebooks.

Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit ebook templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

• Table of Contents

Why Ebooks Are Good For Passive Income

7 sites to help you sell ebooks, ebook file types and formatting, how to sell ebooks in 11 simple steps, selling ebooks faqs.

• Ebooks are not just for lead magnets but make a great source of passive income that can help you to make money in the long term.
• You can use several sites to sell your ebook, including Visme, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Smashwords, Rakuten Kobo, Sellfy, Payhip and Gumroad.
• Choosing the right file type and formatting for your ebook is essential. File types include Printable PDF, Interactive PDF, Multimedia/Interactive HTML5 or EPUB.
• To sell your ebook, you should know your audience, get an ISBN, write and design your ebook, create an eye-catching cover design, publish and share it, price it, create a landing page, promote it, track sales and nurture leads.
• With Visme, you can choose from a wide range of beautifully designed ebook templates to get started, access intuitive editing features, or publish your ebook with a shareable link.

Passive income is one of the most sought-after sources of income today. It means you're able to generate income with minimal labor involved. In other words, work less and earn more. Who doesn’t want that, right?

Well, ebooks are a great addition to any passive income strategy. The hard work starts at the beginning, and once it’s done, all you need to do is maintain your sales and marketing. Once you create an ebook, market it and share it, it can technically sell itself.

To make money writing ebooks takes a decent amount of effort to write valuable content. Not to mention, building a strong brand that will carry your ebook to success is not an overnight task.

But when you do set everything up correctly, ebooks can help you make money for a long time. In fact, the more evergreen your content is, and the more you keep promoting and updating it, the longer the life of your ebook.

Need more convincing? Here are some reasons why ebooks are great for passive income:

They’re relatively easy digital products to make.

Even though an ebook will take work to put together and publish, it’s still a much easier digital product to create than a multi-lesson online course. You might even have most of the content in your blog post articles that can together create the foundation for an ebook.

Templates also make ebook creation a lot easier than starting from scratch. Using them also increases your chances of creating a successful ebook.

Visme, for example, offers pre-designed multipage templates in lots of different designs and for a variety of industries.

Putting the ebook together once you have the content is pretty straightforward. If you’re working with a team inside your company, then it’s even easier. Using collaboration tools makes ebook building an accessible and inspiring activity.

Plus, even if it takes you a while to create your first ebook, it will be much easier to make more. Why? Because you'll learn from the failures and successes of your last ebook (or ebooks) and make sure your future works are best-sellers.

Beyond being an easy digital product to make, you can easily sell your ebooks online. In the latter part of this article, we’ll discuss how to sell an ebook online.

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They make for great lead magnets.

Collecting leads for your business is a vital step in the marketing funnel. Ebooks are great lead magnets because you are offering value as you get the person’s email. Many people create free ebooks in exchange for a sign-up, so your paid ebook must provide more value than a free one.

The best ebooks, specifically the ones that are most suited for passive income, are the ones that offer evergreen content. A good example of evergreen content is a topic that won’t change or evolve too fast after you’ve written it.

They help with link building.

Ebook creation and promotion generally need a landing page on your website as the lead generation starting point. Add the landing page URL to relevant blog posts and other content on your site.

Likewise, other people can add your link to their content, and you can share the landing page directly on social media.

Selling ebooks needs a good and trustworthy platform. There are many publishing and distribution options, big and small. Choose the one that works for you.

If your ebook is not in the file type your publisher or distributor asks for, there are plenty of free online converters. Additionally, if you have the content and want someone else to convert it to ebook format manually, you can find many people on Fiverrr who offer this service.

In this section, we’ll show you where to sell ebooks online and how to get started.

Visme is an all-in-one design and content creation platform. Its easy-to-use platform lets users with little to no design experience create visually stunning content from scratch or with the help of professionally designed pre-made templates.

Writing and selling an ebook is a long and challenging process. Visme provides a comprehensive space for authors to finish their ebook designs confidently without the need to hire a programmer or designer.

Access ready-to-use ebook templates designed for the B2B or B2C space or Visme's AI Designer to help quickly generate a personalized template that suit your needs. For ebooks of fiction and non-fictional genres, you can bring your ebook cover ideas to life with Visme’s AI image generator or access a library of thousands of images, icons, graphics, animations and so much more.

Visme has a rich library of stock photos you can use in your ebook. If you don’t have any image that fits your context, Visme’s AI image generator is a great solution. With a descriptive prompt, you can generate unique visuals, including images, art, 3D graphics, paintings, pencil drawings and more.

“Some templates you stumble upon and are blown away that someone put the time and effort into creating them. You did not know you needed them in your life until that minute.” - Lorens K., A Graphic Designer who uses Visme .

Plus, you can easily edit your ebook’s most essential information with dynamic fields . This allows you to automatically insert or edit personalized text fields or assign any value needed without the need for painstaking manual updates.

Here's a quick video tutorial to walk you through creating an ebook in Visme:

Once you’ve finished designing your ebook in Visme, whether it’s plain text, multimedia, interactive or animated, you can decide to download or share your ebook as a digital PDF or a printable PDF with bleed marks to ensure your content and words stay in their designated area when professional printed.

You can also turn it into a shareable link that you share with your readers once they’ve made a purchase on your website. As well as make your ebook a private project so you decide who gets to view or read your ebook.

You can also track the number of views on your ebooks when you share them via Visme. This is great for analyzing the performance of your content as you track sales and marketing efforts.

2. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing

Amazon is one of the largest online platforms for selling digital ebooks. Most authors are proactively selling ebooks on Amazon. Publishing your own ebook is one of the most popular ways to make money on Amazon , which can potentially make $1000+ a month.

Ebooks on Amazon are published using Kindle Direct Publishing. KDP will request that you upload your manuscript, which should meet certain requirements. You can upload Microsoft Word files, EPUB and their signature Kindle file type, KPF.

Choose to publish it as an ebook, paperback or both and once it’s been accepted by Amazon, your ebook will be available to readers worldwide.

3. Smashwords

Smashwords is an ebook publisher and distributor that offers lots of solutions for new and experienced ebook writers. You can upload a Word document or an EPUB file. They turn it into a digital ebook product and distribute it to all major ebook consumer platforms.

4. Rakuten Kobo

Rakuten Kobo is another ebook publisher and distributor offering to sell your ebooks on their site and many other distribution sites. To publish with Rakuten Kobo, simply follow the steps on the website. You can upload Microsoft Word and EPUB files, among others. They also offer solutions for selling audiobooks and even have their own digital readers for sale.

Moving away from sites that concentrate on ebooks alone, there’s also Sellfy — a digital product marketplace where you can sell any digital product for download. You can sell directly from Sellfy or use the link on your website.

Another digital download marketplace is Payhip. To sell an ebook on Payhip, it has to be ready as the file type of your choice. For a site like this, you’re better off selling your ebook as an EPUB. Sell with a Payhip link or add the link to a button on a landing page.

Finally, we have Gumroad — this online marketplace allows users to create a store to sell digital products such as courses, memberships, and ebooks. You have a bit more control over where and how your ebook is marketed as well as the price for an ebook when compared to other platforms.

Ready to use any of these platforms? You can start raking in your ebook profits by pairing Visme with any of the tools we’ve shared.

People have different ways of consuming content, and that’s why your ebook should be easy to read in a variety of digital formats. Also, there’s no golden rule that says your ebook must be in a vertical orientation.

For example, reading an ebook on a laptop is easier when it’s horizontal as the entire page is visible. The choice you make depends on how you expect your readers to view the ebook.

The next choice you need to make is the format and file type. There are four commonly used ebook formats and file types:

Printable PDF

Interactive pdf, multimedia/interactive html5.

The file format you choose will mostly depend on your ebook's style. Many ebooks are just plain text, resembling a paper book but digital. Think Kindle readers, for example.

Other ebooks are highly visual and have more of a magazine feel, with large images and creative fonts. Furthermore, an ebook can be interactive with videos, animations and even sound.

But what’s the difference? Let’s take a look.

The classic printable PDF is one of the most common digital formats for transforming paper books and documents into online versions. Essentially, a PDF ebook can be printed and bound or read on a digital device.

The main downside with a static PDF ebook format is that the pages aren’t responsive on screens, and the viewer needs to zoom in and out to read small text.

Your best use of a printable PDF is to offer one as an option to the reader. Create an interactive PDF or digital experience and provide a printable PDF download as an option.

A great way to improve a regular PDF ebook is to make it interactive.  Add hyperlinks, in-document navigation, informational popups, videos and interactive data visualizations.

Downloading interactive PDFs will only keep the links; everything else will deactivate. To share the full interactive version with the reader, you’ll need to share your ebook via a link and offer the option to download the less interactive version.

Like an interactive PDF, you can share your multimedia interactive ebook  as an HTML5 file or via a live link. Of all the formatting options, this is the one we like to call “a digital experience” due to the multimedia capabilities.

Not only can you add links, videos and popups, but you can also add animated elements and transitions between pages.

EPUB is the universal ebook file format legible by most digital readers. To create an EPUB ebook, use a design tool like Adobe InDesign or Pages from Apple. Thankfully, you can also convert PDF files into EPUB files. But the best conversion suggestion is from HTML5 to EPUB.

You’re much better off publishing as an EPUB than a PDF for professional ebook publishing and distribution. EPUB ebooks are responsive and fit better on digital readers for easy reading.

Now to the good part — selling your ebook(s). Even if you’re hoping for your ebook to grow your brand awareness and be a good lead magnet, you also want it to be profitable.

Here are the steps to follow for selling ebooks that fatten up your bank account.

1. Find Out What Your Audience Wants, and Plan

To make money from ebooks, they need to be worth paying money for. Your ebooks must bring valuable information and actionable advice to the reader.

The content should be either timely or evergreen. If the content is about a current trend, you must update the ebook when needed and send previous buyers a notice to download or read the new version.

Have a planning meeting, or start a Slack channel with your team to get the ebook project off the ground and running. Use a project management document with charts to organize the tasks by importance, dependency and person in charge.

Brainstorm with your team to get a good plan going and start doing the research. Here's a project plan template you can use to organize and plan your own book writing project:

The one golden rule about ebooks is to “write what you know.” That said, it also needs to be content that your audience wants; otherwise, they won’t feel the need to buy your book.

Use tools like Google Trends, SEMrush, Answer the Public, Quora and Reddit to find out what people are searching for in topics you know about. Also, check what your current customers ask your support team; you might get some ideas there.

Here are the best-selling ebook categories on Amazon:

• Religion and Spirituality
• Biographies and Memoirs
• Business and Money
• Cookbooks, Food and Wine

Finally, look at the ebooks already available online. Take notes on the best-selling titles, their price, number of pages and what the cover looks like.

To help with the voice and message of your ebook, create a user persona profile to have a better idea of whom you’ll be writing the ebook for.

Here's a user persona template you can customize for your own use:

You might already have user personas from branding and marketing strategies; leverage those to save time. When planning the outline of the ebook, have the user persona always in mind for the messaging, wording, voice and tone.

2. Write Your Ebook

Now it’s time to write your ebook . Before you start, check if you don’t have content you can reuse from blog posts or newsletters. You can, of course, write the book with all new content.

Here are some tips for writing the content for your ebook.

Start with an outline.

Like any type of long-form content, start your ebook with an outline. The depth of subheadings and bullet points depends on your earlier choice: text-heavy or visually rich formatting.

Separate your content into chunks; for an ebook with mostly text, you’ll need main headings, similar to how chapters have titles. When creating a visual style ebook, branch down from your main headings and use subheadings, bullet points and quotes. Make a note of any image placements and their captions.

Use the main titles to draft an initial table of contents. Rule no.1 of creating the table of contents pages: Do so at the very end; you won’t know the final page numbers and titles until you’ve finished the entire ebook.

Write the content.

Using the outline, write the content. Remember we said to write what you know? Well, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to fact-check. You need to show that the statements you make are accurate and back them up with expert quotes, links to research, footnotes or proof of personal and professional experience.

When giving advice or tips, use examples of possible scenarios that apply to what you’re sharing. It’s better if the examples are real, but you can change names for anonymity. Mention and refer to case studies or previous experiences to prove that your advice works.

When you’ve got the entire ebook written, put it down for a couple of days (if you have the time) and then come back to it with fresh eyes. Read it from beginning to end and check for these things:

• Is there a flow from opening to closing?
• Is the introduction inviting and interesting?
• Does the content progress in some way from one topic to another?
• Are all the visuals supporting the content positively?
• Does all the interactive and multimedia content work as it should?
• Do the transitions between sections make sense?
• Is the conclusion concise and well-rounded?

Don’t forget to proofread!

Finally, don’t forget to proofread the text. Use tools like Grammarly or Language Tool as you write, and then do a final check with Grammarly Pro or Hemingway App to find language and grammar inconsistencies. If there’s an editor in your team, have them look through it and make changes to improve the flow, message and tone.

One of the reasons we love interactive ebooks made with Visme and shared with a live link is that all changes will reflect for the user the next time they open the ebook. This way, changes as small as a typo or as significant as a missing paragraph won’t mean republishing the ebook completely.

Having a writer's block? Or perhaps you need help proofreading your ebook. Visme’s AI text generator can help you create high-quality content. You can also use it to draft your ebook outline or proofread your content.

3. Get an ISBN For Your Ebook (Optional)

Before you design your ebook to sell, you might need an ISBN for it. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number and is what distributors and bookstores use to distinguish your ebook from others.

Most publishers and distributors need an ISBN to sell any book, including an ebook. The only exceptions are Amazon and Visme live links and some digital download sites like Gumroad.

If you self-publish a physical book and an ebook of the same manuscript, each will need a unique ISBN. The same applies to different file formats of the same ebook.

4. Design Your Ebook

Designing your ebook is next. If you decide on a text-heavy format, incorporate some visuals to break up the content here and there. For expert knowledge ebooks, don’t use random stock photos to fill up space; use data visualizations instead.

These will both add visual richness and value for the reader. If you write a fiction book with very few visuals, try adding a small illustration at the beginning of each chapter, even the title or chapter number can be creative.

For ebooks with a highly visual approach, you’ll need to consider visuals a homogeneous and balanced collection. The imagery is meant to both support and accompany the text while helping with the flow of content.

Placement of the visuals is vital for an easy-to-read pattern on every page. Take a look at some magazines to get inspired. Analyze how the text is easy to read with images and visuals dispersed in between.

Here’s a quick rundown of the pages your ebook needs:

• Content Pages

About the Author

The info page includes the copyright, ISBN, year of publication, any disclaimers, acknowledgments and primary sources of content that need mentioning.

You have two choices to begin putting everything together: start with a template or design from scratch. The choice depends on your team and how confident the person in charge feels about it.

Even if you want to start with a blank canvas, there might be a template you like the look of. Templates are great for inspiration, and if you didn’t know, even designers use templates .

Start with a template.

Templates are great for free ebooks because they’re usually shorter and include less information. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use these for longer ebooks that you will charge for.

Look for templates on sites like Visme, Behance or Renderforest and choose one that fits your content. You can add, remove and duplicate pages in templates easily.

Graphic Design Ebook

Remote Team Management Ebook

Documents Case Studies Guide

Baking Recipe Interactive Ebook

The Future of Event Marketing Ebook

Investment Fundamentals Ebook

Create your ebook View more templates

As you design the pages, you’ll notice why it was important to separate the content into clusters. Separating the content this way makes it easier to format both the text and visuals into the pages.

Take note of what content you copy into the template to avoid duplicating or missing significant sections.

Design your ebook from scratch.

Designing an ebook from scratch does need a certain level of design experience and time. If you want to add your own unique flair to your ebook, rather than using a template, then create from scratch.

You’ll need to plan the formatting first and take notes from ebook templates or ones you’ve bought or read previously.

Try out a couple of designs with sample pages and test with your team before fully finalizing all the pages. This technique will save time, much like a wireframe saves time when designing websites.

Here’s a checklist to help you complete all the steps when creating an ebook.

Tips to improve your ebook design.

Regardless of whether you’re using a template or not, these design tips will help. Each section has a link to more helpful reading about design. Open them in a new tab to read later.

• Font choice: Use no more than two fonts (or two styles of the same font) in your ebook—one for the headings and the others for body text. Great fonts for body text are; Lato, Garamond and Verdana. Choose the one that best matches your brand voice and tone.
• Color palette: Choose a color palette that won’t tire the reader. Avoid using color for the main body text and stick to black or a very dark gray. For the visuals, stick to the same balanced color palette for illustrations, data visualizations and even for photography .
• Visual hierarchy: Follow the rules of visual hierarchy on every page of your ebook. Also, apply flow hierarchy from page to page. Every section starts with a large title, maybe a smaller subtitle and then the body content in a regular size. Further down in the hierarchy could be footnotes and image captions.
• Margins and spacing: One of the biggest mistakes made by non-designs is to forget about the margins . Give your ebook page margins big enough to make the content feel like it's floating in the center of the page. Maintain the same margin for every single page. The only exceptions are full-width images.
• Page numb​​ers: Remember to number the pages in your ebook, but do so at the very end. You don’t need to put a page number on the cover, info page, or table of contents. Most document creators can number the pages automatically , look for that before trying to number the pages manually.

5. Create an Eye-Catching Ebook Cover Design

Create a clever and exciting ebook cover design with the target reader/user persona in mind. Use visuals that will be attractive or relatable to them. Remember that the cover design will not only be part of the ebook itself; you’ll also use it in a mockup to promote the ebook.

The cover design should include the following elements:

• Ebook Title
• Company Name/Logo
• Brand Colors and Imagery

Even though people say to “not judge a book by its cover,” you can bet that people will do just that, regardless. Make sure the cover is inviting and makes sense with the topic of the book.

Use visual hierarchy to organize the content. For example, the title has the largest font, then the subtitle and finally the author name. You can see this in the example below.

6. Download & Publish Your Ebook

When you’re confident that your book is ready to publish, you’ll have to get it ready to sell. Refer back to the section above, where we list the different types of ebook file types. Choose the one that’s right for you. Here are a few more tips regarding your options.

If you choose to download it as a PDF (static or with active links), you’ll need some way to send the ebook to your clients. Here are some ways to do that:

• Upload the PDF to your website to generate a link.
• Add the PDF file to a Dropbox folder, generate the link and when sending it to the client, change the last digit from 0 to 1, so it downloads as soon as someone clicks on it.
• Publish the ebook to the web with Visme and share the live link with customers. They’ll be able to read in Visme (without needing an account) and can download from there if they wish to do so. This option also allows for password-protected access.

Do you want to publish your book on one of the online publisher or distributor sites? You’ll need an EPUB or Word document file.

• Use an online converter to change your PDF ebook into an EPUB— the best only for mostly text publications.
• For responsive ebooks with lots of visuals, download it as an HTML5 and convert it to EPUB.
• Upload your Word document file ebook to the publishing site, and they will convert it for you.

Is your ebook a digital visual experience with multimedia, animations, videos and more? Your best bet is to use the Visme publication option mentioned above.

7. Price Your Ebook

When putting a price on your ebook, it’s crucial to do some market research. How much are other writers charging for their ebooks on similar topics?

Notice how books are priced like this: $6.76, $16.78 or $13.89. It’s all about pricing psychology and how consumers see the price in decimals as being lower than a whole number.

When you choose the platform to publish and distribute your ebook, look at how much they take as a service fee. Mark up the price to a point where you’re making a profit.

How do you know if you’re making a profit? Calculate the time and work it took to create the ebook, to begin with. How much are you planning on spending on marketing?

Is your target audience people that will pay for a higher-priced book, or not? Calculate how many books you’d like to sell before making a profit and then price according to that.

Getting your pricing strategy right means you get to rake in good ebook profits.

8. Create a Landing Page For Your Ebook

Regardless of how you publish your ebook, you’ll need a landing page to promote it and bring people into your sales funnel. There are several ways to get your customers to pay for the book. Remember that the least number of clicks is always best.

Sell ebooks via your website using an e-commerce integration. Both Shopify and WooCommerce are great options. For something more simple, just add a PayPal button to the landing page. Then either set it up for automatic download or via an email to their inbox.

If you’re using a publisher or distributor like Amazon or a digital product marketplace like Gumroad, add the product link to the button on your landing page.

The landing page below is for a book that’s for sale both as a hardcover​​ or an ebook. Each button directs to the relevant sales page.

9. Promote Your Ebook

Now that everything is ready, it’s time to promote your ebook. Some writers and marketers start promoting the book before it’s even finished, building excitement and expectation.

It’s your choice whether to start promoting before or after the ebook is ready. To advertise in advance, you have to be confident that it’ll be finished on a specific date, otherwise, a delay can harm your marketing strategies.

A great way to promote and share news about your ebook is to create a mockup graphic. Here are some ways you can promote your ebook, using the mockup in a promotional design:

• Social media posts
• Social media ads
• Newsletters and email blasts
• Outreach opportunities like guest posts on other sites
• A popup on your site
• As a footer or sidebar ad on your blog posts
• Add a link to the landing page on your email signature
• Ask readers to leave honest reviews which you can share

When you have more than one ebook, create a landing page for all of them together like an archive. Add the main page with all ebooks to your website’s primary menu as an essential resource for your visitors.

Need help with ebook marketing? This comprehensive guide has everything you need to know about marketing your ebook.

10. Track Ebook Sales

Tracking ebook sales performance is essential to know how to proceed with promotional strategies or further ebook creation. Use a combination of techniques to track sales and reading time; that way, you can find out if the people who buy the book are actually reading it or just letting it sit in their inbox.

Most of the sites to sell ebooks in the list above offer some type of analytics. You’ll have to see what each of them has in store when you look at the pros and cons of choosing. Visme, for example, has an analytics tool that shows visitors, views and demographics.

Use Google Analytics to track who visits the landing page but doesn’t buy. Add a UTM parameter to the landing page link when sharing it on social media or anywhere else. Create unique UTM parameters to track where the visits are coming from specifically.

11. Nurture Your Readers

If someone bought one of your ebooks, they’d likely buy another. Once you’ve captured their email and contact through email or via a Facebook pixel, nurture the communication with them.

Use an email provider to send newsletters about upcoming books and personalize messages relevant information to their interests.

Use Facebook ads to retarget people that have visited your site, landing page or Facebook page before. Use mockups with your cover design to make your ebook look inviting, interesting and worth buying. Send repeat buyers the first couple of chapters of an upcoming book, asking them to have first access when it goes live.

Q. Where Can I Sell My Ebooks?

There are various online platforms where you can sell your ebook. Some of the top platforms to consider are Visme, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Smashwords, Rakuten Kobo, Sellfy, Payhip and Gumroad.

Q. Is It Profitable to Sell Ebooks?

Ebooks are profitable, but simply publishing one is not enough. eBooks are profitable when they are marketed and sold properly with intent. Some authors who use Amazon to publish their ebooks can potentially make $1000+ a month.

Q. How Much Can You Make Selling Ebooks?

You can make a lot of money selling ebooks. However, the question—how much do ebooks make?—isn't cut and dried. The amount of money you make from selling ebooks depends on a lot of factors, including the cost of your book, additional expenses such as ebook platform fees and how well it’s received by its audience.

Q. Which Ebooks Sell the Most?

Bubble Cow found that the five top-selling ebook categories were religion and spirituality, biographies and memoirs, business and money, self-help and cookbooks or those focused on food and wine.

Write and Sell Ebooks to Generate Passive Income

Ready to start making money selling ebooks? In this guide, we've shared how to write an ebook and make money, from writing, designing and publishing an ebook to several possible sites to sell your ebook through.

Adding an ebook to your passive income strategy might be just what you need for the next quarter. There’s surely a wealth of knowledge you could share with readers, or maybe a fictional story or memoir you’ve been working on. Inspiring ebooks do well also in both business and self-help circles.

If you’re looking for a platform to create an ebook to sell, try out Visme's online ebook creator . You can easily create a multimedia ebook to share as a live link or convert to EPUB. Or, create a static or interactive PDF ebook to download and share in various ways.

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Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com