Sales and Marketing Presentations Statistics (Updated 2026)
We’ve analyzed over 1.3 million sessions of Storydoc presentations to uncover 15 key data items that should inform your sales and marketing efforts.
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There’s no selling without a presentation. No matter your business model or niche, at some point, you’re going to need to send over your materials for your customer’s team to review.
Now, obviously, you’ll find tons of “best practice” articles outlining what you should do to make your presentations stick, the thing is—
So few of those are based on real-life data and hard numbers. And this is what we decided to change.
Our data analytics team looked at over 1.3 million sessions of Storydoc business presentations. We searched for what makes the most successful decks so successful.
Below, you’ll see 15 key data points we uncovered to help you take your sales and marketing presentation game to the next level.
1. People who bounce from a deck usually do so within the first 10 seconds
The first few seconds after someone opens your deck are absolutely critical. If they’re not intrigued, they’re gone – and they won’t be back.
Our data shows that out of the people who “bounce” from a deck (i.e. open it but don’t click, scroll, or engage in any way), 31% do it within the first 10 seconds.
Another 15% drop off within the first minute. After that, bounce rates hardly move, which means attention stabilizes – but only if you’ve made it past the early filter.
| Bounce rate | |
|---|---|
| Bounce within 10 seconds | 31% |
| Bounce after 10 seconds | 15% |
So you really have two chances:
- The first 10 seconds to make a strong first impression
- The next 60 seconds to actually earn their interest
If you do both, you’re in. The rest of your deck can finally do its job. But if you miss those early windows, nothing else will matter.
2. The first three slides are key: most readers who go through them read the deck in full
You know how they say people decide whether they like you within seconds of meeting you? The same thing applies to your slide deck.
Across all presentation types, we found that 82% of people who get through the first 3 slides go on to finish the entire deck.
This is the ideal structure we’ve seen work again and again:
- Cover + slide 1: Make it personal – name, logo, and a short personal note if you can,
- Slides 2–3: Be visual, be brief, and make it easy to keep scrolling. We recommend adding a second hook in the third slide: something clear and eye-catching, an impressive number, an agonizing problem statement, or a shocking stat.
- Slide 4 onward: Now you can go deeper – product details, pricing breakdowns, case studies, ROI models, etc.
The key is to take them from casual to engaged readers.
See, a Gallup report revealed that only 29% of B2B buyers are fully engaged. 60% are indifferent, and 11% disengaged actively. Adding the said “hook” towards the top of your presentation can skew this proportion wildly in your favor.
| Share | |
|---|---|
| Actively disengaged | 11% |
| Indifferent | 60% |
| Engaged | 29% |
3. Personalization is the most important predictor of success
When was the last time you replied to a “Hi there” email?
Exactly.
Prospects want to feel special. People can tell “generic” from miles away and, at the same time, it doesn’t take much to make every deck you send feel personal.
Our analysis found that decks which included a personal note tailored to the recipient got 68% more people to read them in full compared to general presentations.
Also, personalized content resulted in a 41% increase in average reading time.
In our latest study, we also looked at engagement rates.
- Decks that included a company name, logo, first name, and a personal message saw a +29% increase in engagement.
- When a few slides were tailored specifically to the recipient’s business, that number went up to +33%.
- Combine both, and you get a +47% uplift – nearly double the performance of a standard deck.
| Increase in engagement | |
|---|---|
| Company details and a personal message | +29% |
| Tailored slides | +33% |
| Both combined | +47% |
Perhaps more importantly, decks customized to a given prospect were shared internally 2.3x more often.
Why does it matter so much? According to Gartner Group’s study, there are between 6 and 10 people involved in a B2B buying decision. Personalizing your decks is a surefire way to reach more of those key decision makers!
4. A personal note is one of the easiest ways to stand out
We often underestimate the power of a warm message – but the data doesn’t lie.
If you’re skipping the personal note, you’re missing one of the lowest-effort, highest-impact tactics available.
- Just adding a short message at the top of your deck increases engagement by 13%.
- When you include your photo alongside it, engagement jumps to 24%.
- And if you go a step further and add your prospect’s logo or photo too, the uplift reaches 29%.
| Increase in engagement | |
|---|---|
| Short message at the top of the deck | +13% |
| Short message with a photo | +24% |
| Short message with a prospect's logo or photo | +29% |
It’s a small touch, but one of the most effective ways to make your outreach feel human – and to make your deck feel like it was created specifically for them.
5. Mobile keeps on rising: 32% of decks are opened on mobile
The world has gone mobile and you know it. I might be stating the obvious here, but it should be one of the key elements of your marketing and sales strategy – mobile first.
Following the trend we observed in our last research, mobile usage continues to grow. That said, we’re beginning to see signs of slowdown and stabilization when it comes to business presentation consumption – especially in the later stages of the funnel.
On average, a third of all decks are opened on mobile. If yours doesn’t provide a flawless mobile experience, you’re losing one in three prospects.
Make your pages mobile responsive, avoid small fonts and move away from PDFs which auto-adjust to the screen dimensions, becoming unreadable on mobile devices.
Interestingly, the ratio of decks opened on mobile increases the higher you go up the funnel. For instance: 47% of initial outreach decks are viewed on mobile screens compared to only 19% of business proposals.
And that does make sense, right? The further in the deal-closing process you are, the more careful the interaction with your documents will be. But for initial contact, always remember about mobile optimization.
| Mobile share | |
|---|---|
| Outreach decks | 47% |
| Sales decks | 37% |
| Overall average | 32% |
| Business proposals | 19% |
6. Mobile reading time is shorter, but not by much
Also, don’t assume that mobile sessions are “casual.” It’s not like your prospects just give the mobile version a glimpse and decide whether or not to open your deck on desktop later on.
Admittedly, the average reading time on mobile is shorter, but only by 29% (3:27 min on mobile vs. 4:51 on desktop to be precise) – still very much enough time to read into the details and make a decision whether or not to do business with you.
| Average reading time | |
|---|---|
| Desktop | 4.51Min. |
| Mobile | 3.27Min. |
7. The first 24 hours are make-or-break
If your prospect hasn’t opened your deck within 24 hours, your chances of getting it read drop by more than half.
Our data shows just how fast interest fades:
- Within 1 hour: 82% chance they’ll read it
- Within 12 hours: 71%
- Within 24 hours: 48%
- After 48 hours: 26%
- After 1 week: 8%
- After 2 weeks: 2.1%
| % chance of reading your deck | |
|---|---|
| 1 hour | 82% |
| 12 hours | 71% |
| 24 hours | 48% |
| 48 hours | 26% |
| 1 week | 8% |
| 2 weeks | 2.1% |
Most engagement happens on the same day. After that, the odds decline rapidly – and by week 2, you’re almost certainly out of the running.
According to Invesp’s study, 80% of sales require five follow-ups. At the same time, nearly half (48%) of salespeople give up after the first one.
And no, following up does not equal pestering people. If you bring something useful to the table, you’re still in a strong position to win the deal.
The key is not to wait. If your deck hasn’t been opened within a day, follow up. Don’t assume they’re still “thinking about it.” In most cases, they’re not.
8. Not all decks start with the same level of intent
Before someone even starts scrolling through your deck, there’s already a difference in how likely they are to engage – and it largely depends on what kind of content you’ve sent them.
Our data shows that top-of-funnel decks like brochures or one-pagers had a 69% reading start rate. That’s not bad, but it reflects the fact that these are often cold touches or exploratory materials.
Mid-funnel decks, like sales pitch decks, were started 81% of the time, showing stronger interest from readers who already have some context.
Proposals performed even better, with a 92% start rate – which makes sense, given that these are typically reviewed by people already deep in the decision-making process.
What’s especially interesting is that customer success decks and general collateral – like QBRs, product sheets, or case studies – also saw a strong 86% start rate. Even post-sale, people are showing up and paying attention.
| Start rate | |
|---|---|
| Top-of-funnel decks | 69% |
| Mid-funnel decks | 81% |
| Proposals | 92% |
| Customer success and general collateral | 86% |
This matters because it helps set expectations. If you’re sending a cold one-pager, you may need to work harder on the subject line or preview. If you’re sending a proposal, don’t waste time “warming them up” – they’re already in.
9. The biggest missed opportunity? Not including a “What we’ve heard from you” slide
We already saw that adding bespoke slides can increase engagement by 33% – but one of the most surprising findings this year was just how much difference a single slide can make.
Among all the tailored content we analyzed, one slide in particular stood out: The “What we’ve heard from you” slide.
Decks that included a “What we’ve heard from you” slide near the start – summarizing the prospect’s needs or challenges in their own words – saw +31% higher engagement than those without it.
Benefit of adding a "What we've heard from you" slide:
-
+31%
Higher engagement on your deck
Despite that, only 11% of decks actually include it. It’s a powerful opportunity that’s still mostly untapped.
It’s one of the simplest ways to build trust and show you’ve been paying attention – and most teams are still overlooking it.
10. Conversion rates are higher when the next step is clear
Let’s say the reader liked a deck. They’re interested in the product. They enjoyed the value proposition.
The worst thing that can happen now is if they’re not sure what to do.
It’s crucial to make the next step easy for them.
Out of the decks we analyzed, the ones that contained a singular, clear next step (e.g. book a demo, sign up, leave your email) consistently outperformed the ones which would just leave the generic “thank you” hanging at the end.
On average, decks with a clear next step had a conversion rate 27% higher than those without it.
Embedding your personal calendar in a deck also increases meeting bookings, but the effect varies by funnel stage:
- Top-of-funnel (brochures, one-pagers): +27% more meetings booked
- Mid-funnel (sales pitch decks): +22%
- Bottom-funnel (proposals): +11% – lower, but at this point, most people are looking for pricing or the signature
- Customer success decks & collateral (QBRs, product sheets): +23% – surprisingly high, as users often want to talk again post-sale.
The bottom line? Don’t leave people guessing. Give them a clear next step – and make sure it matches where they are in the journey.
| Increase in booked meetings | |
|---|---|
| Top-of-funnel decks | +27% |
| Mid-funnel decks | +22% |
| Proposals | +11% |
| Customer success and general collateral | +23% |
11. Letting readers “play around” with the presentation increases engagement
Sure, dynamic content such as moving slides or videos can work wonders (more on that later), but it’s best to let customers play around with a deck.
When comparing decks with interactive elements (for instance, tabs to click through and see different benefits of a product, live data calculators, sliders with case studies or customer testimonials) to the ones that can “only” be read, we found that the former would get scrolled to the bottom 41% more often and make for a 21% longer average reading time.
Benefits of adding interactivity to your deck:
-
+41%
More decks read in full
-
+21%
Increased avg. reading time
Why is it so important? It creates active engagement, and lets customers feel a degree of control over the content they’re reading. It makes them protagonists of the story, not just passive listeners.
Speaking of “stories”… sure, it’s a major buzzword in today’s sales but for a good reason. Sales Hacker’s data shows that prospects remember only up to 10% of numbers and around 25% of images they see. If your message is centered around a story, this number rises to 60–70%!
12. Videos are critical
We already covered the impact of video in the first-impression section, but it’s worth repeating here – especially since the benefits show up throughout the deck.
Just like in our previous research, the trend continues: decks that include video consistently outperform those that don’t.
Presentations with a video background on the cover slide saw 32% more people interact with them compared to decks with a static cover. And the difference doesn’t only refer to the top part of the deck.
Across the board, decks with any video embedded enjoyed a 37% longer average reading time and a 17% increase in CTA click-through rate.
Our latest data also gave us a clearer picture of where video performs best:
- A video placed anywhere in the deck led to a 14% uplift in engagement
- A video in the background of the cover slide bumped that to +24%
- An intro video within the first 3 slides gave us +21%
- And using both – background cover video plus intro video early on – led to the best results: a 29% increase in engagement
(All this despite the fact that only 23% of readers click to watch the embedded video. Apparently, the sheer existence of video material legitimizes your deck and makes you more likely to be taken seriously).
When it comes to actual sales, CustomShow data indicates that a video included in your presentation makes customers 85% more likely to purchase your product or service. Wow, right?
| Increase in engagement | |
|---|---|
| Anywhere in the deck | +14% |
| Cover slide | +24% |
| Intro video within the first 3 slides | +21% |
| Cover slide + intro video | +29% |
13. Deck length matters – Keep it short (but not too much!)
Short decks still perform best across the board, but the optimal length changes depending on the stage of the buyer journey.
- For top-of-funnel assets like brochures and one-pagers, average completion is around 17%, but if you keep them under 5 slides, completion jumps to 27%.
- Mid-funnel decks like sales presentations see average completion rates around 22%, rising to 32% when kept under 10 slides.
- Proposals at the bottom of the funnel naturally have higher engagement (38% on average), but even here, shorter decks win – 43% completion for decks with fewer than 10 slides.
The data shows a clear pattern: shorter is better. For top-of-funnel content, aim for around 5 slides. For pitch decks and proposals, 10 slides is the sweet spot.
| Under 5/10 slides | Over 10 slides | |
|---|---|---|
| Top-of-funnel decks | 27% | 17% |
| Mid-funnel decks | 32% | 22% |
| Proposals | 43% | 38% |
Decks with more than 18 slides see a significant drop in both engagement and completion – so wherever possible, keep your deck between 10 and 18 slides to stay in the optimal range.
14. The more people see your deck, the better your chances of success
One person clicking your deck doesn’t mean much. What really matters is how many people inside the organization end up seeing it.
In our latest research, the average number of internal viewers per deck was 3.7. That means if your deck is only being seen by one person, it’s a red flag. At two, you’re still at risk – there may be interest, but it’s not yet being shared with decision-makers.
If you hit 3 and above, you’re in a good spot. But the real magic happens when your deck reaches 5 or more stakeholders. That’s when close rates spike significantly.
Average number of internal readers per deck:
-
3.7
(but you should aim for 5 or more!)
Why? Because modern buying decisions are rarely made by one person. Especially in B2B, there’s always a mix of champions, blockers, and hidden influencers involved – often people you’ll never meet. We call them shadow buyers.
If your deck isn’t making its way through the organization, the deal is probably stuck. But when it’s being opened, forwarded, and revisited by multiple stakeholders, you’ve already got momentum.
15. Lowest-hanging fruit? Information on the average reading time
Ever wondered why major online media outlets have the “Average reading time” blurb at the top of their articles?
I’ll give you a hint: they tested the hell out of it and they know it works.
Why would it be any different with sales and marketing decks?
We found that adding a piece of information about the estimated reading time of your whole deck will make the number of people who bounce immediately shrink by 24%.
Impact of adding the average reading time to your deck:
-
-24%
lower bounce rate
That’s right. These three words can make a quarter more people start reading!
And that’s it from us for now!
Want to share our findings? Go for it! All images, animations, and items of data featured in this study are available for reuse. Please, make sure to reference the source and link back to this page to give the authors proper credit.
If you’d like to put these insights into practice, explore our gallery of interactive presentation templates – each one designed and optimized for real business outcomes based on the data from this research.
And, of course, stay tuned for more fresh data coming up. B2B sales and marketing efforts should be guided by knowledge, not guesswork!
Methodology and limitations
Our study is based on the analysis of readers’ behavior across over 1.3 million reading sessions made through over half a million unique business presentations and slide decks created with Storydoc.
We only included live versions of the Storydoc pages in the analysis: all the data comes from real sales and marketing presentations our customers sent to their prospects.
Unless clearly stated otherwise, the comparisons made in this analysis are based on the data for all presentations featuring a certain element versus all those without it (e.g. all presentations with a video in their cover slide vs. all presentations with a static cover).
For the data regarding the reading time, upper outliers have been removed from the analysis so that accidental reading sessions of a few hours don’t skew the averages. Where possible and statistically suitable, medians were used instead of averages to better represent the data.
The presentations and slide decks analyzed in this study were used across many different industries, organization sizes, and use cases.
Considering the size of our sample, the data can be generalized to all kinds of marketing and sales collateral documents – from pitch decks, proposals, and QBRs, to outreach brochures, one-pagers, and case studies.
