Every successful pitch deck has a strong narrative that tells the story of your product or service. To really captivate your audience, it's important to identify the problems your customers face and highlight how your solution solves them. One of the most effective ways to do this is by agitating the problem.

Agitating the problem means stirring up your audience's emotions and pain points around the issue at hand. By creating a sense of urgency, you can increase the perceived value of your solution and make it more appealing to investors. Here are 10 ways to agitate problems in your pitch deck, with examples from various industries:

1. Use statistics to highlight the scope of the problem. For example, in the healthcare industry, you could cite the number of people affected by a particular disease or condition.

2. Create a sense of urgency by emphasizing the timeliness of the problem. For example, in the cannabis tech industry, you could point out the changing legal landscape around the use of cannabis.

3. Use emotional language to evoke strong feelings about the problem. For example, in the beauty and personal care industry, you could talk about the frustration and disappointment people feel when they can't find the right skincare products.

4. Highlight the consequences of not solving the problem. For example, in the blockchain gaming industry, you could point out how without your solution, gamers would continue to lose value when buying and selling in-game items.

5. Use analogies or metaphors to help your audience understand the problem. For example, in the cleantech industry, you could compare the impact of climate change to a ticking time bomb.

6. Use stories or case studies to illustrate the problem. For example, in the digital marketing tech industry, you could share a story about a company that lost customers due to a lack of effective marketing strategies.

7. Show how the problem affects your audience directly. For example, in the fintech industry, you could talk about the frustration people feel when dealing with complicated financial systems.

8. Use humor or sarcasm to highlight the absurdity of the problem. For example, in the hospitality and tourism industry, you could poke fun at the inconveniences and inefficiencies of traditional hotel check-in processes.

9. Use a provocative or attention-grabbing headline to draw your audience in. For example, in the social impact industry, you could use a headline like "The Crisis No One is Talking About: How Our Solution Can Help."

10. Use visuals, such as graphs or charts, to illustrate the problem. For example, in the venture capital industry, you could use a chart to show the declining number of successful startup exits in recent years.

By agitating the problem, you can create a compelling pitch deck that really resonates with your audience. By following these tips and tailoring them to your specific industry, you can increase your chances of success and secure the funding you need to bring your vision to life.