Some presentations are better than others. Some have gorgeous designs. Some have insanely actionable takeaways. Some just give down-to-earth advice. But the best SlideShare presentations represent all three.
And if you're looking to get started making your own PowerPoint or SlideShare presentation, why not learn from the best of the best?
To help you kick your own presentations up a notch, we've curated 25 awesome SlideShare decks below.
Click here to download 20 examples of top-notch PowerPoint presentations and get tips for creating one of your own!
When you're clicking through the presentations below, notice how they weave an interesting story through the SlideShare format, design their slides, and make their presentations interactive with SlideShare-exclusive features. These are all crucial elements to making an awesome SlideShare -- if you can apply them to your own presentations, you'll be featured on the SlideShare homepage in no time.
Bonus: You may just learn a thing or two about marketing while you're at it. ;)
25 Great SlideShare/PowerPoint Presentation Examples for Marketers
1) "How to Produce Better Content Ideas," Mark Johnstone
We all get writer's block sometimes. You'll stare at a screen, hoping for inspiration to strike -- and for that idea to be amazing.
But that's not actually the best way to think of ideas. In the SlideShare presentation below, Mark Johnstone outlines a better way to brainstorm ideas that will help build your business.
2) "How Google Works," Eric Schmidt
Ever wonder what it's actually like to work at Google? The SlideShare below from Eric Schmidt (Google's Executive Chairman and ex-CEO) could clue you in -- it outlines some of the top lessons he and his team have learned from running and hiring for one of the top companies in the world. Besides giving you a peek behind the scenes of a top company, it could inspire you to make changes to the way your business runs.
3) "Fix Your Really Bad PowerPoint," Slide Comet
Okay, maybe your PowerPoint isn't that bad, but this presentation has some awesome takeaways we all could learn from. Even if you're following all the tips in this presentation, you can sure be inspired by its expert copy and design.
4) "KPCB 2014 Internet Trends," Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Mary Meeker's report on the latest internet trends is one of the most hotly anticipated data reports of the year. Even if you gave this presentation a gander when it first came out, it's worth revisiting -- the data's fascinating, current, and relevant to marketers in any industry.
5) "Why Content Marketing Fails," Rand Fishkin
Sometimes, the most helpful pieces of content tell you what not to do. Rand Fishkin's SlideShare does just that. He takes an in-depth look at the most common reasons people fail at content marketing -- and offers practical, original advice on fixing it.
6) "The What If Technique," Motivate Design
Most marketers are looking to grow ... but sometimes they can get stuck making incremental improvements. While these improvements are growth, larger, bigger growth jumps are what most people want. To help you get unstuck from incrementalism, Motivate Design outlined a process in the SlideShare below.
7) "Digital Strategy 101," Bud Caddell
Even though this SlideShare is almost 100 slides long, its content is pure gold. Caddell answers some of the biggest FAQs about digital strategy in a very accessible way. The reason his slides are so straightforward is because of the way he's laid them out. He's really adept at making"animated" slides explain his story -- something we all should learn how to do.
8) "10 Ways to Win the Internets," Upworthy
Even though Upworthy's got a bad rap for creating clickbait headlines, their lessons on going viral are incredible interesting. Besides having great advice about going viral, Upworthy does a great job of making its presentation interactive using clickable links.
9) "Crap: The Content Marketing Deluge," Velocity Partners
Even though this SlideShare is a few years old, it's one every content marketer should flip through. The reason we love it so much is because the message -- and delivery of that message -- is pretty much flawless. Definitely take a second to flip through the presentation, as you'll learn a great lesson while also soaking up a great piece of SlideShare content.
10) "The Brand Gap," Marty Neumeier
If you're interested in brand strategy and design, this presentation is for you. Although it's kind of meta, I included this presentation because it has an awesome -- yet very simple -- design. Notice how the slides are only black and white, so Marty Neumeier only has typography, symbols, and spacing at his disposal.
11) "What Would Steve Do? 10 Lessons from the World's Most Captivating Presenters," HubSpot
Not to toot our own horn, but this presentation has been one of our most successful SlideShares, so we wanted to share it with you. I personally love how actionable tips are provided in a visual way. For example, in slides 47 through 49, the author explains the difference between "showing" and "telling" by putting the word "circle" next to a picture of a circle. Although showing, not telling, is a key storytelling technique in writing, it's especially effective in presentations.
12) "How I Got 2.5 Million Views on SlideShare," Nick Demey
Feeling inspired to create a SlideShare of your own? Make sure you flip through Nick Demey's presentation first. He shares some tried-and-true tips for creating awesome presentations that rack up tons of views.
13) "10 Powerful Body Language Tips for Your Next Presentation," Soap Presentations
This presentation is inspirational from a design perspective -- we especially love the color scheme. Using complementary colors (colors opposite each other on the color wheel) can be overwhelming at times, but because Soap Presentations uses them with lots of white space in the background, the colors draw your attention to the content of the slides.
14) "What 33 Successful Entrepreneurs Learned From Failure," ReferralCandy
Learning from mistakes is a crucial part to growing in your professional and personal lives. But sometimes, it's better to learn from others' mistakes instead of making them yourself. This SlideShare outlines some core lessons successful entrepreneurs have learned by making mistakes. Read on so you don't have to make the same ones.
15) "Displaying Data," Bipul Deb Nath
We admire presentation for its exceptional display of data -- now this post will explain how to do the same in your own presentations. I also love how this presentation is very concise and minimal, as it helps communicate a fairly advanced topic in an easy-to-understand way.
16) "Design Your Career 2015," Slides That Rock
This presentation has great advice and equally admirable design. The whole black-and-white color scheme really makes the salmon accent color pop -- and the SlideShare creatively combines these elements for different slide layouts. Definitely bookmark this presentation as an example of a great SlideShare design.
17) "A-Z Culture Glossary of 2015: The Trends You Need to Know to be Relevant," sparks & honey
The other day, I heard the phrase "on fleek" and had no idea what it meant. (Apparently, it's a new term that means "on point" ... in case you were wondering.)
If you're like me and feel like it's nearly impossible to keep up with the latest cultural trends, spend time with the SlideShare below. It'll outline the most popular trends you should know this year -- most definitely worth a read.
18) "The History of SEO," HubSpot
SEO’s changed a lot in the past two decades. Most of us are concerned with keeping up with the latest and greatest changes … but have you ever taken a minute to step back in time? The SlideShare below will walk you through SEO history from the very beginning -- it's been a fascinating ride.
19) "5 Killer Ways to Design the Same Slide," Crispy Presentations
Once you start designing presentations, it’s easy to fall back on tried-and-true layouts, photos, fonts, and colors. While keeping everything consistent can be good for branding or for shipping a deck quickly, it can also prevent people from noticing the awesome new content you’ve put together. The quick presentation below shows you a few different ways you can design the same slide -- all depending on what you want it to accomplish.
20) "The Seven Deadly Social Media Sins," XPLAIN
Besides having some great takeaways for any inbound marketer, I love how this presentation successfully uses Creative Commons images in almost every slide. It's pretty inspirational -- even if you don't have budget for stock photos, you can have an engaging presentation.
21) "The Minimum Lovable Product," Spook Studio
When they’re first getting started, many startups and agile teams talk about creating a minimal viable product -- using the smallest amount of resources to produce something that’s good enough to begin testing. After all, why pour tons of resources into something that you don’t know will work?
This SlideShare challenges the MVP concept in favor for creating something that people love. Check it out -- it has lessons even for those of us who aren’t building technology every day.
22) "How to Teach Yourself HTML and CSS This Month," Ryan Bonhardt
Lots of people have “learn to code” on their to-do list ... but they never get to it. In marketing, knowing how to navigate code is becoming even more important to being successful. If you’ve been waiting to get started with coding, check out the presentation below.
23) "How People Really Hold and Touch (Their Phones)," Steven Hoober
When you hear the phrase “design for mobile” what do you think? Probably that you need to create a responsive website, and that’s about it.
But that’s not all you need to worry about. When you’re creating mobile-optimized content, you need to know how people actually use their phones -- and the presentation below will you a great overview of consumer behavior.
24) "How to Really Get Into Marketing," Inbound.org
If you're graduating from school or making a career change and looking to get into marketing, it can feel tough to actually get started. It's one of those "you need experience to get the job, but you have no experience" conundrums.
Well, that's where this SlideShare comes in. Inbound.org's Ed Fry gives real, actionable tips to help you get your foot in the door at your next marketing gig.
25) "Search for Meaning in B2B Marketing," Velocity Partners
Sometimes, it's easy to get bogged down and think you're doing "just marketing." You're not operating on people and saving lives, right?
From the creators of "Crap: The Content Marketing Deluge" comes the following SlideShare. If you're ever feeling down-in-the-dumps about marketing, I'd highly highly recommend reading it. It's thoughtful, funny, and a great SlideShare to keep in your back pocket for a rainy day.
Do you have any other favorite SlideShare presentation
