first slide of powerpoint presentation

How to easily make an AWESOME first slide in PowerPoint?

By: Author Shrot Katewa

A good first impression can have a lasting impact. Thus, having a good design for your first slide is important. We’ve seen that people often simply put the title of the presentation as a first slide. I personally dislike this the most. It just shows that the person creating the presentation was simply not interested in it (even though that may not necessarily be true).

Thus, knowing how to create a good first slide is as important if not more as knowing how to create the rest of the presentation. The best part is – you can easily create an awesome first slide for your presentation in minutes in a few quick and easy steps. Obviously, if you have the time at hand, you can easily spend an hour or two making that perfect first slide! In this post, we take a look at how to easily create a first slide with a few examples of actual designs that we have created for our clients.

1. What is the first slide of a PPT presentation called?

The first slide of a presentation is called a “Title slide” or a “Cover slide” . This slide often contains the title of the presentation and hence the name title slide. It is also often referred to as the “Opening slide” of the presentation. The title slide is often the slide that is displayed on the screen before you start your presentation. Thus, it is important to have a title slide that not only looks good but also shares relevant information about your presentation.

2. What content should be included on the first slide of the PPT presentation?

A title slide or the cover slide does not need too much content. The purpose of the title slide is really to give an indication of what the presentation is all about. Thus, an ideal title slide should contain nothing more than –

• Presentation title
• Date of the presentation
• Presenter’s name and designation

It is not necessary to have all the above three pieces of information on a cover slide. Do keep in mind that not all cover slides are the same and what content is displayed on the cover slide can be organisation specific. An organisation may have a preference or a fixed structure for the content that needs to be put on a cover slide. This may vary from the above structure.

3. How to easily design a beautiful first slide in minutes?

As I mentioned earlier, having a good first slide can have a lasting positive impact on your audience. Thus, it is important to create a good design for your first slide. There are several ways you can design the cover slide. Let’s look at some of the easiest ways you can create a beautiful cover slide –

Method 1 – Using PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” functionality (for beginners)

I must admit, PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” functionality has great potential. In fact, we at OwlScape were planning on creating a similar plugin for PowerPoint users before Microsoft introduced this feature. This functionality is not just great for beginners, but also at least a must try for intermediate level users too. Designers from OwlScape also at least check out the functionality every once in a while especially when we hit a creative bloq.

It is really easy to work with. In just a couple of clicks and a few minutes, you can make your title slide look completely different –

To do this, all you need to do is put some text on your cover slide and use the “Design Ideas” functionality of PowerPoint. For example, you can write the title and subtitle of your presentation.

Next, click on the “Design” tab on your Menu bar. On the ribbon under the design tab, look for “Design Ideas” feature. It is normally on the far right of the screen on the ribbon. Click on it, and wait for a bit.

In a few seconds, PowerPoint will automatically throw a few ways in which you can design your title slide. You can choose the design you like, and repeat the process to get more results.

If you are unable to see any design ideas or you get an error, you could close the error result by clicking on the close button marked with “X” next to Design Ideas. Then, try clicking in any of the text box on the slide and click on “Design Ideas” again. A few attempts will surely give you some interesting results.

There are a few drawbacks though. These are as follows –

• The results are not consistent . If you happen to delete the slide and try to recreate using the exact same process, the result may be different. This can be both good and bad 🙂
• Editing the design of the suggested slide may not be easy for beginners – when you need to make some changes to the chosen design option, it doesn’t happen directly. You will need to work with the master slides in order to make the design changes. This may seem daunting especially if you are a beginner.
• Sometimes, it just doesn’t work – Even though you may have created a slide using the same content before, sometimes when you try to recreate using the same content, it may simply fail to showcase any ideas. In such an event, we would advise you to click on the text box or an image on your slide and try again by clicking on the Design Ideas option.
• Available for Office 2016 onwards – If you are a PowerPoint user using an older version of Microsoft Office, you may not be able to easily access this functionality. Having the latest PowerPoint version can be of great help!

One thing to note is that the “Design Ideas” option can be used not just for the cover slide, but also for other slides. However, I would advise resisting the temptation of using it for every single slide. 🙂

Method 2 – Using shapes to create an interesting cover slide (for intermediate users)

One other way of having an interesting cover slide is by using the shapes in PowerPoint. Let’s look at the following example –

If you look at the above example carefully, you’ll notice that we’ve only added a shape to the already existing title and the subtitle in the “After” slide. Simply adding a shape, a logo and aligning the text can alter the look of the slide drastically.

There are many ways you can add a shape to the slide. My favourite method is to add a horizontal or a vertical “Trapezoid/ trapezium” (a quadrilateral shape with one pair of parallel sides). A trapezoid shape allows me to have enough space to write the title of the slide and some more content.

To create this shape, you can follow the below steps –

On the menu bar, click on “Insert” and then click on “Shapes”. Under the basic shapes option, select the trapezium shape. Next, create the shape on your slide.

Make sure that the size of the trapezium is good enough to cover about ⅔ parts of the slide. Also ensure that the parallel sides of the trapezium touch the top and bottom part of the slide. Now all you need to do is add the title and subtitle, along with the logo to create your cover slide.

Similarly, you can also use the trapezium vertically. You can also use various types of shapes on your cover slide. The possibilities are literally endless!

Method 3 – Using shapes with images to create an awesome cover slide! (for advanced users)

If you are still not satisfied with your cover slide, there are several other ways you can make it look even more impressive. The easiest way to take it to the next level is to use images in combination with the shapes.

Let’s look at a few examples –

Combination cover slide design example – 1

In the above design, a shape has been created in the background using a freeform tool. Next, two appropriate images have been identified and put in front of the shape. All this has been kept predominantly to the right side of the slide allowing space to write the title, subtitle and the other relevant information on the left.

Combination cover slide design example – 2

In this example, we’ve used one corner of curved rectangle shape to create an interesting design. Two copies of the same shape have been considered. The one below is filled with a colour and tilted at a slight angle. The one above has an image inserted in the shape.

Combination cover slide design example – 3

In the above example, a combination of several shapes and images are used to create a visually pleasing design. Obviously, this may not be something that a beginner can create right of the bat. But the reason we put this design as an example is because barring the design skills (knowing what shape to include and where), creating this slide is not as advanced as you might think. This slide has been created by only using shapes and image elements along with the logo and text. The purpose of using this as an example was to showcase the endless possibilities on how a seemingly complex cover slide can be made by merely using basic shapes and images.

4. How to find images for the first slide of your presentation?

Whether you are using a combination of images and shapes or simply using an image on your title slide, it is important to identify a good image that resembles the topic of your presentation. Consider the following example –

If you’ve been following along, I’m sure you would have noticed by now that the above title slide has been created using a combination of images and shapes. Again, the design can be easily created using shapes and image elements. However, part of the reason that makes this slide look good and relevant to the presentation is the choice of image. Since the presentation is for a corporate organisation, choosing an image that resembles a corporate environment would be relevant.

Take a moment to scroll up and notice the other cover slide examples that I shared above.

The cover slide example 1 was designed for a presentation on education. Thus, choosing an image that represents education effectively communicates to the audience that the presentation is something to do with education even without the word “education” in the title or the subtitle or anywhere on the slide (Don’t resist, go ahead and have a look at the slide again! 🙂 )

Likewise, example 3 uses a mobile device in the title slide giving an indication that the product being talked about in the presentation is likely going to be an app.

Thus, choosing an appropriate image is important as it subtly communicates the message to the audience.

Finding the images for your presentation can take some time. You can use Google to see a few references on what type of images can be used. Avoid the temptation of using Google images directly on your presentation as this can violate copyright laws. We wrote a detailed post on where to find and how to use images for your presentation (link – https://owlscape.in/can-i-use-google-images-for-my-presentation/ ). Be sure to check it out!

I’m sure by now you’ve noticed a few different ways you can create a good title slide for your presentation. I hope this post helps you to think out of the box while creating the title slide of your next presentation. I also hope that going forward you will surely give enough focus on creating an impressive first slide even if you only have a few minutes.

If you’re struggling while creating your next title slide or your presentation, simply drop us an email on [email protected]

Home Blog Presentation Ideas How to Start a Presentation: 5 Strong Opening Slides and 12 Tricks To Test

How to Start a Presentation: 5 Strong Opening Slides and 12 Tricks To Test

Knowing how to start a presentation is crucial: if you fail to capture the audience’s attention right off the bat, your entire presentation will flop. Few listeners will stick with you to the end and retain what you have told.

That is mildly unpleasant when you are doing an in-house presentation in front of your colleagues. But it can become utterly embarrassing when you present in front of larger audiences (e.g., at a conference) or worse – delivering a sales presentation to prospective customers.

Here is how most of us begin a presentation: give an awkward greeting, thank everyone for coming, clear our throats, tap the mic, and humbly start to mumble about our subject. The problem with such an opening performance? It effectively kills and buries even the best messages.

Table of Contents

• The Classic Trick: Open a Presentation with an Introduction
• Open a Presentation with a Hook
• Begin with a Captivating Visual
• Ask a “What if…” Question
• Use the Word “Imagine”
• Leverage The Curiosity Gap
• The Power of Silence
• Facts as Weapons of Communication
• Fact vs. Myths
• The Power of Music
• Physical Activity
• Acknowledging a Person

How to Start a PowerPoint Presentation The Right Way

Let’s say you have all of your presentation slides polished up (in case you don’t, check our quick & effective PowerPoint presentation design tips first). Your presentation has a clear storyline and agenda. Main ideas are broken into bite-sized statements for your slides and complemented with visuals. All you have left is to figure out how you begin presenting.

The best way is to appeal to and invoke certain emotions in your audience – curiosity, surprise, fear, or good old amusements. Also, it is recommended to present your main idea in the first 30 seconds of the presentation. And here’s how it’s done.

1. The Classic Trick: Open a Presentation with an Introduction

When you don’t feel like reinventing the wheel, use a classic trick from the book – start with a quick personal introduction. Don’t want to sound as boring as everyone else with your humble “Hi, I’m John, the head of the Customer Support Department”? Great, because we are all about promoting effective presentation techniques (hint: using a dull welcome slide isn’t one of them).

Here’s how to introduce yourself in a presentation the right way.

a. Use a link-back memory formula

To ace a presentation, you need to connect with your audience. The best way to do so is by throwing in a simple story showing who you are, where you came from, and why your words matter.

The human brain loves a good story, and we are more inclined to listen and retain the information told this way. Besides, when we can relate to the narrator (or story hero), we create an emotional bond with them, and, again – become more receptive, and less skeptical of the information that is about to be delivered.

So here are your presentation introduction lines:

My name is Joanne, and I’m the Head of Marketing at company XYZ. Five years ago I was working as a waitress, earning $10/hour and collecting rejection letters from editors. About ten letters every week landed to my mailbox. You see, I love words, but decent publisher thought mine were good enough. Except for the restaurant owner. I was very good at up-selling and recommending dishes to the customers. My boss even bumped my salary to $15/hour as a token of appreciation for my skill. And this made me realize: I should ditch creative writing and focus on copywriting instead. After loads of trial and error back in the day, I learned how to write persuasive copy. I was no longer getting rejection letters. I was receiving thousands of emails saying that someone just bought another product from our company. My sales copy pages generated over $1,500,000 in revenue over last year. And I want to teach you how to do the same”

b. Test the Stereotype Formula

This one’s simple and effective as well. Introduce yourself by sharing an obvious stereotype about your profession. This cue will help you connect with your audience better, make them chuckle a bit, and set a lighter mood for the speech to follow.

Here’s how you can frame your intro:

“My name is ___, and I am a lead software engineer at our platform [Your Job Title]. And yes, I’m that nerdy type who never liked presenting in front of large groups of people. I would rather stay in my den and write code all day long. [Stereotype]. But hey, since I have mustered enough courage…let’s talk today about the new product features my team is about to release….”

After sharing a quick, self-deprecating line, you transition back to your topic, reinforcing the audience’s attention . Both of these formulas help you set the “mood” for your further presentation, so try using them interchangeably on different occasions.

2. Open a Presentation with a Hook

Wow your audience straight off the bat by sharing something they would not expect to hear. This may be one of the popular first-time presentation tips but don’t rush to discard it.

Because here’s the thing: psychologically , we are more inclined to pay attention whenever presented with an unexpected cue. When we know what will happen next – someone flips the switch, and lights turn on – we don’t really pay much attention to that action.

But when we don’t know what to expect next – e.g., someone flips the switch and a bell starts ringing – we are likely to pay more attention to what will happen next. The same goes for words: everyone loves stories with unpredictable twists. So begin your presentation with a PowerPoint introduction slide or a line that no one expects to hear.

Here are a few hook examples you can swipe:

a. Open with a provocative statement

It creates an instant jolt and makes the audience intrigued to hear what you are about to say next – pedal back, continue with the provocation, or do something else that they will not expect.

“You will live seven and a half minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because you watched this talk.”

That’s how Jane McGonigal opens one of her TED talks . Shocking and intriguing, right?

b. Ask a rhetorical, thought-provoking question

Seasoned presenters know that one good practice is to ask a question at the beginning of a presentation to increase audience engagement. Rhetorical questions have a great persuasive effect – instead of answering aloud, your audience will silently start musing over it during your presentation. They aroused curiosity and motivated the audience to remain attentive, as they did want to learn your answer to this question.

To reinforce your message throughout the presentation, you can further use the Rhetorical Triangle Concept – a rhetorical approach to building a persuasive argument based on Aristotle’s teachings.

c. Use a bold number, factor stat

A clean slide with some mind-boggling stat makes an undeniably strong impact. Here are a few opening statement examples you can use along with your slide:

• Shock them: “We are effectively wasting over $1.2 billion per year on producing clothes no one will ever purchase”
• Create empathy: “Are you among the 20% of people with undiagnosed ADHD?”
• Call to arms: “58% of marketing budgets are wasted due to poor landing page design. Let’s change this!”
• Spark curiosity: “Did you know that companies who invested in speech recognition have seen a 13% increase in ROI within just 3 years?”

3. Begin with a Captivating Visual

Compelling visuals are the ABC of presentation design – use them strategically to make an interesting statement at the beginning and throughout your presentation. Your first presentation slide can be text-free. Communicate your idea with a visual instead – a photo, a chart, an infographic, or another graphics asset.

Visuals are a powerful medium for communication as our brain needs just 13 milliseconds to render what our eyes see, whereas text comprehension requires more cognitive effort.

Relevant images add additional aesthetic appeal to your deck, bolster the audience’s imagination, and make your key message instantly more memorable.

Here’s an intro slide example. You want to make a strong presentation introduction to global pollution.  Use the following slide to reinforce the statement you share:

“Seven of nine snow samples taken on land in Antarctica found chemicals known as PFAs, which are used in industrial products and can harm wildlife”

Source: Reuters

4. Ask a “What if…” Question

The “what if” combo carries massive power. It gives your audience a sense of what will happen if they choose to listen to you and follow your advice.  Here are a few presentations with starting sentences + slides to illustrate this option:

Alternatively, you can work your way to this point using different questions:

• Ask the audience about their “Why.” Why are they attending this event, or why do they find this topic relevant?
• Use “How” as your question hook if you plan to introduce a potential solution to a problem.
• If your presentation has a persuasion factor associated, use “When” as a question to trigger the interest of the audience on, for example, when they are planning to take action regarding the topic being presented (if we talk about an inspirational presentation).

5. Use the Word “Imagine”

“Imagine,” “Picture This,” and “Think of” are better word choices for when you plan to begin your presentation with a quick story.

Our brain loves interacting with stories. In fact, a captivating story makes us more collaborative. Scientists have discovered that stories with tension during narrative make us:

• Pay more attention,
• Share emotions with the characters and even mimic the feelings and behaviors of those characters afterward.

That’s why good action movies often feel empowering and make us want to change the world too. By incorporating a good, persuasive story with a relatable hero, you can also create that “bond” with your audience and make them more perceptive to your pitch – donate money to support the cause; explore the solution you are offering, and so on.

6. Leverage The Curiosity Gap

The curiosity gap is another psychological trick frequently used by marketers to solicit more clicks, reads, and other interactions from the audience. In essence, it’s the trick you see behind all those clickbait, Buzzfeed-style headlines:

Not everyone is a fan of such titles. But the truth is – they do the trick and instantly capture attention. The curiosity gap sparks our desire to dig deeper into the matter. We are explicitly told that we don’t know something important, and now we crave to change that. Curiosity is an incredibly strong driving force for action – think Eve, think Pandora’s Box.

So consider incorporating these attention grabbers for your presentation speech to shock the audience. You can open with one, or strategically weave them in the middle of your presentation when you feel like your audience is getting tired and may lose their focus.

Here’s how you can use the curiosity gap during your presentation:

• Start telling a story, pause in the middle, and delay the conclusion of it.
• Withhold the key information (e.g., the best solution to the problem you have described) for a bit – but not for too long, as this can reduce the initial curiosity.
• Introduce an idea or concept and link it with an unexpected outcome or subject – this is the best opening for a presentation tip.

7. The Power of Silence

What would you do if you attended a presentation in which the speaker remains silent for 30 seconds after the presentation starts? Just the presenter, standing in front of the audience, in absolute silence.

Most likely, your mind starts racing with thoughts, expecting something of vital importance to be disclosed. The surprise factor with this effect is for us to acknowledge things we tend to take for granted.

It is a powerful resource to introduce a product or to start an inspirational presentation if followed by a fact.

8. Facts as Weapons of Communication

In some niches, using statistics as the icebreaker is the best method to retain the audience’s interest.

Say your presentation is about climate change. Why not introduce a not-so-common fact, such as the amount of wool that can be produced out of oceanic plastic waste per month? And since you have to base your introduction on facts, research manufacturers that work with Oceanic fabrics from recycled plastic bottles .

Using facts helps to build a better narrative, and also gives leverage to your presentation as you are speaking not just from emotional elements but from actually recorded data backed up by research.

9. Fact vs. Myths

Related to our previous point, we make quite an interesting speech if we contrast a fact vs. a myth in a non-conventional way: using a myth to question a well-accepted fact, then introducing a new point of view or theory, backed on sufficient research, that proves the fact wrong. This technique, when used in niches related to academia, can significantly increase the audience’s interest, and it will highlight your presentation as innovative.

Another approach is to debunk a myth using a fact. This contrast immediately piques interest because it promises to overturn commonly held beliefs, and people naturally find it compelling when their existing knowledge is put to the test. An example of this is when a nutritionist wishes to speak about how to lose weight via diet, and debunks the myth that all carbohydrates are “bad”.

10. The Power of Music

Think about a presentation that discusses the benefits of using alternative therapies to treat anxiety, reducing the need to rely on benzodiazepines. Rather than going technical and introducing facts, the presenter can play a soothing tune and invite the audience to follow an exercise that teaches how to practice breathing meditation . Perhaps, in less than 2 minutes, the presenter can accomplish the goal of exposing the advantages of this practice with a live case study fueled by the proper ambiance (due to the music played in the beginning).

11. Physical Activity

Let’s picture ourselves in an in-company presentation about workspace wellness. For this company, the sedentary lifestyle their employees engage in is a worrying factor, so they brought a personal trainer to coach the employees on a basic flexibility routine they can practice in 5 minutes after a couple of hours of desk time.

“Before we dive in, let’s all stand up for a moment.” This simple instruction breaks the ice and creates a moment of shared experience among the attendees. You could then lead them through a brief stretching routine, saying something like, “Let’s reach up high, and stretch out those muscles that get so tight sitting at our desks all day.” With this action, you’re not just talking about workplace wellness, you’re giving them a direct, personal experience of it.

This approach has several advantages. Firstly, it infuses energy into the room and increases the oxygen flow to the brain, potentially boosting the audience’s concentration and retention. Secondly, it sets a precedent that your presentation is not going to be a standard lecture, but rather an interactive experience. This can raise the level of anticipation for what’s to come, and make the presentation a topic for future conversation between coworkers.

12. Acknowledging a Person

How many times have you heard the phrase: “Before we begin, I’d like to dedicate a few words to …” . The speaker could be referring to a mentor figure, a prominent person in the local community, or a group of people who performed charity work or obtained a prize for their hard work and dedication. Whichever is the reason behind this, acknowledgment is a powerful force to use as a method of starting a presentation. It builds a connection with the audience, it speaks about your values and who you admire, and it can transmit what the conversation is going to be about based on who the acknowledged person is.

Closing Thoughts

Now you know how to start your presentation – you have the opening lines, you have the slides to use, and you can browse even more attractive PowerPoint presentation slides and templates on our website. Also, we recommend you visit our article on how to make a PowerPoint Presentation to get familiarized with the best tactics for professional presentation design and delivery, or if you need to save time preparing your presentation, we highly recommend you check our AI Presentation Maker to pair these concepts with cutting-edge slide design powered by AI.

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Curiosity Gap, Opening, Public Speaking, Rhetorical Triangle, Speech, What If Filed under Presentation Ideas

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First Slide of Presentation (Templates That Pull People In)

Templates for the first slide of the presentation - made for modern professionals. Grab & hold attention with slides beyond the same-old first page of ppt .

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What should be the first slide of a presentation?

The first page of ppt should act like the cover of a book. It should give the would-be reader or audience a clear idea of what’s inside.

A PowerPoint first slide is commonly called a title slide or a cover slide, and it should include 3 main elements: (1) a title detailing the topic of the presentation, (2) An image that visually supports the title by adding more clarity to the topic, and (3) the reading time required to consume the presentation.

What is the best ppt first-page design?

The best first-page design for a ppt presentation or other more modern presentations is a mix of text and visuals that work together to provide the audience with a clear sense that the presentation is relevant, interesting, and worth reading. The best design choice is using a video with a short title text and tagline. A video will be effective in grabbing attention and a well-crafted title will make clear what the benefit of reading the presentation will be.

If you want to create an effective presentation, consider reading our guide on how to create an effective presentation .

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How to Make a Great PowerPoint Title Cover Slide Quickly (+ Video)

Want to avoid creating another boring presentation? Well-designed presentations make a great first impression. A PowerPoint title slide sets the stage for your subsequent slides!  

Your PowerPoint title slide is critical for a successful slide deck.

Half the battle is building excitement with a PowerPoint title page. Invest extra time to add design polish to your cover slide PowerPoint design. Build a bold PowerPoint title slide that shows your audience that you're excited to share!        

In this tutorial, I'll show you how to build a PowerPoint title page. You'll see intro slide examples that spark success. Attention is everything, and presentation title pages help you get and keep it. It's quick, easy, and key to success in 2024! 

Learn How to Make Great Presentations Today: Grab our FREE eBook!

Before we take a closer look at PowerPoint cover slides, let's look at another great resource. We've got a helpful complement to this tutorial. Download our FREE eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . Grab it now before you read on .

How to Quickly Make Great PowerPoint Presentation Title Cover Slides (Video)

If you're making a PowerPoint title slide for your presentation, you need it to look good.  Learn how to make a visually appealing PowerPoint title page quickly in the video below:

To learn even more about cover slides for PowerPoint, study the rest of the tutorial. You'll see real world examples of PowerPoint title pages. These presentation title page designs are tried-and-true options for great design.

Jump to instructions for the type of PowerPoint cover slide you're interested in:

• The Logo Slide
• The Big Question Slide
• The Introductory Slide
• The Roadmap Slide
• The Team Slide
• The Quote Slide
• The Challenge Slide

The Seven PowerPoint Cover Slides to Build

There's no limit to the directions that you can take your PowerPoint title slide. You can let your creativity run wild as you build title page in PPT designs.

But it's hard to disagree that the first slide is going to set the stage for the rest of your presentation. So, it's essential that your presentation gets off to a strong start. But what direction should you go with your presentation title page so that you grab and keep audience attention?

In this tutorial, you'll learn to build seven types of PowerPoint title slides. Here are the intro slide examples that I tend to think about when designing my PowerPoint title pages:

• The Logo Slide. Focus on the branding and brand image of your group with this PowerPoint title page! Start off by putting your logo and tagline front and center.
• The Big Question Slide. Most presentations work to inform. But it's also fun to flip the script and ask a question of your audience. It kickstarts the conversation.
• The Introductory Slide. This slide focuses on showcasing your credentials and background to establish authority.
• The Roadmap Slide. Chart the course for your presentation ahead by giving a sneak preview of the topics you'll cover.
• The Team Slide. Does your presentation focus on a group's effort? It's a great idea to start your presentation by showcasing all the minds behind the project.
• The Quote Slide. Sharing an inspirational or motivational quote is a fun way to engage your audience. 
• The Challenge Slide. Many presentations strive to help solve problems. Set the stage by highlighting the big challenge immediately. 

In this tutorial, we're going to build an example of each of these PowerPoint cover slides. We'll use pre-built templates to create impactful slide designs with ease. Let's dive in!

How to Make PowerPoint Title Slides

We're going to use an impressive template called the BePro PowerPoint Business template. This is one of the top PowerPoint templates for Envato Elements subscribers.

BePro has a litany of cover slide PowerPoint designs that you can use to create the perfect PowerPoint title page! It also includes several color schemes to make it easy to reuse on multiple presentation title pages.

Explore the BePro Template

Envato Elements includes over 25,000 premium PowerPoint themes! You have countless title page in PPT options. With these, you can build amazing intro slide examples of your own. Start with this collection for more great ideas:

Now, you can learn about each of the seven types of title slides:

1. The Logo Slide

The Logo Slide focuses on your brand image and showcasing the logo of your company. Branding takes center stage with this title page in PPT concept. It's ideal to use a logo slide to show your branding on the PowerPoint title page when you're building brand awareness.

A good starting point for this slide is slide design three that's built into the BePro template. It's perfect for just adding a logo and background image. In the example below, I dropped in the logo on the slide. I also took the same logo and faded it into the background image placeholder.

Make sure too that your version of the logo slide stays with the branding message. Adjust the colors of shapes and text to match the overall color scheme of your business. Presentation title pages should always fit with your overall brand style.

Building a logo slide as your title slide doesn't have to be complicated. A well-made logo slide shows your branding quickly. An alternate option for this slide is slide design 4, a simple slide with a dark color scheme. Just add your logo to that slide to create contrast.

2. The Big Question Slide

Your audience may be expecting you to impart knowledge on them. But you can flip the script by asking a question up front.

The "Big Question Slide" doesn't take much time to design. It helps you free up time that you can spend thinking about the rest of your content.

When you're writing a presentation, there should always be a goal or big idea. In the example below, I used the minimalist slide design 4 to ask a question of the audience. Over the course of the presentation, I'll answer this question for the audience. 

If you aren't  answering a question or sharing an idea, it might be time to re-think the content. 

3. The Introductory Slide

There's nothing wrong with getting a bit personal in your presentation. Set the stage by building your authority and expertise, and the audience will trust and follow you through the presentation.

BePro has many slide designs that work well for this, but I opted for slide 25. It's a clean and straightforward slide design. It's easy to add points that explain your expertise to the audience. 

As you can see above, I also added a stock photo as the background image. Envato Elements features a ton of stock images as part of the subscription. They're ideal for sourcing a stock image for your presentation. 

In my example slide, I grabbed a great photo and faded it into the background. It's a great reminder that Elements is a total solution for building presentations—not just for the PowerPoint templates.

4. The Roadmap Slide

The roadmap style slide is used to tell the story of where your presentation is headed. I've sat through many presentations that seemed to wander through the agenda and would've benefitted from a roadmap slide. 

When you build a roadmap, you show the audience the direction that you'll take them on over the course of the presentation. 

Slide design 41 might take a bit of customization, but I do think that it's the perfect choice for showcasing your roadmap for the presentation. Just update each of the four placeholder boxes with a key section of your presentation to architect the roadmap of your big speech.

5. The Team Slide

This type of slide is the perfect intro to showcasing a project that was a total team effort. If you're going to spend your presentation sharing how you built a big app, product, or project, it's only right that you share the credit with your team. 

Slide 22  in BePro is the perfect choice to build a team slide of your own. It's tailor-made to drop in images and descriptions of your team members and see it come to life. 

In my example below, I put a vital member of the project team in each of the image placeholders. Giving a brief background or description of their contribution to the project is a great way to set the stage. 

I think the Team Slide approach is perfect when multiple speakers are involved. Some of my favorite presentations are when several different presenters will each take a part of the presentation. If this is the style of your presentation, use a team slide that introduces everyone's role and contributions.

6. The Quote Slide

Starting off with a quote is a great way to build a PowerPoint cover slide. Share a signature quote and you can inspire and engage with your audience! Quotes provide motivation and inspiration. They can be key to helping you convey your message.

Let’s use slide #9 in the BePro template. Over on the left, you’ll see a text placeholder. Here, you can quickly keyboard in a quote to share with your audience. Optionally, up at the top, you can add a title. Using this layout as your title slide makes for a fun and inspiring opener.

As you can see, it’s easy to add a quote to your cover slide PowerPoint design. This is a good way if you’re motivating your audience to take action. Sharing the inspiring words of others helps you inspire confidence and drive your audiences to act on your message. 

7. The Challenge Slide

In PowerPoint, you’re often sharing the solution to a problem. Don’t waste time - address things head-on right away! To do that, consider PPT title slide examples that outline a challenge. After all, if you’re proposing solutions, you first must define the challenge.

Above, I’ve used slide #6 to create a challenge slide. Once again, the process is quick and easy. Simply swap out the placeholder content with your own words and numbers. When you use layouts like this, there will be no confusion on the part of your audience. You can clearly show the challenge that must be accepted. 

5 Quick PowerPoint Title Cover Slide Design Tips for 2024

We've looked at how to make a great PowerPoint cover slide. Soon, you can begin building amazing slides on your own.

Still need inspiration? These tips can serve as PPT title slide ideas. Let's check out five quick design tips that are sure to help you out:

Bold style is essential on your PowerPoint cover page. Remember, you've got one goal: capturing audience attention . Sharp, eye-catching design does exactly that on cover slide PowerPoint designs.

Premium templates built by creatives provide unmatched designs. They even help inspire you to do your very best work. I think of templates as a top source for PPT title slide ideas. And they're incredibly easy to customize, making you look like a PPT expert.

2. Create Your Own Layouts

PPT decks are really frameworks for your message. Inside the app, you've got the flexibility to customize every slide layout. That's never more important than on the first page of PPT presentations.

By adjusting layouts, you can show exactly what you want, where you want. It's the best way to create a memorable and unique PowerPoint cover page.

Ready to implement PPT title slide ideas of your own? Tweaking layouts helps you do just that. Learn how to customize PPT layouts with our quick tutorial:

3. Embrace Minimalism

Minimalism. It's a popular design aesthetic, and for good reason. It adds style without being overpowering or distracting. That's perfect for a PowerPoint cover page.

Try to build a cover showing only the essentials. These could be things like an image, the presentation title, a date, and your name. Be careful to avoid adding clutter: it's a quick way to lose your audience.

4. Add Kinetic Typography

You might not think of animated text. But it's actually a great way to grab attention and lock in audience focus on your title page in PPT. Thanks to PowerPoint, you can add these animations (called kinetic typography) easily.

Kinetic typography brings subtle, stylish text animation to any slide. It's ideal for the first page of PPT presentation layouts in need of a bit more energy.

Learn how to use kinetic typography in just 60 seconds here. It's yet another source of inspiration for PPT title slide ideas:

5. Use Industry-Specific PowerPoint Cover Slides

First impressions are key in a title page in PPT, and you'll make one with your PowerPoint cover page. So why use generic layouts if you can find something specifically suited to your needs?

My favorite PPT title slide ideas are situation specific. That means choosing PowerPoint title slides that match your purpose. Check out Pizzarena , for example. The designs are targeted at a pizza restaurant. That's far from the norm, but it will instantly resonate with your audience with eye-catching intro slide examples.

This might mean choosing a premium template built for your industry. Or, you might add your brand's colors, logos, and more. Either way, being specific and tailoring your cover slide to your needs is sure to impress.

5 Top PowerPoint Title Cover Slide Templates (For 2024 Presentations)

Premium templates from Envato Elements include stunning PowerPoint cover page designs. And remember, they're a top source for intro slide examples. Let's check out five of the very best PowerPoint templates with built-in PPT title slide examples:

1. VERA PowerPoint Template

Bold colors abound in this visually stunning PPT deck. With 55 unique slides, you're sure to find the perfect PowerPoint cover page. Also, inside is a custom icon set that's easy to work with. This title page in PowerPoint template is perfect for almost any project.

2. STYLE - Multipurpose PowerPoint Template V50

Style: it's in the name of this template, and for good reason . This is a perfect example of a sleek, minimalist PowerPoint cover page. Customize it in seconds, and with 4,000 slides to choose from, your options are almost unlimited. You're sure to find outstanding options for title page in PowerPoint designs!

3. IPSUM - PowerPoint

IPSUM offers a key part of a successful PowerPoint cover page. That's creative flexibility. Over 50 layouts are built into the pack. You can use those pre-built designs as PPT title slide examples! You'll also see custom infographics, icons, and more. Each slide element is completely editable.

4. Livy PowerPoint

Searching for a timeless, retro inspired PPT cover page? Livy has you covered. With 50 slides and resizable graphics, it's easy to adapt to your project needs. The included gallery slide makes for a perfect mosaic cover layout. It's yet another great example with PowerPoint title slide examples.

5. Conference PowerPoint Presentation Template

Last but not least is Conference, a modern PowerPoint cover page deck. Choose between multiple color themes and quickly add in your content. Plus, slides are pre-animated, saving you precious time as you build a title page in PowerPoint! Each slide is in full HD, helping them look great on large screens.

More Top PowerPoint Templates

PowerPoint templates give you a tremendous advantage when creating a presentation. Many of them even give you pre-built title page in PowerPoint designs. You've already seen options for PowerPoint cover pages in this tutorial, but these just scratch the surface.

Check out more of the top templates below. Many of these templates give you even more options for PowerPoint title slide examples:

Learn More About How to Use PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a fantastic app because it's easy to learn. But it also has many advanced features that you can use to build beautiful slides. The title slide designs and the template we used to build them are a great example of how easy it can be.

Still want to learn more about PowerPoint? One of the best resources for learning the app is our article,  Ultimate Guide to the Best PPT . That guide and the tutorials below will help you build competence and present confidently.

The Top Source for the Best PowerPoint Cover Slide Templates (With Unlimited Downloads)

As we've shown, the title page of your PowerPoint presentation sets the tone.  But you need to make sure that the rest of your presentation looks good too.

The best way to build a presentation is to use pre-built templates from Envato Elements. Elements has a massive library of PowerPoint presentation designs you can use. Each template has starter slides that you can just drop your own content into! The PowerPoint cover slides we feature are the fastest way to design.

Find PowerPoint Templates

The best part of Elements? It's an all-you-can-download creative buffet. With a single subscription, you've got access to all that Elements offers. It includes thousands of PowerPoint designs plus millions of total creative assets. That includes:

• stock photos
• so much more!

With Elements, finding the perfect assets is easier than ever. Use the tool to find PowerPoint title slide examples, and so much more with a bit of AI-assisted help. Elements now includes a powerful AI search tool ! With it, you can simply describe your own project needs.

With this prompt, Elements will deliver a curated list of assets from the vast library! It's an amazing way to save time and find the perfect content for your title page in PowerPoint. Join Elements and try it today!

Make Great Presentations ( Free PDF eBook Download )

We also have the perfect complement to this PowerPoint tutorial. It walks you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.

Download our new eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It's available for free with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.

Start Using PowerPoint Cover Pages Today

In this tutorial, you saw some of the best options for PowerPoint cover pages inside of premium templates. These files set the tone with the help of the first page of PPT presentations, presented perfectly. Choose one of these templates and get started now.

When you use these PPT title slide examples, you’re sure to wow your audience. You’ll kick off every presentation with a strong start! You’ll capture attention and keep everyone engaged. Try it today!

Editorial Note: This tutorial was originally published in August of 2019.  It's been revised to make it current, accurate, and up to date by our staff—with special help from Andrew Childress .

How to Title a PowerPoint Presentation: For the Perfect First Impression

Discover key techniques to title your PowerPoint effectively, engaging your audience from the very first slide.

Understanding the Importance of a Good Title

• First Impressions Count: Your title is the first thing your audience will see. A strong title makes a good impression and piques interest.
• Sets the Tone: The title gives clues about the tone of your presentation, whether it's formal, humorous, informative, or persuasive.
• Guides Expectations: A well-chosen title helps set the audience's expectations about the content and the depth of the presentation.

Techniques for Crafting an Effective Title

1. keep it concise and direct, 2. use action words, 3. include keywords, 4. target your audience, 5. promise a benefit, 6. ask a question, 7. use numbers, 8. add a subtitle, examples of effective titles.

• Direct and Concise: “Future of Renewable Energy”
• Action-Oriented: “Transform Your Marketing Strategy with Data Analytics”
• Keyword-Focused: “SEO Fundamentals: Boosting Your Website’s Visibility”
• Audience-Specific: “For New Moms: Managing Time with a Newborn”
• Benefit-Oriented: “Learn 3 Essential Skills to Enhance Your Project Management”
• Question-Based: “How Can Digital Tools Elevate Your Business?”
• Numbered: “7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders”
• With Subtitle: “Silent Killers of Productivity: Identifying and Overcoming Workplace Distractions”

Crafting Your Title Slide

• Keep it Clean: Use minimal text and avoid clutter.
• Focus on Typography: Ensure your title is the focal point. Use large, readable fonts.
• Incorporate Branding: Include your logo or brand colors to make the slide visually cohesive with your organization's identity.
• Add a Relevant Image: If appropriate, use a background image that complements your title and theme without overpowering the text.

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How to easily make an AWESOME first slide in PowerPoint?

• January 5, 2023

A first impression is important and creating one should never be taken lightly. It’s no surprise then, that people often simply put their title on the slides as an attention-grabbing feature for viewers – but I am personally opposed to this most common method because it just shows a lack of interest in what you’re presenting (even though again maybe not necessarily true).

First, you’ll need to decide what your presentation will be about. Do we want it to focus on one subject or do a wide-ranging overview of many topics? Once that’s clear in mind then the next step is choosing an appropriate design for each slide – don’t worry though because this can easily happen all at once using our quick and easy steps! So let’s get started by deciding how big should my slideshows be. Should they only contain pictures OR videos too?! Lastly, put together everything into actually creating these amazing.

Table of Contents

What is the first slide of a PPT presentation?

The first slide of any presentation is called a “Title Slide” or sometimes just simply referred to as the cover. This main title often contains key information about what you will be presenting and how it pertains back to our topic at hand, making this crucial for getting started on time!

How to easily design a beautiful first slide in minutes?

Now that you’ve seen some of the simplest ways to create a great-looking first slide, let’s dive into more detail. There are plenty out there for designers who want their work looked at by as many people as possible – but these will only get your audience so far! To really wow ’em and leave an impression on them long after they’ve finished scrolling through all available information online or reading through this article…you need something special: A killer design made just for them with personalization built right in from start to finish.

Method 1 – Using PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” functionality 

PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” functionality offers great potential for creativity and design, with many possibilities. This feature is not just good enough to try out on beginners; intermediates will also benefit from using this tool in their work too! We at OwlScape like getting inspired by creative blogs when we need some fresh ideas—so it’s always worth checking yours out if you have access or time.”

To give your presentation an edge, all you need to do is put some text on the cover slide and use PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” feature. For example, You can write titles or subtitles for each section of information that they are presenting

Why not set out what belongs where with these simple steps? This will help keep viewers organized while giving them more clarity about how much time has passed since beginning watching!

Next, click on the “Design” tab located in your Menu bar. On this menu’s ribbon under Design Ideas, you will find a feature called “design ideas.” Click it and wait for just about 2 minutes before seeing anything!

Designing a logo is all about finding your unique style. It’s not always easy, but with some creativity and elbow grease, you can turn those generic designs into something that will befit any company or business!

that has an idea for how they would like their brand identity represented in terms of colors/fonts used on social media platforms such as Twitter etc., then it might help them if we started there first instead of trying to come up propose abstract ideas from scratch which could lead nowhere fast due lack meaningful input.

• Don’t let PowerPoint decide how you use PowerPoint.

With all these features, it can be hard to decide what is worth using and when. But don’t worry! We’ve got your back with this list of must-haves for any PowerPoint user and those on the fence (or looking forward) will want to see them too.

Make sure to check out our pre-made themes before you adopt them. You can try different typefaces and formatting from other programs like Adobe Illustrator or Apple Pages if Calibri & Cambria aren’t cutting it for your needs! Try making the presentation more interesting by changing up colors too – this will help keep attention on what’s important in any given moment rather than being distracted constantly by something blue (like their default tone).

• Create custom slide sizes.

When you’re creating a presentation, keep in mind that the default slide size may not work well on weirdly sized displays. If your screen is too small or large for what’s expected of it and needs to be resized accordingly before printing out copies so they’ll fit properly onto sheets of paper – here’s how!

• Edit your slide template design.

It’s common to design each slide by hand, but it can be easier and faster if you edit your PowerPoint template beforehand. Here are some tips for getting started with this process!

To start editing a pre-made presentation or charting out new ideas on what will ultimately become an empty canvas – let’s take advantage of our free time while still being mindful about saving every last minute possible during these busy work days so we don’t end up feeling overwhelmed at the end o the week wondering where everything went wrong because there wasn”t enough hours in one day (or weeks) spent putting together correctly aligned content across various medium.

• Make sure all of your objects are properly aligned.

The key to making a presentation look polished and professional is having properly aligned objects on your slide. You can manually try aligning them yourself, but we all know how that typically works out – you’re trying hard enough as it is without throwing some guesswork into the mix! Get rid of those worries by letting PowerPoint do its magic for you with this trick-it’ll line up everything perfectly every time so there’s nothing left guessing when viewers go through minutes or hours worth of content at one time over several days/weeks.

• Use “Format Object” to better control your objects’ designs.

When you right-click on an object and select ‘format’, the menu will pop up with all sorts of options to adjust it just how your heart desires. You can change shadows, and measurements or even create reflections–whatever looks best!

• Take advantage of PowerPoint’s shapes.

With the release of Microsoft’s expanded format options, PowerPoint provides more design potential with shapes. The user can now create better designs by using their flexible toolkit and incorporating different types or patterns into each slide’s layout!

PowerPoint is the ultimate tool for making presentations that get your message across. With Smart shapes, you can create diagrams and flow charts in no time! The best part? You don’t even need creativity because they’re pre-made – just choose what kind of shape it should be then fill out any borders or titles as desired to make them look interesting enough until next month’s meeting.

The new version has some cool features including one where users can apply different typesets based on their needs at every stage throughout the production process so there won’t ever again.

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With our  presentation design services , we can help you create an amazing visual representation of your business. They are designed by professional strategists and designers who understand how important it is to have visuals that communicate clearly and effectively while still being aesthetically pleasing. They’re also created using the most up-to-date data so they won’t become obsolete quickly like other types of marketing material might be.

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