There’s no single right way to use Copilot in PowerPoint. Your Copilot presentation options really come down to three starting points: build it yourself and let Copilot handle the design, hand the whole thing over and let Copilot generate it, or ask Copilot to suggest a direction first if you’re not quite sure. I tested all three this month, using the same example throughout: pitching your services to a new client.
What are your Copilot presentation options?
Sometimes you already know exactly what you want to say. Sometimes you haven’t got a clue. And sometimes you’re somewhere in between, needing a bit of guidance before you commit. Each of those situations calls for a different way of working with Copilot, so let’s look at all three.
When you already know what you want
Sometimes the content’s already sorted in your head, or even already typed up. In that case, there’s no need to prompt Copilot for the words at all, just write it yourself.
The bit that trips people up is design. PowerPoint’s Design Suggestions don’t always give you a matching look across every slide, especially if you’ve built the content first and the styling second.
The prompt I used:
“Apply my brand template/colours across all slides, using [your colours or template] throughout. Keep all existing text and content — just align backgrounds, headings, accents, and spacing so the deck feels consistent with my brand.”
If you’re on Copilot Premium with a saved template, you can name the file directly. On Copilot Basic, attaching the file, or even a screenshot of it, works just as well.
When you know the topic but not where to start
This one’s the opposite problem. You know roughly what needs covering, but writing it all yourself feels like more effort than it’s worth. Here, you hand the whole thing over to Copilot.
The prompt I used:
“Create a 6-slide presentation pitching my bookkeeping services to a prospective small business client. Slide 1: title only. Slide 2: the problem I solve — time lost on manual admin and messy accounts. Slide 3: how I help, three key services: monthly bookkeeping, VAT returns, and payroll support. Slide 4: pricing overview. Slide 5: a simple example or case study. Slide 6: next steps to get started. Keep the tone warm and confident, avoid heavy jargon.”
I used the same brand colours as before, just to keep things fair across all three tests. Even so, the result looked completely different in style, which tells you Copilot’s reading a lot more into a prompt than just the colours you give it.
When you’ve got a rough idea but need a nudge
This one sits in the middle. You’ve got a sense of direction, but you’re not confident enough to charge ahead, and you’re not ready to hand it over entirely either.
The prompt I used:
“I want to pitch my bookkeeping services to a prospective small business client, but I’m not sure how to structure it. Suggest a slide-by-slide direction first before creating anything.”
This was genuinely the most interesting test of the month. I’d pictured five slides. Copilot suggested six, then offered nine as an alternative. When I asked for the opening slide to be split into two, it simply redid the plan on the spot. Once I was happy, I asked it to build the deck, and ended up with ten slides.
So which path is right for you?
None of the three is the “correct” choice. The right one depends entirely on how much you already know before you open PowerPoint, and that can change from one presentation to the next. Whichever path you take, always give the result a proper read through before you present it. Copilot gets you most of the way there, but the final polish is still yours.
A couple of quick follow-ups
Can I mix and match the paths? Yes. You could build your own content, then still ask Copilot for design help, or ask for guidance first and finish the content yourself. The three paths aren’t rigid rules, just useful starting points.
Are these the only Copilot presentation options? No, it’s completely down to you. These are three starting points. If you want to create each slide one by one with Copilot – you can. There’s a button on the ribbon ‘New Slide with Copilot’. You can create the outline in Word or Copilot on the Web – whatever you prefer.
Does this work the same on Copilot Basic and Premium? Mostly, yes. The main difference is how you reference a brand template — Premium lets you name a saved file directly, while Basic needs the file (or a screenshot of it) attached to the prompt.
Created with the help of Claude AI from an original transcript.
YouTube Videos
I Asked Copilot to Build the Same Presentation Twice — Here’s What Happened
Copilot Keeps Ignoring Your Prompts? Try This PowerPoint Framework
PowerPoint Design Ideas Look Different on Every Slide? Here’s the Fix
3 Ways to Use Copilot in PowerPoint (Whatever Stage You’re At)
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