Present Online Like A Pro — Use Free Teleprompter Software

5 min readOct 3, 2020

Don’t read your script from a document whilst presenting online

Distracted? Yep, so are we…

When reading off your screen during a presentation/pre-recorded video, your eye movement can be very distracting for the audience. It makes us cringe.

“As soon as you can tell someone is reading, the content often looses that ‘wow’ factor. It comes across as more rigid, unnatural and less convincing. Subconsciously the audience will, at best, find it a little distracting and, at worse, the delivery can be highly unprofessional.”
Pitch Hive

Steady Eye contact with or near the camera will help to engage your audience and make the content and delivery more impactful.

We know many people struggle to present and often will not have time to spend hours rehearsing in front of their camera or mirror.

Don’t worry, you can achieve 80% of the impact without memorisation. How? By using teleprompter software.

If you are looking for some help with your pitch content or delivery, then get in touch with us and see how we can help.

What is a teleprompter?

A traditional teleprompter (also known as an ‘autocue’), is a display device normally fitted to a camera that prompts the person speaking with scrolling text.

Although the results of the professional setup below would be slick, they are not practical or affordable for most. That’s why we suggest using online teleprompter software.

Advantages of using teleprompter software

Some of the primary benefits of using teleprompter/autocue software include;

Stops/Reduces eye Movement: using teleprompting software can dramatically reduce or totally stop visible eye movement when reading
Increased audience engagement: looking at or near the camera at a consistent point helps engage your audience and avoid distraction
Saves Time: no need to spend valuable time memorising your entire pitch/introduction
Increases consistency: using a script can help you or another member of your team deliver a more consistent message

When and when not to use teleprompter software

Although teleprompter software can be a fantastic tool to help busy entrepreneurs host calls and present be careful.

There will be lots of occasions when a pre-prepared script just wouldn’t be appropriate. For example, you have already sent over your pitch deck to a VC and they just want to run through the deck in a more informal question and answer style (more common now with presentations online). If you try and present a pre-prepared script is just won’t work and you will keep getting interrupted.

When to use an autocue:

Clearly structured call introduction/pitch where there are no planned interruptions
Recording a pitch video for a crowdfunding campaign or advert, where you might need to make multiple takes with consistent dialogue

When not to use an autocue:

Pitches or presentations where you might get interrupted by investors or the audience
Q&A style presentations, where your deck has been fully reviewed in advance
Any scenario that requires adapting on the spot to the audience
When you need to share your entire screen — consider a separate stand for your phone or tablet just above your camera

Using a teleprompter is no excuse for not knowing your material, but I can be a great tool to help hone your presentation/introduction if you are short on time in the right environment.

Remember though, writing an autocue script takes time. It might be more efficient just to create the outline, practice it and then deliver it ‘off the cuff’. Ultimately it will depend on the nature of the presentation, the audience and the duration of the material.

How to use teleprompting software whilst presenting over Zoom or Google Meet

Although there are loads of apps out there for phones and tablets, along with countless accessories, unless you are recording videos regularly, free software should be adequate.

What is the best free teleprompting software you can use?

There are plenty of free options available, however, our favourite is Easy Prompter which you can access in your browser.

We recommend you open the site in a separate window and then reduce the window size so that the text appears close to your laptop screen camera.

Top tips for using teleprompter software:

Be careful when sharing your screen not to cover up the teleprompter or share it
Practice using the software so you get comfortable with the controls — stop, start, rewind, speed etc.
Move a little further back from the computer and make the teleprompter text slightly bigger to reduce the impact of eye movement
Align the teleprompter in the upper middle section of your screen (see diagram above) so you are reading close to your camera

Conclusion

Reading off a document when presenting results in eye movements that distract your audience and reduce the impact of the content. Using teleprompter/autocue software can help solve this problem. If you don’t want to spend loads of money on professional kit, free software such as Easy Prompter can be a great help. Using autocue well requires some practice and won’t be appropriate for all types of presentations — it works best when creating a pre-recorded pitch video, doing a call introduction or any other pitch where there will not be planned interruptions such as Q&A.

If you have any autocue software or tools that you love, let us know in the comments below.

Pitch Smarter. Raise Money Faster.

By, Richard Draper