Investor Outreach Plan in 8 simple steps

Creating an effective investor outreach plan is crucial for startup founders seeking funding. A well-structured approach can significantly increase your chances of securing investments and building meaningful relationships with potential investors.

Quick Guide to Investor Outreach

1. Build Target List: Research and identify suitable investors using databases and networks
2. Prepare Materials: Create compelling pitch deck and supporting documents
3. Create Outreach Strategy: Plan timing and channels for investor contact
4. Track and Manage: Set up systems to monitor outreach and responses
5. Follow Up: Maintain strategic communication with interested parties
6. Build Data Room: Organize comprehensive due diligence materials
7. Measure Success: Track response rates and engagement metrics

Step 1: Building your investor target list

Using investor databases

Papermark offers an extensive open investor database with over 8,000 investors worldwide. You can filter by:

• Investment stage
• Industry focus
• Geographic location
• Investment size
• Previous investments

Access Investor Database

Qualifying investors

When building your target list, consider:

Criteria	Key Factors to Consider
Investment Thesis Alignment	• Your industry/sector • Your stage of development • Your geographic region
Recent Investment Activity	• Look for active investors • Check their recent portfolio additions • Review typical check sizes
Strategic Value	• Industry expertise • Network access • Portfolio synergies

Step 2: Preparing your pitch deck

Essential documents

1. Pitch Deck:

   • 15-20 slides maximum pitch deck sharing stats
   • Clear problem/solution statement
   • Market opportunity
   • Traction metrics
   • Financial projections
   • Team background

2. Executive Summary:

   • One-page overview
   • Key highlights
   • Investment ask

3. Financial Model:

   • Detailed projections
   • Key assumptions
   • Use of funds

Step 3: Creating your outreach strategy

Timing your outreach

1. Fundraising Window:

   • Plan for 4-6 months
   • Account for holiday seasons
   • Consider industry events

2. Batch Approach:

   • Group investors by priority
   • Start with 20-30 targets
   • Adjust based on feedback

Outreach channels

Channel Type	Methods
Warm Introductions	• Network through existing contacts • Use LinkedIn connections • Leverage accelerator networks
Direct Outreach	• Personalized emails • LinkedIn messages • Conference networking

Email template structure

Step 4: Sharing your pitch deck or data room

Share your deck using link and track every page investors viewed.

If you wanna share more documents than one create a secure data room to share.

Using Papermark for your investor outreach provides several advantages:

1. Professional Presentation:

   • Branded viewing experience
   • Consistent formatting across devices
   • Professional landing pages

2. Security Features:

   • Access controls
   • Email verification
   • Link expiration settings

3. Engagement Tracking:

   • View analytics
   • Time spent per slide
   • Viewer identification

Start Sharing Securely

Step 5: Tracking and managing outreach

Using papermark for tracking

1. Document Analytics:

   • Track who viewed your deck
   • Monitor engagement time
   • See which slides generate interest

2. Viewer Insights:

   • Capture verified emails
   • Track forwarding activity
   • Monitor multiple views

CRM integration

Maintain a spreadsheet or CRM with:

• Investor contact details
• Outreach status
• Meeting notes
• Follow-up tasks
• Investment interest level

Step 6: Follow-up strategy

Timing

1. Initial Follow-up:

   • Wait 3-5 days after first contact
   • Reference deck viewing analytics
   • Provide additional context

2. Subsequent Follow-ups:

   • Space 7-10 days apart
   • Share new developments
   • Maintain professional tone

Using analytics for follow-up

Leverage Papermark's analytics to:

1. Prioritize Follow-ups:

   • Focus on engaged viewers
   • Note specific slide interest
   • Time follow-ups with viewing activity

2. Customize Messages:

   • Reference viewed content
   • Address potential questions
   • Share relevant updates

Step 7: Measuring success

Track key metrics:

1. Response Rate:

   • Initial responses
   • Meeting conversions
   • Investment interest

2. Engagement Metrics:

   • Deck view duration
   • Repeat views
   • Document sharing

3. Conversion Metrics:

   • Meeting success rate
   • Due diligence progression
   • Investment closure rate

Dont Do that!

1. Mass Outreach:

   • Avoid generic messages
   • Personalize each contact
   • Research before reaching out

2. Poor Timing:

   • Don't reach out during holidays
   • Consider fiscal year timing
   • Respect business hours

3. Lack of Preparation:

   • Incomplete materials
   • Unclear ask
   • Missing follow-up plan

Conclusion

A successful investor outreach plan requires careful preparation, systematic execution, and diligent follow-up. Using tools like Papermark's investor database and document sharing platform can streamline your process and provide valuable insights into investor engagement. Remember to continuously refine your approach based on feedback and results.

Start Your Investor Outreach