One-liners and investor messaging
Live Investor Ratings of One-Liners and Brand Names
Live Investor Ratings: Hear investor first impressions on your brand name, and/or 10-second pitch
Fund managers, sponsors and founders who write the first sentence of their emails, decks and voicemails to investors and want to see how a panel reacts to real examples.
The 5 big lessons
- Judge lines on first impression. The panel scored each line on how articulate, unique and compelling it sounded. They did not score whether they would invest. Investors with heavy deal flow often decide in about 15 seconds.
- Use numbers that can be verified. Richard said hard figures like a 72 person team, 33 years in one strategy or 400 million in AUM beat claims like big, best-in-class or modern. Without numbers, readers cannot tell if a firm started yesterday or has done 457 deals.
- Answer the so what question. One panelist said a line about a process-driven approach to real estate acquisitions did not say what the reader should do with it. Generic claims that every firm makes get ignored.
- Match the words to the investor. Terms like MSA suit real estate families but can confuse others. Richard said wording for plastic surgeons must differ from wording for a multifamily office with a 42 person team.
- Rewrite many times and test. Richard said early drafts are usually bad. Write the line 20 or 30 times, show the best one to a team member or spouse, then write more and revisit it after a month.
The short version
A panel of investors rated audience one-liners and brand names live, scoring each on how clear, unique and compelling it sounded rather than whether they would invest. Scores ranged widely. A line about killing 99.99% of pathogens on shoe soles earned a 10 from one panelist, while a short phrase about a first diamond commodity was called vague. Richard C. Wilson explained that busy investors give a message about 15 seconds.
The panel kept returning to the same points. Verifiable numbers beat words like big or best-in-class. Jargon such as MSA or operating partner service model loses some audiences. A good line also answers the so what question. Panelists disagreed at times, and some preferred longer, detailed lines. Richard also noted that inboxes are crowded, so direct mail and short personal notes can stand out.
Facts from this talk
- The panel reviewed 25 audience one-liners and brand names, scoring each on a scale up to 10.
- Richard said most people get more than 100 emails a day but only 5, 10 or 15 voicemails.
- Over 13 years, the Family Office Club has 750 registered family offices and offers 32 live events per year.
Sources
From Richard C. Wilson's Centimillionaire Strategies YouTube channel: Live Investor Ratings: Hear investor first impressions on your brand name, and/or 10-second pitch. Quotes come from the video captions, lightly edited for readability. Figures are the speakers' own estimates and experience.
General education only. Not legal, tax or investment advice.
Said on the call
"If you can say things that nobody else is saying or nobody else can say, and if you use tangible numbers that can be verified and are credible, that can make people lean forward."
"It's better to have a long one-liner than no one-liner at all."
"The more volume and competition there is in a niche, the more important the one-liner is."
- 1Write it 20 or 30 times
- 2Show best draft to a trusted person
- 3Write 5 or 10 more
- 4Write a couple more
- 5Revisit after a month
Related questions
- How do I create a pitch video for investors?Record a one to three minute video of the founder talking straight to the camera.
- How do I close a funding round?I close a funding round by focusing on investors who fit the opportunity and moving each interested prospect through clear, consistent follow-up.
- What documents do investors request during due diligence?Prepare a clear, organized package covering your operations, investments, compensation, team, and track record.
Questions about this video
Where should a one-liner go?
Richard said to put it on the front page of the pitch deck, in voicemails and at the top of emails. Many decks show only a brand name, a disclosure and a table of contents before explaining the business.
Should the brand name be inside the one-liner?
Richard suggested leaving it out when the name already appears on the business card, one pager, deck or email signature. Removing it helps shorten the line.
Does a strong one-liner matter if I use direct mail?
Richard said it matters less. In Richard's experience, many investors get only a few pieces of pure value direct mail per month, so mail that adds value can stand out more than email.
Put this into practice with the one-liner builder. See all one-liners and investor messaging resources.
