Prompts
Cheat Sheet
Quick Wins

10 Prompts That Transform Your Deck

The cheat sheet. Ten copy-paste prompts that take common slides and make them dramatically better in seconds. No theory — just prompts that work.

Dev Decks Team

Product & Growth

April 4, 2026

9 min read

This is the cheat sheet. Ten prompts you can copy, paste into your deck right now, and immediately see the difference. Each one takes a common slide and makes it dramatically better in seconds.

No theory. No preamble. Just prompts that work.


1. Turn a Bullet List Into a Visual Grid

The prompt:

"Turn this bullet list into a visual grid with an icon for each point"

What it does: Takes a wall of text and transforms it into a scannable, visual layout. Each point gets its own card with a relevant icon. Viewers can take it all in at a glance instead of reading line by line.

Push it further:

"Turn this bullet list into a 3x2 grid with icons, subtle card borders, and a hover effect that highlights each card"

"Make it a visual grid with icons. Each card fades in one by one. Use the brand colour as an accent on the icons."


2. Make Your Numbers Count Up

The prompt:

"Add animated counters for all the metrics on this slide"

What it does: Every number on the slide counts up from zero to its final value. Viewers watch the figures climb, making the numbers feel earned rather than just stated. The most reliable way to make a traction slide feel impressive.

Push it further:

"Animated counters for all metrics. The main number counts up first, then the supporting stats count up one by one. Add a growth badge next to the biggest number."

"Each metric counts up inside its own card. Add a small sparkline chart under the revenue counter showing the monthly trend."


3. Add Hover Reveals to Your Team Slide

The prompt:

"Make the team cards reveal each person's bio when you hover over them"

What it does: The team slide shows photos, names, and roles. When a viewer hovers over someone, the card expands or flips to reveal their background, experience, or a personal detail. It turns a flat team grid into an interactive experience.

Push it further:

"Team cards in a 2x2 grid with circular photos. Hover reveals a bio and their LinkedIn. The cards stagger in one by one when the slide loads. Use the brand accent as a border on hover."

"Each team member has their photo and name visible. On hover, the card lifts, gets a subtle glow, and shows three bullet points about their background."


4. Create a Competitor Comparison

The prompt:

"Add a comparison table: us vs [Competitor A] vs [Competitor B]. Highlight where we win."

What it does: Creates a structured comparison with features as rows and companies as columns. Your column is visually emphasised — highlighted colour, checkmarks that pop. Competitor weaknesses are subtly de-emphasised.

Push it further:

"Comparison matrix with us and 3 competitors. Our column highlighted with the brand colour. Checkmarks for us are bright and prominent, competitor X marks are faded grey. Hover over any row to emphasise that comparison."

"Side-by-side comparison cards instead of a table. Our card is slightly larger and elevated. Each benefit point has an icon."


5. Animate Your Timeline

The prompt:

"Make this timeline animate — each milestone appears one by one"

What it does: Instead of showing the entire timeline at once, each milestone reveals in sequence. Dots appear, connecting lines draw between them, and labels fade in. The story of your journey unfolds before the viewer's eyes.

Push it further:

"Horizontal timeline where each milestone has a dot that pulses when it appears. A line draws between each milestone. The most recent one glows with the brand colour."

"Timeline builds left to right. Each milestone has an icon and a one-line achievement. The connecting line draws itself. Add the year labels above each point."


6. Split Screen: Problem vs Solution

The prompt:

"Split this into two columns: the problem on the left, our solution on the right"

What it does: Creates a powerful visual contrast. The problem side feels heavy — dark, stark, with pain points listed. The solution side feels bright — lighter, optimistic, with your benefits. The viewer sees the transformation side by side.

Push it further:

"Split screen — problem on the left with a dark background and red accent indicators, solution on the right with a bright background and green indicators. A vertical divider between them. The left side slides in first, then the right side appears as the answer."

"Before and after layout. The 'before' side shows three pain points with downward arrows. The 'after' side shows three solutions with upward arrows. Each side fades in from its respective edge."


7. Feature a Customer Testimonial

The prompt:

"Add a testimonial quote with the customer's photo and company logo"

What it does: Adds social proof with impact. A large, readable quote with proper attribution — the customer's face and company make it feel real rather than fabricated. This is the slide that builds trust.

Push it further:

"Large testimonial quote in the centre with quotation marks. Small circular photo of the person on the left, their name and title below it, company logo small in the corner. The quote text fades in word by word."

"Two testimonials side by side in cards. Each has a 5-star rating at the top, the quote in the middle, and the person's photo and name at the bottom. The cards slide in from opposite sides."


8. Make Pricing Interactive

The prompt:

"Make the pricing tiers interactive — hover highlights each plan"

What it does: Each pricing tier reacts when the viewer hovers over it — lifting up, getting a border glow, or expanding to show more detail. The recommended plan stands out with a badge or size difference. It turns a static pricing table into something viewers explore.

Push it further:

"Three pricing columns. The middle one is the recommended plan — slightly taller with a 'Most Popular' badge. All plans lift on hover with a subtle shadow. The prices count up from zero. Each plan has a checkmark feature list."

"Pricing cards that reveal a full feature breakdown on hover. The recommended tier has a glowing border in the brand colour. A comparison toggle at the top lets you switch between monthly and annual."


9. Build a Metrics Dashboard

The prompt:

"Turn these stats into a dashboard-style layout with metric cards"

What it does: Transforms scattered numbers into an organised, scannable layout. Each metric gets its own card with the number prominent and a small label below it. The layout looks like a professional analytics dashboard.

Push it further:

"Dashboard with 6 metric cards in a 3x2 grid. Each card has the number large, a trend arrow (up or down), and a one-word label. The numbers count up. Alternate card backgrounds between dark and light for visual rhythm."

"Executive metrics dashboard. Three hero metrics across the top — largest and boldest. Four secondary metrics in smaller cards below. Each counter starts from zero and counts up in sequence, left to right."


10. Show Your Traction Journey

The prompt:

"Add a progress bar showing our traction from launch to today"

What it does: Creates a visual representation of how far you've come. A progress bar fills to show your position, with key milestones marked along the way. It makes your journey tangible and your momentum visible.

Push it further:

"Growth journey as an animated timeline — starting at launch, through first customer, £100k MRR, 1,000 users, Series A. Each milestone has a date and an icon. The line draws itself and each milestone lights up in sequence."

"Traction visualisation with a horizontal bar that fills from left to right. Key achievements are marked as dots on the bar. Below it, three counters show the current numbers: users, revenue, and growth rate. Everything animates."


Try All Ten Right Now

Open your deck, pick the slide that matters most, and paste one of these prompts. Watch what happens. Then try another.

The prompts above are starting points. Change the numbers, swap the details, combine ideas from different prompts. There are no limits — only the ones you haven't thought to push past yet.

This is the cheat sheet. Ten prompts you can copy, paste into your deck right now, and immediately see the difference. Each one takes a common slide and makes it dramatically better in seconds.

No theory. No preamble. Just prompts that work.


1. Turn a Bullet List Into a Visual Grid

The prompt:

"Turn this bullet list into a visual grid with an icon for each point"

What it does: Takes a wall of text and transforms it into a scannable, visual layout. Each point gets its own card with a relevant icon. Viewers can take it all in at a glance instead of reading line by line.

Push it further:

"Turn this bullet list into a 3x2 grid with icons, subtle card borders, and a hover effect that highlights each card"

"Make it a visual grid with icons. Each card fades in one by one. Use the brand colour as an accent on the icons."


2. Make Your Numbers Count Up

The prompt:

"Add animated counters for all the metrics on this slide"

What it does: Every number on the slide counts up from zero to its final value. Viewers watch the figures climb, making the numbers feel earned rather than just stated. The most reliable way to make a traction slide feel impressive.

Push it further:

"Animated counters for all metrics. The main number counts up first, then the supporting stats count up one by one. Add a growth badge next to the biggest number."

"Each metric counts up inside its own card. Add a small sparkline chart under the revenue counter showing the monthly trend."


3. Add Hover Reveals to Your Team Slide

The prompt:

"Make the team cards reveal each person's bio when you hover over them"

What it does: The team slide shows photos, names, and roles. When a viewer hovers over someone, the card expands or flips to reveal their background, experience, or a personal detail. It turns a flat team grid into an interactive experience.

Push it further:

"Team cards in a 2x2 grid with circular photos. Hover reveals a bio and their LinkedIn. The cards stagger in one by one when the slide loads. Use the brand accent as a border on hover."

"Each team member has their photo and name visible. On hover, the card lifts, gets a subtle glow, and shows three bullet points about their background."


4. Create a Competitor Comparison

The prompt:

"Add a comparison table: us vs [Competitor A] vs [Competitor B]. Highlight where we win."

What it does: Creates a structured comparison with features as rows and companies as columns. Your column is visually emphasised — highlighted colour, checkmarks that pop. Competitor weaknesses are subtly de-emphasised.

Push it further:

"Comparison matrix with us and 3 competitors. Our column highlighted with the brand colour. Checkmarks for us are bright and prominent, competitor X marks are faded grey. Hover over any row to emphasise that comparison."

"Side-by-side comparison cards instead of a table. Our card is slightly larger and elevated. Each benefit point has an icon."


5. Animate Your Timeline

The prompt:

"Make this timeline animate — each milestone appears one by one"

What it does: Instead of showing the entire timeline at once, each milestone reveals in sequence. Dots appear, connecting lines draw between them, and labels fade in. The story of your journey unfolds before the viewer's eyes.

Push it further:

"Horizontal timeline where each milestone has a dot that pulses when it appears. A line draws between each milestone. The most recent one glows with the brand colour."

"Timeline builds left to right. Each milestone has an icon and a one-line achievement. The connecting line draws itself. Add the year labels above each point."


6. Split Screen: Problem vs Solution

The prompt:

"Split this into two columns: the problem on the left, our solution on the right"

What it does: Creates a powerful visual contrast. The problem side feels heavy — dark, stark, with pain points listed. The solution side feels bright — lighter, optimistic, with your benefits. The viewer sees the transformation side by side.

Push it further:

"Split screen — problem on the left with a dark background and red accent indicators, solution on the right with a bright background and green indicators. A vertical divider between them. The left side slides in first, then the right side appears as the answer."

"Before and after layout. The 'before' side shows three pain points with downward arrows. The 'after' side shows three solutions with upward arrows. Each side fades in from its respective edge."


7. Feature a Customer Testimonial

The prompt:

"Add a testimonial quote with the customer's photo and company logo"

What it does: Adds social proof with impact. A large, readable quote with proper attribution — the customer's face and company make it feel real rather than fabricated. This is the slide that builds trust.

Push it further:

"Large testimonial quote in the centre with quotation marks. Small circular photo of the person on the left, their name and title below it, company logo small in the corner. The quote text fades in word by word."

"Two testimonials side by side in cards. Each has a 5-star rating at the top, the quote in the middle, and the person's photo and name at the bottom. The cards slide in from opposite sides."


8. Make Pricing Interactive

The prompt:

"Make the pricing tiers interactive — hover highlights each plan"

What it does: Each pricing tier reacts when the viewer hovers over it — lifting up, getting a border glow, or expanding to show more detail. The recommended plan stands out with a badge or size difference. It turns a static pricing table into something viewers explore.

Push it further:

"Three pricing columns. The middle one is the recommended plan — slightly taller with a 'Most Popular' badge. All plans lift on hover with a subtle shadow. The prices count up from zero. Each plan has a checkmark feature list."

"Pricing cards that reveal a full feature breakdown on hover. The recommended tier has a glowing border in the brand colour. A comparison toggle at the top lets you switch between monthly and annual."


9. Build a Metrics Dashboard

The prompt:

"Turn these stats into a dashboard-style layout with metric cards"

What it does: Transforms scattered numbers into an organised, scannable layout. Each metric gets its own card with the number prominent and a small label below it. The layout looks like a professional analytics dashboard.

Push it further:

"Dashboard with 6 metric cards in a 3x2 grid. Each card has the number large, a trend arrow (up or down), and a one-word label. The numbers count up. Alternate card backgrounds between dark and light for visual rhythm."

"Executive metrics dashboard. Three hero metrics across the top — largest and boldest. Four secondary metrics in smaller cards below. Each counter starts from zero and counts up in sequence, left to right."


10. Show Your Traction Journey

The prompt:

"Add a progress bar showing our traction from launch to today"

What it does: Creates a visual representation of how far you've come. A progress bar fills to show your position, with key milestones marked along the way. It makes your journey tangible and your momentum visible.

Push it further:

"Growth journey as an animated timeline — starting at launch, through first customer, £100k MRR, 1,000 users, Series A. Each milestone has a date and an icon. The line draws itself and each milestone lights up in sequence."

"Traction visualisation with a horizontal bar that fills from left to right. Key achievements are marked as dots on the bar. Below it, three counters show the current numbers: users, revenue, and growth rate. Everything animates."


Try All Ten Right Now

Open your deck, pick the slide that matters most, and paste one of these prompts. Watch what happens. Then try another.

The prompts above are starting points. Change the numbers, swap the details, combine ideas from different prompts. There are no limits — only the ones you haven't thought to push past yet.

More in Making Your Slides Yours

How Your Words Become Slides

Understand the connection between what you type and what the AI builds. Your words are the design tool — and there are no limits.

6 min read

The Prompt Spectrum: Vague to Specific

A five-level ladder showing how each step of specificity — from a simple request to full motion and brand direction — changes what the AI builds.

7 min read

Prompting for Layout

Learn the layout vocabulary that shapes your slides — grids, split screens, full-width backgrounds, timelines, and more.

8 min read

Prompting for Motion and Interaction

Your slides aren't static — they can move, react to hover, count up in real time, and reveal hidden content. A gallery of creative prompt examples you can copy and paste.

10 min read

Prompting for Data Visualization

Turn flat numbers into visual stories — animated counters, comparison displays, metric dashboards, progress indicators, and funnel charts. Copy-paste prompts included.

10 min read

Prompting for Tone and Personality

The same content can feel corporate, energetic, luxurious, or playful — it depends on the words you use. A gallery of tone vocabulary with examples for every persona.

9 min read

Reference-Driven Prompting

Name a brand, product, or style you admire and the AI uses it as a design compass. Apple keynotes, Stripe landing pages, McKinsey decks — reference anything.

8 min read

Iterative Refinement: The 3-Prompt Rule

You don't need the perfect message first time. Structure, then design, then polish — three rounds to go from good to exceptional. Plus the edit vocabulary that works.

8 min read

Slide-by-Slide vs Deck-Wide Prompts

Set the rules for the whole deck, then override them for individual slides. The two-phase workflow that creates consistency with standout moments.

8 min read

Writing Effective Audience Briefs

The quality of your edition depends on your audience brief. The 4-sentence framework plus ready-to-use briefs for every persona — investors, sales prospects, board members, and more.

10 min read

Ready to build your deck?

Paste your URL and get an on-brand deck in minutes. Custom slides, your brand, no templates.

Build your deck free