You send a Google Slides link. The investor sees "Last edited 3 minutes ago by you" in the doc history. They see every typo you've made. The polish you wanted is gone.
PDF is the format that lets you control the snapshot.
Convert from your design tool
From PowerPoint, convert to PDF. From Keynote or Slides, use their PDF export. The PDF locks the layout, fonts, and images exactly as designed. No reflow, no comment notifications, no edit-history exposure.
Compress for email
Pitch decks run heavy with images and embedded videos. Videos won't play in PDF — drop them and link to hosted videos separately. Compress PDF to under 10MB for easy email. Investors get hundreds of decks; a quick-loading PDF is a small but real advantage.
Watermark for sensitive sharing
For decks going to investors you don't fully trust yet, watermark with the recipient's name. Use annotate PDF. "CONFIDENTIAL — Acme Ventures" diagonal across each page. Deters casual forwarding and signals you take the IP seriously.
The covering email
Short. Mention the warm intro (if there is one). Specify the round size and stage. "Deck attached. Happy to talk this week — calendar link below." Don't try to recap the deck in the email; the deck speaks. Calendar link in the signature beats "happy to find a time that works".
FAQ
Should I send the deck before or after a call?
Most investors prefer to see the deck before. It saves a call if they're not interested and primes them with context if they are.
Should I include speaker notes?
No — the deck PDF is the visual story. Speaker notes are for live presentations. Send a clean deck without notes.
What's a good filename for a pitch deck?
Company name, stage, date: `Flint_Seed_Mar2026.pdf`. Sortable in the investor's inbox, identifiable when surfaced six months later.
Should I send the same deck to every investor?
Adapt for the investor's stage focus and check size. The cover and ask should be tailored; the core slides stay consistent.
PDF locks the snapshot. Convert your deck in Flint and the investor sees what you designed.