Beliefs of Trailwick, a fictional hiking app
Manifesto slide with a hero line and two beliefs
A manifesto slide states what an organisation believes, in a hero line and a few short beliefs, so an audience knows what it stands for before hearing what it sells. This one sets out the beliefs of Trailwick, a fictional hiking app: trails belong to everyone, maps stay free, walkers rate the trails and every hazard report gets passed on.
What is on the slide
- Kicker and hero line
- MANIFESTO. Trails Belong to Everyone.
- Lead
- A trail map should be free: every route costs nothing to view, download or share offline. Walkers rate the trails: no business can pay to move a route up the list. Leave it better: every fallen tree or washed out step report goes to the land manager the same day.
- Cards
- 01 Access Before Revenue: maps stay free; Trailwick earns from guided walks and park partners, never from locking a route. 02 People Over Rankings: a trail climbs only when walkers finish and rate it.
When this is the right slide
Pick this slide when an organisation's beliefs explain its decisions, there are three or fewer that rule something out, and each can be backed by a card saying how it is kept.
What to swap it for
Takeaway: Manifesto Headline with 6 Chips. Use the manifesto headline with six chips when the beliefs are short phrases with no explanation needed, such as six principles for a team wall.
What this slide shows
A small spaced kicker reads MANIFESTO above the hero line Trails Belong to Everyone in serif display type, with a short orange rule beneath. On the left, three short paragraphs each open with a bold lead. A trail map should be free: every route in Trailwick costs nothing to view, download or share offline. Walkers rate the trails: no business can pay to move a route up the list. Leave it better: every report of a fallen tree or washed out step goes to the land manager the same day. On the right, two stacked cards in orange and teal carry numerals 01 and 02, a heading and two sentences each. 01 Access Before Revenue: maps stay free for good, and Trailwick earns from guided walks and park partners, never from locking a route. 02 People Over Rankings: a trail climbs the list only when walkers finish it and rate it, so the top ten is what people walked. Trailwick is a fictional hiking app.
When this is the right slide
Use a manifesto slide when an organisation's beliefs explain its choices and the audience needs to understand them: a brand launch, a recruiting talk, a community or partner meeting, a founder's talk, an investor pitch where the business model looks unusual. It is the right slide when the beliefs are few, specific and backed by a decision the company has made. The two card layout suits a manifesto that needs both voice and proof: the lead says what is believed, the cards say what follows. It is the wrong slide when the company has values but no beliefs that rule anything out; then the slide reads as decoration and an audience of buyers will skip it. It is also wrong for a short sales pitch to a busy buyer, who wants the problem and the product, and wrong when the beliefs have not yet shaped any decision, because the cards will have nothing true to say.
How to adapt it
First, for a recruiting talk, change the cards to how the beliefs shape the work, such as walkers rate every new feature before it ships, so candidates see what joining means. Second, for park partners, lead with Leave it better and give its card the numbers, such as reports passed on the same day, since partners care most about the land. Third, for an investor deck, keep Access Before Revenue as the first card and add the revenue lines in the speaker notes, because investors will ask how free maps make money. Keep the lead to three beliefs in under about 560 characters, each with its bold opening of three to six words. Do not let a belief on this slide contradict a pricing or product slide later in the deck.
What makes this slide work
Beliefs, each with a decision attached
A trail map should be free, walkers rate the trails, leave it better. Each bold lead is followed by what it means in practice: free to view and download, no business can pay to move a route up, hazard reports sent the same day.
Cards that say what it costs
Access Before Revenue says Trailwick earns from guided walks and park partners, never from locking a route. People Over Rankings says a trail climbs only when walkers finish and rate it. The cards turn beliefs into rules a reader can check.
A hero line short enough to repeat
Trails Belong to Everyone, four words in display type, sits above an orange rule. It summarises all three beliefs and is short enough for staff and users to repeat, which is the job of a manifesto headline.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between beliefs and values on a manifesto slide?
Values are qualities, such as openness or care. Beliefs are claims about the world that a company acts on, such as a trail map should be free. A manifesto works best with beliefs, because each one implies a decision and can be checked against what the company does.
How many beliefs should a manifesto slide carry?
Three to five short ones. This slide has three in the lead and expands two of them into cards that say how they are kept. More than five and the audience stops remembering any. If a company has a longer list, keep it for a page on the website and put the three that drive decisions on the slide.
Where does a manifesto slide belong in a deck?
Near the start of a brand, recruiting or community deck, after the cover. In an investor pitch it fits after the solution, as an explanation of why the business model looks the way it does, such as free maps funded by guided walks. Put it too early in a pitch and investors wait impatiently for the problem.
Should a manifesto be written in first person?
The beliefs can be stated plainly without we, as here: a trail map should be free. That makes them read as principles rather than marketing. The cards then say what the company does, in third person or plain statements, so the audience can test the beliefs against actions.
How do you stop a manifesto slide sounding like marketing?
Attach a cost or a rule to every belief. Maps stay free and the company earns from guided walks and park partners, never from locking a route. A belief that costs the company nothing to hold, such as we love the outdoors, is a slogan. A belief that rules out revenue is a manifesto.
Can a manifesto slide include numbers?
It can, when a number proves a belief is kept, such as the share of routes free to download or the time to pass a hazard report on. Numbers make a manifesto more credible, but too many turn it into a metrics slide. One or two in the cards, at most, keeps the voice intact.
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