Submissions that include a video average 22 views. That means 22 serious investors, likely from multiple groups, who are reading through your application to see if they might be interested. Getting a deal in front of that many investors in such a short period of time is an unrivaled opportunity. Submissions without a video average 13 views per deal–a 70% decrease from deals with videos. 

The best way to make your deal stand out is to take the application process seriously. We have found that entrepreneurs who didn’t feel they got their money’s worth had spelling mistakes, didn’t fill out EVERY section of the application (including financials), didn’t understand the type of deals Angels invest in (read about those here, here, and here), and lacked a video pitch. All of these are vitally important opportunities for you to get an investor’s attention. You are competing against deals that have all of these components filled out perfectly; make sure you have given the same level of attention to your own application.

If you still don’t feel like your deal is getting enough attention, try changing your one-line pitch. This is the first thing that investors see that might entice them to read more. If you use Google AdWords, think of this as the ad copy you need to adjust to increase your clickthrough rate.

Jason D. Schwartz :: Mar.08.2009
Entrepreneur, FAQ